Top 10 IELTS Listening Tips

Getting band 9 for IELTS Listening is possible?

The answer is Yes! There are some things you need to do before the exam, and
some things you need to pay attention to on the exam. By following these tips, you
can considerably improve your score and even get a band 9! You will find here top
10 IELTS Listening tips to get a desired score on IELTS Listening test:

Before the test

1. Improve your general listening skills
The goal of IELTS Listening section is to test your listening skills. Don't use
practice tests to improve your score: it's not enough! They will help you to
become familiar with the test, but won't much improve your listening abilities.
It is much more effective to do various listening exercises, listen to general
listening materials (radio reports, TV-shows, documental programs etc) and
only after that do IELTS Listening practice tests.

2. Polish your topic vocabulary

Section 3 is almost always about education. For example, students and a tutor
talking about an assignment. Learn all the vocabulary you can about studying
at university. This way you will understand this section better.

On the test
3. Word types
Skip over the questions and decide which type of word fits in each gap. Is it a
noun, verb, adverb or adjective? Write 'N' for noun, 'V' for verb and so on.
This will help you to focus on the specific word forms while listening.
4. "Plug in" the situation
Try to get an idea of the situation. Before each part you will be given a short
introduction: 'Now, you will hear a dialogue between…' or 'you will hear a
lecture on…' This information is not written on the question paper, so be
attentive. Note: who are the speakers, why are they speaking and where are
they. This will make understanding the rest of the recording much easier.

5. Don't loose attention

Remember, you will only hear the audio once. So if you didn't hear some
words and passed over some questions, don't worry! Leave them blank and
focus on the actual part. Review those questions at the end of the section,
otherwise, you will only miss more questions and tangle in the recording. You
will need to read, write and listen all at the same time.

6. Watch out words-indicators

Listen for words-indicators, such as however, but, then, finally. They help you
to anticipate what the speaker will say.
 7. Don't write answers too quickly
A lot of students fall into this trap: as soon as they hear the needed
information, they take it for the correct answer. But sometimes this
information is repeated or corrected further in the section. Example:
Sam: Thank you! I've received your email. So it is loren-hanson@gmail.com.
Loren: No-no! You have mistaken, it is loren-hamson@gmail.com, spelled
with M.
Sam: Oh, I'm sorry...

8. Check for silly mistakes

After each section you have 30 seconds to check your answers. It is important
to check spelling, plurals and word forms. Remember that only correctly
written answers will gain points.

9. Transfer answers accurately

At the end of the listening test you will have 10 minutes for transferring your
answers into the answer sheet. And quite often students get confused in the
numeration! As you write down your answers, check that they fit into the
correct numbered space. In other words, make sure that answer for question
7 goes into space number 7.

10. Don't leave any blank answers!

You won't lose marks for incorrect answers, so even if you don't know the
answer it is better to write something in the answers box. Read the question
again and make a guess!

Use these IELTS Listening tips to improve your Listening skills! But don't forget
about IELTS Listening practice too:

▪ IELTS Listening practice tests

▪ IELTS Listening exercises
IELTS Reading Tips for band 9
Getting band 9 in IELTS Reading is possible!

Many test-takers have been writing to us with the notion that it’s an impossible task
for non-native English speakers. They say, “Scoring 9.0 on IELTS Reading is very
hard for those, whose first language is not English. They simply cannot know all that
tricky vocabulary”. Of course, you will encounter some unknown words on the IELTS
Reading Test. But you shouldn’t worry – it’s completely normal!

The main goal of IELTS Reading is to test your ability to understand what you have
read. So even if you don’t know some words, it’s OK, as you can guess their
meaning and still get band 9!

Ridiculously, most of the test-takers lose marks not because of lack of knowledge,
but because of making very simple mistakes! That’s why in this guide we’ve
gathered 10 IELTS Reading tips that will really help you to get a high score in
IELTS Reading:

1. Skim over and watch for the answers

Skimming refers to looking only for the main ideas. You don't need to read
attentively every word. Remember, you just need to answer the questions,
nothing more. So skim over the text and then start looking for the answers.

2. Watch your time

Don’t forget you have only 60 minutes to read three texts and answer 40
questions. You won’t get additional time for filling your answer sheet, so make
sure manage your time properly.

