Thank you. I used the materials found in this link https://drive.google.com/folder/d/0Bz7Xm1dw9s5VUDlUTlFpOFk4RTQ/edit It's complete with audio recordings and sample questions. I practiced answering as many sample questions from various years as I could. Since, I was sure my Centre uses headphones for the listening test, I practiced with headphones too.
Wish you success on your next attempt.
Thanks for this. I'd want some other materials to prepare properly just in case you have. Any need to pay for tutorial in addition. I intend writing this exam early next year.
maxnedu11: how long does payment through internet banking take before confirmation I paid mine through the Gtbank banking app and no confirmation after four working days
most people won't answer u,I didn't get any either,contact them through there Facebook page British council Nigeria, make sure its the active page.If you are being referred to email, tell the operator you already done that but proved abortive, insist on being referred there representative on facebook page called Shalewa ,she will sort it in few hours.
Saintsquare: most people won't answer u,I didn't get any either,contact them through there Facebook page British council Nigeria, make sure its the active page.If you are being referred to email, tell the operator you already done that but proved abortive, insist on being referred there representative on facebook page called Shalewa ,she will sort it in few hours.
thanks, I actually sent them a mail with full details of the transaction and they were able to fix the issue within some minutes..thanks
Thanks for this. I'd want some other materials to prepare properly just in case you have. Any need to pay for tutorial in addition. I intend writing this exam early next year.
No, you do not need extra tutorials. The test isn't as tough as people feel it is. You just need to prepare well for it, get familiar with the nature of the test, and you will ace it.
The materials on the link I shared was all I used. I think they'll serve you well.
I would also recommend 'Ieltsliz'. I suggest you spend enough time on her blog and watch as many of her YouTube videos as you can. I found her tips and approach very effective.
No, you do not need extra tutorials. The test isn't as tough as people feel it is. You just need to prepare well for it, get familiar with the nature of the test, and you will ace it.
The materials on the link I shared was all I used. I think they'll serve you well.
I would also recommend 'Ieltsliz'. I suggest you spend enough time on her blog and watch as many of her YouTube videos as you can. I found her tips and approach very effective.
Wish you success as you prepare. Cheers!!!
hello .I v been watching Ieltsliz for my upcoming exam and its cool.I took the speaking test two days ago.during the test,d examiner was writing down numbers like 14,13,7,6,9.what could dat mean? I was told to talk for two minutes but after smtime, I stopped and the examiner asked if I had any other thing to say,I said more few words bf he told me to stopped.hope I no Bleep up for dat side?
chaiks: hello .I v been watching Ieltsliz for my upcoming exam and its cool.I took the speaking test two days ago.during the test,d examiner was writing down numbers like 14,13,7,6,9.what could dat mean? I was told to talk for two minutes but after smtime, I stopped and the examiner asked if I had any other thing to say,I said more few words bf he told me to stopped.hope I no Bleep up for dat side?
For those doing speaking. First of all. Walk in confidently, and be dressed smart and modestly, with a good smile. Have in mind that d examiner is another struggling human being just like you. It's not a test of knowledge so you need not be vast in law, politics or any field. All you need to proof is that you can communicate effectively. It's also the least demanding part of the IELts exams in my humble opinion, yet it's important, as it can set off an unnecessary cascade of unwarranted exam panic for the other parts of the tests.
Part 1: Give short simple answers. eg Do you work or study?, "yes I currently work as a doctor with the Lagos state government". A sentence or 2 is just fine.
Part 2: make sure u touch all d questions in the cue cards given. The best way to use up your 2 mins is to build your skills in story telling. Use stories to buttress your points. Use adjectives too, like he is a "friendly" person, then use related words to friendly to stress your point, with a story to validate your fact.
Part 3: Once u have shined in part 2, u should be more confident in this part, now the show is now yours for the taking. Answer your question, give a reason for your answer, give an example to support it, and you should be cool enough.
Most people even on a bad day pick a 7 in speaking, but aim higher, it could be a good saving grace ahead
Finally, know that none of us should have an issue with speaking, as we have spoken English all our lives. What however comes in the way is fear and extreme lack of confidence. Kick that out and sour. Goodluck
Just saw my result now. LRWS 8.5, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5. Happy to share materials I used. First and foremost, please bring out time to research and practice, so buy ENOUGH DATA Everyone on this thread have been so helpful. If you can please read the pages from beginning to end.
SPEAKING I watched Jay E2 langugae video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXvQ-_3IZts This would teach you how to elaborate your answers, most especially in part 2. Just remain calm, speak clearly, look them straight in the eye and be confident, you'll be fine. Please NEVER answer "I don't Know". When using examples use "firstly, secondly, for instance, etc. Google "emma ielts speaking tips". Was helpful too.
LISTENING Continous practice and practice. I used www.ieltsonlinetests.com If you can, do all the listening there. Was so difficult in the beginning till I got a grip of it. Hardly ever scored 8 there but I kept practicing.
READING I looked at the questions first then went back to the passage to look for the answers. My strategy was to finish section 1 first, then went to section 3, then back to section 2. Continous practice and practice would make you perfect this. lots of materials online to practice. I have enough GT reading which I would happily send. Drop your email
WRITING Had no strategy at all till I found Jay E2 language youtube channel. This guy is the best teacher, watched all his videos, most especially types of questions for section 2(Agree/Disagree, Opinion, Discuss both views, etc). His strategy is the best He explains and gives you time to practice. Videos are quite long but worth it. Check out his youtube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmkCsWMWY60&list=PLdawRnR9ilZDZX22EGs9Ru5mOgQDzRVlt Finally I used a dark 2B pencil to write. People that use pen, I dont know how they do it. If I used pen, I for dey cancel cancel. I know myself, I always make mistakes. Also when I remember a new word I just use eraser and rewrite
Finally Pray to God, with all my nervousness, If I can ace this, anybody can. Cheers.
I have a General IELTS test to write & I am currently preparing using tests from ieltsonlinetests.com which has ONLY Academic Test.
Academic test seems diff from General tests, But can I use Academics test to prepare for a General tests.
I need suggestions, thanks.
Has anyone written both General & Academic test, I would like to know the difference (In terms of Experience) ?
Wrote Academic bro. Don't know about general, though might write that next year, not sure. Success at it. Academic is more difficult from feedbacks. Peace!
ceiling: The speaking test is probably the most difficult for candidates because they have to speak to someone. Actually, you might not need to worry as much as you do. A number of studies have suggested that candidates feel their speaking skills are weakest when this is not the case. If you can speak confidently, clearly and make your ideas understood, there is no reason why you shouldn't get a reasonable speaking test score. These tips will help: 1. Unless your pronunciation is particularly poor, don't waste time on pronunciation lessons. It is much more beneficial to spend the time acquiring a good range of vocabulary and structure. 2. This is easy to say, but don't be nervous. Think of is like this: if you are really nervous and can't speak then your score will be poor. If you are confident and speak freely, you will have no idea what your score will be - it could be great! 3. Remember your job is to give the assessor something to assess - if you only say 'Yes' or 'No' during the interview, the assessor won't be able to give you a good score. Your job is to give the assessor as much as possible to consider. This means speaking as much as you can. Don't go off topic and don't talk about anything that comes into your head, but speak as much as you can. The assessor will stop you when he is ready. 4. Remember the assessor won't prompt you to speak. If you don't say enough he/she will go onto the next question. If you continue not to say enough, the interview could be very short! 5. Don't ask the assessor what questions mean. All he/she can do if you don't understand is repeat the question. You can though ask the examiner to repeat a question if you are not sure you understood it. 6. As with the writing test, don't show off. Some candidates the interview as a way of showing the assessor what you know. They use sophisticated vocabulary and difficult grammar without really knowing how to use both. The result will be a decline in how well you speak and your score will go down. 7. Extend your answers by giving reasons: a. "I don't really like going to the cinema." b. "I don't really like going to the cinema because it's expensive and I don't like crowds very much." Phase 1 Tips 8. In the first phase of the speaking test, the assessor will ask you questions about yourself. Research the topic! The assessor might say "Tell me about your parents' jobs." If you don't know anything about them, you will be stuck. It can be surprising how little people know about their own situation. 9. Consider this phase of the test meeting someone for the first time and telling them about yourself. Try to be relaxed and keep the conversation going. 10. Don't worry about lying - this is not a test of if you are a good person. If the assessor says "Tell me about your hobbies and interests" and you reply "I don't have any" then you aren't saying enough to allow the assessor to assess you. In situations like this, lie. Make up the wildest story you can imagine. Phase 2 Tips 11. In Phase 2 of the speaking test. You are asked to make a presentation on a topic. It will always be something person, like talking about a holiday you went on. After the test, many candidates suggest they didn't know about the topic which is why they couldn't answer the question. Clearly, this can't be the case. What they mean is they couldn't answer the question because they couldn't think of what to say. If this is the case for you, during the one minute you have to prepare, brainstorm your answer. For example, the assessor my ask you to talk about a holiday you really enjoyed. On you piece of paper, write down questions words: Where? When? Why? What? Who with? How? Etc. When you have asked the questions, answer them: Where? Chiang Mai When? last year Why? celebrate end exams What? climbed mountains / saw hill tribes Who with? uni friends How? bus from Morchit Etc. If you then 'expand' (say as much as you can about) your answers you should fill up your two minutes easily. 12. One of the things you must do in both phases of the speaking test is show a range of grammar structures. In phase two you might be asked to talk about a holiday you had. This is the answer: 'We went to Thailand for our holiday last year. First we went to Bangkok and saw the Grand Palace. Then we went to Ayuthya and saw the ancient city. After that we went to Chiang Mai and met the hill tribes. Finally, we went to Chiang Rai and saw the hill tribes, too." Although grammatically perfect, there are only a few sentence structures used. We could change this by changing the order of things: "Before going to Chiang Rai and seeing the hill tribes we visited Ayuthya and went to the ancient city." This adds another structure to the answer 'Before + Verb + ing' - this will improve your score. Take some time now to look at the answer above and consider as many ways possible including more sentence structures. 13. You can't ask the assessor direct questions about a presentation topic, but it is permissible to 'scope' what you can talk about in a presentation. For example you can as I talk about the hill tribes in Chiang Mai?" The assessor will answer 'Yes' or 'No'. Phase 3 Tips 14. Phase 3 is where the final score is given to a candidate. This is the part of the test where you must excel. Do the best that you can here without trying to hard or getting yourself into problems. Although a number of sources suggest that scores are averaged between the three phases of the speaking test, this stage is where the 'ceiling' is established - you can't get a higher score than your performance in phase 3. 15. Phase 3 is much more like a conversation between you and the assessor. Here he/she doesn't have a script and can ask you anything he/ she wants. If you go off topic, the assessor will make attempts to make sure you stay on topic - there's no point in rehearsing a speech! 16. Amongst other things, in Phase 3 you will be asked to speculate about the future, give and opinion, suggest a solution to a problem, or describe a process or procedure. Try to come up with a complete answer. If you are asked how you would solve traffic problems world wide, don't just talk about buying more buses; consider where the money for the buses would come from, explain how you would raise the money for the buses and persuade people who to use them. This will certainly impress the assessor. 17. Make eye contact with the assessor. Although theoretically you could speak great English with your head down, the fact is you may not come across as confident. Although there is no mark for confidence, you need to present yourself in as positive way as possible.
fizzile: FOR THOSE WHO NEED TIPS IN THE IELTS SPEAKING TEST: IELTS Speaking Test: Key Facts Duration: Between 11 and 14 minutes. Participants: Candidates interviewed individually. The test is recorded. Format: The test consists of three parts. Part 1 (Interview) Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking test lasts between 4 and 5 minutes. The examiner will ask some simple 'getting-to-know-you' questions which will help the examiner find out a little about you and help put you at ease. These will be general questions such as about your family, your studies, where you come from or what your interests are. Example Questions Q: Where are you from? Q: Why are you studying English? Q: Have you visited any English speaking countries? Q: Do you play any sports? Tips! Giving full, relevant answers to the examiner's questions will help get the interview off to a good start. 1) Avoid giving short, uncommunicative replies. Q: Where are you from? A: I'm from Hoorn in the Netherlands. (Don't stop there!) It's about 35 kilometers north of Amsterdam. It's a modern city but with a lot of history and a lovely place to live. 2) Avoid short, 'yes', 'no' answers to closed questions. (These are questions beginning 'Have you ...', 'Do you ...', 'Is it ...' etc which can be answered simply with a yes or no answer). Q: Have you visited any English speaking countries? A: Yes. (Don't stop there!) I went to England last year and spent two weeks seeing the sights. A couple of years ago I went to New York with my parents and had a great time. Q: Do you play any sports? A: No. (Don't stop there!) I'm not really interested in playing sports. I like watching sport on TV and I really enjoyed keeping up with the Olympics recently. 3) Offer examples to help you explain a statement. Q: Why are you preparing for the IELTS exam? A: Because I need it for my studies. (Don't stop there!) I've been offered a place at a university in England to study on an MBA but I need to show my level of English is good enough. Part 2 (Long Turn) Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test lasts between 3 and 4 minutes (including 1 minute preparation time). The examiner gives you a task card and you have to speak about the subject without interruption for between 1 and 2 minutes. Example Task Example 1) Describe a place you have visited that you have fond memories of. You should say: where this was why you went there what you did there and what it was about the place that makes it so memorable. Example 2) Describe your favourite personal possession. You should say: what this possession is when you first got it when you use it and why it's so important to you. Tips! 1. Use your 1 minute preparation time wisely and make notes of the points you'd like to make. 2. The question will help you with the structure of your talk. The introduction can include the item itself and maybe a brief description. The main body of your talk could describe the situation when you acquired the object and go on to explain when you use it. You can then end with an explanation of why the object is so important. 3. Try to avoid giving a very dry, unimaginative introduction such as ' The object I'm going to describe is ....'. Get your talk off to a memorable start with something on the lines of: 'If I was about to lose everything and could only save one thing it would be my ... ', or 'I've got several things that mean a lot to me but the one that really stands out is my ... ' 4. If you're concerned about not having enough to talk about for 1 to 2 minutes or running out of time before you've finished, the answer is to practise as often as possible. Time yourself and ask a friend for feedback. Part 3: (Two-Way Discussion) In Part 3 of the test, which lasts between 3 to 4 minutes, the examiner will ask you questions linked to the topic in Part 2. Example Questions (Based on example topics in Part 2 above) Q: It is sometimes argued that local cultures are being destroyed by tourism. Why do think people might feel this? Q: What benefits do people get from travelling to other countries? Q: Do you think people are becoming too materialistic? Q: To what extent are people's buying habits affected by advertising? Tips! 1. If you need time to collect your thoughts use expressions (sparingly) like: ' That's a good question.', 'Well, let me think ...'. 2. Don't forget to avoid short, 'yes', 'no' answers. Try to offer examples to back up a statement. 3. Help make your contributions memorable. Try explaining a point using a short, personal anecdote. 4. If the examiner asks a question that you don't understand, take control of the situation with questions such as those that appear below. Responding like this will show evidence of your communication skills. A) If the examiner uses a word or phrase that you don't understand, say something like: "Sorry but could you explain what you mean by ........" or "I haven't come across that word/expression before. Could you explain what you mean?" B) If you simply didn't hear something that was asked, respond with: "Excuse me, I didn't quite catch that. Could you say that again?" "I'm sorry, but would you mind repeating that?" C) If you want to make sure you've understood what the examiner has asked you could say: "Do you mean ........" "When you say ........, do you mean/are you asking ........?
Please, how is result sent? I wrote the exam on 9th December and I have been expecting the result since 22nd December but nothing yet. I wrote the exam in Ibadan but my address is Ilorin. How much longer will I have to wait? Or is there anything I can do to get it faster! I need it before the end of the week. Any help?