IELTS test preparation is a topic that is no longer unfamiliar to many English learners.
The number of people registering for exam preparation is increasing rapidly, including those with good English proficiency, not so good, or even those who don't know anything. This lesson, EnglishTop Please allow me to share some useful information for those who want to take the IELTS test.
Over 9,000 organisations accept IELTS results, recognising it as a secure, valid and reliable indicator of real-life ability to communicate in English for educational, immigration and professional registration purposes.
Besides, because the IELTS test tests all four skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing according to international standards, IELTS is considered a reliable "proof" of English proficiency and ability. Therefore, even if you do not intend to study, work or settle abroad, IELTS still helps you confidently apply for jobs or apply to large organizations.
Studying IELTS means you learn all 4 English skills to be able to use English fluently in daily life, in studying, working, and learning naturally and fluently without "learning wrongly" and being skeptical. when faced with areas where you are "weak".
To start learning IELTS, you need to have a "basic capital", including 3 legs: Phonetics, Grammar and Vocabulary. This will be an important premise you need to have before learning test preparation strategies, taking tests effectively, and practicing questions.
Phonetic
Currently, British English and American English are the two main English accents. Although the American English accent is gradually becoming more popular and popular, to prepare for IELTS, learners should start learning phonetics with the British English accent.
Correct pronunciation is an extremely important factor, helping you pronounce correctly, speak correctly and listen correctly. After learning and mastering and reading standard English, you should start practicing speaking and listening with BBC documents. When first starting out, don't put too much emphasis on understanding and hearing all the words. Get used to the accent, speed, and understanding the context of English speech first.
Grammar
Whether you like to study or not, grammar in IELTS is like the human backbone. You need to grasp grammatical knowledge to listen, understand correctly, write well and speak correctly.
If you are a beginner on the journey to conquer IELTS, start with basic knowledge, then move on to advanced knowledge. Note that, in the IELTS essay, you will have to write yourself, so your grammar will be used to the maximum in this part. During the learning process, you can apply the knowledge you learn such as sentence structure, comparisons, etc. into specific exercises in task 1 or task 2 of IELTS.
Vocabulary
If you have standard pronunciation, grasp grammatical knowledge but do not have enough vocabulary, it will be difficult for you to express your ideas in writing, have difficulty in listening, reading comprehension and of course the speaking part of IELTS. .
Start with basic, common words first. At the same time, do not ignore the vocabulary in commonly encountered IELTS documents (Note that the commonly encountered IELTS vocabulary comes first). The way to learn words to remember them for a long time is to learn vocabulary in context and learn through real documents. When you are embedded in certain situations, you will remember vocabulary better, more accurately, and learn both phrases and grammar.
When starting out, look for sources of information that you like through reputable channels like BBC, CNN, VOA…
Note that learning vocabulary is a "can't be crammed" process that requires time and diligence. The important thing is to create a regular study habit for yourself to achieve the highest learning efficiency.
When you start planning to study IELTS, find out information about the IELTS test. After preparing solid foundation knowledge, go back and learn each part of the IELTS test, or in other words, you need to clearly understand "IELTS Strategy" - IELTS learning strategy.
Studying correctly and reviewing correctly at a reliable address will shorten your preparation time and increase efficiency, increasing your IELTS test score. If you are a beginner, choose a good test preparation center to learn all 4 IELTS skills. Learning a single skill will only be suitable for those who have practiced for 4 skills but have 1 or 2 weaker skills and need to learn more to increase their score.
IELTS Listening
Create a habit of listening to English regularly and consider it a daily activity such as reading newspapers and updating news. Every day you can turn on BBC radio to listen and do other things. At first you may have a headache, or not understand, but this skill will improve over time and maybe soon, you will even enjoy listening to the news.
In addition to materials on the Internet, refer to listening lessons from books. Although IELTS preparation books are not cheap, in return, the knowledge is more standard and complete.
IELTS reading section
At first, not many people "enjoyed" this part because they were not used to reading a long article with many new, academic and scholarly words.“never seen it before”. However, be persistent, spend a certain amount of time every day (20-30 minutes) reading books, newspapers... These are good materials and the writing style in the article is not too different from the materials in IELTS. Because most of the content in IELTS is quoted from a book, magazine, newsletter, etc., you will not be surprised by the content or words in the article. Moreover, reading the above documents will help you update knowledge and useful information about current affairs, science, art..., serving your daily life.
IELTS writing section
Learn to write for IELTS, my advice is to study with a teacher instead of studying on your own. Academic writing is a foreign concept to many people, especially beginners. Teachers will be the ones to create the initial writing foundation for themselves, from teaching writing structure, then sentence types and words to use,...
Studying with Vietnamese teachers, you will be able to share a lot of experiences and advice because more than anyone else, teachers are often the ones who have "experienced" the test and have many things to share. In return, studying with a native teacher, you will be instructed in the correct way to write in English and will not have to think in Vietnamese and translate it.
Besides, try to read many different documents. If you find a new, strange and interesting structure, you should learn it to make your writing style richer and more diverse.
To get a high score in IELTS speaking, you should study with native teachers. On the one hand, teachers will help you correct pronunciation errors, how to talk, and how to answer. On the other hand, chatting with native teachers will remove the barrier of inferiority when you talk to foreigners in general as well as examiners on the actual exam day.
How and what to answer, what to avoid, how to answer, and question types in IELTS speaking will also be provided to you, helping you prepare better.
However, if you choose to study with foreign teachers, make sure they are not “backpackers” and has pedagogical skills and exam preparation experience IELTS. The cost of studying with high-quality teachers will often be more expensive than usual, but in return, you are guaranteed quality.