How long does it take to prepare for ielts. IELTS Self Study: Tips and Resources

21.10.2019

tutorial

Initial data

To prepare for the surrender, I spent almost 9 months.
The level of English from which I started training is Advanced / C1.

listening

I never had problems with the conversational part, but I tried hard to pull up the rest of the points.

Listening presented more difficulty precisely in making notes quickly, and correctly and immediately.

For practice, I again took the timer and noted how much time it took me to do one task and marks for it, along with checking what was written down. It is very important to learn to take notes concisely and briefly, maximum 1-3 words per answer.

At first my attempts were terrible - a bunch of incomprehensible notes, more words than necessary. Therefore, I allocated at least 15 minutes a day to listening to audio recordings and tried to think of a system of abbreviations for myself in order to mark a whole word with an icon or a number. This helped to spend significantly less time on recordings. You can also mark in advance right word in a sentence or a question in order to quickly look for an answer - after all, time is always given to familiarize yourself with the questions.

Outcome - 8 points for this part. It's a shame, but in a hurry, I could not correctly recognize some of my notes and decided not to transfer them to the answer sheet.

Reading

I had to remember what we were taught at the university at the philological faculty - introductory reading. It is important to be able to "scan" the text without going into every detail, and also without trying to translate all unfamiliar words. This will certainly lead to a loss of time, but there may not be a question about this word or phrase. Yes, and the text itself can be very boring and difficult.

With the help of a timer, I started doing the exercises from the test book (once or twice a week). I allocated up to 20 minutes to work with one text (you never know which one will be easier or more difficult, so it’s better to make sure right away) in order to spend up to 60 minutes on three texts.

The most difficult thing was to complete tasks on Yes / No / Not Given - it was necessary to analyze the meaning of each question and figure out if the text had a clear answer to it.

During the exam, I came across the legend of Beowulf, an article about platelets and a nice light text about Guy Fawkes. The second text took me the most time, because medicine has never been so interesting to me that I constantly read only texts about it.
Received 8 points for this section (more attention paid to the most difficult text).

Writing

The writing part has always been difficult for me, especially essays. The first part, where you need to write a letter or message to a friend \ to social services or something like that, turned out to be simple. It is important here not to forget about the polite address at the beginning and end of the letter (wrote to a friend about a vacation in a terrible hotel, where there was bad staff and food).

But the essay had to spend more effort, especially on the pros and cons sections. It was necessary to write the introduction and conclusion correctly. Therefore, I wrote down as many phrases as possible for the introduction, the division of the text into subparagraphs and arguments, the conclusion and expressions of the point of view. Then I printed everything out and hung it around the house so that I could stumble upon them from time to time, besides those days when I wrote an essay.

The ability to write a plan for an essay was a great discovery for me, because this is already almost 50% of all work. Twice a week I wrote this kind of text, choosing controversial topics (Capital Punishment and such) so that I could give negative and positive arguments.

My recipe turned out to be simple:

write an essay plan;
write key phrases and words;
use introductory phrases and structure in 5 paragraphs.

This will help to spend no more than 30-35 minutes writing, so that there is also 5 minutes to double-check what has been written.

I got 8 points on the exam because of the topic for the essay (Animal research) and notes when writing - in some places the text was blurry, and the examiner probably could not understand main idea my second paragraph. I advise you to write with a pencil, if possible, - then it is easier to correct the notes.

Speaking

I passed the last part of the exam in a week and was calm about it. I prepared and memorized a story about myself and interests in advance. Then he repeated various topics for discussion and phrases that would replace Yes / No - I believe or I don’t think and so on.

At the exam, after talking about myself, I got the topic “Types of transport and which ones are more popular in our country”, and then we suddenly moved on to the third part, where I even had to stop me on my reasoning about the future of electric cars. As a result, I got 8.5 points for Speaking. BUT total score was 8 points.

general information

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is a standardized English test. The received certificate is valid for 2 years from the date of receipt.

