IELTS­Blog.com presents:    How to get a higher IELTS score  by building a positive image in the examiner’s mind 

IELTS­Blog.com presents: How to get a higher IELTS score by building a positive image in the examiner’s mind This series of lessons was prepared by Donna Millen especially for the readers of IELTS‐Blog.com. The lessons are brilliant and will do amazing things for your IELTS score if you study and implement them. You will learn: Lesson #1: How to create a positive, psychological impression on your IELTS assessors. Lesson #2: How to write a Task 1 report that will impress your assessors (Academic Module). Lesson #3: How to write a Task 1 letter that will impress your assessors (General Training Module) Lesson #4: How to write a Task 2 essay that will influence your assessors positively (Academic and General). Lesson #5: How to improve your Speaking test score by connecting with your assessor. Lesson #6: How to optimize your performance in the Listening and Reading tests Donna Millen, co‐author of the Centre for English Language in the University of South Australia’s IELTS on Track series of books (ieltsontrack.com) talks about what may create a positive psychological impression on assessors who may be scoring the Writing and Speaking (interview) components of your IELTS test. Page 1 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com Lesson #6: How to optimize your performance in the Listening and Reading tests Before beginning Lesson #6, here is a short summary of what we learned last week. Summary of Lesson #5. To build a good impression in the assessor’s mind in the Speaking test Think about: • making a ‘cooperative connection’ with your assessor • singing the ‘song’ of the test (mirror the assessor’s spoken style) • being active; avoiding silence. • dancing the ‘dance’ of the test by being sensitive to assessor’s time pressures • being friendly, polite but mutually respectful At the beginning of the Speaking test: • Get your passport or test ID ready. • Don’t say much unless asked; just smile and look pleasant and interested • If your first name is difficult to say, offer the assessor a simpler one to use In Part 1 (the interview) • Keep in step with the time and rhythm of your response to each question • Don’t use memorised answers • Don’t be frightened to ask for a question to be repeated • Put ‘life’ into your voice • Extend each response (average 15 seconds or so) – not just ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ • Be natural In Part 2 (the talk) • Use the listed points on the topic card to structure and organise your talk • Be systematic ‐ talk about each of the points on the topic card • Make your talk fluent, personal and varied; use your voice and eyes well – connect! • If you finish early, signal this to the assessor • Respond to the assessor’s ‘rounding off’ question briefly Page 2 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com In Part 3 (the discussion) • See yourself as an equal; use a natural style of interaction • Develop your answers using varied sentence connectors to build flow. • Don’t use short, staccato sentences – it sounds like you aren’t interested • Use examples from your own life to extend your opinions fluently • Be neither too formal nor too informal, but stay friendly • Avoid long silences and constant hesitations. • Build precision into the expression of ideas and opinions. • Paraphrase and extend your opinions. • Use ‘vague’ language very occasionally – it can sound more natural. • If your assessor offers a comment, respond to it politely When the test has finished • Just thank the assessor and say goodbye politely and briefly. • Don’t be too polite – it may seem false • Don’t ask questions about your performance Now let’s move on to Lesson #6. Tips for the LISTENING TEST Background considerations You listen only ONCE to the recordings in the IELTS Listening Test. You have to answer 40 questions in four sections, and each section involves one, two or more speakers who are in different situations. This puts pressure on you to be systematic, organised and not to panic. Key question: How can you manage your test performance calmly? Part of the pressure of the Listening test is that you have to understand each listening task from written words and then complete the task while listening to spoken English. This is a cognitively complex task (Most normal listening situations in any language don’t require such ‘dual skill’ complexity). Key question: How can you reduce the pressure of having to read and listen at the same time? Let’s try to find a few answers ‐ BEFORE listening, WHILE listening, and WHEN transferring your answers to the Answer Sheet. Page 3 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com 7 tips for getting ready before you listen. Get ready to listen to the recording. You are given some time (15 to 20 seconds) to look at each group of around 4 or 5 questions before listening to each corresponding part of the recording. Use this time well. 1. Make sure you try to work out in what situation the speakers will be talking (eg Is it a group of students in a classroom, someone talking to an official in an office, a lecture?) and their possible relationship (strangers?, friends? colleagues?). Relationship affects style of language chosen (more formal or less formal) and this may help you to expect possible types of synonym (more conversational or idiomatic perhaps, or more technical) 2 Check the task. Are you expected to complete a form?, fill in some missing words? Choose from 3 multiple choice options A/B/C, select words or items from a list? Make sure you are clear about the rules of the task ‐ eg maximum number of words you an write, which box or column to focus on, what kinds of word will fit in any answer space (adjective, verb, noun?), what type of information is being requested – number?, measurement of some sort? weight? (Be careful to note any units of measurement required in an answer ‐ eg kilos, metres, dollars) 3. Look for key words or headings that might be expressed with a synonym on the recording (using different words of similar meaning is one of the most common ways of writing test questions as it stops the written text from just repeating the spoken input , which is too easy. 4. Make sure you are clear about categories and headings in any table, map or diagram. If it is a map be clear about where you are situated at the beginning (before the recording tells you where to move to on the map) 5. Be clear about what the task requires and any task rules (for example the maximum. number of words you can use for an answer) 6. Look at any examples that may be given as sample answers and remind yourself not to choose the same answer as an example answer for any of the test questions 7 Decide which answers look more likely than others before listening, if the task asks you to choose one answer from several possibilities, in a multiple choice type task, or a task type with a list of possible answers, for example. Page 4 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com To summarise; your main management job in the time BEFORE listening to each section is to reduce uncertainty about each answer task type and its requirements in as many ways as you can so that the audio input is not overwhelming and you are already carrying predictive ‘shapes’ in terms of what to listen out for specifically and what the speakers might be likely to talk about in what way and with what level of formality. WHILE Listening – 2 KEY HINTS HINT 1. Stay on task As you listen to the audio recording for each section, remain active but try to ‘listen out for’ key expressions; don’t try to follow every word. Remember, even in your native language listening is always a process of selection and sampling of input. In other words, we always listen according to our listening purpose. Consider these two examples: Example 1 You are in a lift and there is a ticking bomb on the floor. You phone for help. A bomb expert says he will give you precise, step by step instructions for how to make the bomb safe. Listening purpose? Survival! You listen to almost everything! Example 2 A parent is giving you a long talk about how to succeed in life, how to find a good life partner, how to improve your attitudes, and how to improve your university grades. Listening purpose? Escape from the speaker! While the parent is talking (unless you are a very special son or daughter!) you just might be thinking of something else and perhaps not listening to much of the input, especially if you’ve heard it all before! In the IELTS listening, your purpose is always and only linked to task completion, nothing else. Don’t be sidetracked too much by things on the recording that aren’t connected to the particular needs of particular test questions and the answer required. Page 5 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com HINT 2. Don’t get left behind. This is a golden rule of the IELTS Listening test. Keep up with the recording! How do candidates get left behind and what are the solutions? Problem A. Candidates spend too much time on the answer to a tricky question SOLUTION: Leave a ‘holding answer’ or maybe two possible answers on the question paper and mark the question for more attention later. You can come back to it at the end of the section and/or at the end of the test, when you have time to transfer answers to the Answer Sheet. Remember to ‘manage’ the situation, don’t just panic and lose control. Try not to leave an answer ‘empty’ if you can avoid it – it’s better to put two possible answers to return to later for a final choice. Problem B. Candidates allow themselves to be ‘derailed’, and switch from listening for answers to thinking about something too specific. Perhaps a particular expression in the recording or in the question text is not quite heard/understood, or only half recalled, and candidates get caught up in trying to work out what this particular item was or what it means. Then, suddenly they realise that the recording has moved on but they are no longer ‘in synch’ with the written questions and the recording. SOLUTIONS #1: Focus on what the questions require. Practice more before the test so that you get used to linking what you hear on the recording to task completion and then you will become more and more confident to let some words pass by, even if you are baffled or intrigued by them. Because they don’t seem to link to what’s specifically needed for the actual task, they will seem less relevant to your specific, listening purposes. SOLUTION #2: Find the ‘rhythm’ of the IELTS Listening test. After one question’s key information has been heard on the recording, there is usually some time before the next question’s key input is heard, so you know that key words/expressions needed for two or three consecutive answers will not usually be heard all at once – there are regular, time gaps between key answer words for one question and the next, even though the voices on the recording may be talking most of the time. Page 6 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com You can’t escape PRACTICE – 4 tips for getting ‘fit’ for the test The only real way to get better at IELTS Listening is to practice. Even a native speaker would have some difficulty with the IELTS Listening test if they sat down with absolutely no idea of how it works or of the task types and how they function. SO, as a non­native speaker, you need to: 1. Practice every listening task type so that you know exactly how each task type operates and how to respond to each type optimally 2. Practice complete tests so that you learn how to be flexible and how to deal with unexpected situations calmly across a complete test event. Panic is the enemy of performance in the Listening test. It’s often a good idea to do the same practice test several times with a day or two in between repeats. This repeating of tests reduces input pressure (ie pressure of the amount and difficulty of spoken input on the recording) and enables you to focus on other aspects of test performance.(eg task types and test tricks, building your test management strategies) 3. Practice IELTS ‘trick spotting’. The IELTS Listening test often contains little spoken ‘tricks’ to catch you out. A common example is the adjusting or correcting of information. Example: The listening task might involve completing an application form, and one question might require you to write a phone number. The recording might say: ‘My phone number is 85403519, …erm.. oh, sorry I mean 15, so it’s 3515 at the end, not 9’. You would have to spot this ‘trick’ and respond by writing ‘85403515’ as your answer. Practice enables you to identify and then spot the tricks quickly and become more aware of any changes in the speaker’s voice tone, pitch or emphasis, which can help you locate the answer information. Practice enables you to be less and less confused. 4. Practice building predictive skills. Listening usually involves predicting what might be said next, based on what you have already heard and what you have come to expect from your previous experience of what is said in similar situations. The more you can effectively predict what the speaker will say next or how the conversation will develop, the more relaxed you are as you sample audio input, and the more you can comfortably connect written task needs to the input language you hear. Page 7 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com WHEN transferring your answers 10 minutes for Answer Transfer You have 10 minutes after the final part of the Listening test recording has ended to transfer your answers from the Question paper to a special Answer Sheet. You need to stay focused and be systematic during this stage, even though it is tempting to relax and let your mind wander after the stress of the actual test. Remember, you are your answer ‘manager’! Impressing your assessor is not possible in the IELTS Listening and Reading tests for the simple reason that these tests are clerically marked. This means that they are marked by specially trained clerical workers who have an answer sheet and are instructed precisely about what they can and can’t accept as a correct answer. So, a key question becomes: How can I impress my marker? 2 BIG ISSUES to WATCH OUT FOR! 1. Avoid the ‘worst disaster’! The worst disaster is when you transfer your answers from the question paper to the Answer Sheet but put your answers next to the wrong question number without realising it! So always check that the answer is being transferred to the correct question number on the Answer Sheet. Often an ‘empty’ answer causes this problem of ‘answer in the wrong place’ so that is why having an answer of some sort to each of the 40 questions is helpful at this final stage. What should I do if I get to the end of transferring my answers and suddenly find that some of my answers are in the wrong place? • Don’t panic! Don’t start crossing things out and making a mess! • Draw an arrow from the answer to the correct number so that it is clear that the answer is pointing to the question number you want it to belong to. Page 8 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com 2. ‘Mind the Gap(s)’! In the Metro stations in London you often see a sign which says ‘Mind the Gap’. This means don’t fall in the gap between the platform and the train. In IELTS Listening, we could reasonably say, ‘Mind the Gaps’! in the context of the IELTS Listening or Reading test this means that during the transferring of answers you must try to fill in any answers that you left undecided or blank while you were actually listening to the recording. Don’t leave ‘empty answers’. Even a guess has more chance than an empty space. Also if you have left two possible answers on your question paper, you have to decide which one to choose. Don’t spend too long on this final decision making. Why? • you only have 10 minutes transfer time • by returning to think about questions and answers for an extended period you may lose concentration and focus for transferring answers accurately alongside the correct number and place on the Answer Sheet. 