Can your IELTS score change after remarking? This is one persons story about remarking and the amazing results that followed. Below is Najada’s story.
My IELTS Remarking Success Story
Hello everyone.
I took my IELTS Academic module on the 8th of December 2018 in Melbourne Australia. I have been living and working in Melbourne for nearly 2 and a half years, which means English has become part of my life everyday communication.
I needed to sit my IELTS in order to apply for a registration to work as a Physiotherapist in Australia. The minimum score required is 7 in each module and overall band score 7. I was very lucky to come across IELTS Liz website. I solely studied from Liz’s website. I did most of the lessons, read all the tips, followed all updates and of course purchased the Advanced Writing lessons. I strongly recommend to all students to purchase the advanced lessons as they are ABSOLUTELY fantastic. Liz’s explanation and advice are very comprehensive and clear.I could not afford having a tutor to study so Liz’s website and affordable advanced writing lessons saved my life!!!
I received my IELTS score as the following:
- Listening: 7.5
- Reading: 8.0S
- Speaking: 8.5
- Writing: 6.0
I was absolutely disappointed with my writing score as I was pretty sure I did better than 6. In Task 1 I had two line graphs and Task 2 a problem solution essay. I did follow Liz’s advice on how to organise paragraphs and ideas, did my planning before starting writing!!!! VERY IMPORTANT I used a variety of complex sentences (Liz’s lessons for complex sentences are fantastic). I was as careful as possible. I felt that something was wrong with the score, so I started checking online about the remark option. The majority of the websites mention that there is a possibility to get a change in the score, with a 0.5 increase being the most common and in rare cases a 1.0. What they also mention is that if there is a major difference between each component (like my case) they will ask for a second examiner to mark it just to be sure. So I thought they might have done that with mine too.
But still my gut feeling said to me that something is wrong. I did better than 6.0. So I decided to apply for a remark. The remark fee is quite expensive, 176 AUD to be precise, so if there is not a change you lose your money, but if there is a change you get a full refund. I decided to take the risk because as I said before I did study very hard for my writing, which was my weakest part.
After 4 weeks I received an email saying that there has been a change to my writing score. And that change was……. 7.5. I COULD NOT believe it. That’s a 1.5 increase. So my final score is overall band score 8 with:
- Listening: 7.5
- Reading: 8.0
- Speaking: 8.5
- Writing: 7.5
Even the staff at the English Centre where I took my IELTS were absolutely surprised by this remark change. If you have a doubt about your results, while you are confident that you have done better than this, go for the remark. You might receive your desired score.
I would also like to say that please do read well all Liz’s pages as they contain crucial information about the test. I literally followed her advice for each part of the test.
What I would like to add about speaking is…. SPEAK ENGLISH AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. I was very lucky to practice my English everyday. Living and working in Australia have allowed me to interact with people. I was asking colleagues and friends to correct any errors I made with my speaking and, believe me, that helped me a lot. You can only improve if you are aware of your weak points and you are determined to study hard. Nothing comes easy without hard work.Unfortunately for permanent residency I need a minimum of 8 in each component, so I have to sit the IELTS again but i can finally practice my profession. I am continuing to practise my listening, speaking, writing and reading and also my spelling as I am pretty sure some of my listening errors were spelling mistakes.
Thank you Liz for your absolutely amazing hard work and your kindness, Najada.
From Liz: Well done Najada!! And thanks for sharing your story with everyone else. It will help many people. All the best, Liz
.
Remarking Advice from Liz
Note to consider about remarking:
- If you are considering a remark, and have a two band score difference between your writing and speaking score (for example, speaking 8 and writing 6), your scores will already have been reviewed by a second examiner who agreed with those marks. This means the chance of your score changing after a remark by a third, senior examiner is less likely to be successful. It doesn’t mean it is impossible to change, it means it is less likely.
- Your scores for listening and reading are unlikely to change from a remark, because those scores are not based on examiner interpretation or assessment, but on right or wrong answers. This means it is rare the marking is wrong.
- Before you decide on a remark, make sure you do know and understand the band score requirements for speaking and writing. This will help you make the right choice.
- “Go with your gut!” Many people decide to try remarking because they feel they did better in speaking or writing (or both). If this is how you feel, make the decision that feels right for you.
- The remark is always done by a senior examiner. They will listen to your speaking recording and remark from that. For the writing test, they will remark your writing task 1 and task 2 again.
Share Your Remarking Story
Feel free to post your remarking story to help other people make the right choice.
All the best
Liz
Dear Liz,
My heart is filled with joy, thanks for all your teaching, it has helped me achieve my desired score. Initially when my result came out, it was L8.5 S8 R7 W6.5. I was devastated because I knew I had put in a lot of work plus I followed all your teachings. I came across this EOR story page and decided to draw strength from the testimony of others by applying for a remark. I got a mail in less than 24 hours notifying me of a change in my overall score from 7.5 to 8. To cut the long story short writing changed from 6.5 to 7.5. Thanks again liz.
That’s excellent news! An increase of a whole band score is wonderful. Well done for having both the insight and determination to do it 🙂
Hi,
I scored L-8.5, R 9, W 7.5 and S 6.5. Decided to go for remark and got S upgraded to 7, which was just what I needed. Your site was very helpful and I would definitely recommend it to others.
That’s great news!! Very well done to you 🙂
Hi Liz,
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the amazing content you share on your blog. Your resources were incredibly helpful during my IELTS preparation which helped me to achieve the desirable score. You are definitely doing a noble job by helping people without charging an exorbitant price.
In addition, I wanted to share a little about my re-mark experience. Initially, my scores were-
L: 8.0
R: 8.5
W: 7.5
S: 7.5
I missed my desired score by a small margin in speaking, where I required 8.0 in order to be able to apply for a teaching job. After reading some of the advice on your blog about re-marking, I decided to give it a try—and it paid off!
I received an email after a week of applying and my score was increased to 8.0. It made all the difference with my application for employment.
Thank you once again for all the effort you put into creating such valuable content. Your work truly helps people reach their goals!
That’s excellent! Well done trusting your gut instinct. Thanks for coming back to share this with everyone 🙂
Hi Liz,
Thank you so much for your website and videos. Your guidance helped me achieve my desired IELTS scores in 2018 for the academic module, and now again in 2024 for the general training module. As a published scientist and clinician, I’ve found it challenging to consistently go beyond a band 7 in writing, so I can understand why many applicants might stop at 6.5. I initially received a 6.5 today but successfully had it raised to a 7.0 through an EOR request.
It’s worth considering a re-mark if you feel confident about your performance—trusting your instincts can make a difference.
That said, I wonder if there’s room to improve the scoring system. If writing scores depend heavily on adherence to a given structure, is it truly a measure of language proficiency? I’ve achieved 9s and 8.5s across most other sections in both my IELTS sittings, but the writing test remains a challenge. While I acknowledge that my writing can improve, it sometimes feels that the test assesses one’s ability to meet specific band requirements more than genuine writing ability. I understand that this approach helps ensure transparency, objectivity, and standardization, but perhaps it’s time to consider a more progressive shift. In the era of AI, this system might be considered redundant specially writing.
Thank you again for all that you do for IELTS candidates.
You’ve hit the nail on the head. IELTS writing is not just about assessing your language ability, which is why so many people with high level English struggle to hit the higher band scores. They take the test presuming that their excellent level of English will be enough. Certainly, it’s enough for the speaking test which is 100% language based. But for the writing test, you are being assessed on four marking criteria, two of which are not language based. Task Response is very specific to IELTS. There are set requirements to meet and you must know what they are for IELTS. Coherence and Cohesion also has certain things that need ticking off to hit a high score. So, for these two marking criteria, which together count for 50% of your marks, you must learn about IELTS and learn IELTS essay writing techniques. Coherence and Cohesion certainly is quick and easy to learn. But Task Response requires thought, analysis, planning and presentation in an IELTS style based on the requirements of the band scores. Neither of these marking criteria can be assessed by AI and TR certainly needs plenty of practice to get right.
Very well done getting a successful remark and hitting that band 7 in writing! 🙂
Hello! I wanted to thank you Liz because all the content that you share for us. I had my results this Monday and I had 7R 7L 6W 6S. I was very sure that I did better than the score I received so I decided to go for a remark and the writing score increased 0.5! Speaking did not change but at least I do not need to repeat the whole exam.
Thank you for your tips and your passion teaching!
I’m so glad your writing increased and you don’t have to take the test again. Well done! Time to enjoy your future plans without more delay 🙂
Hello! First of all, I would like to thank you for all the efforts you put into this website. I hold a PhD in Business Administration and I need a high score on the IELTS exam for academic purposes. I recently discovered your site and I plan to study for the IELTS solely through it. Although I speak and write English well, my level has not surpassed the intermediate stage, and I know there is a significant gap between my current level and the score I aspire to achieve in the IELTS exam, which is 7.5.
I need your advice on how I can improve my English while preparing for the IELTS exam at the same time, knowing that I plan to take the test in mid-December of this year, which is about 3 months from now. Is this time frame sufficient to develop my language skills and prepare well for the exam, and what should I do in this regard? I feel completely lost and don’t know where to start or how to proceed. Your guidance will be my roadmap in studying, with all my appreciation.
If this message is an indication of the real level of your English, you can hit band score 7.5 in writing if you ensure you aim for accuracy in your writing. You have enough complex language and strong grammar features to hit band 7.5. And your vocabulary looks strong too. Your real test will be your ability to understand Task Response and Coherence & Cohesion, which form 50% of the marking in writing. I do not know your English level, but if you speak as fluently as you write, you’ll be fine. I suggest you do some listening and reading tests to see what your band score is right now and then focus on IELTS skills is you are close to 7.5. My website is comprehensive for test preparation, but you must still practice with complete full authentic tests. You can find one for free on ielts.org and on the BC website. The rest you find in the IELTS Cambridge test books. Good luck!
