Ielts Tips

Recently, I got the desired score in Ielts to apply for PLAB and
UK foundation training (FY1). I thought I should share my
preparation strategy, as it might help anyone out there
struggling with the Ielts score.
Tips for Writing:
 It is beneficial to read model essays on a variety of topics
to gather ideas. I only typed ‘ielts band 8 sample essays’
on google and read essays on different websites. I also
read essays marked in the facebook group ‘ielts tips and
tricks’.

Task Response:

 I would suggest doing Task 1 first and then task 2 as the

score weightage of task 1 is more.
  Time management for Task 1: 5 mins for planning, 2 mins
to write an introduction, 15 mins for 1st body para, 15 mins
for 2nd body para, 3 mins for conclusion, 5 mins to proof-
read your essay.
 Example: It is important that you add at least one good
example in your essay. It is better to give some real life
example then just making up fake research studies.
 Extending and supporting your idea is a key to achieve a
high score in task response. If you have an idea, ask
yourself why, how and what its impact will be.

Coherence and Cohesion:

 Introduction: It’s better not to give specific reasons in the

introduction. Just give a background statement and your
opinion.
 Topic sentence: make sure you don’t write any reason in
the topic sentence of body paragraphs. Just write e.g. ‘The
first point worth considering is that international sporting
events help to improve diplomatic relations between
countries’. Next, add why, example and how they improve
relations.
 Progression: Before writing a next sentence, always ask
yourself whether you are giving a new information related
to the idea or just repeating what is said before in the para.
Giving a new information does not mean adding a new
idea. It just means giving more information to support your
idea. For example, the supporting information for the topic
sentence that I mentioned can be ‘these events provide a
good platform for global leaders to communicate’ and
‘various governments collaborate to bring about these
events’.

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  Cohesive devices: Avoid overuse of cohesive devices. Do
not start every sentence with a cohesive device (it’s called
as a mechanical use of cohesive devices, which lowers the
score). Try to use cohesive devices in the middle of
sentences too instead of start.
 Referencing: Use referencing words such as them, they,
this etc instead of repeating words.
 Balance: Add balance in your essay i.e. if you agree to the
statement of the question, ideally, at the start of the first
body para add a balance statement. For example, you can
say ‘While I concede that this can lead to xyz problem, I
strongly believe that it is…..’.

Vocabulary:
 Fancy vocabulary is not needed.
 Topic specific vocabulary is essential. For example, if your
essay is on pollution, using words/phrases such as carbon
footprint, carbon dioxide emissions, deforestation,
environment protection agencies can help to score well.
 Try to use collocations in your essay.

Grammar:

 To score 7 and above, make sure you use a variety of

sentence structures in your essay such as:
1 inversion sentence
1 conditional sentence
1 question sentence e.g ‘the reason why I believe …..’
A variety of complex sentences

 Articles: Avoid article mistakes.

Reading and Listening:
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 I only did 4 mock tests for these sections.
 For reading, it’s better to quickly read the whole passage in
2, 3 minutes first and then move to questions.

Speaking:
I only did 3 mock speaking tests as I communicate in English
on daily basis, so I was not worried about this section. In my
speaking exam, I spoke naturally without focusing on using
any transition signals and fancy vocabulary. It’s just that in
speaking part 3, we need to keep in mind that we avoid
speaking about our own selves and answer as in general i.e.
do not give personal examples in part 3.

Writing Video Course and Marking Services that I used:

I took Shelly’s online video course www.myieltsclassroom.com. I

would highly recommend this course to all those IELTS test aspirants
who aim for 7+ in writing. Her course includes grammar lessons and
consists of separate videos for each type of ielts essays. Once you
learn the essay formats taught by shelly, writing on any topic becomes
easier. I also took her marking service, which was greatly helpful.
Shelly is a highly professional and dedicated instructor who
pays special attention to your weaknesses and modifies her
approach accordingly. I would also recommend all Ielts test
takers to read her free blog called as myieltsblog.com, which
can give you valuable tips to score well in your exam.

I also contacted Mr. Mueed Ullah www.myieltsguide.com two days

before my exam to get a feedback on two essays. It was really kind of
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him to provide me with some last day tips through an interactive
lesson, which really helped me in my exam.

Best Wishes to all those preparing for Ielts exam.