# Cracking IELTS



## saradha (Feb 22, 2011)

Hi All.

My hubby in the process of applying a PR visa.
He is a Mech.Engg with MS from UK.He has cleared the EA assessment as well.
But this IELTS is a bottle neck as of now. 
He gave his test last april and his result was above 7 on all bands except for S 6.5
This Jan, he re-appeared with great preparation to get L8,R6,S7,W5.5.
We are heart-broken,as we were confident in acheiving Band 7 this time.
Nw, I have 2 questions...

1.Is there a possbilility of getting a higher score in some test centres than other cities? If so,which test centre? (he attempted both times from bangalore )

2.With so much of training and good english knowledge, is it possible to get a low score? I cant juz believe he flopped this time inspite of repeatedly scoring high on all mock tests.

Any advice would be life changing for me.
thanks guys.


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## tryingaustralia (Sep 2, 2011)

Hey saradha,

We guys are in the same boat! have attempted thrice in delhi - n all in vain! 
We too heard of trying from other cities - cant comment ... if u still feel, we think it will be wise to apply from somewhere else - god knows whats the real trick behind cracking the exam. N if u do get to know of some tips, do PM me as well. Will be of gr8 help.

thanks n all the best!


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2012)

A different test centre won't matter. Its an international test based on the same standard wherever you take it.
It takes lots of practice. I wouldn't be able to pass it & I'm British! People have posted lots of practice resources on here if you do a search.


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## dreamaus (Nov 12, 2011)

saradha said:


> Hi All.
> 
> My hubby in the process of applying a PR visa.
> He is a Mech.Engg with MS from UK.He has cleared the EA assessment as well.
> ...


I cracked with a overall band of 7 in my first attempt even though I did my schooling and college in somewhat underdeveloped city where English is not that popular.
I felt, it only matters a little whether you know English good or not but it is all about cracking the exam and understanding how to approach each section.
I followed a book by name "Ace the IELTS" and it exactly approached on how to crack the exam rather than improving your English. Watch videos from Australia Network - Study English - IELTS Preparation which has lot of 10 min video clip on different sections of exams with examples.
Take your time and prepare, have right spirit and have positive enthusiasm definitely you will clear with your target band. Take this as an opportunity given to you to learn more about English...
Good luck...


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## buzzvishwanath (Dec 1, 2011)

saradha said:


> Hi All.
> 
> My hubby in the process of applying a PR visa.
> He is a Mech.Engg with MS from UK.He has cleared the EA assessment as well.
> ...


Hello

I sympathize with your condition . But i would suggest let that not deter you spirits . I grew up in Goa , so we have prominence of English . Plus did schooling in a Christian school. But trust me even i put in lots of effort cause the IELTS is not just about English , you need to get the right technique .

Take lots of mock tests online .
Go through forums
You dont need English lessons or coaching , they just make money out of you
You went for the General tests Correct ?
Just take up more Practice sessions . I only referred to the materials provided on applying for the exam.
I took up tests on the IELTS Exam Preparation

Cheers


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## Hassan_Warraich (Jun 24, 2011)

I second buzzvishwanath's opinion.....IELTS is not just about English,its the technique of attempting and preparation that matters.....Factually most of us know more English than required,but the output must be as per IELTS standards...for example in writing they require the essay to be in a specific format,etc.




buzzvishwanath said:


> Hello
> 
> I sympathize with your condition . But i would suggest let that not deter you spirits . I grew up in Goa , so we have prominence of English . Plus did schooling in a Christian school. But trust me even i put in lots of effort cause the IELTS is not just about English , you need to get the right technique .
> 
> ...


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## jonay (Sep 20, 2011)

there is one subtle info about the ielts many test taker dont get to know..
._"Although all IELTS test materials are pretested and trialled before being released as live tests, there are inevitably minor differences in the difficulty level across tests. In order to equate different test versions, the band score boundaries are set so that all candidates’ results relate to the same scale of achievement. This means, for example, that the Band 6 boundary may be set at a slightly different raw score across versions"._

you may be graded at band 7 with a 34 raw score out of 40 for a particular sitting but the same raw score of 34 will be graded at a band 6.5 in another sitting...thats how IELTS ''corrects'' the so-called minor differences in the difficulty level across tests


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## giri26 (Jul 18, 2011)

I guess IELTS is easy if you understand the technique to approach the exam. You also need to take lots of tests. I took the exam and got overall score of 8.0 in just the first attempt. My wife with limited preperation was able to get 6.5 (she needed only 4.5). So doing loads of practice is the only option. Write lots of essays, if needed get it corrected by some English teacher or something. It is just not about English, it is about confidence when you are sitting for the speaking test. There are loads of materials online with example speaking tests. My wife used to ask me questions from them and I used to answer as I would do when I am in the actual test. Believe me it really helped as I got 8 in speaking. 

