If you are preparing for IELTS Speaking, you might have heard that vocabulary range is an important criterion that can influence your IELTS score. The examiner will look at what vocabulary you use and how you do it, i.e. your accuracy matters as well. You can demonstrate the width of your vocabulary by using synonyms, set expressions, idioms, phrasal verbs, etc.

Using phrasal verbs where appropriate makes you sound more fluent. That is because most of the time native speakers of English use these short multiple-word verbs in their sentences. Phrasal verbs will make your speech more lively and natural, as a result, you will be able to increase your score in the Speaking section of the exam. 

It’s also good to use phrasal verbs in your speaking because a lot of them are idiomatic, i.e. their meaning is not the same as the individual words, which is also good for improving your score.

We have collected a list of advanced phrasal verbs that will help you dwell on various topics, and we have also provided you with their definitions and examples.

Remember it’s not recommended to use phrasal verbs in IELTS Academic Writing. We recommend that you replace them with single verb equivalents.

• READ ABOUT:
• 25 phrasal verbs to avoid in IELTS Academic Writing
• 250+ commonly repeated spellings of words in IELTS Listening Test
• Punctuation for IELTS Academic Writing

If you are planning to live, study or work abroad, you might be required to prove a certain level of English proficiency. For this purpose, you will need to take IELTS General or Academic or other international exams. In most cases IELTS  Academic is suitable for international students who come from countries where English is not spoken at all or non-native English-speaking countries. If you are a citizen of a country where the primary language is English, such as the USA, the UK, South Africa, or Canada, you do not have to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. 

The qualifications and grades universities or employers accept vary from one place to another. What are the minimum bands and what level of English do those correspond to? When is the right time to take IELTS Academic? Let’s find out.

What is the minimum level?

It might look obvious that before starting your IELTS preparation journey and reaching your destination (your dream band score) you should be aware of where you are now, at the beginning, i.e. what your level of English currently is. It is necessary to take a diagnostic test that will show you and the course provider what your current bands are in IELTS Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking. It will also reveal your weaknesses and strengths and allow the teacher/tutor or the course provider to customize the preparation and make an effective plan so that you could turn your weaknesses into strengths and cover all aspects of the exam. It will also help to avoid the situations when candidates with a very low level of English come and ask teachers to prepare them for getting band 7 or 8 in a few months, for example, while their current band is 4 or 5. It’s evident that it’s impossible but many people do not realize that. Before starting IELTS preparation which is mostly focused on exam skills and requires a certain level of English, it’s a good idea to find out if your level of English is high enough. Otherwise, you will have to focus on language first, and only then master your exam skills.

Another important thing one should bear in mind is that IELTS is designed to measure your level of English language proficiency and if it is suitable for an academic environment. It reflects aspects of academic language and evaluates whether you’re ready to begin training or studying. This can mean only one thing: you are tested for what you can do in English at this particular moment. Unlike Cambridge exams like FCE or CPE which are taken to prove a certain level of the candidate, IELTS is mostly taken to measure what your level of proficiency in English is. That is why there are so many candidates who do not know what their level is, and that is why the certificate is valid for only 2 years. That is due to the fact that your English can both improve and become worse over that period. That is why you can take the IELTS many times. 

So, what is the minimum level of English that is required for IELTS Academic? There is no pass or fail. IELTS is scored on a nine-band scale, with each band corresponding to a specified competence in English. Let’s have a look at the 4 lower bands and their descriptions:

This table gives you an idea of what type of score you might be able to get with your level of English. The good news is that working towards the B1 (Intermediate) level of English doesn’t take a long time – 1 or 2 years depending on how hard-working you are, i.e. your ability and determination.

READ ABOUT: Opportunities you have with IELTS certificate

When to take IELTS? 

Most universities will require you to have at least band 6.5  overall. As a general rule, the top-ranked universities in the USA, for example,  tend to demand a higher IELTS band (often, it’s 7.0). The majority of universities accept scores between 6-7 as being suitable for undergraduate study in English. However, you can find programs that require lower bands 5 or 5.5 in each component: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing.  That’s because as an international student, you must demonstrate a satisfactory standard of spoken and written English to support your application. Here you can find the Top Global University Ranking by IELTS Requirements. If you are planning to enter a university with English programs, aim at least at band 5, but better 6.5 and higher. 

Let find out what level of English you must have to expect such scores:

According to the table above, if your expected band is higher than your level, you have to spend time and work on your English first. If it is high enough, you may start your IELTS preparation and master exam skills. 

As a rough guide, Cambridge exams estimate that each level is reached with the following guided learning hours: A2, 180–200; B1, 350–400; B2, 500–600; C1, 700–800, and C2, 1,000–1,200. The higher the level the more time you have to spend to jump up, and it can take many years to get to B2, C1 or C2. However, this also means that candidates with upper-intermediate levels of English (B2) are usually ready to study IELTS rather than just work on their language skills.

Remember, IELTS is not a kind of exam where answers can be guessed. It shows your current knowledge and skills, and what you can really do in English. There is no way you can trick the examiner or the testing system. The only thing you have to do is work hard, and enjoy the journey without focusing too much on the finish line because if your level of English is too low it is probably years away! However, nothing is impossible. 

READ ABOUT:

• What to expect at the IELTS Speaking test
• Tips for writing advantages and disadvantages essays
• How are IELTS Listening and Reading scores calculated?

