Dakshita’s Tips for IELTS 8

Dakshita has generously written some useful tips to help all IELTS aspirants with their test. Dakshita has some great advice to share and I think you can benefit greatly from reading it.

I have added some links that Dakshita has mentioned in the list of tips 🙂

Dakshita Says: I am a doctor, just finished my undergrad course and wanted to qualify for IELTS in the first attempt to apply for PLAB 1 as early as possible.

Dakshita’s IELTS Results May 2018

Overall IELTS Band Score 8

• Listening: 8
• Reading: 9
• Writing: 7
• Speaking: 8

Dakshita’s Tips & Experience

Coming to my preparation tips :

READING :

Honestly, I couldn’t believe I scored a 9 in reading! I was very tensed about my answers because I got stuck in the last sentence completion task of the third passage and the clock was ticking away fast. I didn’t get to re-check any answers because of this and just prayed I’d hit a 7.5 in reading. My weakness was the TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN task and I went through Liz’s video on the tips for this which made me mindful of my mistakes and avoid repeating them.

I would say practice would be essential, after being aware of the different question types, of course. I went through all the tasks on Liz’s website and then did tests from other free websites with a timer. I didn’t score more than 7.5 on most of my reading practice tests because I’d get impatient and try to finish the tasks as fast as I could. The recommended division is 20 minutes for each passage, but I would suggest 15 + 15 + 20 respectively so there’d be some time left over. I also want to reiterate that you should read the whole passage! Sometimes there are answers which are hidden in a few simple sentences which may be missed while skimming the passage. It’d be easier to have an idea of the passage and then see then questions, as they can be tricky. Always circle the questions that you may have doubts about so you can go back to them at the end. Make sure to attempt every question (check the question number properly) and don’t leave the answer space blank!

Links: TFNG Video Lesson   /  TFNG Extra Practice

LISTENING :

As most people (and Liz) have said, its vital to concentrate and pay attention to every single sentence in this task. Do not try to look at more questions than instructed (Ex. Look at only Q 1-5 and not beyond, etc) and make quick notes about the conversation if you’re not sure about the answer. I felt a couple of sections were a bit tricky so I noted some key points from the speakers so I could ponder over the answers later. You have to keep going with the recording so don’t get stuck and don’t worry if you don’t get an answer immediately! As soon as the recording stops, make sure to enter all the answers immediately in the answer sheet; changes can be made later. You’re instructed to stop writing as soon as the timer stops so please don’t leave any answer blank.

Link: Listening Tips

WRITING :

Ah, the dreaded task!! I must say, my heart was pounding for this one, as I needed a minimum score of 7. I am more than satisfied with my score because I made mistakes in my tasks and was slightly below the word limit in Task 1. I expected to lose points for that and hoped my second task would make up for it.

Task 1 : We were given a diagram of a process to be described. Personally, the mistake I made in the practice sessions was not being mindful of the tense while writing my report. Simple past, people! I reminded myself on the morning of the exam to make sure the tense was correct in Task 1. Overview in simple present, process/description in simple past. Please remember this while practicing. I spent the last 10 minutes fixing the tense and counting words when I realized I was under the word limit. And it was too late to add any more sentences.

Task 2 : Yes, it is important to spend time planning the points to be discussed in the essay. While you’re in the midst of the exam its usually a high stress situation but force yourself to stick to two points only. You wouldn’t be able to expand on more points anyway. I think Liz’s videos of the writing task are VERY HELPFUL, refer to them multiple times. Even though its been said that there isn’t a prescribed structure,  and introduction, opinion (if asked), examples and conclusion have to be clearly present. A very useful tip I got was to keep in mind your examiner has no idea what you’re talking about or explaining. So make sure they have no doubts by the end of your concluding paragraph.

Finally, you must print out the task sheets and practice writing on them to have an idea of the word limit and the size of your handwriting. It’ll help save time if you need an extra sheet during the exam.

