IELTS advice

[Guest helene73]

Hi guys I am going to sit IELTS I am not taking any chances with the new points system as I have seen a couple of different versions and on one I score the 65 and another only 60 I figure it's better to have another 10 points banked incase!!

Has anyone any advice or tips for passing the dam thing as I am more arty than academic and I am pooing my pants!!!

I know I may be putting myself through uneccesary stress but I ain't gonna miss out this time!!!

Thanks in-advance

(and if you haven't noticed my spelling is atrocious lol)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Guest vicky_1970]

hi Helene73

 

I was really nervous about this too. The best advice I was given was to practice, practice,practice. You can get the IELTS books and cds out of the library - get looking as soon as possible as they go like wildfire. I also bought a couple of books off the internet and kept practicing. The hardest bit is the speaking and writing as you have no one to give you a mark - but from experience as long as you write the number of words it says you can't go far wrong.

 

You will be absolutely fine !! Good luck with it !!

 

Vicky

[malkitek]

Hi guys I am going to sit IELTS I am not taking any chances with the new points system as I have seen a couple of different versions and on one I score the 65 and another only 60 I figure it's better to have another 10 points banked incase!!

Has anyone any advice or tips for passing the dam thing as I am more arty than academic and I am pooing my pants!!!

I know I may be putting myself through uneccesary stress but I ain't gonna miss out this time!!!

Thanks in-advance

(and if you haven't noticed my spelling is atrocious lol)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Hi,

Oh just the word Ielts brings back my anxiety! All I can say is it wasn't as bad as I thought, try to relax in speaking bit, the reading bit I found easier to read question then look for answers rather than read the random text. Oh and I was allowed to the loo between sections thank god! It all goes very fast!

Good luck !

Gill x

[Guest helene73]

Thanks guys

What do you have to speak about?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sharon69]

Hi Helene73,

you are asked to speak for 2 minutes about a subject they give you,, this was in a private office with just you and he examiner, I was asked to tell him about my favourite shop.....easy! My friend had to talk about why people are given flowers as a gift???? Don't worry about it, I agree with Gill, I read the questions and scanned the text quickly for the words relating to the questions.

 

Sharon

[Guest helene73]

Hi Helene73,

you are asked to speak for 2 minutes about a subject they give you,, this was in a private office with just you and he examiner, I was asked to tell him about my favourite shop.....easy! My friend had to talk about why people are given flowers as a gift???? Don't worry about it, I agree with Gill, I read the questions and scanned the text quickly for the words relating to the questions.

 

Sharon

 

Thanks Sharon if I get shops that would be great lol I am now beginning to relax a bit more about it!! X

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[malkitek]

Hi

I was asked to talk about a travel experience, and had just got back from getting married in mauritius, but somehow ended up telling lovely lady about vomiting on my wedding day! Was a bit stumped at one question though- 'how did I think T.V had improved my English??' Somehow ended up discussing Home and Away? Very random!

Gill

[Guest Opportunities]

Helene,

 

Like you know, I am from South Africa and therefore my first language is not English. Our first language is Afrikaans and we were so anxious before going for the IELTS!

My OH is a tradie and as you can imagine, he hasn't written a letter or essay since school! We looked at the IELTS website and practised on the topics of the letters and essays and I advised him on the right phrases to use...

Personally I don't think you are examined on your knowledge of the language, they test your concentration level(listening),whether you can write a letter and essay with adequate words and phrases(writing) and then you need to answer questions from reading reports/newspaper/magazine etc. The speaking section will be no challenge for you,it is like having a conversation with a friend. Like one of the others said, you need to speak about a topic for 2 minutes which is fine, because she gives you the topic and advises that you can make notes for the next minute and thereafter you need to start the oral. If you cannot draw from your own experience, make it up,imagine whatever... I got asked what is the most expensive piece of technology that we have bought and how has it influenced our lives...!!!!!

What a mouthful...! My husband go 7(listening),6.5(reading),7(writing) and 7(speaking)=7 overall! I was fortunate and got 8.5(listening),6.5arrrhhhh!(reading),8(writing) and 9(speaking)=8 overall!

Don't worry, you will be fine and you can earn max points because this is your first language, it will come naturally!

Good luck!

 

Karen

[Guest helene73]

Thank Karen I always welcome your advice and knowledge on these things:)

But concentrating s**t I am screwed I have the attention span of a goldfish!!