Hi Liz! Thanks to everyone who has shared their EOR success story. I want to ask for a re-mark as well, but I would like to know what I should write in the “brief explanation” that is needed when you ask for it.
I am very disappointed with my writing results (6.5) as I got 8.0 in all other sections, and I need to get an 8.0 in each.
If anyone can share more less what to write, I would appreciate it a lot!! Thanks!!
Hi Sofia,
I am in the same boat. Did you apply for EOR already?
Applied for EOR yesterday. S-8.5, L-9, R-8.5 but writing 6.5. I decided to apply for EOR because of the successful stories I read here. I was (and continue to be) very confident that my writing skills deserved at least a band 7. Anyway, after only 4 hours of having paid the fee, they replied saying that my results remained unchanged. Too sad, but just so you know, EOR is not always successful even if you’re positive about your performance.
Sorry it didn’t work for you. With a two band score difference between speaking and writing, your original score will already have been agreed upon by two separate examiners. While this doesn’t completely exclude the possibility of an error in marking (resulting in an increase of score from remarking), it does make an increase very unlikely.
Hello Liz!
I can’t possibly thank you enough for all the kind efforts you put into this website ♥️ You’re the GOAT (Gen Z slang for “greatest of all time” and not an actual goat 😂)
I got my results back yesterday and I was soooooo happy yet a tad disappointed with the writing results:
Overall = 8
Reading = 9
Listening = 8.5
Speaking = 8.5
Writing = 6.5
I know these are wonderful scores! I also know I did much better than 6.5 for writing 😭 … I was aiming for at least 7 in all sections and was pretty confident about my writing. In general, my writing is spotless! I do research and even write poetry. The only shortcoming I could think of was the conclusion in task 2, which was 1 sentence long cause I literally ran out of time. but it was a full sentence and everything was clear and well-structured. Would that warrant the 6.5?
For task one I wrote 200 ish words and for task two 340 ish.
Do you think I should go for a remark?
Warmest regards,
Maryem
Firstly, I want to say a very well done with your results!! Brilliant!.
Lets have a chat about your writing score. I’m going to give some points for you to think about and then you must make the decision that makes you feel comfortable.
1) You say you only wrote one sentence for the conclusion and that’s a possible reason why your score could be low. This tells me that you haven’t fully understood IELTS essay writing. Almost all conclusions are one sentence. Writing a longer conclusion doesn’t improve your score. So, is it possible you had the wrong impression of IELTS writing and haven’t fully grasped the aims?
2) You said that you wrote about 340 words for task 2. Why? Your aim should always be between 270 and 290 words very rarely going to about 305 words. Writing a longer essay doesn’t help your score at all. IELTS essays are designed to be highly focused with every single sentence crucial to the essay – no extra wording, no unnecessary detail. They are relatively short essays. Longer essays expose you to more criticism. This brings me back to my previous comment – are you sure you fully understood how your writing is marked and how to tackle an IELTS essay? If you realise that all model essays on my website are about 290 words and they are band 9 – I did this because that is the length to aim for.
3) You said you have experience writing poetry. This doesn’t help you. In fact, it could make your IELTS writing worse. Poetry is descriptive and IELTS writing must avoid that kind of language and those kinds of sentences. Poetry also doesn’t necessarily get straight to the point – IELTS writing is extremely direct. They are opposites.
4) You said you do research. This is good. But IELTS has specific requirements that are unique to IELTS only and you must learn them. They are not related to research and in fact some expressions used in academic research writing do not help your IELTS score for vocabulary.
5) You have 2 band score difference between your writing and your speaking scores. This means your writing has been reviewed by two (not one) examiners already and they both agree it is 6.5.
6) The one comment you did not give is that you fully understand every detail of the marking criteria and precisely how IELTS essays are marked and tackled – and that that is the reason you are surprised at your score. This is usually the best indication that someone has been marked unfairly.
All these points probably sound like I’m suggesting you shouldn’t do a remark but that isn’t the case. Certainly, it is not common to get a positive result from a remark of writing that has already been remarked by a second examiner. However, “not common” doesn’t mean impossible and the actual remark would be done by a senior examiner. As you see from reading stories of people’s remark success on this page – rare cases do happen so probability shouldn’t put you off. Other people have been marked by two examiners but the senior examiner put their score up after a remark – so it can happen. Your comments as to why you should have got a higher score don’t actually support you getting a higher score, but that doesn’t mean your writing deserves 6.5.
Ultimately, I can’t give you the reassurance you probably want that a remark would work. But if you feel strongly about it, you should try. In this life, you have to go with your gut instincts and you should never live with regret. If you would regret not trying for a remark, then go for it and do it. Remember, I haven’t seen your essay – you have. All my comments above are only based on the few words you’ve written to me (not on your essay writing). So, you must trust yourself also taking my points into consideration. If you do end up taking the test again, please review all your understanding of IELTS writing. 50% of your score is based on specific techniques of essay writing that are special to IELTS and you need to learn them and fulfil them. So, in writing, only 50% of your marks really relates to your language ability (that is a simplification but more or less correct). Having the wrong aims in IELTS writing is a sure way to get a lower score even with excellent English like yours. IELTS speaking is different because it is 100% language based – although techniques do help.
Anyway, I wish you loads of luck! You deserve it after getting such amazing scores! Trust your judgement! I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you!!
Gosh, you’re the sweetest!
Thank you SO MUCH!
I submitted the EoR and will update here as soon as the results come back.
Great! Good luck!
Hi Liz , thank you for all you do. A friend of mine recommended this website to me and I basically studied and concentrated solely on the materials and tips provided here. I took my paper-based IELTS academics on the 9th of may . Result came out as follows
L 7.5
R 7.5
W 7.5
S 6.5
I wasn’t so pleased with my speaking result coz i needed at least a 7. I was motivated to file for an EOR following the different success stories i read on here. I received my EOR result yesterday after 3 weeks and i was surprisingly upgraded from a band 6.5 to a band 8. It was so unbelievable. Meanwhile, this is my first attempt
I’m hoping this would motivate everyone out there who is also hoping to file for an EOR to follow their gut feeling
Thank you once again for your guidance Liz 💕
Fantastic!! Well done to you! And thanks for coming back to share your remark with everyone 🙂
Thank you Liz for your tips and vocabulary 🙂
I received 6.5 in my writing exam but I needed 7 for a postgraduate application. I filed for an EOR and I was thrilled to get 7, as I needed.
Don’t be afraid to try the EOR 🙂 It works
Well done 🙂
Congrats!
Mind sharing your scores for the other sections as a reference?
I got L-8, R-8.5, W-6.5, S-6.5 in my IELTS general test. I’m aiming for a 7 in Writing and Speaking. Do you think I should request an EOR? I really need that 0.5 boost.
Hi Liz,
Really thankful to you for this post. I got a 7.5 in speaking in IELTS academic, but wanted an 8.
Just because of the success stories mentioned here in this post and the comments, I got inspiration to apply for eor.
Applied on 29th of May, and got the results of eor today after a week, and guess what, I got an 8 in speaking.
Really appreciate the work you have been doing. Even I went through all the content of your website, be it writing or any other, and got 7 in Writing, 7.5 in Reading and 8.5 in listening.
Please keep up the good work.
Thanks and Regards,
Diksha.
Great news!! Well done 🙂
Hello Liz,
I would like to begin by saying a big thank you to what you are doing. I have taken IELTS thrice (all were good results, but were taken for different reasons) and I have come to refer only your material and strictly nothing else. Your material is so detailed and in-depth for someone to crack the exam.
Let me begin my story on my recent exam (IELTS General) for Canadian Immigration. I scored L-8.5, R-7, W-7.5, S-6.5. As soon as I gave the speaking test, I knew that I did not give me 100% and I know for sure that I had some minor mistakes while conversing with the examiner. However as soon as the results were released, I was shocked to see 6.5 for speaking and I knew instantly that I did bad but not too bad. My gut feeling prompted me to apply for the re-mark and I did as soon as I saw the result.
Today I received the re-mark result and it was changed to 7.5 and I am really happy with it. For those who are thinking about applying for a re-mark, go with your gut feeling. Re-mark does not guarantee boosting the score but we as a test taker should feel that we deserve more.
I’m so pleased for you! And well done with your final results 🙂
I came to this page saw the success stories, i crossed my fingers and voila, I got the extra 0.5 after the EOR request, just what i needed!!! thanks to this testimonies.
That’s great 🙂
Hi Liz and everyone,
I took my IELTS last week and got OLRSW – 7.5/ 8.5/8/ 7.5/ 6.5. I needed at least 7 for all components to work in Australia. I knew I didn’t perform well in my Writing Task 2 but I am confident I did well in Writing Task 1 ( I followed Liz advice religiously!)
I was inspired by the success stories for remarking from this site. Therefore I asked for a remark and got my writing score changed to 7! Thank god I trusted my instinct and thank you so much to Liz for all your free resources.
Great result!
Hi Liz, I just got my IELTS result, Overall Score- 8.0, Listening: 9.0, Speaking: 8.5, Reading: 7.5 & Writing: 7.5. I need to improve my score to get 8.0 in each band. Your website has helped me get a score of 7.5. What is your advice Liz, in order to achieve an 8.0 in Writing? Also, any advice on Reading also would be helpful.
Your speaking scores and writing scores are less than 2 band score difference. This means they have been marked by only one examiner, which consequently means there is more potential of an increase in score from a remark. But any remark is only successful if a senior examiner thinks it has been marked slightly too low. This isn’t the case with the reading test. Answers are not marked by an examiner because no answer requires interpretation. Answers are either right or wrong. So, scores for listening and reading very very rarely change. Based on this, you must decide if you want to pay for a remark.
If you want to review your writing, see all the model answers and tips on my website and also get my Advanced Lessons & E-books for Writing Task 2 in my store: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/
Thank you so much
Your materials were helpful
Applied for EOR , and my speaking score changed from 6.5 to 8
Thank you and God bless you
L9R8.5W7S8
Glory to God
Fantastic!! That’s a big change in the score! My heartfelt congratulations to you 🙂
Thank you all the the encouraging messages! Got my results today and had a 6.5 in writing which was below my expectations!
After going through the comments here, I proceeded with EOR and my score was bumped to 7 within a couple of hours which was the minimum I required. Praise God!!
Thanks for the amazing platform Liz!!
Brilliant news!! Very well done! I’m so pleased for you 🙂
Hi All,
I got my results today. It was my first time and I got 7.5 for S,L, R but for W, it was only 6.5. I was quite confident that I performed well in the writing task. So, I applied for a retake. My W has changed for 7.5.- just within 3 hours. Guys, if you have that gut feeling- pls go for it.
Hi Liz,
I used your materials to self-study. I had only about 2 weeks for prepare. Your materials were superb, clear, concise. Thank you so much
Achini
A great result to your remarking!! Very well done 🙂
Thanks to everyone who have contributed in this thread.
My results for IELTS Academic was L 8.5, R 7, S 7.5 and W 6.5 – Overall 7.5. I was disappointed with my writing score as I knew I did better than that.
All of your input inspired me to take the risk of remarking as I was absolutely sure I deserved at least 7 for my writing. I need 7 overall and no band less than 7 in each components for my skill assessment.
I took IELTS Academic computer delivered from IDP Sydney on 30th December, got the results after 3 days and filed a remark request.
I was really anxious to take this step initally but after reading all these success stories, I was very hopeful.
Today on 5th Jan 2024 (after 3 days of remark request), I finally got the outcome with Writing score being changed to 7.5. Now my score is L 8.5, R 7, S 7.5 and W 7.5 – Overall 7.5.
Thank you again to all of you and hope this serves as an inspiration to those who are considering for lodging enquiry on result.
All the best!
All the best
That’s a great result from remarking!! Very well done to you. I’m glad you had the confidence to do it. Thanks for coming back to share this with us 🙂
Hi, I just wanted to share my story as well since this website actually encouraged me to go for the EOR!
When i got my results I was devasteded because they were:
Listening 7.0
Reading: 7.0
Speaking 7.0
Writing 5.5
overall band score: 6.5
I’d only need a 6.0 in Writing to get an overall band score of 7.0 (those are the requirements from the university I’m planning on applying for) as well as a minimum of 6.0 in each section.
I was sooo sure I did better than a 5.5 in Writing and after reading through all those success storys I was like yesss I’ll go for it!
I COULND’T believe it when I got the email which said that the EOR is already finished, – which was only 3.5 hours after I payed for the EOR…
My writing score changed from 5.5 to 6.5!!
I was so surprised since I thought that 0.5 is the most I’d eventually go up but no!
I hope I could help some others with my experience!
A great example of remarking. Very well done! Enjoy your university 🙂
Ohhh, so glad to have found this story. Reading these stories are giving me some hope. I got L-8.5, R-9, S-7.5, W-6 and requested EoR on my writing, hoping to get to 7.
Thank you all for sharing.
Good luck!
Same here, I had L-8.5, S-7.5, R-7.5, W-6.5 and requested EOR on my writing, hoping to get a 7. Can’t wait to share my story too.
Thanks for all you do Liz.
Sincerely appreciate everyone for sharing and giving a sense of hope.
Many thanks.
This page gave me the confidence to apply for recorrection. Soon I’m from SriLanka and I used all the resources on this website and sat for the exam in two weeks and I knew I did it fairly well. BUT when my results came I was devastated. S-8.5,L-9,R-8.5 BUT W-6.5. I also knew that if there was a difference of 2 between writing snd speaking it would be rechecked by a second examiner. But still I just could not believe it because I knew I hit the criteria correctly and was confident. I came across this page and reading through the stories helped me pay that extra money to get it rechecked. And today I got my results back…I got a 7.0 for writing just what I wanted. Thankyou so much to everyone who shared their success stories here it honestly made such a big impact on my decision and thank you Liz for everything that you do.
Brilliant!! Well done! And thanks for sharing your insight and success with others 🙂
I’m typing this to share my little story.
So I did my IELTS exam recently, these were my scores:
Listening : 8.0
Reading: 7.5
Speaking: 7.0
Writing: 6.5
Overall : 7.5
The overall score was very good!, In fact better than what I expected, I was convinced I had the proper result in order to get Visa points for a country I want to migrate to, however, In order to get those Visa points I needed to get at least 7 for each IELTS Band, that means Writing was a bottleneck. I was very sad, because the OVERALL result was great, but, Without the 7 in writing it did not mean that much for my purposes.
I studied with Liz’s material for two weeks specifically for the writing part which I knew was my weakest link, however, after checking the Rubric I knew I deserved better.
Then I discovered the EOR option on the Test taker portal, I made my research in order to see If it was convenient to me, because I did not want to risk taking a lesser grade. However, there is no way to get a lesser grade, just the risk of losing the money for the fee If the grade does not change, so I went for it.
Surprisingly, I got the results of my EOR In less than 12 hours! And my heart was racing while I opened the test taker portal, and after my Remark, I got a 7.0 in Writing, even if it did not change the Overall, I was very happy, because Now each of the components were at least 7.0 which was what I needed for my Visa points.
If you are in a situation were your speaking or writing sections had a lower score than expected, I would say, go for the EOR, since those are most likely to get remarked.
Fantastic!! I’m so very pleased for you. I’m glad you did your research and followed through with the remark. I know getting that band 7 is so important for many people’s future. So, well done again!! And thanks for sharing with everyone 🙂
Hi liz, unfortunately I don’t know how to comment on your website so I decided to reply on your recent comments..
but I was wondering… who will check my CBT EOR? Will it be sent to a British examiner as I took IELTS from British Council or would it be checked by my local examiner again?
I was really bummed when I got 9/8.5/7/7.5 for L/R/W/S. My minimum Uni requirements are 7.5 for each component to which my writing did not meet. I was thinking for an EOR for both my writing & speaking. I’ve heard that english speaking examiners tend to be a bit lenient. I hope you can answer soon. Thank you! and be healthy.
When you ask for a remark, your test is remarked by a senior examiner. This is the main difference between your first test results and a remark. Speaking examiners are not more lenient. All examiners are trained to mark as accurately as possible. However, the speaking marking criteria are all language based, while the writing marking criteria contain criteria about structure, paragraphing, linking words, being on topic, task response etc. This is one key reason why the speaking and writing marks can vary. If you feel your writing should have been scored higher based on the marking criteria: Band Scores for IELTS Writing, then it’s worth considering a remark.
Congratulations for your fantastic results.
Can you please share what you had written as “the explanation why you believe you need your selected test parts re-marked”?
Thank you very much.
Hi Liz,
This is just to encourage someone.
I did my first ever IELTS (General) on the 25th, March 2023 with a 3 weeks preparation constraint and my scores came out as follows:
Speaking 7.5
Listening 8.5
Reading 8.0
Writing 6.5
Overall Score 7.5
Although, I was about 20 words short in my writing task 1 -judging by the number of lines the task covered, but I made sure I touched on all other requirements for the task 1.
I attempted my task 2 first although, it took a chunk of my time but I was highly confident I executed it so well.
My elder brother, on informing him, quickly told me that I could request a remark, I did not know that was a thing prior. So I surfed through Google to know what my chances could be should I request a remark.
By chance, I stumbled on this page and I was able to harness all the courage and conviction needed to challenge my writing test score. I received the outcome today, Lo and Behold! a whooping 1.0 was added to my initial 6.5, taking my Writing Score to a 7.5 and overall score to an 8.0.
So, if you feel confident about what you did, give EOR a try.
I’m so glad for you. Well done 🙂 And thanks for encouraging others 🙂
Hi,
I had applied for EoR with the following score:
L8.5 R 8.5 S7 W6.5 overall-8
I read everyone’s success stories with EoR and my gut was telling me that my score should be more in speaking and writing. So i applied for EoR and I got my results just now. My new score is :
L8.5 R8.5 S7.5 W7 overall -8
Thank you so much guys for all your success stories. And thanks Liz!
I’m glad you trusted your feelings. Great to see both the speaking and writing pushed higher! Well done 🙂
Trust me I saw many YouTube Videos and I came across these posts as well which is the reason why I applied for EOR as I was very much confident in my speaking however, I only got 6 when I got my result. I was totally disappointed and after few days of research I applied for eor and guess what my speaking increased from 6 to 7.5. I was overwhelmed with joy since it was a huge increment ❤️🌹
Great news! Well done 🙂
Thanks for the motivation from this trend. I also applied for an EOR on my September 15 IELTS score with LSWR 8,7,6.5,7 and just got my result with writing upgraded to 7.5 from 6.5.
Excellent news! Well done to you 🙂
I took IELTS about 2 weeks ago, and my initial result was
Overall 7.5 (L: 8.5; R: 8.0; W 6.0; S: 8.0)
I was expecting at least 6.5 in Writing, so I decided to do EOR only for Writing. And today I got a new result.
Overall 8.0 (L: 8.5; R: 8.0; W 6.5; S: 8.0)
Thank you Liz for all your IELTS related study guide. I did self-study for 5 days with the learning materials you provided.
Great to see your results go up. I’m glad you held fast to your instincts. Well done 🙂
I was inspired by Najada’s story. I just got my EOR report back yesterday! My old score was
Reading 8
Speaking 8
Listening 8.5
Writing 6.5
I was convinced I had done better in writing and requested an EOR.
My writing score was changed to 7! Which is precisely what I needed to apply for my program.
If you feel you did you best and you feel the mark doesn’t reflect how you applied yourself, you might want to request an EOR. Good thing is, if you’re right, your money gets refunded.
