₦airaland Forum

JimmySmilez:
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.

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

maxnedu11:
how did you resolve this issue am in the same problem now

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.

stepo707:
Go to thier office.it will be sorted by Thier finance and you will get a confirmation in 48hrs

yinkeys:
How was the IELTS exam.
I need materials on it.

anakorcj:
People have shared links here and there. If you can't find any from recent threads, p.m me. But its not really scarce

yinkeys:
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.

yinkeys:
Any need for tutorial
I plan writing it soon.
Help out with materials or tips.

hollerbaby:
Hello, please I want to write the exam.. Can I do it without attending tutorials

JimmySmilez:
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!!!

MrBigiman:
No need for tutorials. I didn't do any and I had a perfect score. Will furnish the group with my best tips.

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?

yinkeys:
Shey Na talkative dem dey find.

MrBigiman:
No need for tutorials. I didn't do any and I had a perfect score. Will furnish the group with my best tips.

yinkeys:
I'll be waiting.
9.5 is the target.

truthsayer009:
cc: MrBigiman

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) ?

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
........?

truthsayer009:
cc: MrBigiman

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) ?

Dizzy007:
Click on IELTS Exam library on the site. Go down down, you'll see General Training practice. Check well