At work if someone is talking about something I don't find interesting I just switch off lol so now I will have to practise listening to peoples inane babbling great shoot me now!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Guest Opportunities]

Thank Karen I always welcome your advice and knowledge on these things:)

But concentrating s**t I am screwed I have the attention span of a goldfish!!

At work if someone is talking about something I don't find interesting I just switch off lol so now I will have to practise listening to peoples inane babbling great shoot me now!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Helene,

You always make me laugh!Just listen to their blabbling for a few weeks!What is your date? I'm sure you can make yourself concentrate.You sound very intelligent and witty to me,you only need to be attentive for about 40 minutes of 3 hours! You can do it!We both know what positive outlook you have on life!

Good luck!

 

Karen

X

[Guest Becster19]

Helene, Dont worry at all. I did mine at the beginning of May and as long as you you have done a little prep you will be fine. What I found really helpful was on the IELTS website you can find the mark scheme where they lay out what you need to do to reach a level 8 for example. Once I knew what they would be looking for, it made it a lot easier as I just kept that in mind when answering. I made sure I used lots of long words in my writing to show my 'superior' English skills!

 

Regarding the listening, just make sure you listen very carefully as it does try and trick you at points but as long as you take your time and listen carefully you will be fine.

[Guest helene73]

Just sent the application form off the soonest one for me is 30 July so I have instructed agent to go for SS as soon as it reopens and I should have IELTS back 2 weeks later so as long as SS takes 4 weeks I will still be within the 30 to lodge the visa that's all prepared now so I am good to go, I am b****y getting in this time!!!

Agent contacted me today and with IELTS it's very promising

Well I suppose being a hairdresser I should be good at talking s**t I will just waffle and make them laugh! Although when I am nervous I do swear like a fish wife!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Guest Adelaide_bound]

Helene, don't worry - I waffled and blathered on in my speaking bit, and still got a 9, so don't stress!

 

I found two free websites that were pretty helpful imho, as they marked the tests for the listening and reading for you - http://www.ielts-exam.net/ and http://www.canadavisa.com/ielts/free-practice-tests.html and they have the writing and speaking tests on too, so you can practise (but don't mark them for you). The IELTS website, as Becster says is really good as well, so you can get the markscheme and know what they actually mark you against.

 

I also flicked through a copy of the Cambridge IELTS book ( a purple one), but only really found it of extra help for the model answers - I read through a few to get an idea of some different ways to start off my writing responses.

 

The concentration bit for the listening - a little trick - try to make up a little film in your head to go with the speaking, so imagine what the two people look like, where they are etc, and then its a bit easier to keep track of what they are saying, as they waffle on for ages and then the answers to three or four questions all come at once, hence the mind wandering off thing being a common problem.

 

But don't stress - just remember to read the questions properly!

[Guest helene73]

Helene, don't worry - I waffled and blathered on in my speaking bit, and still got a 9, so don't stress!

 

I found two free websites that were pretty helpful imho, as they marked the tests for the listening and reading for you - http://www.ielts-exam.net/ and http://www.canadavisa.com/ielts/free-practice-tests.html and they have the writing and speaking tests on too, so you can practise (but don't mark them for you). The IELTS website, as Becster says is really good as well, so you can get the markscheme and know what they actually mark you against.

 

I also flicked through a copy of the Cambridge IELTS book ( a purple one), but only really found it of extra help for the model answers - I read through a few to get an idea of some different ways to start off my writing responses.

 

The concentration bit for the listening - a little trick - try to make up a little film in your head to go with the speaking, so imagine what the two people look like, where they are etc, and then its a bit easier to keep track of what they are saying, as they waffle on for ages and then the answers to three or four questions all come at once, hence the mind wandering off thing being a common problem.

 

But don't stress - just remember to read the questions properly!

 

Thank you that is excellent advice x

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ajford]

Hi Helen you will do better than you think, I sat mine last year due to needing the points when the sol list changed, and before I knew we could apply for the SS.

I too hate tests never was any good at them at school always went to pieces- I found the listening section the hardest as I didnt relize it had started when it had-in ours you have a set of questions to answer from what you hear- i felt you had to kinda read between the lines so to speak, the writting wasnt too bad, and the speaking was alot easier than I thought it would be-Like Sharon said you have 2 minutes to talk about a subject which they give you, Its like an informal interview style,just be yourself and you will be ok,

it is good to do the online practice exams just google the Ielts and have a look through,and dont beat yourself up on it.