Well done 🙂
I recently took my IELTS general and got the following score:
Listening 9
Reading 7.5
Writing 8
Speaking 6.5
English is my first language and I am very good at it. As you can see, I have scored fairly well in every section other than speaking. For speaking, I am confident I answered all the questions fluently. I don’t have any idea as to why I got 6.5. Is there any chance that there might have been something wrong with the recording device so whoever graded my speaking may not have heard it clearly? Another possibility I can think of is if I have spoken too much for some questions. Will they reduce marks for this ?I am confused if I should give for re evaluation. What is your opinion?
Both your suggestions don’t explain your score. Firstly, the examiner who conducted the test gives you a mark when you leave the room. They don’t listen to the recording. The recording is there for the purposes of remarking only. Secondly, speaking a lot is a good thing and would increase your marks for fluency. When the examiner interrupts your answers to ask another question, it’s a good thing. It shows your ability to speak at length without effort which is what the higher scores are all about. Nothing you have said can explain your score for the speaking. You must decide if you want to go for a remark or not. Remarking is specifically there so that you can question the marking. Decide what you want to do and what you can afford. Good luck!
Hi Liz,
Thanks for this educational and informative platform which encouraged me to apply for a re-mark. My writing score increased from 6 to 7, which was shocking. My score now is:
9,7.5,7,7.5 (overall: 8.0)
Brilliant news!!! Very well done to you!!. Thanks for sharing with everyone 🙂
I just got my remark result, my speaking score changed from band 6.5 to 7.0. My result now is
7,8,7,7 SLRW
Great news!! Well done 🙂
Thank you much Liz , I got motivation to get my result rechecked after reading this blog .
good luck!
Hi ma’am
I got my result today and I’m not satisfied with my band scores. L-6.5, R-5.5, W-6.5, S-7.5, overall 6.5 but I need 7.0 in all band and overall 7.0. please do you advice me to apply for remark? I sincerely think I should get 8.0 band in listening and 7 in reading.
*W-6.0
What you are suggesting is that both your reading and listening scores were marked incorrectly and that the examiner for the writing test was also wrong. Certainly, this is possible. But what is the probability that three out of four test were marked wrongly? Also, it is very rare for listening and reading tests to be marked wrongly – not impossible, but rare. I am not trying to encourage or discourage you – I’m merely stating facts. This must be your decision. You must make a decision that you feel most comfortable with.
I gave ielts academic on 30 March 2022 ,CD IDP., from Lahore Pakistan. I received result on 4 April, i got overall 7.5 , reading 7.5 , listening 8, speaking 7.5 but writing 6.5 . I was confident about my writing, so applied for recheck . Today ,i got my result and my score increased by 0.5 in writing. Although I am waiting for TRF through mail , it will fulfill my requirement for GMC. I had earlier cleared ielts in 2019 and this was my third attempt. Thank you so much Liz for your informative channel and free learning support .
Wonderful news!! It’s great that you followed your gut instinct!! 🙂
I applied for recheck for speaking and writing. My speaking increased by 0.5 when I checked online. Do they update scores for speaking and writing on different days online because I’m really going to increase in writing from 6.5 to 7. I’m very confident that I did way better than 6.5 in writing.
Did you ask for remarking? Did change your reading score?
I want to really appreciate you (Liz) for your efforts in ensuring success in ielts exams. I registered to write the test for the first time in the month of November with no prior knowledge. I sought for materials and yes Liz’s videos and materials were very helpful. I sat for the exam on the 18th of December and received the result as follows:
Listening 7.5
Reading 8.5
Speaking 7.5
Writing 6.5
Despite the fact it was a good result, it didn’t meet the requirement for PLAB exam as a doctor and having read the success stories of people who applied for remark, I had to take the bold step.
My result was out today and I got 7.0
Thanks so much Liz.
Fantastic!! What a relief for you. Good luck with your PLAB tests 🙂
Please did your TRF report number change? My results were changed too. I got an email. But the old result is still on my test takers portal and I’m struggling to register for PLAB because they keep rejecting my result. I think the GMC is still seeing my old results instead. Did you encounter any difficulty?
Hello, I’d to share my own remark story too,
I sat for my IELTS exam on Nov 13, Academic CDT with BC. My result came out on the 18th of Nov and I had SLRW 8, 7.5, 8.5, 6.5 overall (7.5)
At the time I finished the exam, I was only scared for my listening because at some point I lost focus but i was very confident of my writing because I did everything the way Liz said it ought to be.
I decided to apply for an EOR on my Writing immediately the result was out (18th Nov), as I needed a minimum of 7 in each element. I also looked around the net for remark stories which directed me here and I was encouraged by many stories. I also believed in God too, and was confident with liz.
After 13 days, on the 1st of Dec i got a message from British council, that my EOR is complete and i should check the outcome on my portal.
Behold my final result was
S- 8.0
L- 7.5
R- 8.5
W- 7.5
My writing increased by a whole band score and my overall band changed from 7.5 to 8.0
Thank you for your support liz
Well done with your remark 🙂
Hello folks,
I just want to share my experience of getting my IELTS score remarked.
My initial results were as follows:
L – 8
R – 7.5
S – 7.5
W – 6.5
I was so confident that would get a minimum of 7 in writing but got what I got.
Najada’s story made me even more confident in my performance. So I decided to request an EOR and today I got my results back. My writing score was changed from 6.5 to 7.5.
If you are 100% sure, go for it!!!
Thanks for sharing. Great to see your writing score jump an entire band score 🙂
Hi Liz
I just wanted to say thank you for all the free resources you have available on this site. I am a native English speaker and wrote the IELTS test on 30 October and these were my results:
Listening:9
Reading: 9
Speaking: 9
Writing: 7
I was very disappointed in my writing mark as I felt I definitely scored an 8+. I applied for the remark and received my results today. My 7 changed to an 8!!! Once again thank you so much for all the help 🙂
Fantastic!! Wonderful news and what great results! Very well done 🙂 Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you so so much Liz for this learning platform and the opportunity to share success stories to encourage others. I did my Ielts at the beginning of the month and got my scores were as follows:
L-8
R-8
W-6.5
S-8.5
I was shocked and disappointed.I stared at the results portal for close to an hour in utter disbelief. I couldn’t imagine having scored 6.5 after all the hardwork and the tremendous amount of effort i had put into preparing for the exams using Liz ielts.I found it rather eerie that i actually got a higher score in the areas i felt were the most challenging. Having read the stories on this page, i was more than convinced that i should follow my gut feeling and ask for a remark in the writing section.After long days of feeling anxious,discouraged yet praying persistently, I unexpectedly got my EOR results today after a week !!! Band 8 overall with a change in Writing to 7.0!!!!!!!!!
If you can be honest with yourself and say unequivocally that you prepared well ,you put in the work and you deserve more then listen to your gut!!
It’s wonderful to see your results!! Hit that band 7 in writing makes so much difference. Well done having the determination and self-awareness to go for remarking 🙂
Hello from India,
I prepared for my IELTS GT by referring to online resources and Liz’s website was one of them. Since it was my first time attempting the test and that too with absolutely no coaching, I was both anxious and worried before the exam. However, I was convinced about my performance and believed that I could score as per the requirement (LRSW-8777). But my results were the following:
L-8.5
R- 8.5
S- 8
W- 6.5
I was both sad and angry as I was confident about my language and had followed the structure and tips that I learned online. Although I wanted to give my writing paper for a re-check, I was worried about the expense and if it will do any good or whether I should not waste any time and reappear for the exam. That’s when I came across this page and saw many people with the same issue who went ahead took the chance. This motivated me and I gave my writing module for EOR. After a week and half, I got my result which was changed from 6.5 to 7! I wouldn’t have done gone ahead with the EOR if not for the assurance and encouragement this page gave me. But its also important that we have full faith in our performance and language before submitting our paper for EOR. Many thanks to Liz and all who shared there stories here which made mine possible! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your story. Well done 🙂
Hello Everyone,
I’m glad to share my story with you all tonight.
I wrote my first IELTS BC in August 2021 and my result was L 8.5 S 7.5 R 7.0 and W 6.0.
I was unhappy with my result because I felt I did better in my writing to get an higher band score than that. Although my overall score was 7.5, it wasn’t useful for Me to apply for my PLAB Exam.
I came across this site online while making enquiry about possibility of band score increasing following remark and I was encouraged by various success story I read here.
I applied for my writing to be remark same day my result was out and today I got my EOR result.
Now:
L 8.5
R 7.0
W 7.0
S 7.5
My writing changed from 6 to 7.. Whao this was so mind blowing. I am glad I believed in myself and was encouraged by success stories here.
Thanks to everyone who comment on this site and I hope my story encourage someone out there.
Warm regards..
Such great news!! Very well done 🙂 I’m glad you found this page and realised that remarking can work when you know the band score requirements and you are sure your score ought to be higher. good for you 🙂
Hello,
Thanks for these motivational stories. I got my result today but unfortunately, although I managed to score my required band on writing for the first time since 2019, my speaking went down to 6.5. My story quite strange as a day before the exam I got a message telling me that my speaking will not be a face-to-face exam but a video call. I appeared and I was confident that my performance had been better than face to face. I am not a first time taker and I get used to accomplish band 7.5. and 8 randomly on speaking. That day, I haven’t made any mistakes or pauses that might be penalized.
After I got the results, I felt that the video call exam might affect my grade and I felt unfair as the center didn’t give me the chance to decide whether I want it face to face or not. I called them and explain my claim because this wasn’t my choice but theirs. I am not sure if I should go for remarking
Any advice would be highly appreciated.
