Quote of the week

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”

 

                                                                                     Louis L'Amour

And the Reading test (2)

One of the things I usually do before or at the beginning of the lesson is to talk to my students. It’s not just to pass the time while waiting for everybody to come and settle down, I use these five – ten minutes to answer their questions and ask some of my own.

One day I was trying to find out why my IELTS students got the scores they got in their previous test. This is useful research for the teacher to see where the students struggle. So here is another story to put under the ‘how your studies can get you into trouble’ file.
While doing the Reading section of the Academic module test, my student (a graduate of Medical School) came across a text which he found very interesting, as it somehow connected with his studies and his future career as a medical doctor. He read the text, got the gist then read the text again, got the details and answered the questions. But by the time he finished he realised he didn’t have enough time to read the last text properly and answer the questions. So, after a quick skim he answered some questions and then he started choosing the answers randomly.

He got good score, but not the one he needed, so he had to re-take the test.

That was the first time I heard that someone was so wrapped up in the information that they forgot about the exam completely. Usually, the students complain about the texts being boring, as they are on unfamiliar topics, and containing unknown words.

So, please be careful and always keep an eye on the clock, no matter how (un)interesting your text is.

Until next time, Good luck!

And the Reading test

This is where things get a little more complicated as candidates taking the General Module test will get different texts from those doing the Academic Module, but they will have the same number of questions to answer.

In most cases, using your background knowledge is very useful (see Phrase of the day post) as it will help you connect things and answer questions quicker.

However, there are situations when this background knowledge, more specifically your studies, will cause you some trouble. Here’s how.

While teaching an IELTS preparation class one day I noticed that a student in the back row was becoming very upset as I was going through the answers for an Academic reading text. The topic of the text was research in the field of psychology.

The student got most of the answers wrong, so at the end of the lesson I talked to her to offer some encouragement as it was the first time she was taking the test. That’s when she told me that she wasn’t upset because of the wrong answers. She was upset because she felt the text had outdated information (she had recently graduated with a Bachelor degree in Psychology) and she had chosen answers based on what she had learned. I explained to her that these texts don’t always have the latest and most accurate information as it takes some time to create the questions for an IELTS test.

True, our first instinct when we read something is to put it either in the ‘Agree’ or ‘Disagree’ box in our head. But that’s not something I recommend during the test. The information you have (or may not have) in the text is what you must base your answers on.

 
Until next time, Good luck!

And the Listening test

So you’ve got the booklet and the answer sheet and you’re clutching that pencil as if your life depended on it. Suddenly, the invigilator hits the Play button. For the first five to ten minutes you concentrate to the maximum and write down the answers. But at some point, maybe around half-way through the recording or just after, your mind seems to drift away. By the time you come back to reality you’ve missed a couple of answers, at which point your brain goes into overdrive and you have no idea what you have to write and you miss one or two more answers.

This happened to me and to a lot of people. Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate for long periods in that kind of artificial environment.

Other reasons for missing answers:

- the testing venue is near a busy road and traffic noises are louder than the recording

- other test takers around you are coughing or sneezing or making noise

These are things we can’t control so you can’t let them get to you. Becoming angry or upset on test day is not going to help you.

What can you do before the test?

- do some practice listening tests and listen without headphones to get used to ambient noises. You can find a lot online these days if you haven’t bought the books with CDs.

- watch the news or documentaries on TV (or listen to the radio), but not while you’re doing something else. Set aside some time for this activity only to see how long you can concentrate. You need to be able to do it for 20 minutes or more.

What can you do during the test?

If you’ve missed some answers, read the text/paragraph again and try to guess them. Most times they will be everyday words and in some cases alternate answers can be accepted as correct.

Until next time, Good luck!

Phrase of the day

Read! Anything and everything.

Hello everybody!

Welcome to The IELTS Corner shop, yet another blog about the famous exam.
But unlike other blogs here you won't find samples of past exams or example answers (genuine or not) and text with errors (provided my trusty keyboard doesn't fail me).

All I can offer is advice and answers to your questions. I have the experience of the test taker, teacher, clerical marker and writer of IELTS preparation books.

In case you were wondering, there is no magic trick that can get you the score you want. You simply need to practise.

If you have any (other) pressing questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Until next time, good luck with your exam.