What is possible thanks to the IELTS certificate:

Live and study abroad.
Participate in international programs internships.
The scoring system is from 0.0 to 9.0, in increments of 0.5 (the score can be either a whole score, for example, 5.0, or a half score, 5.5).
concept passing score miscellaneous for different countries, but, as a rule, an average score below 4-4.5 is not passing for most countries and universities.
It usually takes up to 2 business weeks to get results.
This exam is more interesting for those who study British English, but the certificate may be suitable for American / Canadian universities.
On the exam, you will need to communicate with a living person - a native speaker.
There are two types of exam - Academic (more difficult, but gives you the opportunity to study at foreign universities) and General (easier, gives you the opportunity to live and work in an English-speaking country).
To understand exactly what type of exam you need, it is better to consult the university / organization in which you plan to study / work.
We can safely say that IELTS Academic is more difficult, so if you prepare for it, and not for IELTS General, you will be prepared for both options at once.

Exam Structure

First, the written part is submitted, then the oral part with a break of up to 7 days between them).

listening

40 minutes (30 minutes listening and questions, 10 minutes to write everything down) - 4 parts in total.
In each part there is a short pause to get acquainted with the questions, then audio and a couple of minutes for verification.
40 questions (one answer - one point).
Questions are as follows: choosing the correct answer from the options, choosing two or more answers from the list, filling in the gaps and marking, keeping within a certain number of words.

The audio recordings themselves become more difficult with each subsequent recording, which will sound only once, so it is worth answering the understandable questions first and returning to the difficult ones later if there is time.

Reading

3 parts, 60 minutes (20 minutes for each part).
The texts gradually become more complicated: the first is the easiest, the third is the most difficult.
40 questions (write the correct answer in the gap, multiple choice (Multiple Choice), questions with statements that must be answered Yes / No / Not Given or True / False / Not Given).

It is better to complete the more understandable tasks first and leave time for difficult or incomprehensible ones at the end.

Writing

2 parts and 60 minutes.
The first part is 150 words on the topic (a letter to a friend or a request to a company).
The second part is an essay of 250 or more words on a specific topic.
Both written works evaluated independently of each other. The score for the first part is 1/3 of the final score, for the second - the remaining two-thirds. It is very important to remember this and not spend more than 20 minutes on the first part (ideally, no more than 15).

It is very important to keep the correct structure of the essay and not to forget about the arguments for and against. This requires planning around 5 paragraphs and also investing 40 minutes in planning and writing an essay, so you need to practice making plans and sketching key phrases for an essay that will help you remember the right arguments.

Speaking

3 parts and 15 minutes for: introduction, dialogue for simple themes and three leading questions (a minute to prepare a short monologue).
The questions in the third part may be similar in subject matter to the task in the second part, but there are more general points that need to be answered in more detail (at least 3 sentences for each question).

When to start preparing

Approximate calculations - from zero to passing the IELTS exam at 7.5, you need 1000-1200 study hours with a teacher. Clock self-study, preparation, performance of tasks, etc. must be added to this number.
On practice most of students who wanted to pass one of the exams spent at least a year with the Upper-Intermediate level and about 2-2.5 years with the Intermediate level at first. In both cases, students spent 2-3 hours on classes with a teacher and about 3-4 hours on their own doing homework per week.
It is important to understand that you will be able to use the certificate when passing the exam for at least the next 18 months, otherwise you will have to spend money on taking the test itself again.

Attempt to pass the exam with more than low level language, based only on online tests or other, insufficiently reliable sources.
Passing the exam without plans to take it in the next 2 years. If this does not happen, you will simply lose your money and time to retake.
More answers than the task requires.
In a task where you need to “give one answer” or “answer in three words”, points are deducted for more or fewer words, and this leads to loss of points.
If you have lost track of time, no one will tell you when to finish one task and start the next.
Looping on incomprehensible moments - you need to move on to simpler or more understandable questions, and then return to difficult ones if there is time.
Too detailed and detailed reading and trying to translate all the words from the text. It is better to tag key phrases and words to make it easier to find the answer.
Not checking answers is a big mistake. It is worth checking that the answers are at least written in the right column. If the answers are inadvertently moved one point up or down, but are correct, the examiners will still consider all the following answers as an error.
.If you know that you can better tell about the benefits of smoking than sports, then you do it, and do not try to tell only the truth in the exam.
The desire to impress the examiner can lead to the use of phrases and words that you are unsure of.
Answers "Yes" and "No" on the oral part should not be given, because the examiner's goal is to get you talking and also check your vocabulary.

If my story did not scare you and you are at the beginning of the path to passing the exam, I recommend trying the training from EnglishDom. Below are bonuses.

In order to study or find a job abroad, proof of English proficiency is required, which can be done by taking the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam. Preparing for IELTS is a very difficult task, so there are a significant number of ways to make it easier, such as tutors, remote classes via SKYPE, various thematic courses. In this article, we will look at how you can prepare for this exam on your own.

What is IELTS

This exam consists of four parts: listening, speaking, reading, writing, aimed at comprehensively assessing your knowledge. This exam is designed to test your knowledge of the language, so it is impossible to fail it, you can only score fewer points than necessary for a particular purpose. Based on the results of the exam, you will be assigned points for each of the areas of testing on a scale from 1 to 9; GPA. When announcing admission to the institute, for foreign students requirements for IELTS results are posted. For example, for admission to study at an institute in New Zealand, IELTS (Academic) is required at the following level:

for a program of level 5 and below (Undergraduate Diploma, Certificate) you need to score 5.5 points on average, but not less than 5.0 for each of the modules.
for a level 7 program (Bachelor, Graduate Diploma), you must score 6.0 points on average, but not less than 5.5 for each of the modules.
for the 8th level program (Postgraduate Diploma), you need to score 6.5 points on average, but not less than 6.0 for each of the modules.
for the level 9 program (Masters), you need to score 6.5 points on average, but not less than 6.0 for each of the modules.
for the level 10 program (Doctors), you need to score 6.5 points on average, but not less than 6.0 for each of the modules.

There are also two forms of the exam, academic (academic) and general (general). The main differences between these formats are in the Reading and Writing parts. Since an academic option is needed for admission to higher institutions abroad, then in these parts of the exam the emphasis will be on scientific topics. For example, you may be asked to describe graphs and diagrams or answer questions about a scientific text.

1. Listening

In this part of the exam, you will be allowed to listen to an audio recording, and only once. During the audio recording, you read the questions and during the listening, you answer the questions in writing. Each next section is more difficult than the previous one. The first two topics of the section are on social topics, the first is in the format of a dialogue, and the second is a monologue. The topics of the following sections are related to education. The third part is a conversation between several people, and the fourth is a monologue. At the end of the exam, you will have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the exam sheet.

2 Reading

general format- consists of three texts on a common theme.
Academic Format- consists of three parts on specialized topics, with a volume of over 650 words.

3. Writing

general format- consists of two parts. The first task is to write a 150 word letter. 20 minutes are given for this. This letter may be a request or request for information or clarification. This task assesses the ability to correspond and work with information.
The second part is a 250-word essay in 40 minutes. In this part, you will be given a hypothesis, problem or opinion and you will need to find a discussion, express and prove your opinion on this topic.
Academic Format- also consists of two tasks. In the first task, you will need to describe a graph, table or diagram. This task is designed to test your ability to analyze data, its meaning, and also to systematize the information received and present it in your own words.
In the second part, you will be given a hypothesis, problem or opinion and you will need to find a discussion, express and prove your opinion on this topic.

4. Speaking

This section is an interview with the examiner and consists of three stages.

1. You and the examiner introduce yourself and answer general questions about interests, hobbies, family, work, etc.
2. You are given a card with a topic and a minute to prepare a story on this topic. The duration of the story should be 1-2 minutes, in the process of preparation, you can make notes. After the story, you need to answer a couple of questions on a given topic.
3. Discussion of abstract problems related to the topics from the 2nd stage.

This part of the exam assesses conversational ability, fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.

What is IELTS and IELTS certificate?

To start with, IELTS is a comprehensive exam that tests the 4 main language skills - listening, reading, writing and speaking. Through these skills, your readiness to understand academic English for a degree in any university in the world is tested, since the IELTS (or TOEFL) certificate is a mandatory requirement for admission to foreign university. 💡

Many people ask what should I pay attention to when preparing for IELTS? Grammar or Vocabulary? Fluency of speech or the so-called accuracy? This is the most common mistake many people make. It is necessary to approach the preparation for this exam systematically, everything is important here, every little thing. 😌 Therefore, I would like to talk about each point separately.

1) Grammar - preparation for IELTS; 📚

Modern methods of preparing for IELTS push grammar into the background. I absolutely do not understand this and do not accept it. Why? Now, if you just want to immigrate or travel, or work and travel, then you don’t need grammar. But if you are going to take such a serious exam, then grammatical savvy is here as a foundation, without which your knowledge of the language will always be shaky. In the skills "writing" and "speaking" there is an assessment criterion for "grammar accuracy". Therefore, without grammar, you will not go far. I love when everything is solid. Therefore, take the Bible book on Murphy's English Grammar in Use and study it. If you go through it at least once from cover to cover, then you will always have an understanding of what is right and what is not. I love this book. And I advise you to prepare for IELTS.📚

2) Listening - IELTS listening 📚

This task puts many into a stupor. But in fact, listening is the easiest part of the exam. But that doesn't mean you don't need to prepare for it. It is very necessary!

Well, I won’t discover America if I say that you need to listen a lot in English. Such an artificially created language immersion, that is, language immersion, is very important here. You must immerse yourself in English. Watch only BBC, CNN, etc. Just force yourself. It is very important that your ears become accustomed to speech and begin to understand. And this will happen if you force yourself through force. Watch movies in English. Fortunately, everything is available on the Internet now. Another very useful thing is podcasts. On all iPhones, and on other hundreds, you can listen to podcasts. Look in the menu of your phones. And in the Podcast program, search for "Learning English" or something like that, there will be a lot of different podcasts. It's free, but incredibly useful. I get high when I listen to English in the original. And of course, practice the IELTS listening test itself. Practice a lot.

3) Reading - IELTS reading 📚

The hardest part of IELTS (according to many) is reading. Straight horror🙈😁. There are such questions with tricks, until you understand the question and find the answer in a huge sheet of text, and time will pass. Very little time is given, but a lot of questions. Therefore, it is important to prepare thoroughly here.

When preparing for IELTS, I advise you to read analytical magazines like The Economist + some literary book. Always, systematically. Yes, only this will improve your ability to understand complex texts. And it is here that I would like to say that the knowledge of intricate academic words in English is very important. That is, vocabulary is very important here. Learn five to ten words every day. Learn, learn, learn. Write, write sentences. Make cards. And it is in the preparation for this part that practice is important. That is, you should practice a lot on the IELTS reading test long before you are going to take it. Because there are many types of questions and their tricks, and you should know in advance what types of questions you will encounter.

4) Letter - IELTS writing 📚

Also a difficult part of IELTS. It is divided into 2 parts. Description of a graph or table and writing a reasoned essay. The first part has a smaller share in the assessment, so the emphasis is on the second essay. The difficulty is not in writing it.

There are many essay templates, tips and phrases on the Internet. The difficulty is that you may have to write on a topic about which you have no idea. For example, there might be an IELTS writing assignment to write your opinion on "Animal testing is your opinion", or " the death penalty- right or wrong?" These are such ambiguous global topics, and you are expected to understand them. In 40 minutes, gather your thoughts and write 250 words - this is another challenge.

How to prepare for IELTS writing? There are many sample ielts essays on the Internet, read them. Browse through all sorts of essay topics and form your own opinion. Get the basic phrases that connect the ideas well and give the essay an academic polish. Also, write, write, write. Take a topic, mark the time and write. This is a must!🙏

5) Speaking - IELTS speaking 📚

IELTS speaking is not a very difficult part, unless you yourself are naturally reserved and shy.

If you slow down in speaking, then you need to stand in front of the mirror and chat. Download all IELTS speaking topics and practice. Speak and record yourself on a voice recorder. Watch on YouTube how others answered the exam questions. Talk, don't be afraid. Practice is also important here.💡📚

Everything seems to be. As you can see, this is not a task of one day and one month. Prepare seriously and thoroughly. Find a balance, devote one skill to one day. Another skill the next day. And do not forget, IELTS is not only knowledge of the language, but also the skill of passing this particular test.

I wish you and yourself good luck!

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5 Best Help Books

Since the IELTS test is so popular these days, there is a huge amount of preparation material on the shelves of bookstores and online sources. Among them there are both, and dictionaries, and collections test items, and much more.

When choosing, you need to be guided by two important points:

The presence in the team of authors of the manual of organizations that oversee IELTS
The relevance of the manual, that is, its compliance with modern requirements.

Below are the top 5 most requested books by Cambridge authorship from the official certification site:

Grammar for IELTS will provide you with training in the grammatical foundations of the language. One of the main benefits, it includes all the necessary explanations and tests.

Objective IELTS comes in different versions for Intermediate, Advanced levels and provides comprehensive training in all 4 modules. Comes with audio CD.

Vocabulary for IELTS will help you identify and complete your exam. An indispensable book for those who did not have time to expand their English vocabulary to the desired level.

Action Plan for IELTS is a quick preparation guide for those with very little time. In a compressed volume, all 4 testing modules are given with examples. Gives self-confidence.

Cambridge IELTS- the latest comprehensive manual, also aimed at the comprehensive preparation of the candidate. Everything necessary materials, tests and exercises plus the correct answers for self-testing.

Useful Internet Resources

It is worth noting that in preparing for the exam, the entire English-speaking Internet can help you as a platform for practicing language skills. Below we note several sites of a more informational orientation.

Grading system

IN IELTS testing a 9-point scale is used, that is, according to the test results, you can get a score from 0.0 to 9.0. Half points like 6.5 are also possible. Getting 9.0 is almost impossible. The certificate indicates both the total score for the results of all stages of the test, and each task is assessed separately.

The calculation of the assessment of the Listening and Reading stages is made depending on the number of correct answers in the test tasks. At the same time, the criteria for the general and academic modules are different.

At the stages of Writing and Speaking, the assessment is given by an expert examiner, depending on compliance with the following standards:

content ;
clarity of expression of thought;
correct grammar and punctuation;
vocabulary size;
pronunciation.

You can learn more about the system for calculating marks for the exam by clicking on the link below:

Exam stages

The IELTS exam consists of 4 main stages that allow you to fully assess your language skills:

listening() - the first stage at which you will need to listen to an audio recording on a topic and complete a series of test tasks(choose the correct answer, agree or disagree with the statement in the text, insert the correct word/date). You have 30 minutes to complete and another 10 minutes to complete the answer sheet.

Reading(reading) consists of 3 parts. In general, according to texts, the total volume of which is 2 thousand-3 thousand. words, you need to answer 40 test questions. 60 minutes are allotted for this step and no additional time is given to complete the answer sheet. The subject of texts, as a rule, is scientific and journalistic articles or media materials.

Writing (written part) is the writing of 2 texts, 150 and 250 words minimum. The first text is an explanation of the information provided, the second is an essay "on my own". The first part is given 20 minutes, the second - 40. The score is also divided by 1/3 to 2/3. It is considered the most difficult stage.

Speaking (oral speech) is a 3-part conversation with the examiner. First you get to know each other, then you answer questions on a certain topic, and then you discuss this topic. This stage is the shortest, only 10-20 minutes, and can be done separately from everyone else (not on the same day).

The total duration of the exam is thus about 2.5 hours. Each of the stages of the exam is evaluated separately, and the overall score is calculated from the arithmetic mean.

Particular attention should be paid to filling out the test answer forms - your inattention during the test is not taken into account, and you cannot regain lost points, therefore.

