IELTS General Training Guide

Niamaat
Feb 23, 2023
7 min read

Updated: Jan 8, 2024

IELTS General Training Guide

1,0 Created by Niamaat on February 15, 2023

1.1 Created by Niamaat on February 16, 2023

1.2 Created by Niamaat on February 16, 2023

These are the most important things for me to know (in order):

What minimum overall score is needed, and are there minimum required scores in one or more of the sections. If the S doesn't know this then we need to find out from the institution or individual that is requiring the score. The individual might be the student himself/herself, in which case I introduce them to CEFR level definitions and how they correlate to IELTS Band scores.

The current level, in terms of CEFR descriptors, more than in terms of a number. This I can determine by personally assessing the S's written and spoken output and written and audio comprehension.

What is the intended exam date? If there is no date, then I suggest arranging a date that corresponds with the Ss readiness/preparedness to take the exam.

What daily study schedule is the S prepared to commit to? Normally a single 30 minute session 5 days per week and a single 50 minute session 2 days per week is sufficient with at least one day reserved for a 4 hour mock exam under exam conditions.

Reading Tips

Listening Tips

What My IELTS Students Find Most Difficult about the Listening Section

Daring to read the questions and choices prior to the actual listening, which begins after the initial section instructions is initially quite challenging. So practice using the available time, even time not designated for the task of reading questions per se, is key.

Not dwelling on the unfamiliar in the listening and moving forward so as not to miss anything needlessly.

Learning how to tame one's adrenalin so that it fuels one's speed and accuracy comes with practice, under mock exam conditions.

Oh, and when preparing for the online IELTS it is important that you can see the entire map or diagram or whatever it may be, so your monitor settings need to be adjusted correctly. Scrolling up and down and/or left and right can easily cause the test taker to get a bit confused on disoriented.

Resources

IELTS website: https://www.ielts.org/ - the sample test questions shared in the webinar are from here
IELTS Buddy: https://www.ieltsbuddy.com/ Band descriptors
Speaking: https://www.ielts.org/-/media/pdfs/speaking-band-descriptors.ashx
Writing: https://www.ielts.org/-/media/pdfs/writing-band-descriptors-task-1.ashx

Suzanne O'L: https://ieltspracticeonline.com/

Maverick S: https://www.examword.com/ielts-practice/speaking-exam-question

https://writeandimprove.com/testzone-ielts?lang=es-ES

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtI4MDUExmlidGR1zh3tlqQ

Tutor recommended resources: Suzanne O'L: https://ieltspracticeonline.com/

Maverick S: https://www.examword.com/ielts-practice/speaking-exam-question

Introduction

There are no tricks. To maximize your score you should know, in advance the structure of the exam in terms of timing number of questions and types of questions. You should practice completing each section under exam conditions in terms of time allowed and any other resources allowed or disallowed. It is important to take a "mock exam" so that you can accurately predict your band scores in each section prior to taking the official exam. Also if the scores are being required of you by someone other than yourself it is important to know what that person or entity requires in terms of minimum band scores for each section and minimum overall band score.

There are 4 sections in this order

Listening

Reading

Writing

Speaking (on the same day or up to a week before or up to a week after the Listening/Reading/Writing)

Each section is worth a maximum score of 9. The scores are called “bands” or “bandwidths”.

The overall score is the average of the 4 band scores.

Overall 0-4 Band Score corresponds to CEFR A1, A2

Overall 4.5, 5 Band Score corresponds to CEFR B1

Overall 5.5, 6, 6.5 Band Score corresponds to CEFR B2

Overall 7, 7.5, 8 Band Score corresponds to CEFR C1

Overall 8.5, 9 Band Score corresponds to CEFR C2

There are two types of IELTS: Academic and General Training. IELTS Academic can be taken in a test center on paper or on computer, and can now also be taken online from home or another private location that has a stable internet connection. IELTS General Training can only be taken in a test center on paper or on computer. For Academic and General Training you take the same Listening and Speaking tests but different Reading and Writing tests. Make sure you prepare for the correct test type. The Listening, Reading and Writing sections of all IELTS tests are completed on the same day, with no breaks in between them. The Speaking test, however, may be scheduled up to a week before or after the other tests. If you booked IELTS Online, your Speaking test will usually take place before your other tests. The total test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes.

To prepare for te IELTS General Training you need to work on preparation daily.

