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How to Prepare for the IELTS Test with New Resources from IDP

Thursday | February 22, 2018 | by IDP

Tutor helping a teen girl study

You finally did it. You booked your IELTS test. You spent countless hours learning English. Vocabulary worksheets, essay homework, oral presentations, grammar correction—the list goes on and on. And now it is time for the big test. It is the test for immigration, the test for academic acceptance, and the test for pay scales. You have to show everything you have learned in just one day of tests. The date is approaching soon. So, what now? Do not worry, IELTS has provided new resources, support, and preparation services that can help you master test day.

The Masterclass

There are lots of IELTS courses, classes, and tutors. However, few are as good as the IDP IELTS Masterclass, which is taught and developed by IELTS experts. The goal of this 90-minute webinar is to give you a comprehensive review of each part of the test, live and online. It provides:

  • An expert instructor
  • A clear preview of the test
  • Things to do and not do during the test
  • The opportunity to ask questions

The Masterclass expert instructors lead you through the key aspects of the reading, listening, speaking, and writing tests. During the session, they point out critical tips, run through important strategies, and help you avoid mistakes that might cost you marks. There are also opportunities to ask any questions you might have. Be sure to register for this free class after you register for your test. It’s usually held four times a month; check the schedule.

Test Preparation Course

IDP IELTS provides an excellent resource pack to help you on your road to success. The test prep course is approximately 100 hours and is divided into modules that are 25 hours each. The modules cover the four tested skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. As you work through the course, you will receive detailed feedback, along with model answers for you to compare your work to—be sure to take advantage of this. One module of your choice is free after you register to take your test.

Reading and Writing Assistance

How well is your preparation going? This can be a difficult question to answer. This is true in all the skills, but reading and writing are especially hard to figure out. How can you know your strengths? How can you identify your weaknesses? What skills do you need to improve to get the mark you need?

IELTS has created a new service called IELTS Writing and Reading Assist. This service gives you practice tests and, most importantly, personalized feedback. For example, if you’re strong in answering questions focused on detail, but have trouble with figuring out the main ideas, IELTS Assist will tell you. In your writing, for example, if you have difficulty in your paragraphing and essay organization, but are strong in vocabulary, IELTS Assist will tell you. It’s available for both the Academic and General tests. So, not only will this service tell you what you need to improve, but it will also give you strategies and action plans to get you ready to improve.

Progress Check

Isn’t it frustrating when you study and study and study but don’t see the results? It’s kind of like going to the gym every day and not seeing your muscles get bigger. IELTS understands. For test-takers to get the best preparation possible, they need to be able to see their success. They need to know if all the hard work is improving their score.

So, what’s the answer? In response to this, IELTS has put together an official online practice test. Your test will be reflective of a real test, but you will conduct it in your space and on your own time. What’s more, your test will be marked and analyzed by official IELTS markers who will give you a band score. And here’s the best part: The Progress Check provides analytics in addition to the band score. The Progress Check is a report that tells you the specific skills you did well on, the areas that need improvement, and gives you an action plan for success.

New Feedback on Results

“I want to see my exam. I want to see where I did well and where I made mistakes.” Have you ever said this? You spend hours, weeks, months, even years preparing, so of course you want to see your specific marks. IDP IELTS has responded to this request. Now, after each IELTS test you take, you will be given a detailed report on your score. You’ll see where you did well, and you’ll also see where you didn’t do well. This report, which is similar to the Progress Check, also gives strategies and action plans on how to improve your weaker skilled areas.

Related  Articles

International English Language Testing System Overview

Preparing for the IELTS Exam

The IELTS Test Day Experience

Best Practices for Taking the TOEFL Exam

English Proficiency: Mastering the CELPIP Test

 

A proud co-owner of IELTS, the world’s most popular high-stakes test of English language skills, IDP has a network of IELTS test locations in 50+ countries including 90+ locations in Canada. As a world leader in international student placement services, we have a network of over 90 counseling offices around the world that help students find their best educational match. Whether you are just starting to consider your study options, or are fairly advanced in your decision-making, IDP can advise you at each stage.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of World Education Services (WES).