Preparing for the IELTS exam at home is totally possible. Many Indian students study alone and get good IELTS band scores without joining any coaching centre. Candidates just have to make a simple study plan, use good IELTS study materials, and practice every day.
Preparing for the IELTS exam at home is good way for Indian students to improve English skills and get better scores. You can do it with right strategies and resources.
It is important for candidates to know the IELTS test format before starting the preparation. Then, try to improve English every day. One can use the official IELTS practice materials and practice like real test. Make a simple IELTS study timetable. Find your strong and weak points. If you can get feedback, it will add more value it can you to know where you can do better.
This guide show you easy steps to make IELTS study plan, use online tools and practice well. If you spend time every day on English and know the test format, your chance to score good will increase.
- Understand the IELTS Test Format
- How to Prepare for IELTS at Home?
- Free IELTS Classes by Shiksha Study Abroad
Understand the IELTS Test Format
The IELTS exam pattern can be checked below with their duration and description.
| Section |
Duration |
Description |
|---|---|---|
| 30 mins |
4 sections, 40 questions |
|
| 60 mins |
3 passages, 40 questions |
|
| 60 mins |
A total of 2 tasks (Task 1: 150 words, Task 2: 250 words) |
|
| 11–14 mins |
3 parts: Introduction, Long Turn, Discussion |
How to Prepare for IELTS at Home?
Preparation for any exam begins with an understanding of the IELTS exam pattern. What follows is a correct list of IELTS preparation books and resources. In addition to this, students can refer to the IELTS Preparation Guide that contains IELTS Sample Papers and strategies to help them prepare without going to any formal coaching institute.
Build Your Core English Skills
Strong English skills are the foundation of a good IELTS score. Instead of only solving test papers, also work on your general language ability.
IELTS Listening
The IELTS Listening section is supposed to be the easiest of the four sections. The candidate will listen to 4 different recordings and answer 40 questions within 30 minutes. The tricky part is, you will listen and write the answers at the same time. So how do you ace the listening part of the exam?
- Practice, practice, and practice, take as many trail tests as possible before the actual exam.
- Focus is the key, listen to every single detail of the conversation being played out. Most often, losing the focus for a few seconds will fail you in answering one or two questions, this is where your score comes down.
- Please note that the recordings will be played only once. Keep your focus intact and do not get swayed away in your thoughts.
- Try to master different accents of English.
- When you are not taking mock tests listen to podcasts and follow British news channels such as the BBC. In addition, you can watch English shows. But do not watch these shows for entertainment purpose, rather watch them to get a hang of the accents. This will help in improvising your listening capabilities and understanding the accent of the native English speakers better.
Related Reads: How to Get an IELTS Band 7
IELTS Reading
The reading part of IELTS contains 3 sections with 40 questions, and you need to answer them within 60 minutes. If listening is about practice, reading is about time management.
- Time your mock tests while practicing reading sections.
- Section 3 is relatively tougher compared to 1 and 2. As the test progresses, questions get tougher. Here, time management plays a major role. You must practice time management so that as you reach later sections, you have sufficient time at your disposal.
- Hone your IELTS vocabulary. As time is the deciding factor here, you should know the meaning of complicated words to proceed quickly.
- Take a glance at the questions before you read the text. Make a note of keywords while you read. This helps you in identifying the important parts of the passage.
- As you read along, build a gist of the paragraph in your mind.
- Practice reading. It is not only about IELTS, but also about developing a reading habit. The more you read, the more you learn. There are excellent books and reading materials available in the market. Pick up a genre that you enjoy, and read as much as possible. In addition, you can also read magazines such as The Economist to understand how formal language is written.
IELTS Writing
IELTS Writing has 2 parts, Task 1 and Task 2. Task 2 is same for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. But Task 1 is different for both. For IELTS Academic, Task 1 means you need to look at a graph, chart, diagram or process and write its summary. For IELTS General, Task 1 is about writing a letter, it can be informal, semi-formal or formal. Task 2 is always writing a long IELTS essay on a given topic.
You must write minimum 150 words for Task 1 and 250 words for Task 2. If you write less, you get penalty. IELTS Writing checks your real English skills. Try to plan your ideas in mind first, think about essay structure before start writing.
Make sure your writing has a clear structure and flow, everything make sense. Your content should answer the question directly. You can add examples to support your ideas in essay. Divide your writing into 3 to 5 small paragraphs depends on question. Paragraphs must connect and flow naturally.
Start with interesting introduction and end with strong conclusion. Both must answer the question. Don’t repeat words too much, try using synonyms.
IELTS Speaking
Speaking test happen few days before or after the other three parts. You need to show your confidence for smooth go-through. Whole test take about 11-14 minutes and has three parts: introduction, long individual talk, and two-way talk with examiner.
Start sentences well and finish them clean. Don’t repeat words or sentences too much. Practice at home by talking to friends on different topics and ask them feedback. Make simple sentences, try no errors. Get pronunciation correct and let speech sound natural. Don’t force big words. Focus on keeping ideas clear.
Don’t just say memorized words. Speak what fits the situation. IELTS Speaking test is not about big vocabulary; it check your general English. Examiner should not feel like you memorized answers.
You can really prepare for IELTS at home and save money and time. Hard work plus smart work is the way. All the best!
Related Reads:
| Exam day tips for IELTS: How to approach each section |
Free IELTS Classes by Shiksha Study Abroad
Shiksha Study Abroad conducts free IELTS online classes on all weekends and weekdays of the month. In these classes, we would be discussing all four topics that are covered in the four sections of the IELTS exam – Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking in detail. Candidates would also be allowed to clear their doubts at the end of every class by directly interacting with our IELTS preparation experts. That is not all, IELTS trainers would also be providing you with online questionnaires at the end of every section, and IELTS practice papers for candidates to self-assess their IELTS preparations. To register for your Free Online IELTS Classes, Click Here
So, you can certainly prepare for IELTS at home and save on money and time. Hard work and smart work is the way to go. All the best.
Related Reads:
Although two weeks are less, however, with a solid strategy can help you get a decent IELTS score. Candidates should understand the IELTS test format and prepare a comprehensive study plan for the next two weeks covering all the topics. After covering all the topics in each of the sections give full-length practice tests.
There is no pass or fail in IELTS. But students want a good IELTS band score to go to top universities. To do well in first try, you should know the test format and practice all parts – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
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The preparation for IELTS can be done either through self-study or by attending professional classes. Here are some IELTS preparation tips that will help you achieve your desired results.
For free preparation, join our free Shiksha online classes with our IELTS preparation expert Disha Wahi (TESOL Certified Trainer). Don’t forget to check out the Calendar for Free IELTS Live Practice Tests & Solutions.
IELTS Reading: The IELTS Reading section can be the trickiest of all and requires lots of concentration as well as preparation. To achieve high IELTS band scores, you can check out our IELTS Reading Tips and Tricks.
IELTS Listening: The IELTS Listening section requires concentration and is a high scoring part of the exam. Scoring high in this section will elevate your total IELTS score so it must not be taken lightly. Check out our IELTS Listening tips for boosting your chances of desired band scores.
IELTS Speaking: The IELTS Speaking section has three parts and is one of the highest scoring modules of the exam. In order to achieve a high band score, you can check out our specially curated IELTS Speaking Tips.
IELTS Writing: The IELTS Writing section can be a little tricky but with the right strategy you can increase your chance of scoring well in this section. Go through our IELTS0 Writing tips and prepare for this section comprehensively.