All the best and good luck

 

Andrew

[Guest helene73]

Thanks Andrew gonna have a look properly later with hubby he can coach me not gonna do too much cramming for it as I am one of the people who dose not cope well with too much info I will freak myself just gonna wing it after a few practices lol usually works for me this got me distinctions at college and the other year before i did a teaching course I had to sit a maths and English test did no revision and got B's didn't even get them at school!!! So hoping it works this time, I will smoke a packet of fags and have a small Vodka to chill me before hand hehehe

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ajford]

you will be ok-

[mummytummy]

I sat mine recently and get results this friday, I did the academic test

 

Listening was ok but easy to let yourself drift off as you have to listen to a fair bit of speak before you get to the bit you need to answer, reading i didn't like, trying to match a paragraph to a description given that is lying somewhere in the text but not exactly written as you would expect it to be, writing i waffled on a bit, the first part was to analyse and discuss a graph which was about sales of items in other countries over a ten year period, 2nd piece was asking for debate/opinion on a given subject, the speaking part was last and i'm sure the examiner must have thought i'd landed from another planet as by this time my anxiety and nerves had got the better of me, while i was waiting i could hear little bits of the previous candidates interview "which do you prefer giving or receiving gifts and why" i thought i can answer that, it was actually on the cd that came with a revision book i bought, but oh no! when it came to me i'm sure the questions were pitched higher (it felt that way) being a all round english woman!! i waffled and waffled my head was racing faster than my mouth...my advice to anyone doing this test is to practise as much as you can it really is worth it.....

[Guest Lesley F]

Haha you make me smile Helene with your comments, good luck with the test and let me know how you go.Fingers and Toes x for you :-)

[Guest helene73]

I sat mine recently and get results this friday, I did the academic test

 

Listening was ok but easy to let yourself drift off as you have to listen to a fair bit of speak before you get to the bit you need to answer, reading i didn't like, trying to match a paragraph to a description given that is lying somewhere in the text but not exactly written as you would expect it to be, writing i waffled on a bit, the first part was to analyse and discuss a graph which was about sales of items in other countries over a ten year period, 2nd piece was asking for debate/opinion on a given subject, the speaking part was last and i'm sure the examiner must have thought i'd landed from another planet as by this time my anxiety and nerves had got the better of me, while i was waiting i could hear little bits of the previous candidates interview "which do you prefer giving or receiving gifts and why" i thought i can answer that, it was actually on the cd that came with a revision book i bought, but oh no! when it came to me i'm sure the questions were pitched higher (it felt that way) being a all round english woman!! i waffled and waffled my head was racing faster than my mouth...my advice to anyone doing this test is to practise as much as you can it really is worth it.....

 

That is really helpful thank you

Looks like I may have to do a bit more swotting then!

I want the gifts question I will have them in stitches with my answer to why receiving gifts from my mum isn't good!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Guest helene73]

Haha you make me smile Helene with your comments, good luck with the test and let me know how you go.Fingers and Toes x for you :-)

 

Thank you I will email you as soon as I know my results Lesley

And I am glad I make someone smile x

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ajford]

You always make us smile too,we like some one who says it how it is and is from up north all the best

[Guest helene73]

You always make us smile too,we like some one who says it how it is and is from up north all the best

 

Awwwww thank you

I certainly am a true northern lass lol

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Guest Fran x]

hi helene,

 

you will be fine,iv been practising loads over the last couple of weeks and i must admit it is helping,however to much info can be confusing, when are you sitting it? did you get any earlier than you thought?? i must admit im nervous its the pressure i think but im sure we will get through it we will certainly fly though the speaking being hairdressers ha! let me know how you get on and good luck!!

fran x

[Guest helene73]

hi helene,

 

you will be fine,iv been practising loads over the last couple of weeks and i must admit it is helping,however to much info can be confusing, when are you sitting it? did you get any earlier than you thought?? i must admit im nervous its the pressure i think but im sure we will get through it we will certainly fly though the speaking being hairdressers ha! let me know how you get on and good luck!!

fran x

 

Can't do it till 30th July but I should have my SS by then and IELTS result will be in just in time to lodge the visa

I know what you mean about the pressure now I know I definitely need IELTS and all for 5 measly points but I am more determined then ever.

You let me know how you do too and best of luck x

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk