Have you appeared for IELTS?

vivekiny2k · 25th December 2008, 04:31

no, an interviewer ask you various questions and you have to answer them.

GTO - Touring · 25th December 2008, 13:32

The purpose of the IELTS is to confirm that you can communicate in English. This, alongwith the TOEFL, is the accepted standard for International Universities. Those amongst us who have had an english-medium background will breeze through the test. Just remember, don't be over-confident; a surprisingly large number of test-takers lose out on points due to careless mistakes and / or lack of practice. Just run yourself through 2 - 3 practice tests and you should be all set.

ascertain · 25th December 2008, 15:02

I was pretty nervous about the IELTS Exams, Eventhough English was my favourite language in school, and I'd managed to get high scores , After joining MBBS, and working in northern kerala for 7 years, My language skills had definitely taken a dip!

I am working as an M.O in the cardiology dept. of my hospital. Almost everyone in the hospital, right from the nurses to the doctors', is on tenterhooks about the exam, because so many people don't make it year after year!.

Please remember the keys to your IELTS success-

1) Practice, Practice and Practice
I got hold of practice materials (The Cambridge series) and also one provided by the IELTS board itself.

Listening- Please hear the Demo CD's or even the Online material (Scott's English) and answer the mock questions with the clock ticking- it really helps to read the questions ahead, and be prepared for the snippets that get thrown during the conversation. Practice around 5-6 sets to get comfortable with the system.
During the exam-The listening sections increase in difficulty, so the third set in the test will be the toughest
Sometimes you may come across some words/slang , that may confuse you- for example- i came across the word 'jumper' in the conversation, and the choices mentioned contained - 1)Raincoat 2)Sweater 3) Trouser 4) Waterproof shoes
(The word 'jumper' is actually british slang for sweater), in such cases, eventhough you might not know the answer, DO NOT LEAVE THE QUESTION UNANSWERED!- because there are no Negative marks

Reading- The reading sections too- increase in difficulty as the passages progress. passage 3 being tougher than the first one.
Always read the questions, give them a cursory glance once in a while, and look for 'catch words' in the questions - it might be the name of an article, or an author, keep a pencil at hand, and underline the passage where you find the catch word mentioned. The latter questions may call upon your analytical capabilities, and might require you to read the concerned paragraphs once or twice before you hit upon the answer. Remember - ALWAYS TRY TO IDENTIFY THE PARAGRAPH CONTAINING THE ANSWER, once you do that, forget all other nonsense contained in other passages.

Writing- The dictum of 'writing with a pen' does not hold good always..
Writing with a pen definitely improves legibility and style, but there is a chance of messing up your paper if you foul up your thought process. The IELTS officials now allow you to write using either a pen or a pencil. I chose to write with the pencil because -
1)Errors can be corrected
2)No ink smudges
3)Writing's faster

Just give yourself 1 minute to understand the topic. The first task requires interpretation of a statistic/ pie chart and summarizing the findings. The first task should be attempted first, and around 15-20 minutes is sufficient. Break down the information part by part, and EXPLAIN THE TREND YOU SEE IN THE GRAPH e.g- Pollution levels are rising / No. of road accidents are rising etc.
While you are writing your Task 1, your mind should already be formulating stuff that you are planning to write for Task 2.
Task 2- carries more marks- BUT DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS FIRST-
always do task1 first, then proceed to task 2.
Task 2 calls for you to opine on a topic of social importance - education system/ poverty/ pollution/ brain drain etc. Marshal your thoughts, and prepare to write an essay of at least 250 words

Divide the essay into-
a) Introduction ( With a broad reference to the topic- do not mention the topic as such), you can include any sayings or quotations (a good idea to include these, as it conveys the picture that you are a seasoned writer)

b) 3 Small paragraphs- about causes/ reasons/ examples . It would be a good idea to give a title for each para
eg. : Education system revamped: the Norwegian model, or Pollution control systems- the French Model or something like that, Always underline your headings.

c) Conclusion- always conclude with an opinion. you can write for or against the topic depending on which side has more points you can recall.

Always keep an armory of fancy sounding words, which make you seem a man of letters - Hypothesis, Auxiliary, Placate, Bifurcate, Theorize- just about anything that can be used relevantly in your essay WITHOUT SPELLING MISTAKES, and make sure IT IS GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT.

Speaking - Go to the interview room confidently, and smile. The interviewer will put you at ease, and ask about your life in general. This will ease tension, and then he/she will ask you to take up a card with a topic on it. You will be given a minute to prepare.

I was given the topic : "Describe any advertisement you happened to notice on television/ print/radio which caught your attention, and interested you. Describe why you found it interesting."

These topics will be based on your life in general, most of the time.. and with your friends, you will have hundreds of points, but the anxiety will most likely muddle up your thoughts, and make you stammer.
so DON'T FREAK OUT WHEN YOU GET THE TOPIC. Just imagine you are at home, and are talking to your dearest friend, smile, pause.. don't usw the sounds like 'mmmm', aaah , oo and all that, when you are stuck- just stop, and maybe start off with a statement like, I also feel that-....

So remember PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE , get any kind of material you can get your hands on, and read up newspaper editorials, novels etc. you never know where you might find your treasure cache of words.

Practice the tests in full with the clock ticking, and always concentrate on reading and writing.

Speak to your friends in English, and ask them to correct you- maybe even check your essays- provided they are competent in English as well.

I Got an overall band score of 8.5

Listening - 8
Writing - 8
Reading - 8.5
Speaking - 9

straight6 · 1st February 2009, 18:29

I just finished giving the IELTS yesterday (listening/writing) and today (Speaking). Should receive an sms on the 13th day.

BenjiRoss · 26th July 2009, 15:53

Where can I get some practice material for IELTS? I skimmed through and couple of resources online and found that my greatest weakness was remembering what was spoken and also looking for where to find the answers in the passage reading sections - need to work on my concentration.

abhinav.gupta88 · 26th July 2009, 16:29

I gave my IELTS and got 7.5

Beanstalk_230 on the forum gave his IELTS and got 8.

@ BenjiRoss , have you applied for the IELTS , if not , then when you do , you are provided with a book and 2 CDs.
Its not too difficult a test.

Though i'll check if beanstalk has his book.
Mine has been sent to a cousin of mine.

If he has it , i'll get back to you.

Also you don't have to remember what was spoken for a long time.
While giving the listening test , you would be given a question paper kinda thing in which you can write as soon as you listen to it.
Its normal fill in the blanks , map directions etc.
Not at all tough once you get to know when exactly is the sentence going to come ( it is always in order and not jumbled)

Wolfheart · 30th July 2009, 18:54

I gave the IELTS academic test last year for my registration

my score was
Listening 8.5, Reading 8.5, Writing 7.5, Speaking 9.0 Overall 8.5

I could have done better with the writing score but my handwriting is terrible. Actually the IELTS is quite simple if you practice with the cambridge IELTS book and CD's for a week to ten days before the test you should be able to score 7 and above. Just remember time is the key! you have to time yourself while doing the mock tests.

Just wondering if most of you do the IELTS for Education or Migration?

Takumi-san · 30th July 2009, 19:46

I gave the IELTS twice (once about 6 months back and the first time about 3 years back). I got 8.5 overall both times. I gave the first time for education the next for migration.

For Indians, given that we converse in English - its pretty ok. Just get acquainted with the format , actually practise the writing part. this is where a lot of people mess up. Try talking to a friend or family on the given practise for speaking too. Loads of books available and a few mock tests should tell you where you stand. PM me for any help, will be glad to do so.

myavu · 30th July 2009, 20:20

Yes I appeared in 2003 December in Cochin and got Score 7

BenjiRoss · 30th July 2009, 23:06

I was chatting up with a friend and by sheer coincidence we found that we are both planning to give the IELTS in August! My friend got quite a bit of material. So I guess I'm on my way to starting the preparation.
I will keep asking my queries here. Thanks a lot for your tips.
If any of you have the listening part audio and questions I would like to have it. thats the part I find the toughest and woule like more material on.

Takumi-san · 31st July 2009, 08:29

As someone mentioned here already, ALWAYS use a pencil. It will definitely help you a lot. Dont use a pen in any module, though its allowed.

Wolfheart · 31st July 2009, 13:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takumi-san

I gave the IELTS twice (once about 6 months back and the first time about 3 years back). I got 8.5 overall both times. I gave the first time for education the next for migration.

For Indians, given that we converse in English - its pretty ok. Just get acquainted with the format , actually practise the writing part. this is where a lot of people mess up. Try talking to a friend or family on the given practise for speaking too. Loads of books available and a few mock tests should tell you where you stand. PM me for any help, will be glad to do so.