Describing maps is one of the least common types of questions you may have to answer in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1. Does the approach to this type of question differ from, for example, describing graphs, tables, or answering process questions? Of course, yes, because each type of visual in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 has different features. Today, we will look closer at map questions and give you tips on how to tackle maps in IELTS Writing Task 1 effortlessly.

What are map questions about?

When map questions appear on the exam, there will always be two maps. Sometimes, both maps illustrate what used to be in a particular area in the past; sometimes, one map shows what there was in the past while the other one is about the present; also, you might see the maps one of which demonstrates the proposed changes for the future. Regardless of what date you see on the map, your task is always the same: 

• Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

This means that you will have to describe what changes have / will have occurred and use the proper tenses to describe them. 

What’s on the maps? They usually depict several images of cities, towns, countryside or other areas at different stages of their development, and you have to describe changes which happen to these places. For example, some new/old objects may appear or disappear, others may be relocated to a different place or increase/decrease in size.

Here is how the task is usually worded on the exam:

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The diagram shows Rampart street today and the plan for changes to the street in 2035. 

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

READ ABOUT: IELTS language for describing maps

How to build the description?

Step 1. Analyzing the task and maps.

The first thing to do is reading the task carefully and finding the key information. You should look at WHAT changes happened as well as WHEN:

• The diagram shows Rampart street today and the plan for changes to the street in 2035. 

There can be three possible options:

• past and now
• past and future
• now and future

In our sample task, the maps show Rampart street now and in the future. This can also be understood from the visual because there we can see “now” and “in 2035”.

Now, it’s time to look at the maps and identify the main changes: what objects have appeared, been demolished, constructed, relocated, expanded, etc. Then, decide which changes were mainly made. You have to decide on the general character of changes and what happens to the objects and in different parts of the maps: objects appear or disappear or change.

Step 2. Planning.

After you have identified the main changes on the maps, group them by type or by the part of the place. For example, the objects have appeared/disappeared/changed or the changes took place in the north/ south/ north-east/ south-east of the town/city, etc.

As you group the changes by type or place, choose the details on the map to illustrate these changes. 

As you can see on the maps above, many new objects have been added, and some of the old objects have disappeared. Can you spot them by looking at the maps?

Step 3. Writing the description.

Basically, the structure of the description will be the same as for process questions or other visuals. However, the content will depend on what changes there are to describe:

Both models have all the necessary components of a good description. Both ways of organizing your Writing Task 1 are appropriate, as they address the task and meet its requirements in terms of Task Achievement:

There are also other things to keep in mind while writing your response:

• Organize your ideas logically. Make sure you use small paragraphs to show the introduction and overview, key features (2 body paragraphs), and conclusion. 
• An overview is a must regardless of what you are writing about in the task. 
• Describe all changes. This is a specific point to write about in map questions, so don’t miss anything. 
• Be careful with tenses. Make sure you are using past, present, and future tenses correctly where necessary.
• Use complex sentences, linking words to show connections between maps, make references and extend your ideas.

READ ABOUT: IELTS Pronunciation guide

Step 4. Checking your writing.

After you write your description, don’t forget to make sure:

• you have used proper grammar;
• you have spelled the words correctly;
• you haven’t made any of your typical mistakes;
• you have avoided repetition of vocabulary and linkers.

Go to our online IELTS Academic self-study course to see sample answers, and to practice writing your own response. You will also get access to IELTS Knowledge Bank with strategies and language for IELTS Writing. You will familiarise yourself with other types of maps, and we will guide you through the process of writing your own response – from task overview to writing practice. Finally, you will write your description under exam-like conditions, our AI will check your writing, and you will receive immediate feedback on your writing as well as have an opportunity to analyze the model answer and compare it with yours.

READ ABOUT:

• How to answer process questions in IELTS Writing Task 1?
• How to improve your IELTS grammar?
• How to build your IELTS vocabulary? 

Academic writing requires you to refer to the original source when you have used someone else’s ideas or concepts in your writing. One of the most common ways to incorporate these citations into your writing is to use reporting verbs to present the information. In IELTS Writing Task 2, candidates often have to express more than one point of view, especially when writing introductions and statements for their essays.

There is a wide variety of reporting verbs in the English language, which can be used in your essays. Let’s have a look at them and study some examples.

Why use reporting verbs? 

Reporting verbs can be tentative, neutral, or emphatic. They tell us that someone said something. In writing, these verbs demonstrate our opinion of someone’s ideas:

• whether we agree that the opinion is correct
• whether we have a neutral attitude towards what was said
• whether we think that the opinion is wrong.

Let’s have a look at some examples of the reporting verbs and choose the stronger ones:

• Many people insist that there is one ‘best’ variety of English.
• Many people argue that there is one ‘best’ variety of English.
• Some people doubt the value of bilingual education.
• Some people deny the value of bilingual education.

Each reporting verb has a slightly different meaning, so you have to be aware of and try to use a range of reporting verbs, depending on the statement you are making.

There are lots of different verbs that we can use to describe the action of speaking. The most common reporting verbs are ‘say’, ‘tell’, and ‘state’. However, it is not a good idea to use the same verb over and over as this will not give your writing much variation. There are many other verbs you can use in your IELTS writing.

Possible reporting verbs

READ ABOUT: How to identify the type of essay in IELTS Writing Task 2?

Tentative verbs are used when the author isn’t sure of their idea. Neutral verbs are used in an essay in place of ‘say’ or ‘tell’. Strong verbs are used when the author is very sure of their opinion. All of the verbs above can be used in IELTS essays.  

Here are some examples of how the reporting verbs can be used in sentences:

• It is claimed that graffiti is a modern art that should be accepted by society. Yet, others maintain the idea that this phenomenon is a crime and should be punished accordingly.
• Although many people think that technological development is unstoppable, it is not true. 
• It is claimed that robots should receive legal status, but there are those who strongly disagree with this idea.
• In various nations around the world, many people advocate taking a gap year in order to work or travel before beginning one’s tertiary education. 
• It is argued by some that the death penalty benefits a nation. I completely agree with this opinion and in this essay, I will state the reasons for my view. 
• Critics argue that such frivolity is a misuse of precious funds. However, I personally believe the opposite.
• Some people suspect that within a century, there will be only two or three languages spoken in the world.

The grammar of reporting verbs

Different reporting verbs are followed by different structures. Here are the most common structures with examples:

For example:

• It is claimed that graffiti is a modern art that should be accepted by society. 
• Others question whether the authorities should do something about it. 
• I object to the policy of government subsidies.
• Many people advocate taking a gap year.
• I would urge the government to subsidise...

As you can see there are many cases when reporting verbs can be used in your essay, and they can really help you demonstrate the range of your vocabulary to the examiner as well as express your ideas and thoughts effectively. Find more useful grammar and vocabulary issues in our blog:

• 30 common words to avoid in IELTS Writing
• Signpost expressions in IELTS Listening
• Linking words for IELTS Speaking

Whether you like it or not, grammar is crucial to both IELTS Writing and Speaking because grammar range and accuracy is the criterion that makes up 25% of your score. Obviously, you have to avoid making mistakes while writing and speaking to the examiner. Otherwise, it will be quite difficult and unlikely for you to achieve a higher band. We have selected the most frequent mistakes candidates make on the IELTS exam, and we will also suggest how to mend them. 

Some mistakes can be made because of the influence of your mother tongue while others crop up regardless of the language you speak as the first language, and students around the world have these common issues. What are they?

Mistake #1. Subject-Verb Agreement

This is a very common mistake even upper-intermediate and advanced students make in their speaking and writing. However, it’s a very basic one and very noticeable. What is considered to be a subject-verb agreement mistake?

• Missing 3rd person ‘s’ when talking about the present.

WRONG: A person I really admire is my friend Randy. He live in Thailand and he work as a teacher, and he also run a travel blog.
CORRECT: A person I really admire is my friend Randy. He lives in Thailand and he works as a teacher, and he also runs a travel blog.

Don’t forget to add ‘s’ in Present Simple, when talking about ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘it’ as well as change ‘have’ to ‘has’ for the 3rd person singular.

•  Using certain pronouns with a plural verb instead of the singular.

WRONG: There are two possible solutions. Each have its advantages and disadvantages.

CORRECT: There are two possible solutions. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Remember pronouns that always take a singular verb:
each, either, neither, one, no one, nobody, nothing, anyone, anybody, anything, somebody, something, someone, everyone, everybody everything.

However, there are pronouns that always take a plural verb:
both, few, many, several.

For example: 

There are two possible solutions. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

• Using the wrong form of the verb with the expressions of quantity.

WRONG: One of my friends are coming to visit me on holiday.

CORRECT: One of my friends is coming to visit me on holiday.

You should remember that the verb agrees with the subject, i.e. the quantity, as in: 

Two of my friends are coming to visit me on holiday.

However, for some quantity phrases you have to pay attention to the noun in the prepositional phrase to decide if the verb is singular or plural:

A lot of people (plural) cycle to work.

A lot of sugar (uncountable) is not healthy. 

All of the numbers (plural) are rising insignificantly.

All of the food (uncountable) is homemade and fresh.

Some of the adults (plural) travel to work by car.

Some of the local food (uncountable) is very spicy.

One-fourth of the commuters (plural) drive to work.

One-fourth of the space (uncountable) is occupied by freelancers.

Here are the pronouns that take a singular or a plural verb: some, all, any, most, a lot.

• Changing the number of the subject after the clause or a prepositional phrase.

WRONG: The number of bicycles which were stolen remain stable. 
CORRECT: The number of bicycles which were stolen remains stable.  

In your writing or speaking, you can use relative clauses or prepositional phrases to give more information, and thus separate the subject and the verb in the sentence. What happens then is that candidates in such cases often forget about the subject of the sentence and use the wrong number of the verb. Do not agree the last noun in the phrase or clause with the verb. Make sure you agree the verb with the subject of the sentence.

READ ABOUT: How to work on your IELTS grammar

Mistake #2. Using Present Tenses instead of Past.

This often happens in the Speaking section of the exam, particularly in Part 2 where you are often asked to describe some past events or experiences. For example:

“I’m going to tell you about an achievement that I am very proud of. It’s pretty recent so I can still distinctly remember lots of details and my own impressions related to it. It is just a couple of months ago when my boyfriend and I go to Bali on holiday and it is my long-cherished and also long-delayed dream to try scuba diving.”

Why does this happen? More often than not it is the problem lies in forgetting. The thing is that in IELTS Speaking candidates become so focused on their vocabulary, pronunciation, and demonstrating their fluency that they forget about using proper grammar. 