Figure out a schedule for yourself such that you will dedicate 60 minutes per day, 7 days per week to IELTS preparation. Nothing but your death can stop you from fulfilling your promise to yourself.
Use the first hour to memorize the exam format for test format that you are most likely to take (paper test at an exam center, computer format at an exam center, online format at home, paper format at home combned with online speaking section at home) Also create you collection of mock IELTS General Training exams either as PDFs, Youtube videos, physical books for purchase or loan (library). You will need at least 4 complete exams to use a mock exams. You might need 2 hours for this.
Use the next hour to collect material regarding "tips" and "practice exams" for each section of the exam (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking). You might need 2 hours for this.
Use the next 3 hours to take a mock exam under exam conditions This way you will know what you current band scores in eac section are and you will know what your overall band score is
After this first week, you should be ready to use one hour per day to focus on tips and practice tests that consist of a complete IELTS listening section. Work on listening until you have the band score that you are aiming for. If you do not have a numeric band score target, then spend at least 1 week on this, no more than 2 weeks.
Focus on tips and practice tests that consist of a complete IELTS reading section. Work on reading until you have the band score that you are aiming for. If you do not have a numeric band score target, then spend at least 1 week on this, no more than 2 weeks.
Focus on tips and practice tests that consist of a complete IELTS writing section. Work on writing until you have the band score that you are aiming for. If you do not have a numeric band score target, then spend at least 1 week on this, no more than 2 weeks. Use the IELTS rubric to score your output or hire an English teacher to use the rubric to score your work and give you corrections and other feedback.
Focus on tips and practice tests that consist of a complete IELTS speaking section. Work on speaking until you have the band score that you are aiming for. If you do not have a numeric band score target, then spend at least 1 week on this, no more than 2 weeks. Use the IELTS rubric to score your output or hire an English teacher to use the rubric to score your work and give you corrections and other feedback.
Visit the room where you will take the exam and rehearse where you will sit, the day of the week and time of day you will take the exam. rehearse your entire exam day. You want to eliminate surprises that might adversely affect your test performance.
Take another mock exam. Imitate the exam conditions that you anticipate.

NOTE FOR DOCTORS AND NURSES SEEKING TO IMMIGRATE TO CANADA

A lot of nurses and doctors and other medical staff have been killed by the COVID injections. A lot of nurses, doctors and other medical staff have resigned because they refused to be injected or they were permanently injured by the injections and are unable to work or they refused to participate in, well unlawful activity. All of that, combined with a population that was injected and continues to be injected, has resulted in lots of sick/injured people and a reduced number of MDs and RNs to care for them. It's understandable why Canada is importing medical personnel. It is likely that this "window of opportunity" will be open for quite some time .

Structure and Timing of Each Section

https://www.ielts.org/for-test-takers/test-format

Listening

30 minutes, 40 questions

Recording 1

A conversation between two people set in an everyday social context

Recording 2

A monologue set in an everyday social context, e.g. a speech about local facilities

Recording 3

A conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment

Recording 4

A monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture

Reading

60 minutes, 40 questions

The Reading section consists of 40 questions, designed to test a wide range of reading skills. These include reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument and recognizing writers' opinions, attitudes and purpose. This includes extracts from books, magazines, newspapers, notices, advertisements, company handbooks and guidelines. These are materials you are likely to encounter on a daily basis in an English-speaking environment.

The paper format includes three sections. Section 1 may contain two or three short texts or several shorter texts. Section 2 comprises two texts. In Section 3, there is one long text.

Writing

60 minutes, 2 tasks

Task 1

You will be presented with a situation and asked to write a letter requesting information, or explaining the situation. The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal in style.

Task 2

You will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. The essay can be fairly personal in style.

Speaking

For Practice Purposes 11-14 minutes

Part 1 The examiner will ask you general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies and interests. This part lasts between four and five minutes.

Part 2 You will be given a card which asks you to talk about a particular topic. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. The examiner will then ask one or two questions on the same topic.

Part 3 You will be asked further questions about the topic in Part 2. These will give you the opportunity to discuss more abstract ideas and issues. This part of the test lasts between four and five minutes.

For a detailed explanation of each section of the test, you can read on the IELTS.org site once. I suggest that my exposing yourself to tips and to actually doing practice exams (mock exams) you will learn everything you need to know about the format and the way things are done.

Tips and Practice Tests for Each Section

LISTENING

Tips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsPofyiMiOY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82YKeI784YU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhgxUk9gWxI

Practice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q03JbFkBs0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1jVk8dVi5Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OualsHB1FqE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxQkyyKL-34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRTcBjLfTSs