My IELTS Struggle for CLB 9

Disclaimer: I have received my Permanent Residence (PR) last month as a regular candidate who did all
of his end-to-end immigration processing by himself without any agent’s help. Please note that I am NOT
an immigration consultant neither an IELTS instructor. The following suggestions and directions are
solely based on my own research findings and efforts. Moreover, they may not be applicable to every
person planning to attempt the IELTS exam.

Finally, I generally don’t write suggestions on forums, blogs, and on social media because I am hell of a
lazy person and hate typing. However, after seeing many folks struggling for Canadian Immigration
and trying hard to get desired IELTS score, I have decided to write the SUMMARY of my own efforts
toward my CLB 9 achievement.

Motivation: In my whole immigration journey, the IELTS was the most painful milestone to attain. The
most important part for CLB 9 is to keep-up your motivation levels. Due to the LACK of courage and
FEAR of embracement, I can not disclose how many IELTS attempts I have personally given. However,
if after 2-3 attempts of IELTS with no success, you feel low and heartbroken! Then please rethink of
immigration to Canada (I am not discouraging anyone here). So shake your head, stand-up and fight for
your dreams. For the sake of motivation, just imagine yourself taking a selfie at ‘Niagara falls’, making a
snowman in the winter, or visualize posting simple Facebook check-ins to the places which would get you
a lot of comments, likes and reactions on Facebook. OK ENOUGH WITH THE MOTIVATION! Let’s
get to business:

‘YouTube is your best friend for getting CLB 9 in IELTS exam’: Syed Kashif Ali

Listening
The CLB 9 requires you to get 8 bands in listening module. It is the only module in CLB 9 which requires
8 bands. Some people find it the second hardest module in IELTS while writing module is considered the
hardest one. In my opinion, IELTS listening is not just a simple English listening module, it is also a
concentration test ‘you missed a phrase or sentence, you have just lost the mark’. Here are two tips for
getting 8+ bands:

Practice Listening: This channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIgELCOfrcYA9jWF4TOJUnQ)

everyday publishes a listening recording based on listening test format. Your target should be to practice
4-5 tests a WEEK. In my all IELTS attempts, only once I got 7.5 bands (poor concentration on that day)
otherwise I always got 8, 8.5 or 9 bands. This channel is a gift from heavens, please Utilize it!

Practice Concentration: It is not your mistake that you have been watching famous Urdu/Hindi TV
Serials (e.g., Zindagi Gulzar Hai) and Bollywood movies, and now suddenly you want to move to Canada
but IELTS recordings are going over your head. No worries! Keep on reading.
Kindly note that in the context of ‘IELTS listening Concentration’, the level varies from person to person,
but I believe it is strongly linked with your upbringing and your relationship with Anglophonic
environment. As a 100 % village boy (i.e., Paindoo), my childhood was filled with PTV dramas and
Bollywood movies. However, in 2007, as I moved to Rawalpindi and started my bachelors, I was
introduced to English series (e.g., Two and Half Men, Prison Break) and rap music. Till this day, there is
no going back to Urdu/Hindi dramas or even Bollywood stuff. This phenomenon, thankfully, has helped
me to improve my listening skills and brought me to almost at par with a native English ‘listener’ (some
British accents are not included though).

So how can you improve your concentration? Generally, people will suggest you to watch/listen different
documentaries. But I would HIGHLY recommend you to listen to the dialogue oriented conversations.
Simply open YouTube, find some clips from Hollywood movies or TV seasons (sitcoms are my preferred
choice) and focus on how information is flowing between actors. In addition, listen TV debates (e.g.,
CNN, FOX, BBC) where guests are discussing different policy issues. Your goal should be to understand
or perhaps repeat the flow of information from one speaker to another. By doing so, you will be training
your brain for concentration.

*One type of question: map/diagram labeling is a tough nut to crack. Please practice all available tests on
YouTube related to this task. I don’t have any tip for this question.

Speaking
The CLB 9 requires you to get 7 bands in speaking module. I personally believe that speaking is the
easiest module in IELTS test and 7 bands should not be difficult to attain.

Again kindly note that the speaking ability may vary from person to person; I am confident that it can be
improved dramatically. To be honest, in two of my attempts, I got 6 and 6.5 bands (both times same
examiner though who was herself not a good speaker). In my opinion, the examiner’s attitude/personality
can also impact your speaking score. Nevertheless, I changed/fixed my strategy and never got lower than
7-8 bands. To be clear, I am currently living in Australia and my day to day activities involve a lot of
communication with native and non-native speakers. In addition, I have given all of my attempts in
Melbourne, Australia. So my tips may be bit of Australia specific. Here are some tips that worked for me:

Don’t Fake/Mix Your Accent/Pronunciation: Accept it that we are not native English speakers. On
your speaking day, don’t try to become American, British or Australian. First of all, IELTS examiners
already know from your registration profile that you are not a native speaker. Secondly, it is a language
communication test not an ‘accent test’. One problem is with not native speakers is that they mix
pronunciations of different accents. For instance, in British or Australian accent, the word ‘Herbs’ is
pronounced with the sound of ‘H’, in comparison, in American accent; it is pronounced as ‘erbs’ and ‘H’
sound is omitted. Similarly, the word ‘lieutenant’, a military rank, in British or Australian accent is
pronounced as ‘leftenant’, with the sound of ‘F’, while, there is no ‘F’ sound in American accent. Now
imagine that during your speaking exam you are telling the examiner that “Yesterday, I had a soup made
of ‘erbs’ (American pronunciation) with my ‘leftenant’ (British pronunciation) friend”, the examiner is
going to think: “hmmmmm, A British and American born Pakistani or a confused speaker?”
Fix Your Pronunciation: So now you have picked/decided a pronunciation method that you will use for
speaking. Good for you! Now fix your actual pronunciation. Problem with Urdu or any Local Pakistani
language speakers is that our native language words and their pronunciations are not in continuous forms,
and this impacts our English speaking efforts. For instance, the word ‘Khoobsurat’ is a combination of
two words: ‘Khoob’, ‘Surat’. So we literally say ‘Khoobsurat’ as a combo of ‘Khoob+Surat’. English
language is another game. When it combines two words, the whole pronunciation of the new word is
changed. For example, two words: ‘Alter’, ‘Native’, when combined as one word ‘Alternative’ has
different sound. Here our native language instincts kick-in and we mispronounce it by saying ‘Alter-
Native’. Check out the online pronunciation of ‘Alternative’. You can fix this problem; install any
dictionary software/application in your phones or computer which provides the meanings as well as
pronunciation of words. Learn the correct sounds and delivery of words.

Try to Gain Flow: OK, so we have fixed the accent confusion and pronunciation issue. Now try to gain a
natural flow for speaking. First thing which is really important is to understand that what are natural
pauses, emphasis and tone changing during a conversation and where to use them. Just like our native
languages, during speaking, we go up and down in volume and focus on some words and phrase; same
thing is required in IELTS speaking.

Let me give you an example, stand in front of a mirror or may be record your voice on your phone and
read this sentence in one go: ‘I SAW the dog running towards me, and I thought he would stop at the gate
and BARK there, but NOPE he LITERALY attacked me.’ Now read/record the same sentence with this
convention: for commas ‘,’ take a slight pause, for ‘small font words’ slightly lower your volume than
normal, and for the CAPITAL words bring your volume a bit up. Believe me you will feel the difference
right away.

Prepared answers are always sound like the memorized lessons. PLEASE DO NOT DO IT.

One of my tricks that worked for me was Not-To-Be-A-Dead-Body. I used to look straight to the
examiner’s face with smile and changing facial expressions while talking. Don’t look here and there while
talking. Also, I would slightly add a little movement to my head, neck, shoulders and hands during my
conversation. Believe me it helps to boost your confidence and keeps the other person engage.

Don’t Over or Under-Kill: Answer the question within the context by putting useful information in it.
Also, having a good vocabulary is an excellent and advantageous point. However, using it properly is the
key. Do not put fancy words in each of your sentences and do not use or repeat simple words in your
sentences either. One liner or too short answers are always score killers. To understand this question, see
the following example:

Question: What types of food are famous in your city?

Optimal Answer: Well! My city is globally known for a variety of foods. Since it is a huge metropolitan
and people from different parts of my country are working and living in it, we have a range of cuisines
which represent the different cultures of my country. But some of the famous dishes are “Biryani, and
Roasted Chicken”. In fact, recently, national geographic channel made a documentary on our city’s food
life which I am really proud of.

*Foods, cuisines, dishes are showing your range of vocabulary. Last sentence is contextual information.
Under-Kill Answer: My city is famous for many foods. It is a big City. We have many foods which
represent the many cultures of my country. Some famous foods are “Biryani, Roasted Chicken, Roasted
Mutton, Kebabs, Soups, and Fry Fish”. We like these food very much.

*Over usage of similar words: ‘city, many, foods’ and use of small and simple sentences is an under-kill.

Over-Kill Answer: My city is famous for many many foods. Since it is a huge and massive metropolitan
and people from different parts of my country are working and living in it, we have a range of
mesmerizing cuisines which represent the different spectacular cultures of my country. But some of the
astonishing foods are “Biryani, Roasted Chicken, Roasted Mutton, Kebabs, Soups, and Fry Fish”. In fact,
recently, national geographic channel made a very contemplating and thought provoking documentary on
our city’s food lifecycle.

*Similar words in a sentence: ‘Many, Many’. Similar meaning words in a sentence: ‘Huge, Massive’.
Irrelevant usage or unnatural combination of words/phrases: ‘Mesmerizing cuisines, spectacular cultures,
astonishing foods, contemplating and thought provoking foods’ is an over kill.

