The International English Language Testing System IELTS is collectively managed and organized by the British Council, IDP. The main purpose of this test is to measure the English language competency of people who desire to work or study in areas where English is used as the supreme means of communication. This test helps people to overcome the linguistic gap and undertake communication efficiently in a foreign country. With the growth in the number of people aiming for higher education abroad lately, IELTS has become one of the most admired English language assessment tests taken by study or work abroad aspirants.
There are two types of IELTS scores, the Overall Band Scores, and the Sectional Band Scores. Sectional band scores are obtained by a candidate per section, and the Overall Band Score is the average of all the sectional band scores. Candidates are marked on the level of 0 to 9 for both overall and sectional scores. The overall band scores are always rounded off to the next half or whole band.
Almost all Foreign Universities and Institutions, considers IELTS scores to examine whether a candidate is capable of keeping up with the program’s medium of instruction, that is, English. These universities mainly fix minimum IELTS criteria that candidates need to fulfill to be eligible for admissions. Hence, a student having an ideal IELTS score according to the criteria set by the universities will have higher chances of acceptance over those candidates with an IELTS score lower than the minimum criteria. Even if the candidate’s band score falls short of the minimum criteria by 0.5, he/she would be turned down. Hence, candidates who are aspiring for admission to a foreign university, must check the minimum IELTS score under the admission requirements and aim to secure an IELTS score equal to or higher than the cut-off score.
To ensure candidates are best prepared, here are the most common mistakes to avoid for an 8 band score.
- Mispronunciation
Most candidates waste a lot of time improving their grammar and vocabulary and forget the pronunciation part without any proper pronunciation, the candidate cannot convey his/her thoughts.
Candidates must ensure to say each word fully and clearly. The best way to learn to pronounce is to practice consistently.
- Memorizing the answers
The examiners of IELTS are trained to spot mugged-up stuff and these answers don’t get considered and they get disqualified as answers. In IELTS, memorizing the answer will not help in getting the score, but keeping in mind the vocabulary, grammar and pronunciations will be helpful.
Candidates must not focus on mugging up the ideal answers, instead, they must work on developing real English speaking and writing skills.
- Not strategizing
Whether to dedicate more time to the essay while writing or to attempt the section in reading are crucial decisions that can affect your score as the IELTS get progressively difficult within sections. While preparing for the exam, candidates must make a plan based on their strengths and weaknesses.
Candidates must do the practice sessions to study and analyze the test. Practice sessions help candidates to get an idea of sections that are taking much time to solve and the section that carries more points.
- Lack of transition
Another common IELTS mistake made is a lack of transition words. Transitions make sentences smooth, and conversations flow. Transition words help the reader as well as the listener to understand your idea and make the connection between your previous sentences. They make sure that there is a structure to what you are saying, and there are no gaps between your sentences.
Hence, using transition words is very important and contributes to higher points in a candidate’s IELTS score.
- Studying the patterns
Each section in the IELTS follows a unique pattern of questioning and testing candidates on different levels, namely speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Hence, candidates need to understand what they are being tested on, with each question type.
Once the candidate knows the purpose of the question asked, they will know what to look out for in the passages or the test. So, candidates must dedicate time to questioning the questions. This will help them to get ahead in the game and get a good score on the test.
We hope these tips help you dodge the potholes on the road to your IELTS perfect score and your dream university.
Happy Learning and All the Best!