Hi there,

Apparently you migrated to Australia since yor profile says taht you're in Melbourne. Did you apply for skilled independent or sponsored migration? Just curious since I'm in the Migration Advice profession.

BenjiRoss · 8th September 2009, 15:30

I completed my exam and scored 8.5
Listening: 8.5
Reading: 9
Speaking 8.5
Writing: 8

Ascertain has written great tips and I'll just add a few more:
1. Practice practice and practice - getting used to the format and the timings is extremely crucial and half the battle won.
2. Carry enough pencils, a good eraser, a pen and sharpener if needed.
3. The test is usually in the afternoon. have something to eat and some water before the test - the test goes on till 4 PM and being hungry is not a good thing. You will spend more than 4 hours in the exam hall.
4. Time a toilet break. I had planned on this and decided that the reading section would be ideal for me as I usually finished it early. My colleague waited too long and was writing with a full bladder and took a break midway through his writing and that broke the rhythm! This may seem very trivial, but in a cold AC room some people get full bladders easily!
5. The advantages of using a pencil have already been mentioned.
6. Trivial: Keep your water bottle or glass on the floor - the last thing you need is a water slash on your answer sheet!
7. The table at which I sat had a table cloth and hence writing the answers etc was a pain - i don't know if a writing pad is allowed.

Those are some extra tips - hope they are useful

benbsb29 · 25th March 2012, 17:29

Anyone taken the IELTS recently? Are there any changes with respect to the pointers mentioned already on this thread?

Thanks in advance.

Arunshek · 1st April 2013, 00:43

Hello T-BHPians,

I'm appearing for IELTS this weekend. I've got my speaking on 5th Friday and rest of the exam on 6th Saturday.
As I applied through IDP, I've got their study material: a Book and an Audio DVD. Then the YouTube is my current teacher, which is really exhaustive.
Any tips/pointers from recent exam takers will be of great help.

25th December 2008, 04:31	#16
vivekiny2k Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: cincinnati, jabalpur,chennai Posts: 1,264 Thanked: 209 Times View My Garage	no, an interviewer ask you various questions and you have to answer them.
	() Thanks

25th December 2008, 13:32	#17
GTO - Touring BHPian Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 710 Thanked: 54 Times	The purpose of the IELTS is to confirm that you can communicate in English. This, alongwith the TOEFL, is the accepted standard for International Universities. Those amongst us who have had an english-medium background will breeze through the test. Just remember, don't be over-confident; a surprisingly large number of test-takers lose out on points due to careless mistakes and / or lack of practice. Just run yourself through 2 - 3 practice tests and you should be all set.
	() Thanks

25th December 2008, 15:02	#18
ascertain BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cannanore Posts: 155 Thanked: 41 Times	IELTS prep tips- read to succeed I was pretty nervous about the IELTS Exams, Eventhough English was my favourite language in school, and I'd managed to get high scores , After joining MBBS, and working in northern kerala for 7 years, My language skills had definitely taken a dip! I am working as an M.O in the cardiology dept. of my hospital. Almost everyone in the hospital, right from the nurses to the doctors', is on tenterhooks about the exam, because so many people don't make it year after year!. Please remember the keys to your IELTS success- 1) Practice, Practice and Practice I got hold of practice materials (The Cambridge series) and also one provided by the IELTS board itself. Listening- Please hear the Demo CD's or even the Online material (Scott's English) and answer the mock questions with the clock ticking- it really helps to read the questions ahead, and be prepared for the snippets that get thrown during the conversation. Practice around 5-6 sets to get comfortable with the system. During the exam-The listening sections increase in difficulty, so the third set in the test will be the toughest Sometimes you may come across some words/slang , that may confuse you- for example- i came across the word 'jumper' in the conversation, and the choices mentioned contained - 1)Raincoat 2)Sweater 3) Trouser 4) Waterproof shoes (The word 'jumper' is actually british slang for sweater), in such cases, eventhough you might not know the answer, DO NOT LEAVE THE QUESTION UNANSWERED!- because there are no Negative marks Reading- The reading sections too- increase in difficulty as the passages progress. passage 3 being tougher than the first one. Always read the questions, give them a cursory glance once in a while, and look for 'catch words' in the questions - it might be the name of an article, or an author, keep a pencil at hand, and underline the passage where you find the catch word mentioned. The latter questions may call upon your analytical capabilities, and might require you to read the concerned paragraphs once or twice before you hit upon the answer. Remember - ALWAYS TRY TO IDENTIFY THE PARAGRAPH CONTAINING THE ANSWER, once you do that, forget all other nonsense contained in other passages. Writing- The dictum of 'writing with a pen' does not hold good always.. Writing with a pen definitely improves legibility and style, but there is a chance of messing up your paper if you foul up your thought process. The IELTS officials now allow you to write using either a pen or a pencil. I chose to write with the pencil because - 1)Errors can be corrected 2)No ink smudges 3)Writing's faster Just give yourself 1 minute to understand the topic. The first task requires interpretation of a statistic/ pie chart and summarizing the findings. The first task should be attempted first, and around 15-20 minutes is sufficient. Break down the information part by part, and EXPLAIN THE TREND YOU SEE IN THE GRAPH e.g- Pollution levels are rising / No. of road accidents are rising etc. While you are writing your Task 1, your mind should already be formulating stuff that you are planning to write for Task 2. Task 2- carries more marks- BUT DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS FIRST- always do task1 first, then proceed to task 2. Task 2 calls for you to opine on a topic of social importance - education system/ poverty/ pollution/ brain drain etc. Marshal your thoughts, and prepare to write an essay of at least 250 words Divide the essay into- a) Introduction ( With a broad reference to the topic- do not mention the topic as such), you can include any sayings or quotations (a good idea to include these, as it conveys the picture that you are a seasoned writer) b) 3 Small paragraphs- about causes/ reasons/ examples . It would be a good idea to give a title for each para eg. : Education system revamped: the Norwegian model, or Pollution control systems- the French Model or something like that, Always underline your headings. c) Conclusion- always conclude with an opinion. you can write for or against the topic depending on which side has more points you can recall. Always keep an armory of fancy sounding words, which make you seem a man of letters - Hypothesis, Auxiliary, Placate, Bifurcate, Theorize- just about anything that can be used relevantly in your essay WITHOUT SPELLING MISTAKES, and make sure IT IS GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT. Speaking - Go to the interview room confidently, and smile. The interviewer will put you at ease, and ask about your life in general. This will ease tension, and then he/she will ask you to take up a card with a topic on it. You will be given a minute to prepare. I was given the topic : "Describe any advertisement you happened to notice on television/ print/radio which caught your attention, and interested you. Describe why you found it interesting." These topics will be based on your life in general, most of the time.. and with your friends, you will have hundreds of points, but the anxiety will most likely muddle up your thoughts, and make you stammer. so DON'T FREAK OUT WHEN YOU GET THE TOPIC. Just imagine you are at home, and are talking to your dearest friend, smile, pause.. don't usw the sounds like 'mmmm', aaah , oo and all that, when you are stuck- just stop, and maybe start off with a statement like, I also feel that-.... So remember PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE , get any kind of material you can get your hands on, and read up newspaper editorials, novels etc. you never know where you might find your treasure cache of words. Practice the tests in full with the clock ticking, and always concentrate on reading and writing. Speak to your friends in English, and ask them to correct you- maybe even check your essays- provided they are competent in English as well. I Got an overall band score of 8.5 Listening - 8 Writing - 8 Reading - 8.5 Speaking - 9
	(1) Thanks

1st February 2009, 18:29	#19
straight6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bombay Posts: 2,548 Thanked: 296 Times	I just finished giving the IELTS yesterday (listening/writing) and today (Speaking). Should receive an sms on the 13th day.
	() Thanks

26th July 2009, 15:53	#20
BenjiRoss Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tamilnadu Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 1,330 Times	Where can I get some practice material for IELTS? I skimmed through and couple of resources online and found that my greatest weakness was remembering what was spoken and also looking for where to find the answers in the passage reading sections - need to work on my concentration.
	() Thanks

26th July 2009, 16:29	#21
abhinav.gupta88 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Delhi , India Posts: 4,092 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	I gave my IELTS and got 7.5 Beanstalk_230 on the forum gave his IELTS and got 8. @ BenjiRoss , have you applied for the IELTS , if not , then when you do , you are provided with a book and 2 CDs. Its not too difficult a test. Though i'll check if beanstalk has his book. Mine has been sent to a cousin of mine. If he has it , i'll get back to you. Also you don't have to remember what was spoken for a long time. While giving the listening test , you would be given a question paper kinda thing in which you can write as soon as you listen to it. Its normal fill in the blanks , map directions etc. Not at all tough once you get to know when exactly is the sentence going to come ( it is always in order and not jumbled)
	() Thanks

30th July 2009, 18:54	#22
Wolfheart BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bombay Posts: 160 Thanked: 28 Times	I gave the IELTS academic test last year for my registration my score was Listening 8.5, Reading 8.5, Writing 7.5, Speaking 9.0 Overall 8.5 I could have done better with the writing score but my handwriting is terrible. Actually the IELTS is quite simple if you practice with the cambridge IELTS book and CD's for a week to ten days before the test you should be able to score 7 and above. Just remember time is the key! you have to time yourself while doing the mock tests. Just wondering if most of you do the IELTS for Education or Migration?
	() Thanks

30th July 2009, 19:46	#23
Takumi-san BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Melbourne Posts: 368 Thanked: 121 Times View My Garage	I gave the IELTS twice (once about 6 months back and the first time about 3 years back). I got 8.5 overall both times. I gave the first time for education the next for migration. For Indians, given that we converse in English - its pretty ok. Just get acquainted with the format , actually practise the writing part. this is where a lot of people mess up. Try talking to a friend or family on the given practise for speaking too. Loads of books available and a few mock tests should tell you where you stand. PM me for any help, will be glad to do so.
	() Thanks

30th July 2009, 20:20	#24
myavu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Delhi - Kochi Posts: 1,503 Thanked: 1,724 Times	Yes I appeared in 2003 December in Cochin and got Score 7
	() Thanks

30th July 2009, 23:06	#25
BenjiRoss Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tamilnadu Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 1,330 Times	I was chatting up with a friend and by sheer coincidence we found that we are both planning to give the IELTS in August! My friend got quite a bit of material. So I guess I'm on my way to starting the preparation. I will keep asking my queries here. Thanks a lot for your tips. If any of you have the listening part audio and questions I would like to have it. thats the part I find the toughest and woule like more material on.
	() Thanks

31st July 2009, 08:29	#26
Takumi-san BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Melbourne Posts: 368 Thanked: 121 Times View My Garage	As someone mentioned here already, ALWAYS use a pencil. It will definitely help you a lot. Dont use a pen in any module, though its allowed.
	() Thanks

8th September 2009, 15:30	#28
BenjiRoss Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tamilnadu Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 1,330 Times	I completed my exam and scored 8.5 Listening: 8.5 Reading: 9 Speaking 8.5 Writing: 8 Ascertain has written great tips and I'll just add a few more: 1. Practice practice and practice - getting used to the format and the timings is extremely crucial and half the battle won. 2. Carry enough pencils, a good eraser, a pen and sharpener if needed. 3. The test is usually in the afternoon. have something to eat and some water before the test - the test goes on till 4 PM and being hungry is not a good thing. You will spend more than 4 hours in the exam hall. 4. Time a toilet break. I had planned on this and decided that the reading section would be ideal for me as I usually finished it early. My colleague waited too long and was writing with a full bladder and took a break midway through his writing and that broke the rhythm! This may seem very trivial, but in a cold AC room some people get full bladders easily! 5. The advantages of using a pencil have already been mentioned. 6. Trivial: Keep your water bottle or glass on the floor - the last thing you need is a water slash on your answer sheet! 7. The table at which I sat had a table cloth and hence writing the answers etc was a pain - i don't know if a writing pad is allowed. Those are some extra tips - hope they are useful
	(1) Thanks

25th March 2012, 17:29	#29
benbsb29 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brisbane Posts: 9,968 Thanked: 13,223 Times View My Garage	Re: Have you appeared for IELTS? Anyone taken the IELTS recently? Are there any changes with respect to the pointers mentioned already on this thread? Thanks in advance.
	() Thanks

1st April 2013, 00:43	#30
Arunshek BHPian Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 68 Thanked: 40 Times	Re: Have you appeared for IELTS? Hello T-BHPians, I'm appearing for IELTS this weekend. I've got my speaking on 5th Friday and rest of the exam on 6th Saturday. As I applied through IDP, I've got their study material: a Book and an Audio DVD. Then the YouTube is my current teacher, which is really exhaustive. Any tips/pointers from recent exam takers will be of great help.
	() Thanks