How to Best Prepare for IELTS

How to Best Prepare for IELTS IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, is one of the major English tests in the world. One needs it if one has to study, work or settle down in an English speaking country. It evaluates one’s level of English by testing one in four skills of the language – Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. One gets a band score based on one’s performance. There are two versions of it - IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. You should take the IELTS Academic. Both can be either pen and paper tests or computer-based. Both can be either pen and paper tests or computer-based. One gets a score of 9 if one is an excellent user. 

According to the level of one’s English in a particular skill, one can get 8.5, 8, 7.5, 7, 6.5 and so on. Therefore, one should know what band score one requires and whether one has to take the IELTS Academic or IELTS General exam. The IELTS Academic is taken if one wishes to go abroad to pursue undergraduate or higher education, and the IELTS General Training is taken if one wants to emigrate or get a work visa to an English Speaking country. Before taking the test, one should check one’s readiness for it and prepare accordingly. If the level of English is not what is needed to get the desired score, then one must work on grammar first. 

The IELTS exam tests four skills - Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Listening, Reading and Writing tests are taken together, whereas the Speaking test is a one-to-one interaction with the examiner. It can be on the same day or one or two days prior or after the other three. The Listening test lasts for 30 minutes, the Reading and Writing tests for 60 minutes each, and the Speaking test lasts for 11 to 15 minutes. Before taking the test one must become familiar with the question types of each module and the strategy to score a higher band score in each.