How can you fix it? Practice before the exam, record yourself. It’s a good idea to only focus on using the past tenses. Remember, that in the second part of the exam, you are often asked to talk about past experiences. So, when you’re given a card with the task, read it carefully, and while planning your answer, think about grammar you’re going to use to give a response. 

Another very common mistake is using Past Simple instead of Present Perfect and vice versa.

WRONG: Over the last 10 years, the number of bicycle commuters increased dramatically.
CORRECT:  Over the last 10 years, the number of bicycle commuters has increased dramatically. 

WRONG: There have been considerable fluctuations in the number of bike commuters between 2002 and 2005.

CORRECT: There were considerable fluctuations in the number of bike commuters between 2002 and 2005.

The rule is very simple. If we are talking about events that started and finished in the past, e.g. between 2002 and 2005, we use Past Simple. If we are talking about something that started in the past but continues until the present or something that happened in the past but the result is in the present (e.g. “over the last ten years” means that it started 10 years ago and the results are related to present), use Present Perfect.

READ ABOUT: How to organize your responses on the IELTS speaking exam?

Mistake #3. Placing ‘will’ for the future wrongly.

Have a look at the following example sentence taken from the cause and effect essay:

•  If ice will continue to melt, many species will become extinct.

Many people think we use ‘will’ for the future, and they are right, but not most of the time. 

CORRECT: If ice continues to melt, many species will become extinct.

The part of the sentence that starts with ‘if’ is the condition. The main clause says. ‘many species will  become extinct’, and these are the things to happen. 

The rule for 1st Conditional is: If+Present Simple, will+verb. 

For example: 

• If the temperature rises, more ice will melt. NOT If the temperature will rise, more ice will melt.

OR

Will+verb if+Present Simple:

• More ice will melt if the temperature rises.

Put a comma after if-clause and before the main clause. 

When you imagine a situation, use a different type of conditional:

If+Past Simple, would/could/might/should+verb.

For example:

• If all these steps were taken, it would be possible to alleviate the issue.
• If the government introduced state control on licensing websites which provide medical information, people could get both quick and efficient recommendations from specialists on the internet.

We have looked at the most common mistakes made even by advanced learners. Remember, the more you practice, the better your grammar becomes. The good news, you still have time to prepare for IELTS and you can do it thoroughly by taking our online IELTS preparation course.

ALSO READ ABOUT:

• Punctuation for IELTS Academic Writing
• 6 best ways of getting vocabulary for IELTS
• Tips for writing advantages and disadvantages essays

Needless to say, correct punctuation gives the right meaning to the sentence, and its wrong placement can totally change the meaning. How many punctuation marks are there in English? Period, comma, apostrophe, quotation, question, exclamation, brackets, braces, parenthesis, dash, hyphen, ellipsis, colon, semicolon! However, you don’t need to use all of them at the exam. Following the correct usage will make your IELTS writing look more appealing and easier to read. 

Punctuation also influences your score. If you don’t use it properly or forget to use some punctuation marks, it will count as a grammatical mistake. Remember, grammar range and accuracy make up 25% of your score. So, it’s better to avoid making any grammatical mistakes in your IELTS Writing. In today’s blog post, we are looking at different types and proper use of punctuation for your IELTS essays and reports. Make sure you remember all of them and practise using them during your IELTS preparation. 

Period (also called ‘full stop’)

At the end of sentences to mark a sentence’s grammatical end. For example:

• Censorship can protect the public from content that is potentially harmful to the human psyche. But it can also violate the right to freedom of speech and expression.

At the end of abbreviations, such as Mr., Ms., etc., and so on.

You should place the period right after the last letter of the last word in the sentence and leave some space between the period and the first letter of the first word of the next sentence. It might look obvious, but many candidates don’t do this. Start the next sentence with the capital letter.
Using abbreviations in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 and Task 2 is not a good idea. Instead, write the words out. The exception is for symbols like % and $ which you should use, as they are faster to write and very commonly used, even in formal writing. For example:

• Thus, the figures for the college library fluctuated insignificantly at approximately 65%, while students’ attitude to safety changed more substantially, plummeting by roughly a third in the 70s, and then surging by nearly 40% in the next decade. In the end, nevertheless, it returned to the initial rate of 95% satisfaction.

Apostrophe

In contractions to show that letters are missing, e.g. I’m, it’s, they’ll, who’s. DO NOT use them in IELTS Academic writing. Short forms are too informal:

• On the one hand, it’s difficult to predict what effect this law will have on those citizens who can’t stop driving. – On the one hand, it is difficult to predict what effect this law will have on those citizens who cannot stop driving.

In possessions to indicate ownership. For example:

• Joe’s hat, girls’ hat
• From a student‘s point of view, practical knowledge is much more essential.

READ ABOUT: How to work on your IELTS grammar

Comma

To separate items in a list. For example:

• Line graphs, bar charts, tables and multiple charts have a lot in common. 

To separate clauses by ‘and’ or ‘but’ if they have different subjects. For example:

• Relaxation is an essential condition of good productivity, and it would be better for everyone to find time for it in their schedule.  

When the subordinate clause goes before the main clause. For example:

• Since you are going to write the Academic Module, you will need to use the academic style in your writing.

When the clauses give extra, non-essential information:

• My sister Rebecca, who lives in Moscow, is getting married.

