Study Abroad: Tips on how to crack the IELTS

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the name known to almost everyone in India who plans to study or immigrate to the highly-sought-after countries viz. Canada, the US, Australia, the UK, New Zealand and other Commonwealth countries.

With the present test-taker base of above 1.3 lakhs in India, the IELTS has become the hot favourite of many students, nurses, doctors and professionals. This has happened despite the equal applicability of Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) in many countries.

All credit goes to the three organisations that jointly own IELTS world-wide -- the renowned Cambridge ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages), University of Cambridge; the UK-based British Council and their Australian partner, IDP (International Development Programme).

The test, being the only option for immigration to some countries, offers a lucrative educational business opportunity in the North-Western India.

This is because almost 40 per cent of all the Indian test-takers are from this region especially from Gujarat and Punjab. It is the only reason why many IELTS preparation and training centers are mushrooming in these parts of the country. However, test-takers face innumerable problems getting through all the four modules of the test.

Experts from TCYonline.com, present self study tips and strategies for all the four modules of the test. This will not only help you know the minutest details of the test but also expose you to the optimum ways to improve your Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking skills.  

Test structure
The test is of two types: Academic IELTS and General Training IELTS.

The former is generally recommended to study-abroad aspirants, nurses and teachers and the latter is specifically for acquiring immigration and work visas.

The tests consist of four sections viz Listening Comprehension, Reading Comprehension, Writing Skills and Speaking Skills. Listening comprehension takes 35-40 minutes; reading comprehension is for an hour; writing skills require the test-taker to complete two writing tasks in one hour and speaking skills is a one-to-one interview that takes no more than 15 minutes.

The test happens mostly on Saturdays and Thursdays. It is mainly taken in two parts, the first one being the 'written test' comprising listening, reading and writing sections. The speaking section forms the second important part of IELTS called the 'Spoken test'. It happens either some days before or after the 'Written test'.

Listening comprehension
This is the first section of the test. The section is same for both Academic as well as General training students. Here a set of four recordings is played and students answer questions as they listen. The first and the third in the row are conversations.

On the other hand, the second and fourth are monologues. Test-takers are given time to read a set of questions before the recording is played for the set. In the end of the listening test, candidates are given 10 minutes to transfer their answer to the listening answer sheet.

Tips for scoring 9-Band in Listening

• There are various types of questions in the listening test. Know your strength areas, that is, the questions which you are unable to answer most of the times. Mostly, the multiple choice questions, tables and diagrams pose problems for a majority of the test-takers.
• The accent is very natural and not an artificial one. Moreover, the part of the recording which contains the answer is generally spoken with greater clarity and stress then the rest of the recording.
• Listen more to the news items online. But make sure you listen to the news that ultimately has the complete script also available. Otherwise, you will never be able to relate and know the right pronunciation of the spoken words. One source is www.npr.org. Here one can find international news in audio as well as written formats.
• Observe the differences between the pronunciation of 'P' and 'B'; 'T' and 'D'; 'M' and 'N' in the British as well as Australian conversations. This will help you contain spelling mistakes in the spelled words in the recordings. Most people make mistakes in this area only.
• Utilise the given sources properly. British Council provides each registered candidate with a set of six past year IELTS papers with audio CDs for Listening practice. IDP, on the other hand provides a book of Mock IELTS tests.
• Enhance your vocabulary of common words so that you do not waste time in getting their contextual meanings when the conversation is in progress. You may find the vocabulary related inputs on TCYonline.com.

Reading comprehension
This is the second but the most troublesome section of the test. Almost every IELTS taker faces many problems in this section.

The Academic Reading is based on three lengthy passages with approx 150 words per question. The information is mostly taken from the academic sources, wild-life and other journals and is purely academic in context.

One must have a blend of good reading speed and comprehension skills to complete the paper in the stipulated time. On the other hand, the General Training reading test is less lengthy and technical as compared to the Academic one. However, the questions are trickier. 

Tips for countering obstacles in Reading

• The reading section requires a lot of strategic planning. Never attempt it with a just-give-it-a-go attitude. Always choose between the following strategies on the bases of 'number of questions' and 'amount of text to be read'.