I want a higher score in IELTS: Tips & Techniques

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Tips to get a higher score in IELTS

Some students take the test again and again  and do not take the time to understand what they need to do to get a better score. This page is a brief overview to help you understand your responsibilities to ensure a higher score. Read this page VERY carefully.

What affects your Score?

There are two main things that determine your IELTS score.

  1. Your level of English
  2. Your understanding, techniques and skills in IELTS

Below are tips and information to help you tackle both of these areas.

1. Your Level of English

If you want a high score, you must have the right level of English for your aims. Some candidates repeatedly get band 6 or 6.5 when they are aiming for band 7. Doing the test again and again won’t help if your English isn’t good enough. And tips will help maximise your score, not alter your level of English. If you are making frequent errors in your English and have limited accuracy, you will struggle to get a high score. It is time for you to be honest with yourself about the level of your own English. You don’t really need a teacher to tell you this. You should know for yourself if your English is accurate and flexible or not.

IELTS is a language test and your band score is based on your level of English. This means if you want a higher score, you need to improve your English. It also means that “tips and techniques” won’t guarantee a big increase in your score. If your English is not strong enough, you won’t get a high score in IELTS.

You can gain awareness of your own level of English in many ways. Here is one way:

Go to the following link in this paragraph which contains vocabulary and an exercise about Crime and Punishment topic. How many words do you know from the lists given? Is your pronunciation accurate? Do you know the spelling? When you do the exercise, do you get many wrong or many right?  If you get some wrong, look at the reason why. If the reason is because you didn’t know enough English – that tells you a lot. Band 9 students will know about 90-100% of the words. Band 8 will probably know about 80-90% (these are rough estimates). See this page: Crime & Punishment Vocabulary Start becoming more aware of your own English language.

Each lesson on this website will help you gain insight into your own English and the mistakes you make. Mistakes are a good way of judging your level:

  • band 8 = most sentences are error free
  • band 7 = few errors
  • band 6 = some errors
  • band 5 = frequent errors

Some mistakes will be made because you didn’t know what the question wanted you to do – this is about technique (explained below). But some of your mistakes will be because you didn’t know enough English. Always review the reason you get answers wrong.

Can tips increase your score?

Tips will only help you if your English is strong enough. If your English is strong, but you are not getting a good score, you will need to review your IELTS exam techniques and your understanding of IELTS.

If your English isn’t strong enough, tips won’t make a big difference. If your English is about band 5.5, then you will probably get between band 5 and 6 in your test.

IELTS Liz E-books

I do have two e-books which can help you. My Grammar for Writing Task 2 is a great e-book which helps you develop your grammar and take your English to a higher level. It is packed with useful tips for IELTS as well. I also have an Ideas for Topics e-book which focuses on ideas for topics and vocabulary. You can get these e-books in my online store: IELTS LIZ STORE.

2. IELTS Exam Techniques

Yes, of course they can. Techniques are about how to tackle different types of questions and strategies for approaching questions. The more you understand about IELTS questions, IELTS marking criteria, IELTS band score requirements and how to avoid mistakes, the better you will do. Techniques will help you reach your potential. If you have good English, but are not scoring well, techniques will help you push your score higher.

However, techniques are of limited use if the problem is your English language. So, make sure you review your English and have realistic expectations.

Essential Preparation for IELTS

All students should work on two areas:

  1. English language – review your English and try improve it if you have time. Focus on these areas:
    1. paraphrasing – the correct use of synonyms and when not to paraphrase
    2. vocabulary – appropriate to topic
    3. grammar – accurate with a good range
    4. avoiding errors – aiming for accuracy and not aiming to impress
    5. listening practice – bbc, videos, documentaries etc
    6. reading practice – articles, magazines, books (develop speed reading)
    7. speaking practice – topics, pronunciation, explaining ideas
    8. writing practice is best done only in relation to IELTS requirements
  2. IELTS Exam Skills –
    1. review techniques & review strategies for each and every question type
    2. learn to identify keywords and issues
    3. develop skimming and scanning skills for reading
    4. learn to focus on identifying answers in listening
    5. prepare topics:
      1. for speaking, prepare your past memories, hopes, opinions
      2. for writing, prepare world issues based on common and recent topics
    6. learn to manage time
    7. learn about the requirements of the test
    8. learn about marking for speaking and writing
    9. practice full IELTS tests under exam conditions at home
    10. take responsibility for your own training

Useful IELTS Links & Tips

Below is a list of useful links to help you prepare for IELTS.

Good luck in your test !!