Finally, as many people under different posts/threads have commented. Follow the tips from YouTube
channel of Jay Marlo: E2Language (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCglDIsg_Z9mE2oT9hsrbzFA).
Listen to his tips, understand and practice the test format and you won’t regret it.

Reading
The CLB 9 requires you to get 7 bands in reading module. The reading module requires you to have three
main skills which are easy to learn. In my first attempt, I got 6.5 bands. After executing the following
tips, I never got less than 8 bands. Here are my three tips for 7+ bands:

Time Management: First thing first, time management is really necessary. Remember that the reading
module becomes tough in a linear order. In simple words, section 2 would be more difficult than section
1; section 3 would be more difficult than section 2 and so on. So practice in a way that you complete
section 1 in less time than section 2. Similarly, complete section 2 in less time than section 3, etc.

ONE PRO TIP is that sections like fill in the blanks, and True, False, Not Given, will have the answers in
the text/passage in same order as the questions. For instance, if the answer for first ‘fills in the blank’ is
found in second paragraph. The answer for second ‘fill in the blank’ will not be present in the first
paragraph for sure; so do not waste your time in finding the answer in the first paragraph. In simple
words, as the questions move on, the answers also move on in the passage/text.

Skimming Through Text: Always use ‘Keywords’ as markers to skim through the text. For practice,
take the print out of text/passages and start underlining the important words, phrases and sentences of
information. Read the text to obtain the main/summary idea but do not try to go deep in the logical
information. Now combine this skill with the next point.

Synonyms and Antonyms: One thing that I have learned from IELTS reading is that if you can find
similar and opposite meaning words in a given text, you can easily find answers. First, start by
understanding the question that what is being asked then start skimming through the text and focus on
finding similar/ opposite words. For instance, a fill in the blank can be like ‘The _____ is not an easy
task.’ and the text may be like ‘The process is a difficult job.’ The main point here is to understand that
‘not easy task’ is equal to ‘difficult job’ and the answer is ‘Process’.

Finally, for more practice and tips, follow the tips from YouTube channel of Jay Marlo: E2Language
(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCglDIsg_Z9mE2oT9hsrbzFA).

*A quick tip for preparation is to classify the different types of reading questions such as fill in the blanks,
paragraph labeling, True, False, Not Given, etc. Listen and note down his tips for each type of questions,
and practice for each type of questions online. Some reading exercises can be found on another YouTube
channel here: (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNM_fVdVf7x38r-AJ0u6cmg)

Writing
The CLB 9 requires you to get 7 bands in writing module. The writing module was the main hurdle
between me and Canada. Oh! It really tested my nerves and patience during my IELTS wars. Every time,
believe me, every time! It was 6.5 bands, except in my last two attempts I got consecutively 7 bands. And
it is painful to say that the tricks for 7 bands were the easiest one to follow. I wish I knew them. So here
are four simplest tips:

Task Attainment: Please understand the question and answer accordingly. In Task 1, three types of
possible letters can be asked for writing: Formal, Informal, and Semi-formal. In task 2, there are 5-6 types
of essay questions: Opinion, Discuss Both Views + (which one outweighs other!), Agree and Disagree (to
what extent you agree/disagree!), Advantages and Disadvantages + (which one outweighs other!),
Problem and Solutions. DO NOT WRITE less than the required number of words.

Structure: Make the structure/template for the above mentioned formats of task1 and 2. Follow the
videos of E2Language channel. Good handwriting is always a plus.

Spelling, Vocabulary and Grammar: Wrong spellings and grammar are solely your responsibility
(period). Again use proper vocabulary in writing and don’t try to put wrong phrases and words which do
not make sense. Remember and apply the over-kill and under-kill concept here.

Sentences: OK! So this was the culprit for me. I did not understand this concept in my earlier IELTS
attempts. Understand and practice writing three types of sentences: Simple, Compound and Complex. In
Task 1, use simple + compound + 3-4 complex sentences, and in task 2, use simple + compound + 5-6
complex sentences. For instance, I am writing these tips for you guys (simple sentence). I am writing
these tips for you guys and I hope you will like them (compound sentence). Although I am writing these
tips for you guys, I am not sure that you will like it (complex sentence).

*Finally, ladies and gentlemen, I can’t stress more on you guys to follow the YouTube channel of Jay
Marlo: E2Language (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCglDIsg_Z9mE2oT9hsrbzFA) for Writing
practice and improvement. Each type of task question is thoroughly explained in separate videos. Watch
these videos and practice them as much as you can and you are ready to go.

Yap this is it! This is how I got my CLB 9.

If you like it, please share with your friends and family who are preparing for IELTS and remember me in
your prayers and give me credit when you achieve your desired score.

Best of Luck and may be see you in Canada 