How to score Band 8 or more in the IELTS exam?

The IELTS has two formats of tests, both formats of the IELTS, i.e. the IELTS Academic Test and the IELTS General Training test  have four sections, i) Listening, ii) Speaking, iii) Reading and iv) Writing. It is observed that the candidates face most trouble in achieving higher band on the writing test, as it is the toughest of the four. If you are going to appear for the IELTS exam you have to start your preparation well ahead of the exam. If you are from a non-English speaking country, at first you will have to learn the basic English grammar, listen to lots of English audio, practice ‘Spoken English’ with your friends or a teacher, also you will have to write a lot of English essays and letters and get them corrected by an IELTS experienced teacher.

Following the above methods, you will have to improve your level of English knowledge to come to a standard, from where you can start your preparation for the IELTS exam. At the first stage of your preparation, you should take the help of the Internet. A hoard of the IELTS exam materials is available on the internet. Now when it comes to final preparation for the IELTS exam you should take admission in a ‘Reputed Professional Institute’ where expert and experienced teachers teach the candidates how to get higher band scores in the exams. Apart from teaching, the institutes take a series of mock tests which replicates the original tests.

These tests prepare a candidate thoroughly for the actual test. Through the normal way of preparation, any candidate can get a band score of 6 to 7. But when it comes to achieving a band score of 8 or more, it takes some extra efforts and some extra wits as well. Taking mock tests repeatedly a teacher or an institute can locate the weak areas of a candidate and make him work extra hard for developing on those areas. Starting your preparation at least two months before the test is a wise decision.

How to get Band 8 in the IELTS Listening Test: First, start by listening to downloaded free sample audio lessons from the internet, listen again and again, so that you can understand the English accent of the native-English speakers. Be specific on what type of audios you should listen. Say you are opting for going to the USA and you are going to take the IELTS Academic Test. You should download conversations of American speakers. Listen to the audios repeatedly to make yourself comfortable with the American accent.

Now during the test:

• Scoring high in the listening test requires a high level of concentration to listen the audio and write the answers at the same time, you just can’t afford to lose your concentration even for a fraction of a second.

• Use the time you get before the audio starts, by skimming through the blanks that you need to fill, try to guess the probable questions.

• Now listen to main audio with full attention, when it is played and questions are asked.

• Watch out for the important keywords in the question booklet and underline them, as they will be handy if you get lost in between conversations.

• When each section comes to an end, in case if you have missed answering a question or two try your best to remember what you have heard in the audio and answer them using your common sense or your instinct.

• If you are asked to answer in one word and you answer in two words, you won’t get any marks, so be accurate.

• You will have to be extremely careful about spelling and singular or plural forms as well.

• If you are attentive to each and every minute detail of the exam and prepare yourself accordingly ahead of the exam, then hopefully you can score as high as Band 8.

• You will have to pay attention to how many words you need to answer in, if you are asked to answer in two words, you have to answer in two words, otherwise you will get no marks for the answer.

If you have gone through lots of mock tests with extreme sincerity, you won’t have to face problems in the real test.

How to get Band 8 in the IELTS Reading Test: The IELTS Reading sample papers are available on the internet in plenty. Download them and practice as per instructions are given there. Getting habituated with the actual exam like question answers maintaining time will push you one step forward. For the best preparation expert guidance from a teacher or an Institute is a must. The IELTS Reading Test is the easiest of the four parts and the time you will get is good enough to complete the job. To get a higher band here are some tips and tricks:

• Before starting answering take a brief but deep look at the questions to gain a general idea of the content.

• Try to remember which paragraph contains what, this way you will be able to save time for answering.

• Read the questions once more so that you can answer perfectly and more efficiently.

• You have to pay keen attention to the number of words in the answers that you are needed to fill. Writing fewer words or more words will bring no marks at all.

• Determine which questions belong to which paragraphs.

• Try easy questions first and the difficult questions afterward.

• After answering the majority of the questions which are easy ones, come back to answer difficult ones. This way you will be able to concentrate more on the difficult ones without any worry.

• Don’t get confused with the answers like: ‘Yes’, ‘No’, ‘True’, ‘False’. If you have a great preparation, hopefully you won’t.

• When you find a phrase as ‘False’ find the exact opposite in the text. Make sure if it is not there, then it is ‘NG’ (Not given).

• Be sharp to find the ‘Yes’ or ‘True’ answers as they are surely there.

• Write the right answers at the right places, don’t mix up your answers causing loss of marks.

• If you are uncertain with any answer, try to guess. A well-prepared student has a higher probability of guessing an answer right

• You can also make the mistake of rethinking your answers. Usually, the right answers pop up in the mind first.

• You should always keep in mind that Reading test takes a test of your ‘Vocabulary’ as well.

How to get Band 8 in the IELTS Speaking Test: The speaking test of the IELTS is rather easy and works as a breather for the candidates. In the first section of the test, the ‘Certified Examiner’ who will take the test will introduce himself and he will ask you to introduce yourself. You should keep one thing mind, that you should speak in full sentences and speak fluently in perfect pronunciation. If you are asked where are you coming from? And you stay in Kolkata at Bagbazar. Your answer should be like: I am from Kolkata in West Bengal at Bagbazar. Don’t just say Kolkata. The examiner will judge how good you are in composing correct and complete sentences.

• Anyway, the first section is more like an Interview, asking formal questions, like: What is the name of your city/village? How is the conveyance there? Etcetera.
  In the next section, you will be given a topic to talk over for 2 to 3 minutes. Here you have to chalk out a plan quickly on how you are going to speak on the topic. Compose and structure it, then start speaking.

• Don’t stop before 2 minutes unless the examiner interrupts you.

• The third section of the test is also like an interview naturally, it is not difficult.

• If you can speak fluently, English in correct pronunciation and be able to deliver well-structured answers getting Band 8 is surely possible.

How to get Band 8 in the IELTS Writing Test: This is undoubtedly the toughest part of all the four sections. Here you need to write an essay or a letter with perfect structure and flawless rich English with a wide range of vocabulary.

For Task1 of the IELTS Writing Test, you will be asked to write a letter, which is of the type as below:

• A Complaint letter : Complaining a situation or a problem in well-composed
• Request letter – A letter requesting for some solution written in a perfect business style
• Request letter – A letter requesting for some solution written in a common personal style
• Job application letter – An application requesting for a job.

 

For Task2 of the IELTS Writing Test, you will be asked to write an essay, in either of the two types:

• An argumentative essay
• A discussion type essay

In cases of both the Tasks, teachers recommend memorizing the formats of each paragraph.

You can make a rough draft quickly for both the tests and re-write them as final answers. You will always get time to proof-read your answers, provided you maintain time, which is highly important. For getting a high band Score as 8 or more you have to:

• Make an impressive start, i.e. your first impression is good, it really counts.

• You need to write a good hand, i.e. your handwriting should be at least legible clearly.

• In the written test at Task1, you need to write an excellent, well composed flawless English with a wide range of vocabulary.

• In the written test at Task2, you need to write more complex sentence structures keeping the meaning of the content transparent.

 

While writing the essay in the IELTS Writing test Do:

• Concise it, don’t write a sentence larger than 15 words.

• Make a plan within 2 to 3 minutes prior to writing, so that you can write a well-organized

• Cohesion is important, i.e. linking your ideas, paragraphs, and sentences together.

• Coherence is desired, i.e. all ideas should be transparent and understandable by the reader.

• Follow the correct essay structure.

• Write in a matured format to reflect your maturity in the thought

While writing the essay in the IELTS Writing test:

– Write too many words, if your English is not good enough. The more you write, the more you will expose your dark side. Do not:

– Write using contractions such as “aren’t”, “shouldn’t”, etc.
– Jump from one idea to another, thus missing the link!

–Write argument for and argument against in the same paragraph, use different paragraphs.
–Write using abbreviations.
– Repeat words uselessly, rather use synonyms.
– Use idioms if applicable don’t use them inappropriately or don’t over use them.
–Look at the clock too often and start panicking.
– Start writing without a plan.
– Forget to leave a blank line between paragraphs.

– Use ‘lazy’ expressions  like “and much more”, “and etc”.
There is no ‘magical rule’ to suggest that do this or do that and you will get Band 8. Getting a Band Score of 8 or even more is not impossible, but it needs a very serious practice under the guidance of an expert. How good a candidate understands the foreign native speaker’s conversation in the listening test and how good he answers makes sure which Band he would get. Similarly, in the reading test a candidate’s ability to understand the contextual idea and answering the questions in excellent English using a wide range of vocabulary with nicely structured sentences and perfection in spelling would decide the Band Score of the candidate.

Originally posted 2016-12-06 12:03:29.