Your speaking score will be based on your language skills. There is no such thing as answering correctly because there are no correct answers – there are only opportunities to showcase your language skills. Using a large range of grammar features, particularly the ability to jump between tenses in one answer, is essential for a high score. So too are vocabulary, giving long answers, giving descriptions, details, comparisons, using pronunciation features etc. If you feel you did well on this things, then a remark is something to consider. Scores do vary between one test and another because you are given different topics and questions which result in you producing different language. However, you should have an idea if your speaking was strong on the points I mentioned. Having face to face or a video interview isn’t something that IELTS feels will affect your score and won’t be taken into account for your results. Base your decision for a remark only on the aspects of language which are marked. Good luck with your choice. If you go for a remark, let us know what happens.
Hi Liz!
I’m from Mumbai, India and
I appeared for the first time for my IELTS general on the 23rd of this month. My results are:
L: 9
R: 9
W: 7.5
S: 8.5
While it might seem like a decent score but I was actually expecting better grades in writing. Do you think an EoR makes sense? The only place where I can probably point a finger is the total number of words (letter was 190-200, essay was 330-340)
While the no. of words might have been inflated to an extent, would it actually hamper my chances of a better score? I don’t think I went too wrong in my writing anywhere. Please let me know what you think.
And thank you for everything!
The word count won’t affect your score, particularly with your level of English. You are more likely to have struggled with Task Response, which is far more complex than people realise, and CC, which many overlook. Going for a remark is up to you. Your other scores indicate a higher level of English, but those two marking criteria in writing don’t depend on your English level. So whether a remark will or won’t work is not clear. If you can afford it, go for it. Let your instinct guide you with this decision. Good luck 🙂
Hi Liz
I have taken IELTS-general for more than 5 times now and recently got the scores for the latest one which I appeared in Feb’21. I was pretty sure that this one was definitely better than any of my previous tests. However, I was shocked to the following scores.
Reading – 9
Speaking – 8.5
Listening – 7.5
Writing – 6.5
I chose to go for EOR last week and got the results today. My written scores improved to 7 but listening didn’t change. What should I do now? I am 100% sure that my listening this bad at all.
Great to see your writing scores have gone up!! Well done 🙂 About your listening score, this score very rarely changes with remarking because they don’t depend on examiner interpretation, but on correct or incorrect given answers. Listening scores can also drop if you put an article (for example, “the) when you shouldn’t or you spell something wrong or you write a word instead of a letter. Answers must be very precise. It is likely you’ll need to take the test again if your listening score is too low for your future aims. However, talk to your test centre for advice before you make a final decision.
IELTS LIZ was a great help ! Recently I took the GT test and scored overall 7.5
L 8.5
R 7
S 7.5
W 6.5
And here is the examiners comments on my writing
“Test takers at this band can typically address all parts of the question, some more fully than others. (AC) They can give an overview. (GT) The letter has a generally clear purpose; the tone is sometimes not consistent. Key features and bullet points are covered. The point of view and main ideas are relevant but the conclusion(s) may be unclear. Some details might be irrelevant or wrong. Test takers can arrange their ideas logically, so that the writing has a clear progression from start to finish. They are able to use some linking words well, but others with mistakes. They can paragraph their Task 2 writing, although not always logically. They have enough vocabulary to answer the question. They try to use some less common words. They make some spelling mistakes, but the reader can still understand. They can write a mix of simple and complex sentences. The grammar and punctuation mistakes do not usually cause difficulty for the reader.”
I am thinking to apply for EOR, could you please share your opinion if possible.
I am expecting an increase of 0.5 in Writing
Thanks a lot
Well done with your scores. Regarding your writing feedback, this is not specific to your own personal writing for IELTS. All that is taken from the band score descriptors. This means it is a description of the band scores and provides me with no insight into your own essay. You can see this from the fact that the feedback actually states “their” instead of “your”. So, whether to go for a remark is up to you. I haven’t seen your essay and I can’t comment. Your speaking score is higher and this hopefully suggests that you have the ability to get a higher score in writing – but that isn’t always the case. So, this is up to you. I wish you lots of luck with your choice 🙂
Hi Liz,
Last year in December, l received my IELTS result and it was as follows:
Reading 7.5
Speaking 8.0
Writing 6.5
Listening 9.0
I was inspired by this page to request for an enquiry on results. All l needed to apply for PLAB was a 7 in writing since my overall band score was good. I did apply and had my writing score changed from 6.5 to 7.0. Additionally, my money is being refunded to me. I’m so glad for you Liz and all the amazing people who shared their testimonies on this platform. I’m also very very grateful to God for listening to my prayers. Prayed about my results a lot. Thanks once again.
Great to hear that the remark worked for you. And thanks for sharing it with everyone. Good luck in your PLAB 1 and 2 🙂
Hello helping community of IELTS Liz,
I also want to share my IELTS remarking success story.
I gave 2 IELTS GT till now:
19 Nov 2020
L: 9.0
S: 8.0
R: 7.0
W: 6.5
I needed to get a 7.0 in writing to get my desired score for Canadian Immigration. But I knew I fumbled in writing as I was correcting the thesis statement for task2 at the very last minute and couldn’t complete it and my system was logged off as it was a CBT.
I retook the test again on 3rd Dec 2020 and got the following score:
L: 9.0
S: 6.5
R: 8.5
W: 7.5
I somehow managed to improve in writing and reading but this time it was speaking that let me down. The only mistake as far as I can recall is I did during task 2 (speaking about a topic) when I stopped before the examiner stopping me and therefore I had to continue further with a few seconds of pause. The rest of my answers were top notch.
I needed a 7.0 in speaking and I don’t think I spoke like a band 6.5. So I filed for an EOR and within 2 weeks my speaking score got increased from 6.5 to 7.5. The IELTS will also refund me my EOR fee of CAD 171. Feels amazing. Thanks to Liz for all your free resources.
Wonderful news!! A big congratulations for your perseverance and your foresight in going for a remark. Your previous score in speaking shows your speaking to be a high level so logically it isn’t normal for your score to fall so greatly in speaking. For writing, this can be the case sometimes, but not in the speaking test because of the marking criteria. Although you wrote this comment in 2020, I read it in 2021 – a great way to start the news year!! Well done 🙂
Hello there,
I just wanted to give you guys a quick review.
I asked for a remark for my writing and luckily my score increased from 6,5 to 7! Yeah!
I already got the required overall score of 7.5 before but needed at least a band 7 in each section.
My other results were L9/R7.5/S7
This was my first attempt and it went well in the first place.
Thank you so much Liz! Your website helped a lot!
Great to hear your news!! Well done 🙂
Hi Liz, my name is Debbie. I wrote my IELTS recently and the result came out this week. I had (8.5,8,7,6.0) in my LRSW. I’m confident that I did better than the scores I got in my speaking and most especially my writing. Do you think I should apply for a remark or just rewrite another exam?. Thanks
This is completely your choice. I haven’t seen your writing paper or listened to your speaking test. Your score will increase if your performance was above the score you originally received. If you can afford both, do both.
Hi , my name is Shreya and I recently appeared for ielts
I followed all the tips mentioned by this website as well as the Cambridge guide and made sure I used a variety of sentences , avoid repeating words etc and I was pretty confident of doing well enough to get 7 on my writing task at the least. I received my scores today and got 8.5,7.5,8,6.5 in LRSW respectively . I need a minimum of 7 in each section to eligible to take up PLAB . I have applied for a re-evaluation of my writing scores , what are the chances that it could increase ? All I need is a 0.5
Your score will increase if the senior examiner thinks your writing is above band score 6.5. I have not seen your writing so I cannot comment, but I can wish you luck!!
Hi can you update on your situation? Did your writing score improved ?
Hi Liz,
I prepared for my IELTS exams, watching your videos and going through your website. I got my scores as below:
Listening 9
Reading 8.5
Speaking 7.5
Writing 7
I remember from my conversations that I spoke very fluently and never hesitated in my conversations. There was one time that I used kids and then I said sorry children. You think this would ha e dropped my score? I used a lot of good vocabulary like plethora, medieval, gadgets, well-read, millennials etc. spoke with lot of confidence too! Should I go for a rescore?
Also with writing my letter was 200 words and essay was close to 295 words. I used linking words like To begin with, on one hand, in conclusion, had a good structure to the letter and the essay as per your tutorials but still got a 7 so my gut feel says, I should rescore.
Most importantly, please let me know when there is a request for rescore, is there a chance of the score going lower? This might be a silly question but I would still brazen myself to ask and know the answer. Really appreciate all your guidance and help!
The IELTS Speaking test is informal and the word “kids” is 100% appropriate to use. In fact, it’s good to use in the Speaking Test. You mentioned about 5 words for vocabulary out of a 14 min test and vocabulary is only 25% of your marks anyway. It isn’t possible for me to assess your speaking test with such little information. For the Writing Test, your word length was fine for both. Again, I can’t comment on the level of the writing that you produced in your test. All I can say is that if you feel your performance in the test was above the score you received based on the marking criteria and if you have the money, then consider a remark. Your score won’t go down, but confirm this with the test centre before you pay for a remark. All I can do is wish you luck either with your remark or a resit. You’ve got great results already and I hope you reach the scores you need 🙂
Hey,
First of all, thank you for website, it helped me a lot.
my results were
9 Listening
9 Reading
8 Speaking
6.5 Writing.
Despite practicing and looking at your example essays, I got a low score in writing. I need a 7 in every component to get into uni in Australia.
I do not have time (or money) to prepare for another test and so I will probably ask for a remark. Hopefully it is successful!
We will all keep our fingers crossed for you!
Update:
They changed my 6.5 to a 7.5 !! I am so happy and so glad I don’t have to retake the test!
I read on many websites that if one score was significantly lower than the others (it was my case), it was unlikely a remark would change anything because the writing part (for example) would have already been re-assessed.
So I’m glad I followed my instinct.