When subordinate clauses or non-finite comment phrases give additional information. For example:

• Helped by local volunteers, staff at the museum have spent many years sorting and cataloguing more than 100,000 photographs.
• From the individual point of view, living alone in a large city has both upsides and downsides. 

Colon

To introduce lists:

• There are three main reasons for the spread of the virus: unprotected contacts, open borders and poor sanitation.

When the second sentence explains or justifies the first sentence:

• Try to avoid crowded places: it will prevent the spreading of the disease. 
• You may guess that academic style is different from the language of everyday communication: it is much more formal and less emotional, and it uses a lot of abstract words.

Quotation marks

Use single quotation marks to draw attention to a word:

• Words like  ‘acquire’ or ‘obtain’ are used instead of ‘get’ in Academic Writing. 

To refer to titles of the books, newspapers, magazines, films, songs, poems, videos, CDs, etc.

• Such cases were described in ‘The Daily Mail’.

Capital letters

To mark the beginning of the sentence.

For proper nouns: personal names, brand names, nationalities and languages, days of the week and months, public holidays and geographical places no matter where they fall in a sentence.

• The graph below shows the profit made by four different cafes in Richmond, Australia, between 2005 and 2015. 
• Over the span of 6 years, Wesla Motors halved the number of petrol cars they manufacture. 
• The figures for Tyldon Homes and Hensen Group demonstrate a similar pattern, with a more significant decline for Tyldon Homes. 

For titles of books, magazines, newspapers, plays, music,  e.g. ‘Oliver Twist’, The Guardian.

RECOMMENDED READING:

• How to write IELTS cause-and-effect essays
• 5 effective ways to brainstorm ideas for IELTS Writing Task 2
• Tips for writing advantages and disadvantages essays

Grammar mistakes can destroy your score not only in IELTS writing but in IELTS Listening and Speaking as well. This means it is pretty important to write correctly because if you make even little errors, you are unlikely to get more than 6 or 7. Grammatical range and accuracy make up 25% of your score for writing and speaking. Work on your grammar during your IELTS preparation, and get the desired score in 5 easy steps.

Step 1. Spot your weaknesses.

There are many key concepts of grammar different candidates might need to improve: tenses, subject-verb agreement, articles, conditional sentences, etc. As many students as many problems there are to be fixed. The majority of those who prepare for and take IELTS, have issues with 1-3 areas of English grammar. That’s why one needs to identify those in order to find out what needs to be improved. 

For example, if you have difficulties with punctuation, it might reduce the score for your writing. Or if you are not good at using tenses, you are likely to fail both writing and speaking. 

The simplest way to find out what problems you have is to do this with a teacher, a tutor or any high-level learner of English, etc. Share your writing with them and ask them to give you feedback on your grammar. It is likely that any devoted teacher of English would be willing to help you and make a contribution to your IELTS preparation. 

Step 2. Know the rules.

This can be compared to learning the traffic regulations and road signs. Grammar rules are the laws of the English language which is the ball of roads and streets with different signs and directions. Grammar rules show us how the language works and in what directions we should or shouldn’t go. If one doesn’t know the rules which run the problematic area of grammar, he or she will never be able to use that grammar. 

Luckily, there are many resources to study grammar such as websites, coursebooks, etc. Pick up the topic you find problematic, read about it, and learn the examples. 

READ ABOUT: 6 best ways of getting vocabulary for IELTS

Step 3. Keep practicing.

Learning and knowing the rules of grammar is good, but understanding them better and integrating them into your writing and speaking is impossible without practice. After you have read the rule, learned the examples, you have to practice applying them, i.e. master your accuracy and then fluency.
Before you actually learn to drive, you study a lot of theory and road signs. You also do typical exercises with your driving instructor to train your muscle memory. And only after you stop thinking about how the clutch works and start doing it automatically, you are allowed to drive. When you drive for the first time, you might feel stressed and confused with many cars around you, traffic lights, and all the road signs. But the more you practice, the more confident you become. The same with grammar: learn the rules, study examples, notice new grammar in reading passages or listening, do a lot of exercises, commit some mistakes, analyse, fix. 

Step 4. Use new grammar in your speaking and writing.

After you have worked out by doing grammar exercises, it’s time to produce your own sentences. If you know the rules, but do not use them in your oral communication or writing, you are losing them, and your grammar doesn’t improve. Practice using the grammatical structures in your speaking or writing. For example, when planning your answer in IELTS Speaking, it is a good idea to think about what grammar you are going to use. If the examiner asks you about your future plans, make sure you use Present Continuous, be going to, will, or Present Simple, probably 1st Conditional. If you are writing an essay, you will have to use complex sentences in order to achieve a higher score. When you are doing that, be conscious about using proper grammar.

You can record yourself speaking or keep your writing in order to do the next step.

Step 5. Work with feedback.

How do you know that you are using grammar you have learned correctly? Of course, it would be great if you could ask for some feedback from your teacher, for example. The teacher will tell you if you are using the correct sentence structures and if you have anything else to fix. You will learn a lot from the feedback you receive and still will be able to improve. Moreover, you can use this system not only to hone your grammar skills but also other areas of IELTS.

As you can see, it is not complicated and it is very effective, that is why we have created a fully online IELTS preparation course based on this concept. Its main focus is practice, detailed analysis of all types of IELTS Academic writing, reading, listening tasks, automated instant IELTS score on writing using artificial intelligence, step-by-step guidance, feedback on your writing and speaking, online lessons with certified teachers, full mock Speaking and Writing tests with detailed feedback from IELTS preparation experts. 

