IELTS Listening Tips: How to Improve Your Score

Listening may be the easiest IELTS module in which to improve your score.
Why is this? Because in IELTS Listening there are clear strategies which can be learned and
practiced in just a few hours.
That word practice is key, of course. The British Council website offers a full IELTS Listening
practice test, as will any good IELTS textbook. In this post, I focus on the key techniques or
strategies that will help you improve your score.
In the IELTS Listening module, you will hear four passages, each lasting around five minutes.
While listening to each passage, you must answer ten questions. There is time at the end of the
test to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.
This post assumes you are familiar with the IELTS Listening test format. If you aren't, read IELTS
Listening: Introduction first.

IELTS Listening Tip 1: Find ‘anchor’ words in the questions

My first IELTS Listening tip is all about good preparation. Skim the questions before you listen and
pay special attention to ‘anchor’ words. These are usually nouns and often names of people or
places. Not only do anchor words help you to predict the content of the passage, they also help
you navigate through the test. Names of people and places will definitely be mentioned by the
speaker so you can listen for them and avoid getting lost. Other words may be paraphrased by the
speaker, so you cannot depend on them quite so much.
IELTS Listening Tip 2: Identify grammatical clues
This is something you can do before and while listening. Particularly in sentence completion tasks,
pay careful attention to the grammatical form of the sentence. You may have to change the
speaker’s words in order to fit the question. A good example of this is when the speaker uses a
to+infinitive form (‘to agree’) but the question requires an -ing form (‘agreeing’) or even a noun
(‘agreement’). Also, check if the verb is singular or plural, as it can be difficult to catch the plural ‘s’
at the end of a noun while listening.
IELTS Listening Tip 3: Practice targeted listening
This is arguably the most important skill of all in IELTS Listening. Targeted listening is what you do
when you listen for certain information, rather than to what someone is saying. My favourite
example is in a train station. When you hear all those public announcements, do you listen to each
one carefully? No, you probably listen only for the name of your destination. When a friend is
telling you a story, you practice open listening to understand what it is all about. In IELTS
Listening, read the questions first to discover what it is all about, and then use targeted listening to
catch those ten important pieces of information.
IELTS Listening Tip 4: Skip the question if you don't hear the answer
One of the biggest dangers in IELTS Listening, or any listening test, is distraction. The thing most
likely to distract us is a difficult question. What did he say? It’s too late - focus on the next question
instead as that will likely be easier. Remember, in IELTS Listening you only need 30 correct
answers out of 40 to get Band 7, which is a good score. So don’t miss several questions, just
because you didn’t hear the answer to one. Of course, you can still guess the answer, but that can
be done after the Listening section ends.
IELTS Listening Tip 5: Check grammar and spelling
My final IELTS Listening tip is also the easiest to forget. That’s because the listening passages
have ended, you’re tired, and you just want it to be over. However, please check again that your
answers are spelled correctly, fit grammatically, and do not exceed the word limit. As you saw in
IELTS Listening Tip #2, some questions require you to change the speaker’s words to fit a
sentence in the question. An IELTS examiner can forgive very tiny errors of grammar or spelling,
but you certainly don’t want to take that chance.
IELTS Reading Tips: How to Manage Your Time
Time management is my students' biggest concern in IELTS Reading.
The IELTS Reading Academic module requires you to read three passages and answer 40
questions. You have 60 minutes in which to answer, and you can work at your own pace. But how
much time should you spend reading, and how much time answering the questions?
My IELTS Reading tips below are all designed to help you make the best use of your time. Some
of them you will be familiar with, especially skimming (Tip #3). Others may be new techniques that
you haven’t been taught before.
In my view, these are the most effective strategies for getting through the passages and answering
all the questions in IELTS Reading. Try them in your next test.
The article assumes you are familiar with the IELTS Academic Reading test format. If you aren't,
read IELTS Reading: Introduction first.

IELTS Reading Tip 1: Preview the questions first

While reading, your brain is working hard to create a picture of what the passage is about. You
can save your brain the trouble by reading the questions quickly, before you start reading the
passage. The questions provide you with an outline of the contents of the passage, which then
allows you to read more quickly because you know what to expect. However, don’t be tempted to
start answering the questions immediately without taking the time to skim-read the passage.
IELTS Reading Tip 2: Read the introduction first, conclusion next, body last
After previewing the questions, you can start on the passage itself. I recommend spending no
more than five minutes on this stage. What is the best way to approach the passage? I suggest
you read the introduction first, and then skip the body to read the conclusion. The principle is the
same as for Tip #1. It’s easier to read the body when you know in advance where it’s going. As
long as you’ve read both the introduction and the conclusion, it’s not essential to read all
paragraphs in the body.
IELTS Reading Tip 3: Don't read every sentence
My next IELTS Reading tip is basically all about skimming. Skimming is when you read a text
quickly in order to get the general idea. But how does skim-reading actually work? One technique
is to keep your eyes moving forward and avoid ‘backskipping’ when you find a word you don’t
know. Another technique is to look for main ideas, which are usually near the beginning of each
new paragraph. Once you’ve found this idea, you don’t need to read all of the supporting
sentences. A quick glance at the final sentence can help you to confirm if that main idea was the
correct one.
IELTS Reading Tip 4: Underline specific information
This next tip is related to scanning, but it’s something you can do while reading and before you
start answering the questions. If you find the name of a person, place or organisation, underline it.
That’s because these names will almost certainly appear in the questions and you’ll be searching
for them later. That’s also the case for technical terms, which usually come with a definition in the
text. You can save yourself time by multitasking and marking these words for later reference.
Other words that aren’t as specific will probably be paraphrased in the questions.
IELTS Reading Tip 5: Spend no more than one minute per question
This final IELTS Reading tip is very similar to another tip I gave you about IELTS Listening. In both
sections, 30 out of 40 correct answers are enough to get Band 7, which is a good score. You must
manage your time effectively and attempt all 40 questions, including the 30 easiest ones for you.
You don’t want to waste several minutes or more on a tough question which may only be the
difference between 8.5 and 9.0. Make sure you don’t run out of time by spending no more than
one minute on each question. You can always go back at the end and tackle the really difficult
ones again.
IELTS Writing Tips: How to Write 150 or 250 Words
Without a doubt, Academic Writing is the most challenging section of IELTS.
Faced with a blank page, you have only 60 minutes in which to write 400 words by hand. This
includes 150 words describing a diagram or data, plus 250 words giving your opinion on an issue.
It doesn’t help that few people actually write reports or essays by hand nowadays! Therefore, it’s
no surprise that writing 150 or 250 words in the time allowed is the biggest concern of many IELTS
candidates. And yes, there is a penalty in IELTS if you fail to write enough words. Usually this is a
0.5 reduction in your score.
However, when you examine any piece of academic writing, you’ll find that only a small part
consists of original ideas, and most of it is made up of structural language. What does this mean?
It means that certain kinds of sentences are found in all academic writing, and you can use them
regardless of the topic to ensure that you write at least 150 or 250 words.
My IELTS Writing tips below introduce some of these sentence types and how to use them. Try
including these in your own IELTS essays. I can also check your IELTS answers to see if you are
using them effectively.
The article assumes you are familiar with the IELTS Academic Writing test format. If you aren't,
read IELTS Writing: Introduction first.

IELTS Writing Tip 1: Write a detailed thesis statement

You should already have a clear plan for your Task 2 essay when you begin writing your
introduction. Try adding a detailed thesis statement that tells the examiner exactly what you are
going to write about in each paragraph. A thesis statement typically begins with “This essay will…”
or “In this essay, I will…”. Not only is this a great way to add more words to your introduction, it
can increase your score in Coherence and Cohesion, which is based on how well you link your
ideas. The technique can also be used in Task 1, though you’ll need to replace ‘essay’ with
‘report’.

