AIM HIGH IELTS Academy - Patiala

Hello Liz.

First of all, I want to thank you for the great material you are providing on your website, and I can’t stress enough how important it has been to improve my marks on my exams.

On the first try, in December, I took the Academic paper-based exam, but was floored with the results, as they were far from what I expected and wouldn’t be of use due to being too low. I got an overall score of 8, but when checking each band, I got the following: R-9, L-9, W-6.5, S-7. I was very disappointed, as I’d been studying English for a long time and knew I was fluent, but also knew I was terribly nervous during the exam and felt very unprepared for it.

I came across your website and started to work on my greatest weakness: the Writing exam. It is EXTREMELY helpful, specially with Task 1, as I had no clue of how I needed to structure my report and which features I needed to highlight. I practiced each type of task that could come up, and it was very important to do so, as two completely different assignments were requested on each try (a line graph on the first, and a diagram to compare two images on the second).

Last week, I took the Academic computer-based exam (I can gladly talk about my experience with each type of exam later, if it could help other people) and I finally got the marks I needed. I scored an overall of 8.5, with each exam as it follows: R:9, L:9, W:7.5, S:8.

From personal experience, a few tips:
Listening-> even with a few differences between the computer-based and paper-based exams, the general tips are the same: read the questions beforehand and pay close attention to the information that they are providing, as it will most definitely be paraphrased and not exactly given as it is asked. Also, be careful with misleading information in the recordings, as they might mention something that is in one of the options, but discard that same option right afterwards. Have patience and fully listen to the recording before setting your mind on one option, as it might end up not being the correct one. The last part is a bit difficult, as you have to fill the gaps with words from the recording and it tends to be quicker and have a more robust language, so read the sentences in advance and try to come up with some words that might make sense in that gap. If you don’t get a word, don’t fret over it and just go to the next one. They are worth the same marks and it’s better to miss one point than two.

Reading-> same tips for both types of exam: I preferred to read the questions first and then filter what I was looking for as I went on reading. I found it easier to do it that way, specially with the TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN questions, which I always found a bit hard. Always be aware, just as in the Listening exam, of what they require in the question: read carefully if they want NO MORE THAN ONE, TWO or THREE words or numbers, as you can easily miss a mark by putting more than allowed.

Writing-> PRACTICE. That is the key advice to do well on this part. As I said, task 1 is the most unpredictable one, so you have to be confident with each type of task they might ask. I have sat a few IELTS exams, and they have asked for different things on each exam: a line graph, tables, pie charts… The last one I took asked to describe and compare two images of cutting tools from ancient times. You need to be prepared for the unexpected, but if you ALWAYS have the report structure in mind, it will be okay, as it’ll flow with ease. Take your time to prepare your arguments in task 2, and my personal tip here is: never stay on the fence with the topic. It’s easier, if they ask for your opinion, to completely agree with one side, even if you don’t fully believe in it. Just establish strong points to support your opinion and follow the essay structure.

Speaking-> I have always been confident with my speaking, but on my last exam I was absolutely nervous about it. I had practiced a bit at home and had pre-prepared answers, and this was my downfall. Face it as a conversation, a normal chat, and try to talk, in part 2, from personal experience. This way, things will flow easier as it’s something you know about. Be careful with practiced answers, as you may get in your head and fumble words and your flow of ideas (that’s what happened to me and what brought my score down). Be confident, and try your best to expand your answers, as more is better in this exam.

Once again, couldn’t have done it without your website. Thank you SO much!