The main tip for an IELTS exam is to “beat time”.
Listening to our students commenting “there isn’t sufficient time for all the questions to be completed” is the most common feedback, thereby, them having to repetitively take the IELTS exam. So, most of the time, we are preparing frustrated students who just need simple tips to get by.
Today, we will show you three simple IELTS tips that will save you time and get you a higher score! These tips will show you how to do better on the IELTS Reading and Listening tests, and how to plan your study time.
Here are just three simple tips, amongst others, on saving time in your exam:
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Tip 1:
Use the IELTS structure to your advantage:
On the Listening test at the end of section 1, instead of checking your answers when the recording tells you to do so, go directly to section 2 questions and start reading them. You will still have time to check your answers at the end because you will have ten minutes to transfer your answers. Understand the test structure and be strategic about how you use your time to get a higher score. -
Tip 2:
Do things in the right order to save time:
On the Reading test, time management is a problem for a lot of people. The order in which you do things on the Reading test can save time. Many people say that matching headings takes a long time but if you do it by paragraph order, you can save time. Do it paragraph by paragraph. Don’t go in the order of headings. Go to paragraph 1, look at the list of headings, pick a suitable one. Next, do the same with paragraph 2. This way you won’t read a paragraph more than once. You will not be wasting time. The less you read, the more time you save! -
Tip 3:
Find out what your weaknesses and strengths are:
Everyone is different. Try to find out where you need to focus as soon as possible. You can do a practice tests with your teacher/trainer under real exam conditions. Do the Listening test without stopping the recording and do the Reading test within 60 minutes. When you finish, look at where you got stuck. Did you run out of speaking ideas? Was time management a problem on the reading test? Don’t just continue doing practice tests and repeating the same mistakes. Once you know your weaknesses, go back home and practice again focusing on building the right strategies to apply in your actual exam.
Reminder: You need to prepare for the exam preferably with an experienced IELTS trainer.