IELTS Writing Tip 2: Repeat the question topic in each new paragraph
One definition of a paragraph is that it should not depend on other paragraphs in order to be
understood. When you begin a new paragraph in Task 1 or Task 2, state the topic again. For
example: “Another reason for the decline in academic standards is…” rather than “Another reason
is…” Although this may seem like repeating yourself unnecessarily, it helps to create a more
academic style of writing. It also helps to move you more quickly towards your goal of writing 150
or 250 words. You’ll get bonus points if you can paraphrase the topic each time you mention it.
IELTS Writing Tip 3: Write transition sentences
A transition sentence connects two stages in your writing. It may refer to what has already been
written, or it may explain what will come next. A good transition sentence can do both: “Having
look at X, I will now turn to Y.” They are incredibly useful in both Task 1 and Task 2 of IELTS
Writing. They help you write more, even when there isn’t a great deal to say. Just like Tip #1, this
writing technique also adds to your score in Coherence and Cohesion.
IELTS Writing Tip 4: Summarise your main points
It’s perfectly normal to reach your conclusion and find that you still need to write at least another
50 words! There’s an easy solution to this, of course. Summarising your main points is a great way
to get extra mileage out of them, as well as to show off your paraphrasing skills. You should do
this only when you need to write those extra words. If your Task 1 answer seems to be at least
150 words already, don’t waste time summarising. Just get straight on to Task 2.
IELTS Writing Tip 5: Predict the future
My final IELTS Writing tip is only for use when you’ve summarised your main points but your
answer still looks a little too short. It also works for both tasks. In Task 1, look at the data you’ve
been given and predict where it’s likely to go in future. Technically, you aren’t supposed to do this,
but it’s a perfectly fine technique to add a little extra information. In Task 2, a conditional sentence
is a very useful method of predicting the future. If your advice isn’t followed, what could happen?
IELTS Speaking Tips: How to Achieve 7.0
IELTS Speaking Band 7 is the target for many of my students.
But why is it so difficult to get a 7.0 score in IELTS Speaking when your other module
scores are higher?
One reason is that speaking is very much a skill, rather than a set of knowledge, so it takes longer
to acquire. The best way to improve is with continual practice, ideally with feedback from a
teacher.
Lack of understanding of the assessment criteria also causes IELTS students to focus on the
wrong things. For example, they may worry about tiny features of pronunciation and trying to
sound like a native speaker. These efforts can make a difference, but pronunciation is only 25% of
your score in IELTS Speaking.
And what percentage of the IELTS Speaking score is based on having an interesting life story and
knowing the solutions to all the world’s problems? 0%!
What really helps is to understand how IELTS Speaking scores are calculated and then make a
positive effort to demonstrate those exact skills to the examiner. That’s why I’ve based these
IELTS Speaking tips on the public version of the IELTS Speaking assessment criteria. I’ve also
written more about how to achieve IELTS Band 7 in a previous post.

IELTS Speaking Tip 1: Keep talking

According to the assessment criteria, an IELTS Band 7 candidate:
Speaks at length without noticeable effort or loss of coherence
In IELTS Speaking, your score goes up when you say more, even if that results in more errors.
That’s because IELTS is a test of what you CAN do, not what you can’t. So say as much as you
can in response to the question, until you run out of ideas or start repeating yourself. It’s not a bad
thing if the examiner has to interrupt you.

IELTS Speaking Tip 2: Use an idiom or two

According to the assessment criteria, an IELTS Band 7 candidate:
Uses some less common and idiomatic vocabulary and shows some awareness of style
and collocation
The IELTS examiner is listening for evidence that you can go beyond ‘textbook English’ and start
using real, idiomatic English. So impress the examiner by including a few idiomatic phrases like
“I’m a bundle of nerves” to mean “I’m nervous”. You can find a good starter list of idioms
on Wikipedia and for iOS users there’s even an idioms app.
IELTS Speaking Tip 3: Paraphrase the question
According to the assessment criteria, an IELTS Band 7 candidate:
Uses paraphrase effectively
If the examiner asks you a question and you can immediately think of a way to paraphrase it—i.e.
express the same meaning in other words—go ahead and say something like “Oh, you mean
(paraphrase question)?” This is a very effective strategy to demonstrate one of the core skills that
the examiner is listening for. Try to do this two or three times during the test.
IELTS Speaking Tip 4: Use linking words to connect your ideas
According to the assessment criteria, an IELTS Band 7 candidate:
Uses a range of connectives and discourse markers with some flexibility
What does this mean in normal English? It means that you use a range of expressions like ‘in
other words’, ‘also’, ‘however’ and ‘on the other hand’ to connect your ideas. The key word is
range. The examiner doesn’t want to hear you say ‘on the other hand’ a hundred times! So record
yourself speaking and notice if you use a phrase like ‘on the other hand’ too much. If so, use a
different phrase instead. Now you can start demonstrating a good range of linking words.
IELTS Speaking Tip 5: Don’t be afraid of mistakes
According to the assessment criteria, an IELTS Band 7 candidate:
Frequently produces error-free sentences, though some grammatical mistakes persist
That means it’s possible to make some mistakes and still get IELTS 7.0 or 7.5. However, some
candidates score poorly because they worry too much about mistakes. As a result, they speak too
slowly and their mistakes become MORE obvious! It’s more important to demonstrate fluency (See
Tip #1) than it is to produce error-free speech. Of course, it’s also good to correct yourself if you
do notice a mistake.