Thanks again for your website, it greatly helped me 🙂
Wonderful news!! The information about scores differing is when there is a difference of two band scores – in those cases, the tests are marked again by a second examiner before the results are released. If two examiners already agree on the score, it is less likely a third will have a different opinion. You had a difference of only 1.5 band scores so your test will have only been marked by one examiner and in your case the second, senior examiner, marked differently. Thanks for sharing your results – I know a lot of candidates will be inspired to try for a remark 🙂
Hi guys! I’d like to share my IELTS remark success story too. I needed a band score of 7 minimum in all parts. When the results came I had 8 in reading, 8 in listening, 7.5 in speaking and a 6.5 in writing! I was sooo disappointed because I knew I put in a lot of effort preparing for my exams and I knew I did better than a 6.5 in my writing. I found this website along with a few others in my bid to get some encouragement and get an idea of the success rate of a remark of the exams. On one site someone said it was a waste of time but I got especially encouraged from this site to go in for the remark. I applied for a remark soon after and about 4 days later, I received the email stating my writing score had been changed to 7! I was sooo happy and grateful to God.
If you know you gave your all and think you deserve better than the mark you got, I’d definitely say to go in for the remark 😊
Also, Thank you Liz for all your helpful videos on YouTube!
Great news! Well done! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Liz,
I must really thank you for the knowledgeable materials on your website, those materials are a citadel of knowledge.
My first IELTS in October was 7.5,7,8,6.5(LSRW) I was devastated because if I was sure of anything it was my speaking but I didn’t request a remark because listening was 7.5 and I’ve gathered listening never changes. My next IELTS in November was 7.5,8.5,8,7.5(LSRW) I’m glad it was a major improvement compared with my previous result. Even though my listening didn’t change this time just it seems I’m very unlucky with the questions shuffled during my listening, they’re always so complicated.
I used your blog for writing the second time , I watched all videos and read through your essays and see what I got 💃🏼.
Thank you very much Liz.
Love from Nigeria 🇳🇬
Wonderful to see the increase in your scores!! Well done 🙂
Hi everyone!
I’d like to share my story with IELTS remarking as well, because I felt encouraged to go on an try it after I read the successful story of Najada.
I’ve done the IELTS test FIVE times, 3 times general and 2 times academics, for different purposes. My speaking varied from 7-8 in previous attempts, but my writing has always been 6.5.
This last time I took the IELTS academics, and I needed all bands above 7, but I got:
Listening 7
Reading 9
Writing 7
Speaking 6.5
When I finally got my 7 in writing I got 6.5 in speaking! You can imagine how MAD I was when I received the results. I knew my speaking was not perfect, but I didn’t expect this score at all. The fee for the Enquiry of Results was CAD328, so I was very unsure if I should try to ask the remark or not, but after reading some testimonies here I decided to go for it.
Today I received the new result, and YAY, they increased my mark from 6.5 to 7.5!!
I am sooo happy and relieved!
PS: I’ve tried once to have my writing remarked in the past and it didn’t change, so I can say that yes, both situations might happen, but it’s worth to try!
Very well done with your results 🙂 And well done going for that remark. If you feel you level is higher that you got based on your performance in the test, then a remark is worth it. Thanks for sharing your good news!! 🙂
Recently I have taken IELTS academic module in Sofia/ Bulgaria. I got 9, 7.5, 7.5 6.5 in LRSW respectively. I needed at least a 7 in each module and felt like my essays deserved more than a 6.5. I had practiced with a tutor for a month and I have been using English actively in last 7 years.
All in all I went for an enquiry and after 13 days I received an email from British Council stating that my writing score was updated to 7.
This page helped me a lot during the decision making process for an EOR. I felt that I have to share my experience.
Great to hear 🙂
I’ve received a couple of abusive comments on this page which I have not made public. Let me say very clearly … the purpose of this page is to show that remarking can be successful. It shows that if you feel you did better than your score indicates and you understand the band score requirements, a remark can work. However, this is always dependent on your understanding of the marking system so that your judgement is sound rather than just wishful thinking.
If you repeatedly get a lower score in tests, don’t just keep paying for a new test, reassess your understanding of IELTS and develop better skills. As was once said – doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is not a sound approach. My website is free and contains hundreds of pages of free lessons, tips, model answers, topics etc etc – use all pages to learn and develop. Be strategic in your approach to your training. I hope this extra comment helps.
Hi everyone,
I would like to share my recent IELTS experience with you in order to discover my weak points and improve them.
A little background: this is my second attempts in the last 3 years , my target is overall 7.5 with 7 minimum in each section and the previous test score LRWS 8,8.5,5.5,7 . The reason I got 5.5 in writing was incomplete task 1, I ran out of time because I had to use the washroom during the writing part as I am diabetic and literally I was not able to hold it. Anyways, it was convincing to me as even if I aced task 2 it would be impossible to get more than a band 6 in writing.
I started the preparation for this exam on March 2020, I’ve watched every single lecture on this website to improve my writing and to know what examiners are looking for when assessing essays. No doubt that this lectures are elite and they helped me a lot. After watching them and reading the feedbacks on others essays, I became more aware of the assessment criteria and what I should include in my essay to get 7+.
On July 11th, I took the exam, I prepared myself this time to get an 8. It was the first exam to be conducted after easing the COVID-19 restrictions in Toronto and I believe that had a great impact on the overall preparation of the test centre staff ( they were confused and unorganized, they even forgot to put a clock in the test rooms which made the reading part extremely challenging). Task 1 was about writing a report ( one pie chart and two bar charts) and Task 2 question was a mixed one about the increasing numbers of cars and motorcycles in the city which resulted in difficulty in transportation : why do you think people continue to use them and what are the possible solution(s) for that?.
My plan after reading the question was exactly as : ( I will try to remember as much as I can)
1- introduction: I paraphrased the question , my opinion and outlined the following paragraphs.
(The practice of owning a private vehicles and bikes is becoming increasingly ubiquitous in the cities nowadays. I strongly believe it is a negative development due to a plethora of reasons and despite possessing some benefits, it is indeed an unfavorable trend . In the following paragraphs, I will explore the origins of this problem before offering some possible resolutions.)
2- Body 1: here I answered the first question( why do you think)
( With regards to the causes of – there are some obvious and blatant ones. To my mind the most glaring is -. To illustrate further – ( explanation to the cause). The research paper done by Oxford University Press in 2012 for instance is an elite example of that. In their study, the researches found that -. Thus, I strongly believe that-.)
3- Body 2: answer to the second question:
(As to the viable solution, I think the most potent would be an innovative government policy which requires all people to attend group classes in their local community centres. More specifically, this sessions should include a wide range of topics ensuring the motivated and engaged participation of it’s audience such as the negative impact of pollution which resulted from the large number of vehicles on the environment. Furthermore, the mentors and moderators of this classes will facilitate collaboration enhancing positive social interactions.)
4- Conclusion:
In sum, I maintain that ( paraphrased the topic) is a perilous phenomenon , however, it can be easily tackled with proper governmental acts. In the future, I sincerely wish to see that the next generations deal with it in a more productive approach.
————————————-
I made sure when I was revising my essay that:
– I covered all the question. Wrote at least 250 words.
– there is a clear personal statement.
– I have an introduction, body 1, body 2 and a conclusion.
– I used a variety of complex sentences : relative, subordinate and conditional clauses.
– not to much less common vocabulary : ubiquitous, blatant, perilous .
– enough cohesive devices with no repition.
– I didn’t pay much attention to the grammar, but I did take a look on the punctuation.
——————————
Here is the feedback from the examiner ( including task 1 which I am also sure that I followed the approach required to get 7+):
Writing
Score
6.0
Your score explained
Test takers at this band can typically address all parts of the question, some more fully than others.
(AC) They can give an overview.
(GT) The letter has a generally clear purpose; the tone is sometimes not consistent.
Key features and bullet points are covered. The point of view and main ideas are relevant but the conclusion(s) may be unclear. Some details might be irrelevant or wrong. Test takers can arrange their ideas logically, so that the writing has a clear progression from start to finish. They are able to use some linking words well, but others with mistakes. They can paragraph their Task 2 writing, although not always logically. They have enough vocabulary to answer the question. They try to use some less common words. They make some spelling mistakes, but the reader can still understand. They can write a mix of simple and complex sentences. The grammar and punctuation mistakes do not usually cause difficulty for the reader.)
———————————
Final score :
LRWS: 8,8,6,7
That was very disappointing to me. I was so down and angry at the same time. A day after, I noticed that the examiner feedback is so deficient and has a lot of contradictions, so I decided to apply for a remark.
Today, I received my remark results and guess what?! My writing score increased by 1.5 band and my speaking by 0.5 band , that’s a HUGE difference guys and I am completely speechless.
——————————
Final score: LRWS 8,8,7.5,7,5
( mixed feelings of anger & joy )
Hello, and congrats for this very helpful space.
I just received my IELTS results and fell somehow on the same situation.
I have received good grades nos reading and speaking (8). Intermediate on listening (6.5) I knew I lost listening pace on some questions and 6 on writing. I know that I can risk my money because of the 2-point difference between writing and speaking.
My question is a simple one. When you ask for a remark do you need to justify (I mean, add a note or something), or you just pay the fee and ask? In the case that a note has to be submitted, is there any specific advice to mention your reasons?
I sort of fell like in Najada’s shoes. I brainstormed, planned and executed. Moreover, I had even some time to review.
Please share your thoughts.
You don’t need to give reasons for the remark. Just fill in the form and pay. However, I always advise people to talk with their test centre before they make decisions.
I got my results and I was really upset as I had lost the whole thing by just 0.5 in writing. I know I had just prepared for 10 days and I hadn’t once practiced writing a decent essay or a graph. Eventually, I just decided to go for a remarking, having absolutely no hope. My husband encouraged me as well as he was quite confident in me. Finally I got my results getting the needed 0.5 ! Thanks everyone for your help!
