Hi guys,
Below are the personal tips from Sujata who scored overall band 8.5 in the IELTS test.
People taking the academic IELTS test can still benefit from these tips. The listening and speaking test is the same for all candidates.
Sujata’s IELTS Results
- Listening = 9
- Reading = 9
- Writing = 7.5
- Speaking = 7.5
My Personal Tips for IELTS Band 8.5
LISTENING
I practised a lot of tests for almost 3 months and that was very helpful. I could understand the pattern of questions clearly and knew what to expect on the test day.- Underlining the key points in the questions really helps to predict the answer before even hearing the recording.- While doing practice tests, one should mark oneself strictly to get an idea about one’s actual score rather than ignoring small mistakes and becoming falsely optimistic about their scores.- Practice tests should be timed like the IELTS in order to get real scores and also to prevent anxiety during the actual test.
READING
I practised a lot of reading tests as well but I restricted myself to doing General tests only because I was going to take GT test.- I frequently used the dictionary and thesaurus to look up the words that I didn’t understand while doing the passage, even if there was no question related to the word. It immediately improved my vocabulary and it undoubtedly helped me in achieving the perfect score.- Timing oneself is equally important in this section as well.
WRITING
Though I did not get a perfect score in this part, I was able to achieve a decent score because I practised writing letters and essays from your website and that too while timing myself. While writing the exam I felt that time was the limiting factor as opposed to lack of ideas and paraphrasing, as many students say. If I had more than an hour, I could have written a better letter and essay on the same topic. So for me, the most challenging part about writing was the time limit. – I did not go through a lot of sample letters and essays as I felt that they limited my ideas, which would be counter-intuitive in the long run. However, I went through one type of sample letter and essay for each question type on your website to get a general idea but that was all.- I can’t stress enough how important paragraphing is while writing task 1 and 2. Liz’s website provides clear information in that regard and one should follow the instructions to the t.
SPEAKING
For me, the speaking part was fun and I remember walking out of the exam like I had just had an informal discussion with a new friend. I hesitated a bit while speaking in the second part which was probably why I did not get a better score.- I had practiced recording some of my answers to time myself and realized that I was giving too long answers to most questions. So I would suggest that one should record themselves to evaluate one’s answers and also the check for grammatical mistakes.
“I came to ieltsliz.com in the first place because it came first when I searched for IELTS exam preparation on google. I must confess that although I had referred to other websites for tips on cracking the IELTS exam, yours was the one I kept coming back to. I think the reason is that you provide a purely informative interface as opposed to other sites which give a lot of irrelevant information as well. Also, the information in your website is clearly demarcated and easy to follow. A person who wishes to learn about the intricacies of the listening part only can go straight to the listening page without being distracted by tips about the other parts of the exam. “
Hope these tips help other aspirants.
Message to Sujata: Very well done with your results!! And thank you for sharing your tips and experience with everyone. I’m sure it will inspire many people 🙂
I scored 8.5 overall – L 8.5, R 9, S 8, W 7.5 with minimal practice. I applied for the exam on November 22 and took it on December 15. I think the most important thing to remember is not to worry too much about it. It’s not the end of the world. Be yourself, be natural and practice using the test examples give. Learn how the test works, it will help you relax more.
Great to see your results 🙂 Well done 🙂
that was one heck of score . Truly your hard work paid off .
Good Luck
hi liz…i started my ielts practise on last april 15.now,am under the situation of have to get 8.5 band score.regularly i did my online exams.but,its not sufficient to get more.so please guide me on how to practice and how to get good score.because i must want to get in coming two months.i have no time also..please help me.
I think you might need to review your English. Band 8 is about having a flexible level of English with almost no errors. Contact a teacher to review your English or get a grammar book and check yourself. Only after doing that should you focus on IELTS skills.
I am facing issues in reading.I need help
Thank you Liz for all that you do for all those who have written the IELTS test and intending aspirants. You have been a great help!
It’s really great to read about Sujata s testimonial.. My exams are on 23 rd of May and I am really worried about achieving good score. However, Liz your tip and videos are really helping me.
Sujata’s tips will help you as well. Good luck in your test 🙂
I will be having exams on 23rd April.Academic IELTS
I’m quite impressed about these testimonies here! I’m hoping to register for IELTs soon.
Thanks for the inspirations so far Mrs Liz.
wow.. well done on your super -amazing scores. I’m preparing for mine sometime in June and your score and tips just boosted up my morale. I hope to get your scores in my forthcoming exams.
Hi I am really glad to know that you have cleared your IELTS test with flying colours …I am too appearing for it on 18 May wish me best of luck …😀😀😀😀😀
All the best
Quite inspiring. My examination is tomorrow though I am scared, I still believe that God will help me out.
Read through last minute tips for each section of the test: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-exam-tips-on-the-day/. Good luck!
And am very much still scared about this exam.
Hii sujata congrsts.am repeating ielts hoping ur this ur tips will help me too to pass like u
Dear Ma’am,
My name is Brijesh Singh and I am from New Delhi, India.
I am preparing for IELTS exam and started practicing Listening test from 1st April. When I started my average score was 28 points but now I am stuck on 32-33 points in my all practice test. My aim is to get 8 band in listening and 7 band in reading, writing and speaking simultaneously. Since I am not taking any classes for this test because of my financial situation, I am bit confused how to study and practice effectively.
Please guide, this test is very important for me.
Regards,
Brijesh Singh
Yes, I have observed some of your videos and other videos on youtube for IELTS preparation. I came to conclusion that your teaching methods are very very passionate and to the points. I learned a lot from your videos they truly are very informative as well as useful to crack exam.
Hi Sujata, Your tips were really helpful and I am appearing to General Ielts test on June. I found lot of material for all sessions but I didn’t find material for reading could you please suggest a nice book or any source to practice reading general test. And some more tips on reading as I am bit nervous about it.
Hi liz
Thankyou so much for sharing this.
As sujata said, its true to the core about liz’s website. Thankyou so much for sharing your experience.
Smruthi
India
I did ielts twice, first time results were L9, R8.5, W6.5, S7. The writing score was insufficient so I had to repeat. I must say I depended a lot on the predictions and tips from ielts liz’s site. In a month’s time I re-did the exam and got L9, R9, W8, S7.5.
My study and preparation time was very limited being a full time worker and mother of 2 toddlers. But I gauged there were key things needed to succeed each module: Listening: requires focus, Reading; requires comprehension or understanding, Writing: requires structure and flow, Speaking: requires diverse vocabulary and smooth flow.
So thanks a lot liz!
It’s great to see the improvement in your scores – well done 🙂