READ ABOUT:

• What is the difference between IELTS mock test, diagnostic test, and practice tests?
• Useful strategies for IELTS Speaking on the day of the exam
• Common mistakes to avoid in IELTS Listening

IELTS Academic or General Training is a reasonably challenging exam and it demands thorough preparation from the students and candidates. For those who are going to take IELTS for the first time, it is something that can be compared to launching a rocket into space. You don’t know where to start and what to expect. Besides the IELTS exam itself, there are other types of tests most candidates take at different stages of their IELTS preparation. They are diagnostic, practice, and mock tests. Why, when, and how to complete them is discussed in this article.

IELTS diagnostic test

This type of test is usually taken before you start your IELTS preparation. It can be done online or offline depending on where you are going to do a course in IELTS preparation. It helps you and the course provider to see what your current bands are in IELTS Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking. Some schools or teachers give their students only reading and listening tests, some may check all four language skills. It also allows you to evaluate the range of your vocabulary and grammar, and realize what you have to improve. Diagnostic tests reveal the candidate’s weaknesses and strengths and allow the teacher or the course provider to customize the preparation and make an effective plan so that you could turn your weaknesses into strengths and cover all aspects of the exam. For example, if your level of English is high enough for the desired band score, you will likely work more on exam skills. And vice versa, if your English is not good enough, you will have to focus on language first, and only then master your exam skills.
After the diagnostic test has been graded, you can also ask the teacher why your answers are wrong and even for advice on how to progress in learning the language. Knowing your own English abilities is helpful for your progress.

Diagnostic tests are recommended but not compulsory. There are alternative ways to find out what needs to be improved.

RELATED READING: How to start your IELTS preparation?

IELTS practice tests

These tests are good for a few reasons:

• At the beginning of your IELTS preparation journey, they help you to familiarize yourself with the format of the exam. You will see how many tasks there are in the test, how they are ordered, and what they look like.
• They also help you to see what types of questions you might find difficult to deal with. For example, students often find True-False-Not given questions in the Reading section to be the most confusing.
• They are the best way to practice exam skills and build your confidence. That’s why they are called ‘practice tests’, and with having done many of them you will feel less stressed on the day of the exam.
• They also train your time management skills. You learn to manage your time well when it comes to certain parts of the exam. For example, when you have to do the tasks and transfer your answers to the answer sheet or better allocate time for an essay.

There are many IELTS practice tests on the Internet. However, it’s always better to use the official ones such as: 

• IELTS.ORG  whose practice tests look like the booklet you will receive for your actual exam;

• British Council IELTS Practice Tests which you can use to carry out timed practice sessions;
• IELTS Canada Practice Tests which offers downloadable practice materials.

These resources are free, and they will give you an indication of your band score and provide feedback on areas to improve.

READ ABOUT: IELTS Academic Writing tasks in 2021

IELTS mock tests

The main difference between the practice tests and the mock test is that it’s done in exam-like conditions. That means that you should treat them as actual tests. 

Mock tests help you get ready for any kind of challenge: time management, answering strategies, understanding of exam patterns, probable questions, assessment criteria, etc. 

The main purpose of the mock test is to provide you with a clear demonstration of the actual examination and to help you get accustomed to all aspects of the exam.

Here is why mock tests are important: 

• You will develop the right test-taking strategy. Learning and practising the strategies for each question type is part of your preparation, but sitting a real exam is quite different. By doing mock tests you will develop your own strategy for the whole exam.

• You will understand the time management better. The more mock tests you do, the higher are chances you will complete all tasks on time.
• You will analyze and better understand your mistakes. If you first try, you are likely to look out for solutions. 

The best time to take a mock exam is in the last stage of your full-fledged  IELTS preparation. If you take at least 2 mock tests, the actual test will feel nothing new and you can do your best. In our course, the mock tests are compulsory and are done online. All mock tests are assessed by IELTS experts.  After each test, you will want to know how you answered the questions, what your mistakes were and in which areas your weaknesses lie. You will receive valuable feedback and suggestions on how to fix your problems.

Finally, remember that tests are good for your IELTS preparation. However, IELTS preparation isn’t just about doing tests. It is a long and interesting journey full of unexpected curves and discoveries. Have a safe journey with us!

f you are at the beginning of your IELTS journey, you probably do not know what to start with and what steps to take first. Should it be an IELTS practice test or reading about IELTS assessment criteria?  Or maybe writing an IELTS essay? Or maybe you should relax and prepare yourself in a week? We bet the hardest part for you is to decide how to start. Don’t panic. Our short guide is here to help you start preparing for IELTS.

Understand what your goal is

Before you actually start IELTS preparation you need to understand what type of test is necessary for you to take: IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training. In short, if you are going to study abroad, you need to take the IELTS Academic. If you want to join your family in one of the English-speaking countries, you need IELTS General Training. However, if you plan to work abroad, it is always better to check what type of exam is required. 

The other important thing to understand is what score you need. For example, if you are an academic student and you want to go to university, the required score depends on the level of education you are going to obtain: Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD. However, it also depends on the actual university you are going to: the requirements are vastly varied from university to university. Most students need to get between band 5.5 and 7. So, it is a good idea to contact the educational institution or your future workplace and find out what score and what type of exam is required. 

