APA ITU IELTS

IELTS merupakan singkatan dari International English Language Testing System. IELTS adalah
tes internasional dalam kemampuan bahasa inggris yang diselenggarakan oleh Universitas
Cambridge, British Council dan IDP Educational Australia. IELTS didirikan pada tahun 1989. Ada
dua versi dari IELTS, yaitu:

- Versi Academic ditujukan bagi mereka yang ingin mendaftar di universitas dan lembaga
pendidikan tinggi lainnya dan bagi para profesional seperti dokter dan perawat yang ingin belajar
atau praktek di negara berbahasa Inggris.

- Pelatihan Versi General/Umum ditujukan bagi mereka berencana untuk melakukan pelatihan
non-akademis atau untuk mendapatkan pengalaman kerja, atau untuk tujuan imigrasi.

IELTS diterima oleh sebagian besar lembaga di Australia, Inggris, Kanada, Irlandia, Selandia
Baru dan Akademik Afrika Selatan, lebih dari 3.000 institusi akademik di Amerika Serikat, dan
berbagai organisasi profesi. Ini juga merupakan persyaratan untuk imigrasi ke Australia, Selandia
Baru dan Kanada.

Bagi ingin yang masuk universitas yang ada di luar negeri, minimal score berkisar dari 5,5
sampai 6,5 dan score berkisar dari 7.0 sampai 7.5 bagi peminat program pascasarjana
tergantung universitas dan jenjang yang mau ditempuh (S1 atau S2 atau S3).

Bagi perusahaan atau lembaga, tidak ada nilai minimum yang diperlukan untuk lulus tes. Sebuah
hasil IELTS atau Uji Form Laporan dikeluarkan untuk semua calon dengan skor dari 1 sampai
dengan 9 sebagai ahli dan masing-masing lembaga menetapkan ambang batas yang berbeda.
Lembaga disarankan untuk tidak mempertimbangkan laporan hasil yang lamanya lebih dari dua
tahun agar valid, kecuali orang yang tes itu membuktikan bahwa ia bisa mempertahankan
scorenya tersebut.

Pendaftar yang mengambil tes IELTS biasanya diminta untuk melengkapi empat modul
(berbicara, menulis, membaca, dan mendengarkan). Setelah melaksanakan tes IELTS,
pendaftar tersebut akan menerima sebuah berkas atau skor yang ditampilkan pada formulir
laporan IELTS. Skor tertinggi pada IELTS bernilai 9, yang artinya orang tersebut benar-benar
mampu dalam semua bidang yang diujiankan.

Ujian IELTS rata-rata memakan waktu 2 jam 45 menit. Tes mendengarkan, membaca, dan
menulis harus diselesaikan pada hari yang sama. Sedangkan tes berbicara membutuhkan waktu
seminggu, sebelum atau setelah tes tertulis.

Apa IELTS itu?

IELTS adalah Sistem Tes Bahasa Inggris Internasional, tes bahasa Inggris dengan pertaruhan tinggi
yang paling populer di dunia diterima untuk tujuan bekerja, belajar dan migrasi.
Tes IELTS dimiliki bersama oleh tiga organisasi yang dikenal sebagai mitra tes IELTS. Di samping
IDP:IELTS Australia, mitra pemilik lainnya adalah the British Council dan Cambridge English
Language Assessment.

Tes IELTS dirancang untuk menilai kemampuan bahasa seseorang yang ingin belajar atau bekerja di
tempat di mana bahasa Inggris digunakan sebagai bahasa komunikasi. Tes ini merupakan tes bahasa
Inggris yang paling disukai bagi siswa yang bermaksud untuk belajar di Australia, Kanada, Selandia
Baru, Inggris dan, semakin banyak, di Amerika Serikat. Hampir semua perguruan tinggi dan
universitas empat tahun di Amerika (yang menarik lebih dari 1.000 siswa internasional per tahun)
menerima hasil IELTS sebagai syarat masuk ke semua program.