Great news!! Very well done 🙂
Hi. I recently took the academic IELTS (CBT) last week in Thailand and my score was
Listening: 9.0
Reading: 7.5
Writing: 7.0
Speaking: 7.0
I was shocked that my speaking score was 7. Three years ago, I scored 8.5 in the speaking section and I felt that I also did well (even better) this time. I will submit my score for remark because my gut says something is strange about the score. I will let you know how it goes!
Well done with your results overall 🙂 Let me know how the remark goes. Fingers crossed 🙂
I just wanted to thank Liz for all the information provided on this website and on Youtube.
I`ve asked for a remark on my writing task and I got an increase from Band 5.5 to Band 7, which, in my opinion is shocking. The only frustration that I have now is that I can`t start my MSc this year because the mark was wrong and I had to wait for 1 month to get an answer back. I wanted to share with you the outcome of my appeal and make you feel encouraged to ask for a remark if you think something is wrong. Thank you Liz again!
Andreea
Very well done with your remark increase but what a shame it has delayed your plans. Thanks for sharing your experience 🙂
Hi liz, great site! By thw way, I remembered something you posted in another page here in ieltsliz.com, dated May 20, 2019. You were saying that if there is a 2 band score difference between your writing and speaking, example W 6.5 S 8.5, it has automatically been rechecked by two examiners who agree that your writing score is 6.5, so a remark probably won’t help. But in this success story of najada, she initially had a 2 band score difference in her writing and speaking. I would like to ask for your opinion, if it is worth it that I request a remark for my writing. Mine has a 2 band score difference S 8.5. W 6.5. Thank you for your time and hope to get a reply.
If there is a two band score difference between speaking and writing, it is automatically remarked by a second examiner. If your score shows a two band score difference, it means two examiners have agreed that the score is correct. However, an official remark is done by a senior examiner. It is unlikely that two examiners were not accurate, but it is possible. For that reason, in such cases, you must choose yourself if you want to risk the money on remarking.
Hi Liz
As a native English speaker, I was really disappointed with my Reading mark in my Computer based test which I wrote last week (IELTS BC Dubai).
L 8.5
R 6.5 *
W 7.5
S 9
The crazy thing is that if I got a 7 in my reading, for purposes of CRS Express entry I would improve my CRS score from 404 -> 462!
I am really disappointed to read, pretty much on every site, that is it almost impossible to get an improvement on a L & R score.
For the sake of my own sanity – do you echo the same sentiment, even if the exam is PC based?
Are humans marking the PC results for the Reading component?
I am wondering on the above, as I am honestly not sure where I had gone so wrong as I felt strongly that I got 7.5 – 8 in this component.
Thanks for your time,
Justin
It is highly unlikely your scores for listening or reading would change from a remark. This is because the marks are based on answers which are either right or wrong. There is no room for interpretation. Speaking and writing, on the other hand, can vary in scoring because of an examiner’s perspective and accuracy which is why all remarking is done by a senior examiner. For reading and listening, you need to pay attention to the use of articles to ensure you use them according to the type of question you are given. Spelling is also checked. TFNG are also tricky, mainly because you need to develop the right technique for these types of questions. Having native level English is of course great, but it doesn’t guarantee a high score in IELTS. You really need to know this test inside out. When you do a practice test of reading at home using the IELTS Cambridge books under exam conditions, what score do you get? Did you do many of these tests at home to check you are repeatedly scoring the score you need?
Thank you for your detailed response Liz.
I only did about 3-4 reading exams under test conditions and my marks were in the 7.5-8 band for reading, with my lowest having being 7 with a really tricky exam. The test felt easier than these exams, however, clearly something went wrong!
I’ve only stumbled upon your resources now, so I’ll be sure to look at your help guides and past questions 🙌🏼🙏🏼
Thanks again.
That is the difficult part about IELTS – not knowing why you got the score you got. With speaking and writing, teachers can often offer insight if you remember the questions and answers, but with listening and reading, there’s no way to know. Make sure you review your understanding of all the reading question types, analysing any mistakes you are making at home (make lists) and practise more full tests. I wish you lots of luck if you take the test again 🙂
Hi Liz. I just saw my results online and I felt so disappointed with the band score I got in Speaking.
Listening – 8
Reading – 7
Writing – 7
Speaking – 6.5
I just needed a band score of 7 in each module. I am not sure whether I should apply for a remark or not.
It’s completely up to you. If you feel, based on the marking criteria, that you should have got more, you can apply for a remark. This is about the degree of fluency you showed, the clarity of pronunciation as well as contractions etc and the range and accuracy of your vocabulary and grammar. Do you feel you offered a good range of tenses? Did you use good topic based vocabulary? Did you expand your answers well? The remarking system is there for people who feel their score is lower than they should have got based on their performance.
Wow. That’s great news!!!
Hi – can anyone please advise should I go for a remark on below result.
Lis: 7.5
Reading 7.5
Writing: 7
Speaking: 7
I need 8 in listening
Hi Liz,
I took IELTS recently and my score is
S 8
R 9
L 9
W 6.5
My score are because I followed your website and I am very thankful to you for it.
However, I made a mistake of mentioning “in my opinion” for a advantage & disadvantage essay in the introduction paragraph. I am now wondering is that the reason for my low score in Writing. Also, I have applied for remark for Writing.
Can I ask your opinion about my remark results. Do you think it will increase?
Thanks,
AshAlb
That would not account for your score. There are many factors that are taking into consideration for getting below band 7. Your remark will be successful if the senior examiner thinks you fulfilled the requirements for band 7.
Hello Liz
If we request a remark on the speaking score or writing score will it decrease? Or just either increase or stay the same?
Your score should not decrease from a remark. It will either remain unchanged or increase. However, I always think it is something you should discuss with your test centre before submitting the remark application.
I had a similar experience and received a writing score I consider ridiculous.
L: 8.5
R: 9.0
S: 8.0
W: 7.0
I am sure something is very wrong with the marking. I will certainly apply for a remark and let you know how it goes.
Hi Liz,
I recently got my scores and got a 6.5 in speaking(L8.5,W8,R7). I was shocked to get this score as I thought I did very well in speaking. In fact I thought I will get a 8 or 8.5 easily. I live in US and speak English daily, and I know I do not make any grammatical mistakes. I use good vocab. I asked other students who took ielts to evaluate my speaking by taking my speaking test just as an examiner would. Having recently taken the test themselves, they knew how well they did and they got scores of 7.5 – 8. They rated my speaking better than theirs and said I will easily get a 8 at the very least. I am starting to think IELTS examiners sometimes give a 6.5 in either writing or speaking just to extract more money from students (still not out of the shock!). I will be submitting my scores for remark. After reading Najada’s story, I feel I might be another one of those who get a score update of more than 0.5!!
The examiners do not know your writing score and do not award 6.5 automatically. You should be careful asking other students to evaluate your IELTS speaking based on the marking criteria for IELTS. The band score descriptors are written in a vague manner and it takes training to be able to use them effectively to hit on an accurate band score. IELTS examiners are trained and have on-going evaluations to keep their skills of assessment accurate. Certainly, I would recommend you to go for a remark and hopefully your score will change as a result. If it doesn’t get back in touch with me for help.
Hi
What was your EOR result??
Hello liz,
I received my score today and I got 6.5 in speaking? Do you advise that I’ll go for remarking? I still don’t know what to do. I need 7 to be qualified in my application for USA.
Hi did you apply for a remark ? I have the same situation.
I also have a small success story to share. Hope Liz finds it useful enough for others. 🙂
I took CBT (GT) in early Jan and end up with 9/8.5/6.5/7.5 (LRWS). I was naturally sad with my writing score, though decided not to appeal (I wrote 254 words for the essay and I had a feeling my paragraphs were not fully inflated). So I took the test again; this time I was confident with my writing, though I end up writing 404 words!. The results; 8.5/7.5/6.5/8 (LRWS). I appealed this time, and within two weeks, I got it remarked to 7!. I now have enough for my purpose, and feel relieved. Liz’s website was so much helpful towards my scores, and thank you for it, Liz. 🙂
My advice to everyone who is upset with their writing score is to go for the remark, especially if you feel something is wrong with the initial marking.
I can’t help but feel that IELTS have some “agenda” to push the writing to below 7, whenever there is a borderline case. They remarking procedure is inherently designed to be repulsive, with long waiting times and extra fee.
I also have a question, that hopefully Liz could clarify. In the listening test, when we have to choose 2 or 3 options from a list of 5 or 6; does the audio always proceed from the first option to the last in sequence? or the audio could mention the given options in a random order? The test I took had such a question, and I was waiting for the audio to talk about the first option (thinking it would be in order), but to my horror, it came quite late after going through the later points!. I had to regroup and make some guesswork then. 🙁
goof luck to all the takers. Do remark, it’s worth doing it.
Thanks for sharing and well done with your remark. No, with a multiple choice question, the options are not given in order. Questions come in order, but not the options (a / b /c ). For this reason, you need to have already identified the keywords and be ready for the random order of information in that particular question.
Hi Liz. I want to prepare for the IELTS exam in march and I’m very new to this. I am just fortunate to have come across your page. Kindly advise me on how to start preparing and how to get study materials. Thank you.
The 300 pages of free tips and lessons are all accessed through the RED BAR at the top of the page. Start learning wherever you want. Choose a section of the test to focus on and start learning information and practising skills.
Many many congratulations Najada…. I m also practicing since 1year..but few months ago my one friend suggested me to follow Liz ….and really Liz is doing a wonderful job….some time I break my tempo of studying… How could I continue it again ???any tips regarding this….it’s very difficult for me to get time for study at day time because I have a very tough life ….having 5 children and also a teacher….I know that its all is a matter of time..how wisely and courageously u study then u can achieve a high band….please any one who can share his planning study timetable and techniques…. So this will be highly appreciable….Liz u r doing a great job…God blessed u always
Hi Najada,
Congrats on your increased score! Stories like yours are really boosting our confidence in ourselves to give a try at remarking if we’re not happy with our scores. Thanks!