The test results will not be available to you immediately, but after the deadline set by the organizers.

When will you receive the results?

How did you pass IELTS exam you will be able to find out only after 13 days from the date of passing the test. The results are published online on the official website at midnight (00:01) on the fourteenth day.

You can get a paper certificate in the center BKC IELTSCentre, which is located on Tverskaya street, house 9a, on the 1st floor, in office 114. If you took the exam at the regional center, then the certificate will be delivered to you by mail. All details about obtaining the results should be clarified at the testing centers where you were tested.

Official website of IELTS

All the necessary information about passing the exam - terms, addresses, prices, obtaining a certificate - you will find on the official website:

Good luck with your preparation and passing the IELTS exam! Remember that the key to your success lies in daily workout.

Today I will touch on the topic of self-preparation for IELTS - an international exam in English language. We will highlight three important components of successful IELTS exam preparation, discuss the main mistakes and draw conclusions that will serve as advice on how to prepare for IELTS and how to pass the exam.

TOEFL or IELTS

I want to make it clear right away - depending on your goals, you should decide which test you need to take: TOEFL or IELTS.

The IELTS exam tests knowledge of British English, so if you want to study, for example, in America, you should clarify: what if you need not IELTS, but TOEFL (American version).

As far as I know, most universities accept certificates for both tests, but you still need to make inquiries, if only because this exam is not a cheap pleasure.

General and Academic IELTS

IELTS exam (test) is taken by those who want to live and work (General ielts) or learn (Academic ielts) abroad. In this article, I will tell you how to prepare for the IELTS test on your own.

IELTS preparation: important ingredients for success

There are important components to success in preparing for the IELTS exam.

For successful delivery examination or obtaining a score required at the university, you need the right attitude to prepare for this important test, In second place - IELTS preparation itself, which is different from just learning a language, and on the third again the right mood, but this time already on correct behavior during the exam.

I took the IELTS exam three times, and the first two results did not suit me - and this despite the fact that I know and love English from school and tutor in this subject!

In order not to fall into the same stupid position (an English tutor - and didn’t “pass” IELTS ?!), use my tips. Learn from others' mistakes. And you will succeed!

Now let's go directly to the description of the main mistakes made during self-preparation and passing the exam in English ielts. This information is based on personal experience, so I strongly recommend that you listen to my findings and advice on how to pass IELTS.

Mistake #1. If you know the language, then you should not worry about the test

For how many years they have been telling the world... Before the first test, I still looked at various sites, where they warned about this in the first place! But some bearish logic is at work.

Well, how! I explain such complex grammar rules, I read literature in the original, I write essays in English, I have friends with whom I communicate in English and with whom I have mutual understanding!

How can I fail IELTS?! Seven? Easily! Yes, I can do eight! (Dreamy: maybe they will give a nine ...)

But the sad result at 5.5 was a low blow. And the thing is that this exam is not an ordinary test in English. And preparation for IELTS should be special. That's why I like this test so much.

Here, at the IELTS exam, it is impossible to smuggle a cheat sheet, a phone, or cheat from a friend. It values intelligence, time management, communication skills, listening skills, and most importantly, working independently and taking responsibility for your mistakes.

After all, this is what will be useful to you in the first place when you go abroad, and not at all knowledge of complex grammatical rules. I am familiar with those who, in my opinion, know English worse than me, but scored a seven the first time.

This means only one thing: they prepared better and all the qualities described above are better developed in them than in me. A reason to move in that direction, yes.

Advice: even if you have no problems with English, start preparing for IELTS on your own at least a couple of months before the test. And not just for textbooks, “what is”, but for those that suggest how to prepare for ielts on your own.

There are a lot of sites on the Internet dedicated to preparing for IELTS. Take advantage of them.

How to prepare for IELTS on your own

We continue to analyze how to prepare for IELTS on your own.

Mistake #2. Disregard for time and structure

Not each of us has an iron 3-4 hours a day to pass trial tests. It remains to be content with what is. For me it was an hour in the evenings, and then not every day.

