--- title: "Be ready for IELTS" description: "Whether you want to study abroad in English or you just want to certify your English language degree..." author: "Sabineve" published: "2017-11-07T23:09:11+00:00" modified: "2017-11-07T23:09:11+00:00" locale: "ru" canonical_url: "https://yvision.kz/post/be-ready-for-ielts-784202" markdown_url: "https://yvision.kz/post/be-ready-for-ielts-784202/markdown" site_name: "Yvision.kz" --- # Be ready for IELTS > Whether you want to study abroad in English or you just want to certify your English language degree... Whether you want to study abroad in English or you just want to certify your English language degree you should take IELTS exam. IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. The score goes up to 9.0. Normally, a score for being accepted to English speaking study program is between 6.5 to 7.5 depending on the type of studies. The exam contains 4 sections: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. First of all you need to estimate your time for preparation. I suggest you to have minimum 2 month (depending on how many hours you can spend per day). I have been applying to different scholarships since I was 18 and have taken IELTS several times. Here I would like to share with you some tips to prepare for IELTS. *Get familiar with the rules* of IELTS in advance to save time at an actual exam. *Make a schedule* of your preparation topics. Devote time to each section separately. **Speaking** This part takes place separately from the other three parts. You will have an “interview” with examiner tet-a-tet. First, examiner will ask general questions about yourself. You should *prepare your answers to the most commonly asked general questions*. Avoid giving too basic answers, *make your answers more* (but not too much) *sophisticated* by adding some extra words. For example, - Tell me about your hometown? - I am from Wageningen, a small town in Gelderland province. It is a beautiful, green town and I liked growing up there. - I grew up in Wageningen, which is better known for accommodating one of the best universities in the country. It is called a city of Life Sciences and surrounded by picturesque views. At the second section, you will be given a card containing 3-4 questions, and asked to prepare a speech for 2 minutes. You will be given 1 minute to make some notes. At the third section you will be asked to express your opinion on a subject related to the section 2. Here you need to *train* to respond to different subjects using appropriate language. *Avoid using informal language*! Last but not least, *learn to make up stories*. You were asked about your favorite pet but you are allergic, so you never had one? Makeup a story of your fluffy friend, which had to be euthanized because of suffering from vertigo. Your level of honesty is not being examined there, but the fancy words you know and can incorporate into your speech. **Reading** This part will contain 3 passages from scientific papers or books and you will have 60 minutes to answer the questions. This means that you will not have time for actually reading the texts. What you can do is scanning each paragraph following way: ![Be ready for IELTS](https://storage.yvision.kz/images/user/sabineve/z59Yr5rpgFeeV16GUnyc3pGMMw4gLE.jpg) This is the most efficient technique of scanning as it allows you to catch all the words in the paragraph. So, first you read a question and identify keywords in it. Be ready that those words will be paraphrased in the text. Example of finding keywords is given below. *Pasteur* is famous for ____________ a process to make *milk and wine* safe for consumption. After identifying your keywords *search for them in the text by scanning*. You also *can read first and last sentences of each paragraph to get the general idea* of it. If you have limited English vocabulary, then you need to practice reading a lot and write down unfamiliar words. **Listening** Listening requires a lot of preparation and skills. Initial rule to remember if you did not catch an answer skip it and *move on* as *recording will continue without interruption*. Firstly, read the questions and *identify keywords*. *Make expectations* of what you are aiming to hear, whether it’s a number, name of action. Practice at listening different accents and speakers with different background noises. **Writing** At this part you will be asked to write 1 report of 150 words and 1 essay of 250 words in 1 hour. Your words choice, grammar usage will be evaluated in this section, as well as your ability to build a write structure of an essay. There is a *concrete structure which should be always kept:* Introduction, Body paragraphs (2-3), Conclusion. There are words which will considerably contribute to your writing literacy. *For task 1 – writing a report* to describe a diagram/table: ![Be ready for IELTS](https://storage.yvision.kz/images/user/sabineve/t86BCLBLaaa28F7C27fi64u0fs07om.jpg) a) Remains stable, doesn’t change, maintains stability… b) Decreases, falls, drops, goes down, declines… c) Increases, rises, climbs, goes up, hits the top… Those words can be paired with the description of the dynamics as rapidly (goes down), gradually (rises) etc. For *writing task 2* following phrases can be employed: Phrases to show two sides of argument “Some people prefer … Those who disagree point out that…” “We must acknowledge … Nevertheless, …” “No one can deny … However…” Phrases to add “Not only…, but…” “Furthermore…” Phrases to deny what was said before “Although…” “Nevertheless…” “In spite of…” Phrases for results “Therefore…” “As a result…” “Thus…” Phrases for conclusion “Lastly,” “To conclude with,” In short,” Whatever you decide to do be sure you spend enough time practicing. There is plenty of information on internet to aid you. I will add some helpful IELTS preparation books which you can download to practice by them. I strongly advice to start from the book “Target band 7” by Simone Braverman as it is full of useful tips and advices. Ooopppsss... I couldn't figure out how to upload files (as well as resizing images) on this platform, so you can contact me regarding the books I mentioned =) Bonne chance! XOXO, Sabine V E --- Source: [https://yvision.kz/post/be-ready-for-ielts-784202](https://yvision.kz/post/be-ready-for-ielts-784202)