IELTS is a widely acknowledged test that evaluates your ability to put your practical skills of English into the application. Even after its global recognition, it’s often mistaken for any other English test like that in school. IELTS is much more than that.
“I have read a ton of books; I am pretty sure I don’t need to practice for IELTS”
“I was the topper of my class in literature, for me, IELTS is no sweat!”
If you are one of the above, or you are sure you needn’t practice for IELTS, watch out. IELTS is way more challenging than you think it is.
IELTS needs practice. And it needs practice the right way. Nothing hurts more than doing mistakes you could have easily avoided. We are here to improve just that. Check out 7 ways to avoid the most common mistakes that can hurt your IELTS score.
1. Read That Again!
Read instructions twice and revise them if need be. They are there for a reason and are meant to be followed compulsorily. Why rereading is such a big fuss? It’s the most common mistake that aspirants do. Word limit is something that is strictly should not be crossed. Not giving it much of heed directly take the score to the basement. So, keep your eye out for instructions as much as for the actual questions.
2. Keep Your Opinions clear
In the writing section, you spend a reasonable amount of time (60 minutes) getting your English skills rolling. During the argument, keeping your intent clear throughout.Intertwining diverse arguments and giving no clear picture is likely to confuse the examiner and cut your score down.
3. Avoid Spelling mistakes
When it comes to IELTS, spelling mistakes is a big thing. Here rereading can give a second chance of spotting and fixing errors. However, sometimes test takers try their luck with complex words, even when they aren’t sure about their spelling. In these cases, it’s immensely necessary to control your urge and opt for synonymous but simple words. Compromising a difficult word is always better than compromising an IELTS score.
4. Speak in Your Own Accent
In the speaking module, it isn’t necessary for you to fake an accent of your favorite country than using your own. Faking is more likely to give a false impression on the examiner and affect your score.
5. Leaving Blank Spaces
Not being sure about the answer is okay. But that should not stop you from filling the answer box with the most probable one. When there’s nothing to lose, give your best shot. You may not know when your luck will show its magic.
6. Strengthen Vocabulary
This isn’t something you can achieve in the night before the exam. Strengthening vocabulary takes months, probably years. It’s also quite obvious for many to not always learn English in IELTS view. Vocabulary is all around us, we just need ears and eyes to make a note of them and use them when the time comes. Remember when you read in that book “I am just trying to get myself off the hook”, or hear your colleague saying “I am calling it a day now” or your teacher mentioning “DNA code is unambiguous”.
Those were all the moments to note those phrases, idioms and words to use on times like writing essays. This sometimes happens on its own, but when you are chasing improvement in your English, you tend to listen and read in more awareness and always look out to learn from small things that aren’t necessarily designed to teach.
7. Don’t Give a partial view of the topic
A grave mistake is to lean on one side of the argument and stick to it. It isn’t wise to take one side and disregard the bigger view. For example, a topic like the role of social media platforms in the modern-day should not include only the hazards it causes. You should also shed light on positive facts that social media is a great platform for artists, businesses, networking, and entertainment.
Mistakes are considered as cornerstone of success. By understanding one’s weakness through mistakes the aspirant can frame a well-planned strategy to avoid them in the final IELTS exams. Practice and perfect guidance are the tricks behind scoring highest in your IELTS exam. Our PTE experts are here to prepare you best to achieve your targeted IELTS score.