Links: Answer Sheet for Writing with tips  /  Introduction Video   / Diagram Model Answer

SPEAKING : This was nerve wracking no matter how many times I was assured that the examiners are usually friendly and there was nothing to worry about. I went through all the speaking tasks on the ieltsliz website and spoke out loud about them to have an idea about what I was going to say. During this task, my examiner was extremely friendly and engaging, smiling and nodding at the things I said. I had immensely enjoyed speaking to her even though I slipped up a little in the second section. Just keep talking and smile through it! Most of us speak English on a daily basis anyway.

Links: Speaking Topics, Tips & Model Answers

I spent about 10-12 days of focused preparation for the exam and most of it was going through every single bit of ieltsliz.com. Thank you so much again Liz, you’re doing gods work here and helping thousands of us every day. I hope these points will help at least one person. Cheers!

Comments to Dakshita: Very well done with your results!! And a big thank you for sharing your tips and experience – very useful for everyone! I’m really pleased my lessons were helpful 🙂

 

Here are the answers to the lesson about Bar Chart model.

Organising Sentences

D, G, C, B, A, I, E, J, H, F

Full Model Answer

The bar chart illustrates how many hours adolescents in Chester spent on seven activities each week between 2002 and 2007.

Overall, the most popular activity over the period given was watching TV, whereas bowling was the least favourite. Going to pubs and discos, watching TV and shopping all showed an increase in the number of hours teenagers spent on these activities. The other pursuits showed a decrease in hours, except watching DVD’s which fluctuated.

Teenagers spent 25 hours on watching television in 2002 which increased to almost 40 hours in the final year. Both going to pubs and discos, and shopping more than doubled in hours from over 5 to over 15 and from over 5 to exactly 15 respectively.

While teenagers occupied 10 hours doing homework in 2002, this figure dropped to just over 5 in 2007. Playing sport fell more dramatically from 10 hours to around 3 hours. Bowling was under 5 hours throughout the entire period declining by about 4 hours in total. The number of hours teenagers dedicated to watching DVD’s was only 10 hours in first and final years, but reached a peak of over 15 hours in 2004 and 2005.

Word count = 194 (you do not need to write this in your real test)

Paragraphing Tips

• It is possible that the last sentence about DVD’s could be written as a separate paragraph.
• Always have an introduction and overview. They must be separate statements.
• Always divide your body paragraphs into two (or sometimes three) paragraphs.
• Your body paragraphs should be logical and help to highlight similarities and differences.
• Learn an empty line between paragraphs to make them clear and easy to see. This is not a requirements, it is a recommendation. If your paragraphs are not easy to see, your score might be lower.

 

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All the best

Liz

I can see that some of you are not clear about paragraphing and organising information in writing task 1.

Paragraphs

You must have an introduction and an overview. They are usually separate paragraphs.

You CANNOT have one body paragraph and you CANNOT have four or more body paragraphs.

Your structure should be:

• Introduction
• Overview
• Body Paragraph 1
• Body Paragraph 2
• Body Paragraph 3 (optional and not common)

Can the overview go at the end of the report? See this page: Paragraph Structure

Can you have a conclusion? See this page: Conclusion or Overview

Organising Details in Body Paragraphs

When you organise your body paragraph details, you must choose a simple, logical system. It should be easy for the examiner to understand your organisation. Your body paragraphs should help highlight main features.

The bar chart below shows the hours per week that teenagers spend doing certain activities in Chester from 2002 to 2007.

Source of Bar Chart: https://www.english-in-chester.co.uk

Option 1 Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraph 1 = categories that increased over time

• going to pubs/ discos
• watching TV
• shopping

Body Paragraph 2 = categories that decreased over time

• doing homework
• doing sport
• bowling

Body Paragraph 3 = categories that fluctuated

• watching dvds

Option 2 Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraph 1 = highest and lowest

• watching TV
• bowling

Body Paragraph 2 – all other categories

• going to pubs/discos + shopping = increase
• doing homework + doing sport = decrease
• watching dvds = fluctuate

Which is best?

Both options are excellent. They both highlight key features and are organised logically.

Paragraphs do not need to be equal in length. This is not an essay, it is a report.

Model Writing Task 1

If you would like to see model answers for different writing task 1 as well as tips, click here: Main Writing Task 1 Page

All the best

Liz