Best of luck for the test. If needed get some tutions for IELTS and see if it helps.


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## JBY (May 17, 2011)

saradha said:


> Hi All.
> 
> My hubby in the process of applying a PR visa.
> He is a Mech.Engg with MS from UK.He has cleared the EA assessment as well.
> ...


May i ask how is he preparing for it ? I didn't find it that difficult after tons of practice of course, i used the cambridge IELTS 7, 8 series test books along with companion books which provided a lot of tips, such as Cambridge TOP TIPS IELTS. 

Remember its all about technique, knowing good english is not enough, read around some native Brits get 6.5 total average!! Writing is always the one people would score lower (same with me) and it is most difficult. 


Regarding City and country differences, i know people who swear they got different results from different test centers. I do believe there is some truth to this, but overall they have strict standards across all their examiners.


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## lifeisgood (Mar 30, 2010)

IELTS is a "format based" exam. There is a fixed manner in which the examiners approach the 4 sections.
Even I was heart broken when I couldnt get 8 in IELTS. I started doubting my english..But on a closer scrutiny found out that the IELTS is more of an exam in which you are expected to follow the rules rather than just demonstrating your english..
this is the sad truth and we gotta live with it..
changing exam centres will not really help..


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## mimran (Aug 11, 2011)

jonay said:


> there is one subtle info about the ielts many test taker dont get to know..
> ._"Although all IELTS test materials are pretested and trialled before being released as live tests, there are inevitably minor differences in the difficulty level across tests. In order to equate different test versions, the band score boundaries are set so that all candidates’ results relate to the same scale of achievement. This means, for example, that the Band 6 boundary may be set at a slightly different raw score across versions"._
> 
> you may be graded at band 7 with a 34 raw score out of 40 for a particular sitting but the same raw score of 34 will be graded at a band 6.5 in another sitting...thats how IELTS ''corrects'' the so-called minor differences in the difficulty level across tests



Hi

I agree this is the most frustrating part. In my case Reading section is the one which is driving me nuts. In one attempt I was 0.5 less and in other attempt I was 1 point behind to get desired 7. Other parts LSW I score exceptionally well.

Also looking at jonay post, I recall that Reading General we have to score 34 to get 7 and 32 (or 30) to get 6.5. Any expert advice for Reading is highly appreciated. Probably what I realize now is that Reading questions are more trickier than you think. Anyways preparing more and sitting for 3rd time and hope to apply for 175 / 176 before June2011.


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## mimran (Aug 11, 2011)

mimran said:


> Hi
> 
> I agree this is the most frustrating part. In my case Reading section is the one which is driving me nuts. In one attempt I was 0.5 less and in other attempt I was 1 point behind to get desired 7. Other parts LSW I score exceptionally well.
> 
> Also looking at jonay post, I recall that Reading General we have to score 34 to get 7 and 32 (or 30) to get 6.5. Any expert advice for Reading is highly appreciated. Probably what I realize now is that Reading questions are more trickier than you think. Anyways preparing more and sitting for 3rd time and hope to apply for 175 / 176 before June2011.



Above point which I mentioned

Also looking at jonay post, I recall that Reading General we have to score 34 to get 7 in General whereas in Academic we have to get 30 or 32 to get 7. So I was thinking of giving Academic, but that is more complex with lengthy paragraphs


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## expertea (Nov 26, 2011)

saradha said:


> Hi All.
> 
> My hubby in the process of applying a PR visa.
> He is a Mech.Engg with MS from UK.He has cleared the EA assessment as well.
> ...


Hi Saradha,

Ask your husband to take the exam again. Writing was the area I needed practice when I faced the exam. I followed all these you-tubes before the exam and did exactly what said in those. Ended up getting 7.5 for writing. Please ask him to follow them carefully from the beginning.

EnglishRyan's Channel - YouTube

All the best


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## tedj (Feb 5, 2012)

Dear Saradha,

Hi from Colombo & I work in the migration industry. Your husband's case scenario is something that we'd regularly noticed. I had clients, 'Doctors' who had attempted IELTS 7 many times... and believe me they had no choice except to keep re-sitting. I had one particular Dr. who only at the 6th attempt got her required IELTS score for migration.

The point is, your husband could try re-sitting the exams outside Bangalore, though I wonder how successful he will be in getting the higher score he is anticipating.... just because he his sits in a different test center. Whenever we came across similar lines of argument from our migration clients, we made them realize ‘what really mattered in the end' was them getting the required ILETS scores... and nothing else.

Thus whilst I understand you concerns, point 2 cannot be verified...as we have had many successful clients in their hundreds who would not agree with your point. And many had sat the General IELTS many times before succeeding. 

Therefore I can only encourage you husband to get focused & re-do it… and forget all the other concerns.

We also teach IELTS and after experimenting with many IELTS tips & techniques methods to get our clients score the required bands in the 1st attempt, we finally found a real secret guide that worked, which we’d discovered about 5 months ago. What we found was when we took the time to really educate all of them on the IELTS tips & how to Study for IELTS exam techniques with the intention to score very high in a methodical manner, before they attempted the preparation classes/papers …only then we started seeing the good results we’d expected. 

We taught them exactly what the IELTS examiners were looking for & many time saving methods and spotting the answers insights. We spent almost two weeks in helping them to get accustomed with these techniques &followed up by 2-3 weeks of practicing their papers. It worked and I am happy to recommend it for your husband. 

Believe it or not with this approach we really started seeing absolutely amazing results of our clients because the numbers of clients who were getting high results with few attempts had increased almost 68% since we started to implement this guide. And many had started to score 7.5 & 8.5's regularly. Give it try & get your husband ONLY to be focused on the outcome of scoring high in IELTS and nothing else. Best wishes & let me know how he gets on.

Do drop me a line to my email and I will send you the IELTS info. Tks.


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## saradha (Feb 22, 2011)

Thanks for your valuable insight buddies!!
I must say we are feeling lot better to think we aren't alone...
Okay now...we are confused whether to send for re-evaluation coz my hubby still feels those are not really his scores.
Is there a possibility of getting a wrong score instead of your own?
we even compared his essays with the samples available on the IELTS website, his writings follow the expected criterias and format...dunno wat to do!

thanks,
saradha


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## nowhereKid (Feb 5, 2012)

saradha said:


> Thanks for your valuable insight buddies!!
> I must say we are feeling lot better to think we aren't alone...
> Okay now...we are confused whether to send for re-evaluation coz my hubby still feels those are not really his scores.
> Is there a possibility of getting a wrong score instead of your own?
> ...


Saradha,
Noone can really speculate as to whether the reevaluation will give you a better score, but from what I have heard and read online, its pretty rare. In this case, since you need a higher score in two individual sections, it's probably not the best idea to go for it.
I would have suggested a reevaluation of your inital test as the 'speaking' section is quite subjective and there is a higher chance of getting a changed score, if you get what I'm saying.
Don't lose hope and try again. I personally feel that for immigration purposes they should just take the max score of a particular section if you have taken the test multiple times. Each section is completely independent of the other so you've already proven yourself in that domain!
Good luck once again.
-nk


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## paviii (Oct 12, 2012)

saradha said:


> Thanks for your valuable insight buddies!!
> I must say we are feeling lot better to think we aren't alone...
> Okay now...we are confused whether to send for re-evaluation coz my hubby still feels those are not really his scores.
> Is there a possibility of getting a wrong score instead of your own?
> ...


hi,

I just wanted to know whether have u recieved any useful hints as (tedj) he narrated. If so, cud u pls share it with me. i am really struggling to get band 7 score.

thanks

Praveen


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## Sunlight11 (Apr 27, 2013)

mimran said:


> Hi
> 
> I agree this is the most frustrating part. In my case Reading section is the one which is driving me nuts. In one attempt I was 0.5 less and in other attempt I was 1 point behind to get desired 7. Other parts LSW I score exceptionally well.
> 
> Also looking at jonay post, I recall that Reading General we have to score 34 to get 7 and 32 (or 30) to get 6.5. Any expert advice for Reading is highly appreciated. Probably what I realize now is that Reading questions are more trickier than you think. Anyways preparing more and sitting for 3rd time and hope to apply for 175 / 176 before June2011.


Hello,

Reading section is slightly tricky as they have changed up the approach a bit over the years and there's atleast 4/5 Analytical Questions these days to gauge your thinking pattern rather than just language skills... Analytical types are those ones that creates a scenario through plain English where the answer is hidden and you've to actually SEE (deduce) the answer from the written paragraph. In case of NG/T/F, The traditional definitions may not hold fort for these Analytical type questions.


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## VenkytoOz (Mar 20, 2013)

First attempt, got overall 7, L7, W7, S7, but R6.5, mulling whether to take again or go for SA SS!


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## freebie (May 16, 2013)

Hi Lifeisgood

I saw that u r there in SA, i have a doubt as i am trying for 190 visa - SA,

I have my ielts score as R7-L8-S-6.5,W6.5, 
so i get 6.5

With this i am eligible only for SA, i am into software testing 

i am in delimma whether i should give ielts again as with thi sscore i can apply only for SA, but if i get 7 i will be eligible for Victoria as well.

But i am worried if next time i score less, i have given ielts 1 month back, and my score is as above.

So in case i score less, can i apply for SA using my previous score or they take latest one?

Also how is the job opportunities in SA for Software testing.

it will be of gr8 help if u reply.

Thanks


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## yasin (Apr 23, 2013)

what really is the secrets of getting a higher band? i saw peeps from english country failing them too. there must be a secret and right manner to crack that IELTS.

anyone wants to share who had 8 band atleast on their results?


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## Sunlight11 (Apr 27, 2013)

yasin said:


> what really is the secrets of getting a higher band? i saw peeps from english country failing them too. there must be a secret and right manner to crack that IELTS.
> 
> anyone wants to share who had 8 band atleast on their results?



Might seem too general ... but there are lots of little things that they don't always teach you in coaching centers, all these factors must be added up on the exam day to comprehensively deliver all the parts.. 

... Techniques are really important + a sound familiarity with English + a little bit of luck + a degree of solid dedication.


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## fatdh (May 25, 2013)

Sunlight11 said:


> but there are lots of little things that they don't always teach you in coaching centers


What are these things? 
Could you please refer to them? Mb some link on some web resource... perhaps, you noticed list of tricks during your preparation?

Thx!


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## ratnesh.nagori (Jul 11, 2013)

yasin said:


> what really is the secrets of getting a higher band? i saw peeps from english country failing them too. there must be a secret and right manner to crack that IELTS.
> 
> anyone wants to share who had 8 band atleast on their results?


Practice is the key for cracking IELTS. 

People in English speaking countries also score low because they lack good grammar and sentence structures. 

Important thing to remember is IELTS is not an exam for grading your English which you use on daily basis like talking to a friend or writing an email to manager. Grammar mistakes are acceptable daily but not in IELTS. You have to good in all four sections of IELTS.

Listening is easiest one in IELTS. With easiness risk of doing silly mistakes also come. So, prepare of listening with concentration and focus entirely on audio being played. In real exam, if you are not focused on audio you might miss couple of questions which may play a major role in getting desired score.

Reading is again easy for people with good interpretation skills. It also requires practice but unlike listening their is no audio. Trick is to finish the easiest sections first and keeping few minutes of tough ones. Learn strategy for T/F/NG and multiple choice questions. 

For Listening and Reading sometimes people do mistakes in writing answers in answer sheet. Answer sheet is common for L & R. Write answer against correct question number. In Listening you get extra 10 minutes to transfer from question paper to answer sheet. In Reading you dont. You might have answered 40 questions correctly, but mistake in answer can screw you big time.

Writing. Its considered toughest because its subjective. You have to write a letter and essay in 1 hour. Key is practice hard before exams. Learn lots of vocabularies and sentence structures. Use them wisely in exam. Get your letters/essays evaluated before exams so see your quality of work.

Speaking again I think is easy. Key is to be confident, clear, loud and prepared to generate content in an instant. Its ok to Lie in IELTS speaking test. So, read newspapers or magazines, practice with a partner. Read previous questions of IELTS and prepare your answers.


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## rohit1_sharma (Nov 15, 2013)

The only key to high score in IELTS is Practice and understanding the correct format of the exam. I scored 7+ in all modules in my first attempt but it took me 1 full month of practice in order to achieve that result.

For Speaking: Try and record yourself and find errors and areas of improvement in your speech. Make sure that you use "SMART" words to demonstrate your English skill. Don't give simple answers such as "It's good", "It's bad". Frame proper sentences while answering and be confident. Answer what's been asked and don't deviate from the topic. Never get too comfortable and friendly with the Examiner as it's their job to make you feel comfortable but in the end, they are their to evaluate you. Maintain proper eye contact and never start a sentence that you can't complete. So in short " They can score you on the things that you showcase and not the ones which you don't". So never showcase your weak points and always demonstrate your strengths.

For Writing: Again, A lot of practice and that too with pencil. Use a watch to keep track of your time for each section. You should spend 20 minutes on Letter and 40 minutes on Essay. Always remember that the Essay has the maximum marks. Practice and try to complete your writing test within those timelines. Learn how to break an essay in paragraphs and conclude / provide opinion in the end. "ALWAYS GIVE YOUR OPINION / CONCLUSION".

For Reading: Never spend all the time reading the entire text, Learn the technique of Scanning and making a track. Underline important names, places, theme, topic etc. and also if you wish to give a name to each paragraph. Then read questions and you will easily find the answer. There are definitely some traps which will confuse you in questions where you need to Answer True/False/Not Given. If something is clearly mentioned then it True, If something totally opposite to what is mentioned is asked then it's false else Not Given. If it's mentioned that you should answer in two or three words, then make sure you stick to the instructions else you lose marks.

For Listening: Listening is a pure skill and needs to be developed. So you will have to practice over and over again. In addition, Listen to English News, TV Programs without Subtitles, etc. During the exam, Answer as you listen and before each section you will be told that what questions you will have to answer, so read the questions before hand and then write your answers as you listen. If you miss one answer, don't spend too much time on it and move to next quickly else you won't be able to answer rest of the questions. 

So just keep practicing and I am sure you'll be able to achieve your desired Band score.

All the Best!


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