9 hints for transferring your answers accurately 1. Write clearly. Often answers require letters of the alphabet. It can sometimes be difficult for markers to tell the difference between an ‘A” and an ‘H’ if the top of the ‘A” is not joined together. ‘D’ and ‘O’ can sometimes be confused, or even ‘C’ and ‘E’, if lower case ‘c’ and ‘e’ are used instead of upper case (capital letters). Numbers ‘1’ and ‘7’ can occasionally be difficult to distinguish. 2. Change answers cleanly and clearly If you decide to change an answer do it clearly, erase the answer you no longer want and write the new answer clearly. Avoid any messy crossing out which may leave doubt about which answer is the one you want, or which words are actually part of the answer. 3. Don’t use abbreviations if they are not common ones Nearly everybody knows ‘kg’ or ‘$’ but some abbreviated forms are not well known and may not be accepted as a correct answer. Be cautious and use full forms if in doubt. Spell them correctly. Page 9 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com 4. Use correct word forms It is very easy either to write a singular when a plural is needed in the answer or vice versa, or to write a verb form without an‘s’. Sometimes the problem is just the result of carelessness; sometimes it is because the candidate didn’t hear the final ‘s’ sound on the recording. Be clear about whether the answer requires you to write the noun, gerundive, adjectival or adverbial form of a word Example of possible confusion about the form of a word required in an answer access (noun), accessing (gerund) , accessible (adjective) , accessibly (adverb) Solution: If you are in doubt, use your common sense or grammatical knowledge in order to come to a decision. Compare these 3 examples of word form problems linked to final ‘s’ Example A 1) Global Warming 2) Global Warmings (‘warming‘ is not usually a count noun so no ‘s’; Answer 1 is correct) Example B 1) Three trend 2) Three trends (plural number used, so‘s’ needed; Answer 2 is probably correct) Example C 1) Planting tree 2) Planting trees (usually ‘tree planting’ means planting many trees; also if it were one tree it would be ‘Planting a tree’, so‘s’ probably needed; Answer 2 is correct) Even if you didn’t hear the word clearly on the recording you can still come to a good decision on final forms 5. Use correct word order Be careful to put answers requiring 2 or more words in the correct order as meaning can change when word order changes Examples Compare ‘answer key’ (list of answers)_ with ‘key answer’ (main answer) ‘management style’ (a style or approach used for managing employees) with ‘style management’ (the management of style) Page 10 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com 6. Check the maximum number of words you can use in an answer. If the question says ‘NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS’ or ‘WITH A WORD TAKEN FROM THE PASSAGE’ (used sometimes in the reading test) your answer should respect these rules. If you write four words you won’t get a point; if you use words from your head, not from the Passage, you won’t score a point. 7. Spell correctly Incorrect spelling can sometimes cause loss of marks. The good news is that American spelling forms are usually accepted, as well as British forms of spelling. Confusing sound of words with sight of word can lead to spelling inaccuracy when sound differences are slight. Examples a) Princes Street / Princess Street b) wild / wide; sheep / ship; key / keen; launch / lunch Even similar sounding words (homophones) can have different spelling and different meaning, as in: c) vein / vain; reel / real; meat / meet; I scream / Ice cream; tale / tail What’s the solution to spelling problems? There is no easy solution to this type of problem other than checking spellings in your answers carefully and deciding if the word you have written as your answer makes good sense in the context of the topic being talked about. 8. Copy words accurately If you use words in your answer that also appear in the question, copy them accurately. If you are focused on the task, there is no excuse really for inaccurate copying of a word that is provided. 9. Keep an eye on the time. 10 minutes to transfer your answers seems generous but if you are not systematic or get sidetracked for too long by constantly changing your mind on a particular answer you may have a problem. So, keep an eye on the time and only allow yourself a set, maximum time for making final decisions about particular answers. Don’t be forced into a panic scenario, as for example when you spend 5 minutes deciding on a couple of answers and then find you have only one minute left to transfer another 20 answers. Panic causes errors and inaccuracy. Page 11 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com Tips for the Reading Test Many of the tips for the IELTS Listening test apply also to the IELTS Reading Test, especially the need to practice and to become familiar with all the different types of task that are used within the 40 questions. It is also important to realise that in the Reading Test you don’t have an extra 10 minutes for transferring your answers to the Answer Sheet so this has to be done carefully during the 60 minutes available for the test overall. 