Liz 🙂

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Answers to word count questions

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Yesterday I posted a list of words and numbers. I asked you to decide how they were counted by IELTS. Check the answers below.

You can also find useful links about word count information in IELTS using the links below.

How are words counted – Answers

The answers below show how these words and numbers are counted in IELTS writing and IELTS listening. The reading test uses the same system as the listening test.

  1. fair-haired
    1.  This is counted as one word. It is a compound noun but it is connected by a hyphen to make one word.
  2. 55%
    1. This is counted as one word in writing and as one number in listening. 
  3. 1960’s
    1. This is counted as one word in writing and one number in listening.
  4. 21st July
    1. This is counted as two words in writing and in listening is it one number and one word.
  5. can’t
    1. This is counted as one word. Although it has a meaning of two words, the words are contracted to make one word.
  6. blackboard
    1. This is counted as one word only.
  7. 9am
    1. This is counted as one word in writing. In listening, it is counted as one number only. The “am” does not count as a word on its own.
  8. up-to-date
    1. This is counted as one word because it is a compound noun joined with hyphens.
  9. at school
    1. This is counted as two words.
  10. $19.17
    1. This is counted as one word in writing and in listening it is counted as one number. Symbols do not count at all.

Useful Links to Learn more about IELTS

Learn how all words are counted in IELTS

Learn about how many words to write for your essay

IELTS Test Information & Tips: over 100 questions answered

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Answer to Prepositions Lessons Sept 2018

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Hi guys,

I’ve posted the answers to the prepositions lesson on the original page. Click here: Prepositions Lesson with Answers

All the best

Liz

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Listening Answers for Blue Foot Bird Exercise

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Questions, Answers & Transcript: Blue-footed Bird Listening Practice

Do not look at the answers until you have finished the listening lesson.

If you have not finished this listening lesson, please click here: Blue-footed bird listening practice

Transcript:

These boobies live off the western coasts of Central and South America. The Galápagos Islands population includes about half of all breeding pairs of blue-footed boobies. They are aptly named, and males take great pride in their fabulous feet. During mating rituals, male birds show off their feet to prospective mates with a high-stepping strut. The bluer the feet, the more attractive the mate.

All half-dozen or so booby species are thought to take their name from the Spanish word “bobo.” The term means “stupid,” which is how early European colonists may have characterized these clumsy and unwary birds when they saw them on land—their least graceful environment.

Like other boobies, blue-foots nest on land at night. When day breaks, they take to the air in search of seafood, sometimes fishing in cooperative groups. They may fly far out to sea while keeping a keen eye out for schools of small fish, such as anchovies. When their prey is in sight, these seabirds utilize the physical adaptations that make them exceptional divers. They fold their long wings back around their streamlined bodies and plunge into the water from as high as 80 feet. Blue-footed boobies can also dive from a sitting position on the water’s surface.

Blue-footed boobies also use their webbed feet to cover their young and keep them warm. When a typical brood of one to three chicks hatch, both parents feed and care for them.

It is a good idea to read the transcript and listen to the recording at the same time. Below:

.

Questions: No more than two words and/or a number.

  1. Strutting and showing off feet is part of the mating …………
  2. When a male boobie has very blue feet, he is considered ……………..
  3. Their name comes from the Spanish word for …………..
  4. On land, blue-footed boobies move  in a ………. manner.
  5. Blue-footed boobies fish in ……………….
  6. They eat small fish, for example ………….
  7. Their bodies are ………..  which is advantageous when diving.
  8. Adult boobies warm their chicks with their ……………….
  9. They usually have a maximum of ………. young.

Answers:

  1. RITUAL / RITUALS
    1. You can have either plural or singular for this answer. It isn’t common that you can have both – usually in IELTS you must choose carefully and writing the wrong one will mean it is marked wrong.
  2. ATTRACTIVE
  3.  STUPID
    1. “to take their name from the Spanish word “bobo.” The term means “stupid”.
    2. This question is really testing your ability to spot the words “this term means…” We use this phrase when using a foreign word in an English communication and we wish to explain in English.
    3. The question “Their name comes from the Spanish word for …………..” means that you are listening for the English translation, not the Spanish word. This is again a test of your English to understand “the Spanish word for…” which means a translation.
  4. CLUMSY
  5. GROUPS / COOPERATIVE GROUPS
    1. Some people had difficulty with the pronunciation of “in cooperative groups”. This is due to the pronunciation features of linking sounds.
  6. ANCHOVIES
  7. STREAMLINED
  8. FEET / WEBBED FEET
  9. THREE / 3
    1. Notice that the question asks for the maximum number.  Always underline key words in the question on your listening question paper.