IELTS adalah tes empat keterampilan bahasa Inggris (Menyimak, Membaca, Menulis dan Berbicara)
dan terus menetapkan standard untuk tes bahasa Inggris hari ini. Lebih dari 10.000 organisasi
menerima hasil IELTS, mengakuinya sebagai indikator yang terjamin, valid dan terpercaya untuk
kemampuan berkomunikasi dalam bahasa Inggris yang sesuai dengan kenyataan untuk tujuan
pendidikan, imigrasi dan pendaftaran profesional. Pada tahun 2016, lebih dari 2,9 juta tes IELTS
diselenggarakan di seluruh dunia.

Format tes IELTS

IELTS adalah tes untuk keempat keterampilan bahasa: Menyimak, Membaca, Menulis dan Berbicara.
Anda akan melaksanakan tes Menyimak, Membaca dan Menulis pada hari yang sama, secara
berurutan tanpa istirahat di antaranya. Tergantung pada tempat pelaksanaan tes anda, tes Berbicara
mungkin dilaksanakan pada hari yang sama dengan tiga tes lainnya, atau sampai dengan tujuh hari
sebelum atau setelahnya. Total waktu tes kurang dari tiga jam.

Baca selengkapnya tentang format tes IELTS.

Mengapa format tes IELTS lebih adil?

Anda berhak mendapatkan kesempatan yang adil untuk melakukan yang terbaik. Itu sebabnya, tidak
seperti tes lain, IELTS memberi anda ruang yang tenang untuk tes Berbicara yang dilakukan secara
individual tanpa ada gangguan atau interupsi.
IELTS juga menyadari bahwa setiap orang memiliki pendekatan yang berbeda untuk menjawab
pertanyaan. Misalnya, dengan IELTS anda dapat menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan dalam tes
Membaca atau dalam tes Menulis dalam urutan yang sesuai untuk anda. Anda juga dapat membuat
perubahan pada jawaban tes Membaca anda selama waktu tes Membaca dan mengkoreksi jawaban
tes Menulis anda dalam waktu tes Menulis anda.

Jika Anda memiliki rencana melanjutkan studi di luar negeri, kemampuan

berbahasa Inggris menjadi kunci utama. Ada beberapa parameter yang
dijadikan alat ukur untuk melihat kemampuan berbahasa Inggris
seseorang. Selain TOEFL, ada pula IELTS (International English Language
Testing System), tes yang diakui secara global untuk menguji kemampuan
Anda dalam berbahasa Inggris. Yuk, mengenali IELTS lebih dalam, seperti
dikutip dari Hotcourses Indonesia.

Mengenal IELTS

IELTS adalah sebuah tes kemahiran bahasa Inggris yang membuktikan

Anda memiliki standar tertentu dalam bahasa Inggris, baik untuk tujuan
bekerja atau belajar. Tes yang akan dijalani untuk mengetahui empat
keterampilan berbahasa yaitu mendengarkan, membaca, berbicara dan
menulis.

IELTS diakui oleh institusi-institusi pendidikan di Inggris, Amerika Serikat,

Australia, Selandia Baru, Hong Kong, Irlandia, Afrika Selatan dan sejumlah
badan profesional di seluruh dunia termasuk Dinas Imigrasi Selandia Baru
dan Dewan Media Inggris General Medical. IELTS diterima oleh lebih dari
6.000 organisasi di seluruh dunia.

Nah, yang perlu Anda ketahui, IELTS tersedia dalam dua format yaitu
Akademik dan Pelatihan Umum. Apa perbedaan keduanya?

Tes Akademik adalah untuk siswa internasional yang ingin belajar di

institusi pendidikan tinggi di negara berbahasa Inggris.
Tes Pelatihan Umum cocok untuk orang yang ingin bermigrasi ke negara
berbahasa Inggris atau bekerja untuk sebuah organisasi profesional.

