Dear All,

I got my IELTS result yesterday and scored an average of 8.

• Listening: 8.5
• Reading: 9
• Writing: 7
 Speaking: 7

I just want to share my experience as I received a lot of messages and comments to share tips
and preparation guideline. Indeed, there are people in this group who are far better than me and
I am just willing to help as I know studying for IELTS can be a daunting task.
First of all, Book your IELTS Test! Believe me, you won’t take it seriously until you have a
DEADLINE. I book my CBT (AEO) in the last week of August for September 30th so that I have at
least a month to prepare.

Listening:
I practiced for this module from Cambridge English IELTS Books 10-14. Practice is the key to
success, my scores started to increase as I practiced more and more. After I completed the said
book tests, I attempted around 5-6 tests from IELTSONLINETESTS.COM
https://ieltsonlinetests.com/ielts-exam-library#general-training just to have an idea about CBT,
however, I found them little challenging than books. I watched very few Liz videos
(https://www.youtube.com/user/ieltsliz) regarding Listening.

 On the test day, I got fill in the blanks, MCQs, write the correct letter and drag and drop.
 The only way to succeed in listening is to stay ahead of the audio script!
 Don’t consume time only on reading individual sections. Utilize your time efficiently.
 In the last section of my test, I even left one blank because I got distracted (don’t know
why).
 In MCQs, the speakers will talk about all the options but would only agree on one right
answer so you need to focus on that.
 I got no time to recheck my answers as I finished my listening part in exact time frame.
 Section 4 is easy and straight forward. You just need to skim it completely and develop
synonyms in your head while listening to the audio.

Reading: same as Listening for preparation.

 I completed my test in 45 minutes so I had 15 minutes to recheck.

 Fill in the blanks are always in order which helps to save time.
  For matching/write the correct letter, I always read a single paragraph > read all the
answers > match the paragraph letter with the answer > move to the next paragraph. This
trick always works for me.
 True /False/Not Given: The answer is only true if it is clearly stated in the paragraph in
exact words or appropriate synonyms. Select false only if a counter version is clearly
evident. Otherwise the answer is usually not given. For False and NG, always rule out the
possibility of False and then look out whether the information is given or not. If there’s
no information about this at all, then go for NG.

Writing:
I wrote total of 3 essays and 5 letters for practicing. Got my one letter and essay evaluated from
Anam Ahsan.
I watched following two video from E2 IELTS which I found very useful in understanding the
structure of an essay.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLpGuPSoqnE&list=PLdawRnR9ilZDbeQ7SnUmbYJ0
UojhGpAMx&index=23
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvVc9oiFDQI
Though I downloaded some PDFs from the group such as ’51 letters for GTW Task 1’ and ‘Ideas
for essays’ but I didn’t even go through it. :D

My Task 1 was:
A local sports center has advertised about swimming lessons. Write a letter and ask for more
information. In your letter:
- tell them how well do you swim
- why are you interested in taking swimming lessons?
- Ask further questions about the swimming lessons
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam,

My Task 2 was:
In some countries, young people at the age of 18 are considered adults and can drive a car,
vote and get married, while other countries don't allow it. What age do you think is the best to
be considered an adult? Give reasons and examples.

As far as I remember, I wrote 180+ words in Task 1 and 285+ words in Task 2. Also while writing
second body paragraph, I saw that there were only 7 minutes’ left so I wrote my conclusion first
and then finished the paragraph.
Speaking:
I watched the following videos:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfaypJIDolk
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nMdvU098Kg
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71AfQMyehQ0

Part 1:
Do you work or study? Do you find your work easy? Has your nature of work changed recently?
Questions about furniture. What kind of furniture do you have at your home? Have you ever
received a piece of furniture as a gift? Would you like to buy any piece of furniture for your home
and why?
Some questions about text messages. Do you prefer call or text messages? Why? Have you ever
receive a text message that you weren’t able to understand? You will invite someone over a call
or a text message? What would you prefer, if you want to give some important news to
someone?

Part 2:
Describe a friend you know who shares her feelings openly.

Part 3:
More questions related to expressing feeling and how are people expressing their feelings
nowadays.
How men and women express themselves, do you find any difference?
What is better a logical decision or an emotional decision?

P.S.
• If you are appearing through AEO, they’ll provide you with stationery, water bottle and
softmints (eat them after every module) LOL
• You can also get a locker if you wish to carry your mobile phone with you
• There is a waiting area if someone is accompanying you
• Anxiety is normal, you’ll get better once you’ll be done with your identification and biometrics
• In CBT, speaking test is before LRW
• Headphone will be provided
• You will be sitting in a cubicle and select font size as ‘large’

Good Luck and Best Regards,

Sana Saeed