2 differences between the IELTS Reading and Listening tests 1. You have more control in the Reading test and can make more personal decisions about how to deal with the test material. The Reading tests (Academic or General Training) involve three sections (General Training) or three passages (Academic). For the General Training Reading test the level of difficulty increases as you move through the sections and the individual texts for reading become longer and more complex. For the Academic Reading test the three passages are on different topics and are broadly of similar lengths so differences of difficulty are less easy to establish. You have control of the order in which you answer ‐ There is nothing to prevent candidates from attempting Passage 2 before Passage 1 or passage 3 before either 2 or 1 if preferred. A candidate with good knowledge on one of the passage topics might prefer to do that first, even if it is Passage 3, because it may be assumed that greater familiarity may mean easier understanding. This is one example of the increased control that a candidate has. ‐ Similarly a candidate can start by answering an easier type of task type before a more difficult one even if they are in a different order. It all depends on how confident each candidate is at taking control of the situation and how each candidate believes they can most effectively increase their final score. 2. All the material (texts and questions) is in written form in the Reading Test so there is no problem of moving to and fro from spoken to written text. The only problem can be that the questions and text will be on different pages so there is some need to move between pages efficiently. It may help to mark the contents of the passage if that helps to locate and relocate particular areas of text more effectively. Page 12 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com 7 Tips for becoming a good manager of your 60­minute Reading test 1. Have your own time management plan for the test It’s poor strategy to just ‘go with the flow’ in the reading test. You need a time management plan. Many candidates don’t finish the IELTS Reading test which is evidence of how challenging it is. Here are 5 things you can do to form a time management plan. You need to decide on: • a maximum time for quickly ‘over‐viewing’ the whole paper – 2‐3 minutes •
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perhaps a period of time to spend on each test section or on each passage. Some candidates prefer a ‘sliding scale’ of time allocation, such as: o 15‐16 minutes (Section 1) o 19‐20 minutes (Section 2) o 22‐24 minutes (Section 3) This sliding scale seems to suit the General Training Reading test more than the Academic Reading test. a time strategy for tricky questions. Perhaps you might opt for no more than 2 minutes on any tricky question (Remember you may be able to come back to a tricky question if you can’t make a good choice inside the time) an amount of time to save at the end to ‘quick check’ the accuracy of your answers on the Answer Sheet (1‐2 minutes perhaps). an emergency strategy if you get into difficulties (for example, 5 minutes left but 10 questions still to answer). If there are two types of question still to do, you might choose to answer, say, the multiple choice questions rather than paragraph heading questions, as you can often complete multiple choice type questions more quickly. You will then have to put guesses for the remaining paragraph heading type questions by quick skimming topic sentences of each paragraph. 2. Over­view the overall test contents – each set of questions and each text ‘Over‐viewing’ here basically means getting a general impression. It’s part of the progressive build up of meaning as you go from general understanding to specific meanings. It helps to know what the topics are for each text, the subtopics of paragraphs and the type and focus of each question group. This is done by a form of quick reading called ‘skimming’ – letting the eyes run quickly over particular locations in texts and questions. Page 13 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com 3. Start with the questions then move to the text As with the Listening test you need to stay ‘on task’. There is no time to read the passages slowly and thoroughly without a clear purpose, so you need to know in advance what you are trying to find in the passage in order to answer the questions. By reading the questions before getting too deeply into the passage, you become more aware of what you need to search for. 4. Analyse the structure of each text or passage As you begin to move to and fro from question to text and from text to question, you need to take control of the passage by analysing it or marking it. How? • by dividing the passage into sections based on paragraphs and topic sentences (usually the first sentence in each paragraph) • by circling people’s names, numbers, key words (words that appear in the questions and the passage) • scanning the passage for synonyms (remember that test questions are often devised by using one expression in the question but a different expression in the passage which is a synonym (has a similar meaning) 5. Remember common test patterns It is quite common for the final test questions on a passage to relate to material located in the latter parts of the text, and for earlier questions to relate to material in the earlier paragraphs of the text. Being aware of possible patterns can save you ‘scanning’ time 6. Guess meaning from context Guessing is necessary when reading complex texts. Don’t be thrown by words that you don’t know. If they are located in zones you need to focus on for particular answers, use surrounding words to help your guesses. 