I just came back from Singapore to have my 1 month vacation here in the Phils. After two weeks of doing nothing at home, i decided to sign for a month of IELTS review just so i can do something worthwhile. I also registered for an exam come this June 28 because i thought i can do it after a month of review. This was what my aunt did and she passed the IELTS. I heard a lot of positive feedbacks from IELTS saying "its the easiest exam".
After attending 2days of review class, im starting to feel uneasy about it. Im having a hard time on the Writing and Speaking part. With the way the students participate and how the Instructors would teach the ideals of writing and speaking, i am becoming anxious about it. I thought it was easy?
There's also some issues about where should one take the exam saying Manila has a higher "mortality rate" than of Baguio, the "negative examiners" who have high standards and weird questions like "what can you say about Nano Technology?"
Is it really hard to pass IELTS nowadays? Is it THAT complicated? This wasnt what i am expecting. Does anyone here recently took the exam? i just need some clarifications... pls help.... :crying2::redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe
i agree with suzane you dont have to follow the accent as long as you can talk clearly and you answer what task has been ask. in my experinced she was a pakistani but married to a citizen of new zealand , i keep on asking her to kindly repeat her question because i cant understand her accent.
I took my IELTS exam on April 12, 2008 in Manila, and I got an overall band score of 8. In Listening, I got 8.5, Reading and Writing 7.5, and Speaking 8. With lots of practice, I believe any candidate can do well. :)
The Listening module was very easy for me. I got positive feedbacks from other candidates and they also found it the easiest among the 4 modules. There's no other way to pass this test but to listen carefully to the recording, and keep your eyes on your paper the entire 30 minutes. I missed one answer, and I nearly panicked. If that happens to you, just focus on the next item so you won't miss any more. Be careful when the speaker begins to talk really fast because he might overenunciate a word or two, for the sake of testing how keen your listening skills are, I guess. Also, there are some words that are purely British. Thankfully, I didn't encounter any unfamiliar British word in the actual test, it's just something I encountered while practicing at homeFor instance, "The lorry crashed near White Street at 7 in the morning." Lorry is British for truck, so if that was supposed to be the answer and you happened to miss it, and you have no idea that it is a some sort of vehicle, then you'll have a difficult time guessing the answer based on context clues alone. . At the end of the test, try your best to recall the last thing you heard before you missed the answer. The last resort is to guess intelligently. Don't leave anything blank, because who knows, your guessed answer might be right.
I didn't enroll in any review center, so I didn't know that in the actual test, we would listen from loud speakers, and not with headphones. I practiced the Listening module at home using my iPod, so I pretty much got used to listening in a quiet environment. Try to practice at home with slightly distracting noise in the background because in the actual set-up, there are people in the room who could cough or sneeze right at the moment when an answer is being relayed by the speaker, and you might miss that. My test was held in Dusit Hotel Nikko's grand ballroom, the place was HUGE with a large volume of candidates. The candidates are alphabetically arranged, and because my surname begins with a 'V', I thought I got an unfortunate seat in the very back, quite far from the speakers. It doesn't matter, IELTS test invigilators make sure that everyone could hear the recording very well.
The Reading module was okay. The articles get longer and harder as you go. To make things easier to find later on, I underlined topic sentences and encircled important details that might be asked later, like names, places, dates, events, etc. Try to spend 15 minutes or less in reading answering each article, so that you'll have lots of time to go back to skipped items and check your answers. The True-False-Not-Given type of test really drove me nuts, because there's a fine line between False and Not Given. It's very tricky. But with enough practice, I eventually got the hang of it.
A friend shared with me a tip on the Writing module and that is to write a good introduction and a good conclusion. The body is not to be taken for granted, but it can be less impressive and less critical than the other 2 parts of the essay. I'm not sure if that applies to the first task as well, which is the graph interpretation. I did Task 1 first because I found it easier. My topic was quite easy, it wasn't too technical. It helps a lot if you're into writing diaries and blogging, and being a wide reader. :)
I had my Speaking test 2 days later. My examiner was an old Australian woman. She was nice and unintimidating. She would smile from time to time during the first part of the test. My conversational English was good, but when we got to the third part of the test, I kind of rambled. I began to stutter and use certain word repetitiously. I think my answers themselves were repetitious. LOL. I still wonder why I got an 8. I wouldn't rate myself an 8, I'd give myself a 6.5 or 7.
My topic was very ambigious, something about change in general. When it comes to the Speaking test, I prefer more technical subjects like global warming, bioterrorism, etc. I dunno why. I guess I just like science. Because I got an 8 in the Speaking test, I guess what they say about the difference between Filipino and foreign examiners are partially true, but then there are also lenient Filipino examiners. Another friend who took the IELTS was assigned to a Filipino one, and her question was something like, "Name an elderly person whom you admire the most.", and she began with "My lola....". The examiner mouthed to her "grandmother" (because the Speaking test is recorded) and my friend was able to correct herself. Filipino words are a huge no-no as we all know.
So, that was my experience on the IELTS test. I hope you do well on your exam. God bless! :)
Thanks for the tips! I know it will be of great help. Honestly I am a bit worried with the Writing part but not as worried as the Speaking part! :chuckle:chuckle I havent tried practicing my writing yet because im so preoccupied with practicing my speaking skills... if thats how you call it. :chuckle I know how to speak english (obviously ) but whenever i get intimidated/nervous, my tongue backs-off. i panic a lot.
Im not really that spontaneous and im sooo conscious with my grammar im afraid i might say something stupid or senseless during the Speaking part and that worries me a lot. As for writing, I am a forumer centuries ago so it really doesnt bother me much... ok, just a bit.hihi.
Check out the website for www.scottsenglish.com have seen wonderful results for those that have used them.
Does not matter what someone is learning, whether English or preparing for a licensing exam in the US, always much better to use a native instructor, one that has experience with it.
i agree with suzane you dont have to follow the accent as long as you can talk clearly and you answer what task has been ask. in my experinced she was a pakistani but married to a citizen of new zealand , i keep on asking her to kindly repeat her question because i cant understand her accent.
Not sure who you are speaking about, think that something is being left out.
ill be taking the ielts exam in 5days. i did not bother to take any guided review because im quite confident in speaking, writing and reading and have been exposed to several accents so ive got myself covered on listening as well. the only preparation i've been doing is reading novels, magazines, dailies and watching cnn and bbc. is there anything else that i need to do? have you heard of someone who aced the ielts exam without undergoing any guided review at all?
Hello everyone..I am planning to take the IELTS exam next month. I am reviewing using Barron's IELTS book. I just want to ask something from those who already took the test. Is there a selection of topic for the Writing Task 2 or just one topic. Please let me know. Also, I am having a hard time for my essay. Any advice? Thanks.
The result (specially, speaking) is very different by the location of examination and the people who attend the exam in the same date. That is what my friends and I who tooks IELTS many times found. For example, speaking test in Australia is harder than the test in Japan. Because the expectation of examiners is different. Also, certainly, there are some locations which have easygoing examiners. :-)
Hello everyone! I just took my ielts exams yesterday and I thought it was ok. Im just a bit worried with my writing part of the exam because my answers weren't as good as I expected to be. I came home a bit bothered. Like I should have said this or that...circles of ideas around my head. Anyways I still hope to get at a very least of 6 ( I hope).
The speaking part was mediocre. My interviewer was a Filipino and she speaks so softly I barely can hear her.
Anyways I hope to get a passing score for Canadian Nursing Regulatory Standards.
:crying2::redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe
) but whenever i get intimidated/nervous, my tongue backs-off. 
i panic a lot. 
so it really doesnt bother me much... ok, just a bit.hihi. 
dave787
583 Posts
i agree with suzane you dont have to follow the accent as long as you can talk clearly and you answer what task has been ask. in my experinced she was a pakistani but married to a citizen of new zealand , i keep on asking her to kindly repeat her question because i cant understand her accent.