The bands that we have mentioned are describing upper-intermediate and advanced levels of English or B2 and C1 according to CEFR. If you know your current level of English, it can be a very good predictor of the score that you can expect to achieve.

As IELTS tests not only your language skills but also some academic skills such as writing essays or summarizing academic texts, it is important to understand where you start, and your IELTS preparation will greatly depend on this too, especially if your level of English is lower than expected. 

Learn about the format of the exam

This tip is useful if you prepare for any kind of exam, not only IELTS. In order to achieve excellent marks, the test-takers must be aware of the test format.  This means you have to understand what the exam tasks look like if you do not want to find yourself surprised and unprepared on the day of the exam. It is good practice to learn about each section of the exam (Speaking, Reading, Listening, and Writing), question types and the amount of time you have to do the tasks. 

Take a free practice test

Taking practice tests is another way to familiarize yourself with the test format. You can do one of such tests at the beginning to see what the tasks look like and to see what task types you find difficult. However, you should remember that doing the practice tests is not the equivalent of IELTS preparation. Many candidates tend to think that the more practice tests they do, the higher their score. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Practice tests are good only for practice. That’s why they are called ‘practice tests’.
IELTS preparation includes learning strategies for each type of task, learning how to answer different types of questions, learning vocabulary and grammar for IELTS tasks,  learning from mistakes and tracking your progress, practising, getting feedback and more. 

When doing practice tests at the end of your preparation remember to do them under exam conditions. For example, if you do the reading tasks, spend no more than 60 minutes reading the texts and answering the questions. If you do the listening tasks, listen to the recording only once, i.e. in a way you are going to do that on the day of the exam. If you practise writing, remember about the timing as well. 

Learn about the assessing criteria

Once you have done the practice test, take some time to check your scores. It is quite easy to do in the Reading and Listening sections because only correct answers count in them. Use IELTS Band Score Calculator to save your time and see what your band is for each section in each type of exam. 

It is more difficult to assess the tasks in the Writing section on your own, but you can read how IELTS Academic writing tasks are assessed to understand the criteria. There you will also find a sample essay analysed by our IELTS experts with some comments on the candidate’s performance.

Preparing for the Speaking section on your own is not a piece of cake either. That is again because you will not be able to check your performance on your own. However, there is nothing difficult about this part of the exam if you know and understand IELTS band descriptors for your desired level. IELTS has made them public. This means that you can see what exactly you are required to do, say and write to get the desired scores:
IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors

IELTS Writing Task 1 Band Descriptors

IELTS Writing Task 2 Band Descriptors

Work on your vocabulary and grammar

Needless to say that if you want to get a high score, you will need to demonstrate how wide your range of vocabulary and grammar is. If you read the assessment criteria carefully, you will see that vocabulary covers 25% of the marks for Speaking and Writing tests, so the better your vocabulary the higher the score.  While the exam consists of four sections, there is one common thing in all of them – vocabulary. We have already written about the best ways of getting vocabulary for IELTS.  

Although there is no section in the IELTS Academic or General that tests your grammar, it is still very important. It obviously helps you in the Speaking and Writing sections where you have to build sentences and express your thoughts using different structures. It can also help you understand the reading or listening passages, for example, when you get confused by different sentence structures or parts of speech. 

One of the biggest mistakes the students make is mastering the exam skills and forgetting about improving their English skills. But IELTS is first of all a proficiency test, so your English really matters.

Learn different strategies for each type of tasks

Another mistake is taking an exam without knowing its strategies. IELTS tasks and questions require specific strategies to be used. For example, in the Listening section candidates hear the recording only once. They also have to answer various questions and do such tasks as note completion, multiple-choice, summary completion, matching, etc. Getting lost is not a problem in such situations. But it becomes a disaster if the students do not know how to approach the tasks in this section, how to get back and continue answering them even if they got lost.

The Reading section also requires students to use specific strategies and have a wide range of reading skills such as reading for gist, scanning, skimming, reading for detail, etc. Get accustomed to each type of reading question during your exam preparation so as not to be caught by surprise on the day of the exam. 

Start preparing for IELTS as early as possible 

It is best to start your preparation as early as you know you need an IELTS certificate. As you can see, even at the beginning of your preparation, there are still many things to be done. It is good to have a study plan to organise and guide your IELTS Academic preparation process. In our online course, you receive a personal study plan depending on how much time you have: a week, a month or two months. In this study plan, you will find lots of ways you can benefit from the course and improve your chances of scoring higher in the IELTS test. It also helps you find out what areas need improvement the most. Finally, it shows you how to develop all of your skills gradually and guides you through the parts of the course.

Despite their level of English, sooner or later most students need some guidance at the different stages of their IELTS preparation. We have combined the three most important things in our course: focus on practice, best self-study solutions, and ongoing support.

READ IN OUR BLOG:

• IELTS Academic Writing tasks in 2021
• What will the examiner be listening for at the IELTS Speaking test?
• How to identify the type of essay in IELTS Writing Task 2?

It is a common situation when some candidates are stuck between bands 6 and 7  because of their limited vocabulary. In order to get a high score both in IELTS Speaking and Writing you need to demonstrate a wide range of vocabulary as well as to succeed in the Listening and Reading sections of the exam. According to the assessment criteria, vocabulary covers 25% of the marks for Speaking and Writing tests, so the better your vocabulary the higher the score if you use it properly. How can one enhance his vocabulary within a short period of time? What are the ways to improve? Is it possible at all? Read this article to find out.

