Acing the IELTS Exam !

What is IELTS?

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is a globally recognized English proficiency test for non-native English speakers. It is essential for students seeking admissions in universities in countries like Canada, Australia, Europe, USA etc. It is also a requirement for people applying for jobs in English speaking countries. Most universities in these countries require an IELTS score of a minimum ranging from 6.0 to 7.5 band. The exam is graded on a scale of 1.0 to 9.0 with 9.0 specifying that the candidate is an expert English user. IELTS assesses the candidates in 4 key sections of the language – Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. The grading criteria includes coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy. The test has rigorous standards making it a crucial step in international education and career aspirations.

From the official website

The test is offered in 2 different formats – Academic and General Training.

The Academic version is designed for those who are planning to pursue their higher education in English speaking countries. It focuses on language skills relevant to understanding and writing complex texts and reports.

The General Training format is suitable for the candidates applying for international jobs. It focuses on practical everyday English skills required for social and workplace communications. The test is conducted in a center either on a paper or computer. That choice is left to the applicants.

The Preparation

Since I plan to pursue my Masters degree in Germany, I opted for the IELTS Academic format, computer-based. Most universities in Germany require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5, which I found would be quite easy for me as I have been learning and speaking English since I was young. I have always had a fairly good command over the language, garnering praise from all of my teachers, all through my school and college studies. That is why I decided to aim a little higher for a score of about 7.5 to 8.

I began my initial preparation by understanding the exam format and scoring. There are many courses available online and in person as well that guarantee a score of 7.5-8.0. But I never considered joining them for 2 reasons – one, I felt that this was the best chance of testing my English skills organically and two, these classes are expensive and a good score can surely be obtained by self-studying. There are a plethora of videos on YouTube that are amazingly helpful.

A channel I would highly recommend - IELTS Advantage

The reading and listening sections have 40 questions each. These were my strengths and I was confident I would score at least a band 8 in both of them. To familiarize myself with the types of questions and time management, I completed a few mock tests that were available online for free through the official websites.

Image generated from Chatgpt based on my post.

The speaking section entails the candidate having a real conversation with the examiner on a variety of topics chosen by the examiner during the exam itself. Preparing for this was a tad hard as it is not possible to simulate the environment while doing it by yourself. I faced the same challenge while preparing for the writing section as I had no one to review my essay answers and provide me feedback. So, I figured out the next best option and turned Chatgpt into my teacher. He (yes I refer to chatgpt as “he”) would evaluate my essays and provide me suggestions for improvement. Believe me or not, this came pretty handy and I was able to refine my writing skills a lot.

The Incredible Results!

As anyone would be, I naturally was very nervous before the exam. I had my speaking test first, which went quite well and I left the room expecting a decent score of 7. Next were the Listening, Reading and Writing tests. I figured I could safely hope for a score of 8 in both reading and listening, and a score of 7 in writing, bringing my overall band to a good 7.5.

But fate had much better plans for me. I spent the remainder of the day and a better part of next day refreshing my results page. And finally, at around 7:30 pm the results were out.

I could not believe my eyes! I scored an overall band of 8.5 with perfect scores (9.0) in both reading and listening. I was stunned to realise that all of my answers for the 80 questions asked were correct! My speaking and writing scores, a band 7.5 in both, were higher than my expectation as well.

I was overjoyed and immediately called up my parents and friends to give them the good news. As their congratulations cheers poured in, I felt an overwhelming sense of fulfilment. This wasn’t just a score for me, this was a much needed push in my future academic journey.

The official certificate

That's all for this post, guys. Hope it was informative!