In such an environment, when it was important for me to listen to sample listening, speaking, read reading and copy sample writing or write my own essay, I was not interested in time frames.

She wrote with a pen, not a pencil. While it is more convenient to do everything with a pencil on the exam!

As a result, during the first test, I wrote terribly slowly (with a pen faster!) And spent precious minutes on a stupid word count! It's funny, but don't make that mistake.

Better count how many words you can fit in one line. So you will be sure that you wrote the required amount.

When preparing for the IELTS exam, you should understand that in the Writing part you have 20 minutes for one task and 40 minutes for the second, 150 and 250 words, respectively.

Since I love to write, I was sure that writing would not be a problem. But the problem took place and consisted in the fact that during the exam I could not pretend to be Gogol and write a super story. And yes, there is no time for that.

All that is required of the examinee is clarity, conciseness, following the instructions. No need for water and artistic digressions, write - only on business.

The main mistake was my desire to understand every word in the text. The texts are large. Even if you understand everything, to answer the questions you will have to go back to what you read and look for the right places. This takes time.

Tips on how to pass the IELTS exam successfully:

— practice writing straight away in pencil and write as quickly as possible with neat, readable handwriting;

— for each form of an essay or description of a schedule, the creation of a business letter has its own structure - this must also be taken into account;

In principle, these forms are similar, and even with a short amount of time to prepare for IELTS, you will have a clear idea of \u200b\u200bthe correct spelling, paragraph separation, which counts towards your score.

— expand your vocabulary ahead of time, not on the eve of tests. Otherwise, memorized words will become a complete mess in your head;

— master the skills of scanning (fluent reading of the text, when you read over the words and just figure out for yourself what the text is about) and (search for the desired passage in the text);

Everything, of course, depends on the task, there are some nuances, but usually the text is a page spread, or 2 A4 pages (sometimes a little more); after it comes tricky questions, the answers to which you still need to figure out, and for all this - 20 minutes.

There are three such texts. Decide for yourself.

Special IELTS test

Mistake #3. You won’t be particularly prepared for the listening and speaking parts, we are not in the language environment

Here is my special message to fellow sufferers: I had a special IELTS test for deaf people.

Since I have a large hearing loss and the matter could not be solved with headphones, I was given a special teacher who talked to me a little more slowly and read listening tapescripts (printouts of the audio version) more slowly.

But this is where the concessions end, the time frame is like everyone else. So you need to prepare for IELTS.

By the way, remember: Application for special exam IELTS is submitted three (!) months before the test, you will need to send it by e-mail copies of a document on disability, an audiogram and a medical report from a doctor from the district clinic. Also, a couple of days before the test, perhaps the manager will ask you to come to the office and submit all these documents on disability in the original.

How can we, people with hearing impairments, prepare for the IELTS test on our own? Learn to read English articulation. And understand that English accents, of which there are many, also differ in articulation.

I prepared for films English subtitles, English audio track + headphones), and since I have IELTS ACADEMIC, I needed something more serious.

Coursera came to my rescue. org. There are wonderful subtitles for almost all video lectures on many subjects, and many free ones.

I spoke a lot of English out loud.

I combined preparation for writing (I read my essays aloud several times and retell them) and learning new words (I put each new word in context and rehearsed it too), and this all had a positive effect on listening + speaking.

Adviсe:Firstly, everything described above will be useful to hearing people. Secondly, in the process of preparing for IELTS on your own, do not be afraid to speak.

Until you become fluent in the language, you will not be able to maintain dialogue and answer questions (skills assessed in speaking, on the IELTS exam).

And without constant training, due to the differences in the speeds of Russian and English (plus accents), you will simply mix up and will not be able to adequately listen to listening.

So, I talked about self-preparation for IELTS - an English language test. I wish that my advice on how to pass the IELTS exam will be useful to you in this difficult matter. I hope I didn’t bore you, and in the future I will write a few more articles on this topic, for example, about useful and scanning. See you soon!