Tip #1. Learn phrases instead of words

It is advisable to learn not separate words but collocations, i.e. words that native speakers commonly use together. For example, let’s take the word “vocabulary”. How many collocations with it do you know? What comes to your mind when you hear it:

• limited/poor vocabulary;
• range of vocabulary;
• acquire vocabulary;
• build / enlarge  / increase vocabulary;
• active vocabulary;
• passive vocabulary;
• vocabulary item, etc.

Learning only words is not enough. In order to demonstrate your high level of English (above 7), you need to know how to connect these words with other words and how to use them in the right context. Phrases are better to learn because they create this context, thus it is easier for us to understand and remember them.

Tip # 2. Use the English-English dictionary

English-English dictionaries are a real treasure because there you can find all those phrases and collocations. There are a few good dictionaries available online, and they are absolutely free to use:

Cambridge Dictionary

Oxford Learner’s Dictionary

Free Collocation

The English-English dictionaries provide you with definitions, uses, synonyms, collocations, examples, and even idioms if there are such with the word you are learning. 

For example, we have taken the word “exam” and checked what Oxford Dictionary offers for this word:

There are a few more good reasons to use the English-English dictionary:

• They prevent you from translating, i.e. you start thinking in English and so speed up your comprehension and production of the language. You increase your use of English outside the classroom as well.
• They help you understand the words that do not translate in your own language. Sometimes the translations cannot give the same meaning as the English word.  For example, the word “stan” has no translation in Ukrainian. It appeared in the song by Eminem “Stan”. Cambridge dictionary defines it as “someone who greatly admires a singer or other famous person, to an extent that is unusual”: Lady Gaga’s devoted fans are the most visible example of stan culture. Eminem has so many stans. 
• They teach you how to explain things in English. Dictionaries explain notions with simple words. This is exactly what you need to know how to do if you, for example, can not find the word or forget it during the exam. Reading the definitions helps you learn to make your own ones when you need them. 

READ ABOUT: Top 30 words and phrases to avoid in IELTS Academic Writing

Tip #3. Learn topic vocabulary

Learning vocabulary by topic is a good idea as you will know the most important words and phrases you can come across in the Reading or Listening sections as well as what you need to use in your essay or when answering the examiner’s questions in the Speaking section of the IELTS. 

There are about 20 different topics for IELTS that you cannot change even if you do not like them or are not familiar with them. In other words, we recommend researching, learning and practicing to use the vocabulary on various topics before your exam.

Tip #4. Pay attention to the new meanings of the words you already know 

You might know many words. However, those familiar words might have different meanings. This often happens, for example, with verbs that take prepositions or adverbs, and they mean a completely different thing when they are combined. Those are phrasal verbs, the trickiest verbs for all non-native learners and the most common ones for native speakers.
For example:

put (v) – to move something or someone into the stated place, position, or direction;

up (adv) – towards a higher position; out of the ground. 

However, the phrasal verb “put up” has a completely different meaning:

put up – to stay somewhere for the night. 

For example:

• We put up at a small hotel for the night. 

If you are not sure which phrasal verb is formal, informal or neutral, we recommend that you replace it with a single verb equivalent in your IELTS Writing. Here are some common phrasal verbs with the verbs that you can use instead.

Another example when the words you might already know change their meaning is when they are used as a part of the idiom:

put all (one’s) eggs in one basket – to invest, devote, or commit all of one’s energy or resources into a single venture, opportunity, or goal, generally at the risk of losing everything in the event that that thing fails or does not come to fruition. For example:

• She has put all her eggs in one basket with this merger deal. If it doesn’t work out, I doubt her company can survive.

In the idioms, we usually cannot deduce the meaning from separate words. If you want to score higher than 7, you should use idiomatic vocabulary in the Speaking section.

READ ABOUT: 20 helpful idioms for IELTS Speaking

Tip #5. Learn different forms of the word

Being aware of the word and its meaning is good, but knowing the other word forms is more beneficial.  You can easily understand it when you hear or read it in the text whichever form it is used in. 

For example, let us check how many other word forms you can make for the word “different”:

• differ (v)
• difference (n)
• indifferent (adj)
• differently (adv)
• differentiate (v)

Most words in English have different forms for different parts of speech, but not all words have all forms. 

Some words look the same for different parts of speech:

• better (adj): Your plan is better than mine.
• better (adv): She knows it better.
• better (n): Give place to your betters.
• better (v): Bradman’s score of 96 has never been bettered. 

Some words have more than one form for the same part of speech:

• bored (adj): I am bored with reading this book.
• boring (adj): This book is boring.

The idea is to learn the root of the word and make up new words, learn and use them.

Tip #6. If you don’t use it, you will lose it

Learning the new vocabulary is half of the way. If we don’t use the words we learn, our brain tends to forget them. What you can do is to use the words and phrases you learn in sentences or even stories. This is how you will create the context for the new vocabulary, personalize it and make them meaningful to you.

As you can see, a good vocabulary increases your chances to get a higher score in IELTS. While the exam consists of four sections, there is one common thing in all of them – vocabulary. Make sure you fully take advantage of IELTS preparation before the day of the exam, and then you shine bright.