7. Leave no empty answers If you are running out of time and can see that you won’t’ finish. All the 40 questions, leave one or even two minutes at the end to make quick guesses. You will have to judge which use of time has the best chance of increasing your score, but logic suggests that ‘empty answers’ score no points by definition, while quick guesses at least have a chance of being correct. Maximise your chances. Page 14 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com Fitness training for the IELTS Reading test As with the Listening test, practice before the test is really important. Here’s an example of a quick, intensive weekly program for busy test takers: Days 1, 2, 3 ‐ Choose one different passage or section from 1 complete, practice IELTS Academic or General Reading test daily for three days. ‐ Check the time it took to finish the passage each time (max. 20 minutes). ‐ Check the answers each time and work out why any answer was incorrect. Day 4 On day 4 repeat with the text you used on Day 1 but complete the reading in 5 minutes less time than when you did it for the first time. This repeated practice helps you to get the feeling of doing a test section faster and more easily; you need to feel this as it will motivate you and increase confidence to complete things under time pressure. Days 5 and 6 On days 5 and 6 repeat passages (or sections) 2 and 3 from days 2 and 3. Day 7 On day 7 do the whole Reading test, 60 minutes maximum ‐ either Sections 1, 2 and 3 of the General Training test, or Passages 1, 2 and 3 of the Academic test you have been using in days 1‐6. Another week Start a new sequence of practice with new test material and gradually remove the repeat element until finally you do a complete Reading test previously unseen in 60 minutes with no break. • Make sure you practise all the major reading task types. Most IELTS test practice books (IELTS on Track for example) will include examples of most of these. Work out how each task type functions, what each task type demands and its difficult aspects. Page 15 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com Let’s briefly summarise this final lesson: Hints for the IELTS Listening test You need to deal with this test calmly and in an organised way Before listening to any section • Read the listening task for a group of questions in order to establish where the speakers are and their relationship • be clear about keywords that might have synonyms in the recording, • check headings, task requirements • look at any examples • spot likely answers. While listening to each section • Stay on task • Don’t get left behind – don’t get sidetracked by particular words you don’t understand • Find the ‘rhythm’ of the test (ie the time gap between keywords needed for each answer) When transferring answers to the Answer Sheet • Don’t leave empty answer gaps – even a guess has a chance • Make sure you put each answer next to its correct number • Write clearly. • Change answers cleanly and clearly • Don’t use abbreviations if they are not common ones • Use correct word forms • Use correct word order • Check the maximum number of words you can use in an answer. • Copy words accurately • Keep an eye on the time. Before the Listening test, practice: • every listening task type • complete tests • ‘trick ‘spotting • predictive skills Page 16 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com Hints for the IELTS Reading test • You can take more control of what you do and in what order than with Listening • Have your own time management plan for the Reading test • Over‐view the overall test contents – each set of questions and each text • Start with the questions then move to the text • Analyse the structure of each text or passage – paragraphs and topic sentences • Remember common test patterns • Guess meaning from context • Leave no empty answers Practice before taking the IELTS Reading test • Become familiar with every task type • Start with single passages • Repeat the same passage + questions several days later to build speed and confidence • Then practice whole tests Well this is the end of our sixth lesson together. I do hope that these lessons have made you feel more connected to the IELTS test situation and more empowered to achieve a high score. I hope especially that you now understand more fully the perspective of the assessor and how you can become a collaborator in the test situation, and a professional manager of your test performance, not a test victim. Know the test, increase your sense of your own power, take responsibility, practice and you will increase your score! Good luck! Hope to see you again with some other lessons. Let me know what other types of lesson would help you. Best wishes, Donna Millen © 2009 Donna Millen and ieltsontrack.com This article is copyright to ieltsontrack.com, and may not be reproduced or copied without the permission of ieltsontrack.com The design and layout of this series of lessons are copyright to IELTS­
Blog.com and may not be reproduced or copied without the permission of IELTS­Blog.com Page 17 © Donna Millen (content) ● Web: http://www.ieltsontrack.com Design & layout by IELTS‐Blog.com ● Web: http://www.ielts‐blog.com