3. Is your spelling correct?

Check your spelling before writing your answer on the answer blank. You will
get zero points for the answer if it's spelled incorrectly.
4. Keep the order
Remember that the questions follow the order of the text in most cases. So
the answer to question 5 will come after the answer to question 4 and so on.

5. Underline!
When you skim over the text, underline the most important phrases. It will
help you to save some time when you will search for answers.

6. Unfamiliar vocabulary? That's OK!

Do not worry if the text seems unfamiliar to you or you don’t know some
words. Every answer can be found in the text, you don’t need any additional
knowledge to succeed.

7. Pay attention to the details

Look thoroughly through the text. Any special features such as capital letters,
underlining, italics, figures, graphs and tables are likely to matter.
 8. No blank boxes
Answer all the questions, even if you’re not sure in your answer. You don't get
penalty for wrong answers, so try your luck and write the most probable
answer.

9. Cross out the wrong answers

If you saw answer that you're sure is wrong, cross it out. This way you won't
get confused and save your time.

10. Choose your own technique

It may sound strange at first, but... There is no ultimate advice which
technique fits you the best. You should choose yourself how to search for right
answers and what to do first: read questions or text. A lot successful
candidates prefer to read the text first, and only then answer the questions.
But some say it's better to do the other way. Practise doing IELTS Reading
samples to determine which technique fits you more.

Follow these IELTS Reading tips and you will definitely increase your score. But
also don't forget that reading practice is crucial for success on IELTS Reading. So
here are some useful resources for you:

▪ Full IELTS Reading samples

▪ IELTS Reading lessons & exercises
IELTS Writing Tips
So you want to score a band 8 on IELTS Writing?

Many IELTS test-takers spend a lot of time training to write top-notch essays. To
achieve a desired score, they stuff their essays with uncommon vocabulary, overuse
complicated grammar or write too many words. But are these means really
necessary? The answer is NO.

There are a lot of much simpler writings that score 8.0 and higher! This is because
you don’t need any special knowledge: the examiner will assess your writing, not
your thoughts. Even simple but accurately expressed ideas score better than too
complicated ones. To succeed in IELTS Writing, you need to

• be accurate
• write simple things well

Ridiculously, even well trained candidates often lose points on IELTS Writing because
of making simple mistakes: from going off topic to writing too many words.

On this page we’ve gathered top 10 IELTS Writing tips that will help you score
band 8+ on IELTS Writing:

Read the question

Understanding what the question asks you to do is crucial for achieving a good
score. That's why, always read your question thoroughly and cover all the
points you're asked to write about. For example:

The government should pay to the parents of very young children, so that one of
them can stay at home and look after their children.

What do you think are the pros and cons of this policy? Justify your answer and
include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

In this question you're asked to do two things:

o Write pros & cons

o Give examples

Failing to complete one of the requirements of the task results in a lower

score!

2. Read what you have written

Go back and read the paragraph you have just written before you start the
next one. You may think that this is a waste of time. If so, you’d be wrong.
It’s important to link your paragraphs together – what easier way to do that
than just read what you have written?
3. Be clear
The practical advice here is to select your best idea and write about that. That
means not writing everything you know – leave some ideas out. Don’t worry if
it is not your best explanation, worry about whether it is your clearest
explanation.

4. Write about what you know

You are being tested on the quality of your English, not on the quality of your
ideas. So you shouldn’t worry about finding the “right answer”. You need a
simple idea that you can clearly describe and justify.

5. Follow the standard structure

To get maximum points, you should follow the standard structure. IELTS
Writing task 1 should be written as follows:

1. Introduction: briefly describe what your graph shows.

2. Overview: state main trends.
3. Specific details: describe specific changes, providing data.

Learn more about structuring Academic Writing task 1.

IELTS Writing task 2 answer should have such backbone:

4. Introduction: rephrase the topic + give your opinion.

5. Body paragraphs: each should have its central idea, which is generally
stated in the first sentence.
6. Conclusion: just rephrase your opinion from the introduction.
6. Don’t write too many words
It’s a bad idea to write more than 300 words in task 2 and more than 200
words in task 1. Firstly, it’s difficult for the examiner to read long essays and
he/she will check your writing less carefully. Secondly, you are likely to make
more mistakes and have less time to check what you wrote.