 

 

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Answers to August Linking Word Practice

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Below are the questions and answers for the lesson on linking words this month. I hope you found this lesson useful 🙂

Questions 

  1. ……………. the government building more homes in city centres, there is still a lack of housing.
    1.  A) Although   B) Despite   C) So
  2. ………….. the government is increasing the amount of money spent on dealing with environmental pollution, individuals must still play their part.
    1.  A) But    B) Although  C) Despite
  3. People should eat a balanced diet …………….. avoid serious health problems.
    1. A) due to    B) so     C) in order to
  4. …………… there are children who may not find it easy to live abroad, for others it can be an experience that helps them mature and become more independent.
    1. A) While  B) In spite of  C) Even so
  5. ………………….. more and more people moving to the city to find jobs, housing has become a serious problem in city centres.
    1. A) Consequently   B) As a result  C) As a result of  D) Owing to

Answers

  1. B
    1. Despite the government building more homes in city centres, there is still a lack of housing.
    2. It is not possible to have “Although” in this sentence. The meaning is correct, but the grammar is wrong. If you wanted to use “Although”, you would need to change the sentence: ” Although the government is building more homes in city centres, there is still a lack of housing.”
  2. B
    1. Although the government is increasing the amount of money spent on dealing with environmental pollution, individuals must still play their part.
  3. C
    1. People should eat a balanced diet in order to avoid serious health problems.
  4. A
    1. While there are children who may not find it easy to live abroad, for others it can be an experience that helps them mature and become more independent.
    2. The linking words “in spite of” have the right meaning, but can’t be used in this sentence. If you want to use “in spite of” you need to change the grammar structure of the sentence: “In spite of some children not finding it easy to live abroad, for others it can be an experience that helps them mature and become more independent.
  5. C & D
    1. As a result of more and more people moving to the city to find jobs, housing has become a serious problem in city centres.
    2. Owing to more and more people moving to the city to find jobs, housing has become a serious problem in city centres.
    3. It is not possible to have “Consequently”. The meaning is fine, but the grammatical structure of the sentence makes it impossible to use. Using “consequently” = More and more people are moving to the city to find jobs and, consequently,  housing has become a serious problem in city centres.
    4. The linking word “as a result” must have the proposition “of” with it for this sentence. Using “as a result” without “of” = More and more people are moving to the city to find jobs and, as a result, housing has become a serious problem in city centres.

To use linking words correctly, you must understand both their meaning and the correct grammatically way to use them in a sentence. See a full list of linking words for your essay: IELTS Linking Words List.

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Answers about counting words

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Below are the answers to yesterday’s lesson about counting words in IELTS writing. See the qustions and answers below. Also notice I have added some extra links with more information so you can learn more about how words are counted in IELTS.

  1. Are small words counted such as “a” and “the”?
    1. Yes, they are counted. All words are counted. If you write “a man walked into a shop” = 6 words.
  2. Is “15%” counted as one word or two?
    1. It is one word. If you write “15 percent” = two words.
  3. Is this one word or two: “good-looking”?
    1. It is one word.
  4. Are commas counted as a word?
    1. No punctuation is not counted as a word.
  5. Does the examiner count all the words in your essay or does the examiner guess the word count?
    1. The examiner will see if your writing doesn’t look long. In that case, the examiner will count every single word. Each individual word must be counted precisely by the examiner.

Learn More

  1. Another exercise to test your understanding of word counting. Click here: Practice Counting Words
  2. Rules about how words are counted in IELTS. Click here: How Words are Counted in IELTS
  3. Using the writing answer sheet and counting your own words: How to Use the Answer Sheet Correctly
  4. Learn about deleting words in IELTS Writing. Click here: Deleting Words
  5. Learn about Essay Word Length: How Long Should My IELTS Essay Be?

All the best

Liz

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Counting Words Questions

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Hi,

I have had many IELTS test takers asking me about how words are counted in IELTS writing. Let’s check your understanding:

  1. Are small words counted such as “a” and “the”?
  2. Is “15%” counted as one word or two?
  3. Is this one word or two: “good-looking”?
  4. Are commas counted as a word?
  5. Does the examiner count all the words in your essay or does the examiner guess the word count?

Answers

To find the answer, click here:

Answers to Counting Words Practice

All the best

Liz

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Farm Listening Practice: Answers & Transcript

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Hi guys,

I’ve put the answers, transcript and a list of key words for the Map Listening Exercise about a Farm on the original page. Click here: Farm Listening Lesson with Answers

Hope this was useful 🙂

All the best

Liz

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