Hi Liz,
Thanks for all your tutorials! I scored exactly what I wanted in Listening and Writing.
I gave IELTS last month (Jan 2019), and I saw my results online yesterday:
Listening: 8.5
Reading: 7.0
Writing: 7.5
Speaking: 6.5
I am not satisfied with my Speaking score and would like to submit for remarking. The link which you provided (https://www.ieltsessential.com/global/results/requestaremark) it does not list “United States” in the country list. So I couldn’t find my test center there. Is there any email address where I can submit my remarking request? Or do you suggest I visit my test center (it’s 20 mins. by walk) and then request for remarking in person?
I suggest you talk to your test centre. You could call them and ask them to explain the process to you.
Hi Jim,
You got any change in the speaking module score which you sent for revaluation?
I requested for a remark for speaking and my band score changed from 6.5 to 7.5.
Hey Liz! This is Tara. I have been following you quiet lately. I am planning for my masters in Canada and one of the requirements is that I sit for IELTS at the earliest of my convenience. I am not much aware of the test pattern and also an average score holder in English language. Could you please let me know in how much time will I be perfectly prepared to score 7 and how?? I have my test slot booked in the month of March, 2019. Please help me out.
Thank you.
I think you are missing the point of IELTS. This is an English language test. If your English is band 5, it will take you over one year to reach band 7. So, the first thing to assess is if your English is the right level to get band 7. This means you use a good range of language with few errors (that is a basic description). Also check your score when you do a full reading and listening test – check that it is near 7. After that it is time to gain a thorough understanding of the test which you do by extensive reading and practice tests. Use my site for information. Then develop exam skills and techniques – again you can use my site. Some people pick it up quickly, others do not.
Congrats Najada for your result. Thank you liz for this website, it has helped me a great deal to practice, I followed some of the advanced lessons, and they are honestly easy to understand, and so I tried to write one essay to see if I have fully grasped the format. Please kindly help me read through this essay and let me know what band I currently stand in for writing and what I need to pay attention to. Please this will be hugely appreciated. Thank you so much.
Question: Stress-related illnesses are becoming increasingly common.
What do you think are the causes of this? What solutions can you suggest?
There has been significant increase in illnesses that are related to stress. In my opinion, stress is caused by the rise in work pressure and long-working hours. However, some solutions to these problems ought to be considered.
Firstly, one major reason for stress-related ailments is the pressure of work. The work force is becoming increasingly competitive. In other words, for companies to meet their goals and beat their competitions, employers place inconsiderable high work demands on workers. This leads to anxiety and results in conditions such as high blood pressure, mental health issues and heart problems particularly when targets are extremely difficult to attain. Secondly, stress-related illnesses are caused by longer working hours. These days, having only one stream of income is barely sufficient to pay bills and as a result, many people engage in numerous jobs in order to earn more money, thereby leading to stress-related issues.
One solution to be considered in eradicating ailments that are gotten from stress is that employers should encourage corporation at the work place. When workers develop team working skills, they are able to collaborate to solve problems efficiently, effectively and with greater ease. Another solution is that, employers ought to increase workers income. When workers are paid reasonable salaries and have access to good incentives, they will be able to cater for their basic needs, and will therefore not need to work more than one job, but rather spend time on recreational activities such as quality time with family and taking vacations which is undoubtedly a recipe for good health.
In conclusion, I strongly believe that excessive work pressure and longer work hours are connected to some sicknesses, however, these problems can be tackled by working in teams to reduce physical pressure and increasing workers earnings.
I do not normally comment on writing, but in your case I will. Your approach, your structure, your linking etc are all excellent. However, it is your ideas that I am most concerned about.
One cause you mentioned is “work” the supporting points should be “competition, pressure, targets, long hours” – the idea of long hours is a supporting point for the pressure of work. A second cause should have been “modern life style”. Having constant access to technology means constant communication and constant interaction. People do not know how to switch off. The pace never slows down even in their free time.
From those causes, your solutions should have been: work – reduce pressure, work collaboratively, limit the hours. And for life-style – switch of gadgets and take time to enjoy nature, reading and possibly take up meditation. You can see that these two solutions are completely different.
As you can see, by have most distinct ideas, we do not overlap on language or supporting points. Your essay is top work focused, instead of tackling the main issue of stress in life. It is important in writing task 2, that you find distinct ideas.
I hope this helps you.
Thank you Liz, for responding.
I want to ask, why is it so difficult to purchase your advance lessons?
PayPal keeps popping up and I don’t have an account with PayPal.
The only payment option is with paypal. You can use a credit or debit card, but paypal will process the transaction. You can also ask a friend to buy the lessons for you.
Dear Liz, I’m very new to prepare myself for IELTS. I’m following your youtube channel. But as I’m new I can’t understand from where to start and how to proceed. Would you please give a suggestion how to follow your videos and website for IELTS preparation?
There is no particular place. Decide what you want to learn about the test and start learning. If you want to start with listening, do that. Do a full listening test from the BC website and then write down all the problems and concerns you have. Use my site to find answers and develop skills. My site is not for asking me questions – I don’t offer that. You can go to the main pages located on the RED BAR at the top of the website.
very happy with the story and the remark result
I am hopeful .
Great Najada.You are lucky and I appreciate that you took a decision for remarking. A similar incident happened with me as well. I did my Academic IELTS test on 1st Jan 2019 and my score was
Reading-7.5
Listening-7.5
Speaking -7
Writing-6
I was applying for UK visa and their requirement was 6.5 in writing and 7 in all other modules. I also had gone through the same feelings as Najada was having and had given my writing module for remarking.
And after 10 days I got my new results as
Reading-7.5
Listening-7.5
Speaking-7
Writing-6.5
Finally I could apply for UK visa. So friends if you are pretty sure about your level in the exams,try going for remarking.Even a difference of 0.5 is worth in many cases.
Thank You.
Thanks for sharing your story! I’d like to apply for a work and travel visa in Australia and, one of the requirements is that I sit for GT IELTS and get an overall score of 4,5. My doubt is, will I be given the same test as all candidates taking GT ? And if so, how do I know the percentage I need to do well while studying if everyone will be administered the same test independently of the mark needed in each case? Thank you in advance for any info you may provide.
There is only GT IELTS test. It doesn’t matter why you are taking it – there is only one. Your English language is currently well above band 4.5. However, to ensure you get a good score, you MUST prepare fully. That means understanding everything about the test and practising thoroughly. There are over 300 pages of lessons and information on this site – read them all. See this page for band score information: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-band-scores/. There are no percentages in IELTS.
Thank you Liz!
Congratulations, Najada. I had given exam on same dates and same place and my score was almost yours. I put a recheck but I got from 6 to 6.5 only. But, I am so happy for you. Thanks for sharing your story. It is really inspiring.
It was a fantastic story. I like it very much and thank you so much Liz. Your job inspires a lot of people who are eager to succeed.
Omg, inspiring! Well done!!
Hi, congrats, Ms Liz Elizabeth, you are doing a great job in serving the humanity…I also got great help from your videos…May God bless you and show you the right path in this world and hereafter…People like you are very rare in today’s world.
Thanks
Regards
Yusuf
Bythe way congrats for your result
Woow that is really great and motivational story. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome. You deserve it and Liz, you are absolutely fantastic. I started following you last year and I just love your contents.
Congrats najada👍👍
Great news
Liz, how long do remarks take on average?
Thanks
See this page: https://www.ieltsessentials.com/global/results/requestaremark
My story was not as successful…
Speaking-9
Listening-9
Reading -7.5
Writing-6.5
And remarking did not help, the traumas unchanged…
was that CBT ?
Najada, congratulations!
It was your fortune that you could practice English everyday, unfortunaly in my situation it is impossible. But you also very hard worker. It’s great.
Congratulations,
For your score and after remark,
Best wishes for resit.
Further tips for reading?
I have another question, Australia PR require 8 now? Or it is 7?
Hi
One of my students had a very similar experience. She needed a minimum 7 in all parts but kept getting a 6 in Writing. I couldn’t understand it and so we appealed and the mark was raised to a 7.
I can understand a half-band change, but to be wrong by a whole band (or, in your example, a band and a half)seems to me to show that something isn’t quite right in the marking.
This is a common problem here in Sofia, Bulgaria. I am very wary of predicting a decent Writing grade. I have complained but, of course, they close ranks and tell you how robust their systems are etc etc.
Very frustrating when you see ‘sample’ essays marked at, say, a 7 and then a student gets a 6 in the test.
What can be done?
Same story here in Nepal. I haven’t seen a 7 in writing for a long time, honestly. Lately, I have had a number of students who, despite scoring an 8 overall, haven’t been able to cross that unholy 6.5 in writing. I am beginning to suspect if it’s a matter of institutional policy – students having to take the test again and again and them making loads of cash off of those poor students. If only there were anything we could do!
Kathmandu
Almost all people who fail to hit band 7, are failing because they have not been properly trained and do not understand the band score requirements for band 7. There is no conspiracy at all. Instead of thinking in that way, start learning more about the marking criteria and the band scores. Be pro-active rather than gossipy.
That’s really great. I liked this success story a lot. All the best!
Hi, I did General IELTS test and got L8.5 , W6.5 , S7.5 , R8.0 as the initial score. I was sure that I did better than 6.5 and so I paid for an EOR. Yesterday I got the new score with a 7.5 for Writing. So, if you’re confident about your knowledge, go for an EOR. But never in doubt. Good luck everyone!
Hi Leo,
Congrats, after how many days did you get your new results? I am also waiting for a remark. Got 6.5 w and 7.5 s, just required half more in each of these modules, I am confident that I performed well, let’s see.
Hi Liz,
I also used your tips to prepare for my exam especially speaking and writing. Very good and beneficial tips.
Thanks