7. Choose your writing style

Never use informal language in academic writing or in essay. Only in general
module task 1 you may be asked to write an informal letter.

8. Don't learn model answers by heart

Do not memorize model answers - you will receive less points for such essay.
The chance of getting exactly the same essay as you've learnt is very small.
And going off topic will result in achieving a low score. So instead, spend some
time learning to adopt advanced vocabulary to make it fit into your answer.
This way you'll be able to use various words phrases in different writings and
show your broad range of vocabulary.

9. Don't branch off!

Write only according to the theme. Do not include irrelevant information. If
you wander from the subject, you'll get a much lower score even for a well-
styled answer.
 10. Write clearly and coherently
Do not repeat yourself with different words, avoid being redundant. Also,
make sure that each paragraph in Writing task 2 has a central idea. It's very
important for IELTS Writing that every paragraph in you essay is clearly
separated and has its main thought. This simple thing makes your essay neat
and coherent.

To improve your IELTS Writing score, try out:

• Information about IELTS Writing test

• IELTS Writing task 2 topics list
• IELTS Writing lessons & exercises
IELTS Speaking Tips
A lot of candidates who take IELTS Speaking test find this section the hardest one
because it involves face-to-face communication. But in fact, IELTS Speaking is the
easiest section of IELTS to improve your score. You may think, “But how? Interviews
are so spontaneous! I just won’t have enough time to plan a good answer.
Moreover, I’ll be worrying…”.

It’s true, speaking interviews are spontaneous. But all test-takers are worrying and
don’t have much time to plan their answers. And examiners are used to that, so
they don’t expect you to speak like an orator. They don’t even expect you to give
very logical and structured answers! You’re only tested on your ability to:

• speak fluently and without hesitation,

• use various vocabulary,
• avoid grammar mistakes,
• pronounce words well.

You can learn more about how IELTS Speaking is scored.

So you can band 8 and more on IELTS Speaking by practising and learning
vocabulary.

But you can also increase your score by following these simple IELTS
Speaking tips and tricks. Here we’ve gathered top 10 IELTS Speaking tips to
increase your IELTS Speaking score:

1. Be fluent and liberated

Speak fluently and spontaneously. You will gain more points. Don't worry too
much about using clever vocabulary, it's more important to be fluent. But also
don't speak too quick and mind your grammar. You should find a "healthy
balance" between speaking too quickly and making long pauses.
2. Practise answering sample questions
Typically, you will be asked about everyday topics, such as work, studies,
sport, family and so on. So you should try answering IELTS Speaking
questions before the exam. You will be surprised how simple they are! You
just need to learn appropriate vocabulary and understand what answers you
will give.

3. Ask the question again if you need to

Don't be shy, if you want to clarify something. You will not lose points for
asking the examiner.

4. Be emotional!
Speak with emotions. Nothing separates the experienced speaker from
beginners as tone of the speech. Express your feelings like you would do using
your native language.

5. Extend your speech

Try to speak at least more than the examiner. If you are asked a question
using one sentence, respond with two or more. And never give short,
uncommunicative replies:
 Examiner: Do you do any sport?
You: No, I don't like sports... [Don't stop there!] I'm not a very active person
and I've never liked P.E. in school. But I like playing intellectual games
instead. For example, I find chess very interesting.

6. Be coherent
Use linking words and structures. Words and phrases
like however, nevertheless, all in all, moreover will enrich your speech.

7. Give yourself time to think

If you are unsure how to answer the question, you can give yourself a bit
more time to think by using this tip. First of all, you can say: "That's a tricky
question...", "I've never thought about that before..." or "That's an interesting
question...". This way you'll have some extra time to plan your answer.

You can also reformulate the question:

Examiner: What was your favourite book in the childhood?

You: What book did I like as a child? Let me see...

8. Made a mistake? Don't panic!

If you made a mistake - don't panic! Try to correct yourself as smoothly as
possible. And if you can't - just continue speaking, you won't lose many points
for a few mistakes.
9. Make a good first impression
Look good, smell good and feel good. Be confident. Although it may not seem
very important, a strong first impression will go a long way.

10. Don't learn answers by heart

Examiners are able to determine whether you speak freely or you memorized
the answer before your interview. Learning full scripts is a bad idea. Instead,
it is much better to learn separate words and collocations and adopt them in
your speech.