FAQ

If you need to take the test, you need to realize that IELTS is one of the most reliable tests to measure your English proficiency. This means that the test is good at what it does: measuring your English knowledge. There is no shortcut for this. If your English is not up to a certain level, no preparation course can help you succeed in a short time. IELTS preparation courses teach you the techniques you need to approach the test. Some of them (like this course) improve your general English as well. If you have a long-term plan for IELTS, try to improve your general English first. Listening to the radio and reading newspapers regularly can be very helpful. Make sure you have a notebook and write down what you learn every day. You need to review the new material every now and then if you don’t want to forget. Once your English has improved, you can take an IELTS preparation course a few months before your test day. You need to work harder if you only have a few months before your test. The key to success is simple: practice makes perfect.

Even if your general English is good, it’s not easy to get a high score in the writing section. This is because IELTS expects specific skills in the writing section. During the time I was a test centre manager, there were many cases when a native speaker of English, who had received a very good score in the listening, reading, and speaking sections of the test, was in for a shock for the low writing score. They often thought there had been a mistake and asked for a remark. Rarely did their score change, however. To succeed in IELTS test you need to improve your English and be familiar with the test.

Wherever in the world you are, IELTS registration is done online. It doesn’t really matter where you take the test. Pick a place closer to where you live. IELTS is a standard test and it makes no difference whether you take it in an IDP or a British Council center. Neither of these two make the questions themselves. All the questions are written in Cambridge University. Even the speaking examiners get trained and follow the same standards set by this university.

Your luck has no role to play in the band score you get. Even if you take the test 10 consecutive times, you will get the same results if you don’t improve your English or your test skills. If you get half a band score higher or lower in one of the tests, it’s most probably because of your performance on that particular day. It has nothing to do with the test being easier or more difficult. This is the main reason why so many universities and government agencies trust the results of IELTS. If you take the test once and don’t get the results you are looking for, study hard before you take the next one.