Tesnya sendiri, untuk uji kemampuan mendengarkan dan berbicara dalam

tes akademik dan pelatihan umum memiliki materi yang sama. Akan tetapi,
untuk uji kemampuan membaca dan menulis disesuaikan masing-masing
untuk keterampilan akademik atau keterampilan umum.
Lebih jauh tentang 4 aspek tes

1. Tes mendengarkan
Tes mendengarkan akan berlangsung selama 30 menit dengan 4 bagian
dan 40 pertanyaan. Dalam tes ini, Anda akan uji mengenai pemahaman
spesifik dan keseluruhan bahasa Inggris dalam berbagai konteks dan
format.

2. Tes membaca
Tes ini akan berlangsung selama 60 menit. Peserta tes akan menjawab 3
bagian yang terdiri dari 40 pertanyaan. Nah, dalam tes membaca ini, Anda
perlu memahami teks secara rinci dan menunjukkan bahwa Anda
memahami informasi rumit yang disediakan dalam bahasa Inggris.

3. Tes menulis
Tes menulis berlangsung selama 60 menit. Peserta tes akan mengerjakan
2 tugas. Untuk menembus tes ini, Anda diharapkan menggunakan bahasa
Inggris untuk berbagai tujuan dan menunjukkan kemampuan Anda dalam
menyesuaikan cara tulis untuk topik dan konteks yang berbeda. Struktur
kalimat, kosa kata, penggunaan tata bahasa dan gaya akan dinilai.

4. Tes berbicara
Tes berbicara berlangsung selama 11-14 menit dan terdiri dari 3 bagian.
Kandidat untuk Akademik dan Pelatihan Umum akan mendapatkan bentuk
tes yang sama. Tes ini melibatkan wawancara individu dengan seorang
guru dan mencakup berbagai topik dan konteks. Anda harus dapat
membicarakan topik pribadi, memberikan pembicaraan singkat tanpa
bantuan pada topik yang dipilih dan berkontribusi pada diskusi dua arah
mengenai isu-isu yang lebih abstrak.

Apa itu "IELTS BAND"?

Setelah menjalani sejumlah rangkaian tes tersebut, Anda akan dinilai dan
diberi "band score". Ingin mengetahui bagaimana para penguji
mendefinisikan masing-masing dari 9 "band score"?

skor 9 - pengguna ahli

skor 8 - pengguna yang sangat baik
skor 7 - pengguna yang baik
skor 6 - pengguna kompeten
skor 5 - pengguna sederhana
skor 4 - pengguna terbatas
skor 3 - pengguna sangat terbatas
skor 2 - pengguna intermiten (hanya mengetahui informasi yang sangat
mendasar)
skor 1 - tidak memiliki kemampuan bahasa Inggris

Berapa biaya tes IELTS?

Untuk mencari tahu biaya dalam Rupiah, Anda dapat mengunjungi situs
IELTS (http://www.ielts.org/test_centre_search/search_results.aspx).

Berapa skor yang diperlukan untuk masuk ke universitas?

Jika Anda bertujuan untuk belajar di sebuah institusi di Amerika Serikat,

Kanada, Inggris atau Australia, skor IETLS yang harus dicapai pada
umumnya adalah 6 - 6.5. Jika ingin memasukkan profesi seperti medis,
maka persyaratan skor dapat berupa IELTS 7 atau lebih. Ada baiknya
selalu mengecek dengan institusi atau organisasi terkait.

Lebih jauh, bisa mengunjungi www.ielts.org.

Bagaimana dengan TOEFL?

TOEFL juga merupakan tes untuk membuktikan kemampuan bahasa

Inggris ketika mendaftar sebuah program akademis. TOEFL terkadang
diakui oleh universitas di Inggris sebagai alternatif untuk IELTS. TOEFL
adalah tes kemahiran berbahasa Inggris dari Amerika yang menggunakan
bahasa Inggris Amerika, bukan Inggris (British) sehingga lebih diakui untuk
universitas d Amerika Serikat.

Sumber: Hotcourses Indonesia

Listening

Test Format Listening (30 minutes)

You will listen to four recorded texts, monologues and conversations by a range of native
speakers, and write your answers to a series of questions. These include questions that test
your ability to understand main ideas and detailed factual information, ability to understand
the opinions and attitudes of speakers, ability to understand the purpose of an utterance and
the ability to follow the development of ideas. A variety of voices and native-speaker accents
are used and each section is heard only once.
Section 1
A conversation between two people set in an everyday social context.
Section 2
A monologue set in an everyday social context, e.g. a speech about local facilities.
Section 3
A conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a
university tutor and a student discussing an assignment.
Section 4
A monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture.

Academic Reading

Test Format Academic Reading (60 minutes)

The Reading component consists of 40 questions. A variety of question types is used in order
to test a wide range of reading skills. These include reading for gist, reading for main ideas,
reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument and recognising writers'
opinions, attitudes and purpose.

The Academic version includes three long texts which range from the descriptive and factual
to the discursive and analytical. The texts are authentic and are taken from books, journals,
magazines and newspapers. These have been selected for a non-specialist audience but are
appropriate for people entering university courses or seeking professional registration.

General Training Reading

Test Format General Training Reading (60

minutes)
The Reading component consists of 40 questions. A variety of question types is used in order
to test a wide range of reading skills. These include reading for gist, reading for main ideas,
reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument and recognising writers'
opinions, attitudes and purpose.
The General Training version requires test takers to read extracts from books, magazines,
newspapers, notices, advertisements, company handbooks and guidelines. These are materials
you are likely to encounter on a daily basis in an English-speaking environment.
Academic Writing

Test Format Academic Writing (60 minutes)

The Writing component of IELTS Academic includes two tasks. Topics are of general interest
to, and suitable for test takers entering undergraduate and postgraduate studies or seeking
professional registration.

Task 1
You will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to describe, summarise
or explain the information in your own words. You may be asked to describe and explain
data, describe the stages of a process, how something works or describe an object or event.

Task 2
You will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem.
Responses to both tasks must be in a formal style.

General Training Writing

Test Format General Training Writing (60

minutes)
The Writing component of IELTS General Training includes two tasks which are based on
topics of general interest.

Task 1
You will be presented with a situation and asked to write a letter requesting information, or
explaining the situation. The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal in style.

Task 2
You will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. The
essay can be slightly more personal in style than the Academic Writing Task 2 essay.

Speaking

Test Format Speaking (11-14 minutes)

The Speaking component assesses your use of spoken English, and takes between 11 and 14
minutes to complete. Every test is recorded. The Speaking component is delivered in such a
way that it does not allow people to rehearse set responses beforehand.

Part 1
The examiner will ask you general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics,
such as home, family, work, studies and interests. This part lasts between 4 and 5 minutes.
Part 2
You will be given a card which asks you to talk about a particular topic. You will have 1
minute to prepare before speaking for up to 2 minutes. The examiner will then ask one or two
questions on the same topic to finish this part of the test.

Part 3
You will be asked further questions connected to the topic in Part 2. These questions will give
you the opportunity to discuss more abstract ideas and issues. This part of the test lasts
between 4 and 5 minutes.

Srbya....................

British Council Indonesia- UTC (Edlink+ConneX Surabaya)

Address:
JL. H.R. Mohammad
No. 342B
Surabaya
60189

Tel: (62-31) 7382068

Fax: (62-31) 7327977
Email: surabayawest@edlink.or.id

Test Fee: 120 (Paid in Rupiah)

IALF Surabaya - Test Centre

Address:
IELTS Administrator
Jl. Sumatera 49
East Java
Surabaya
60281

Tel: 62 31 502 6400

Fax: 62 31 502 6408
Email: ieltsadminsby@ialf.edu
Web: www.ialf.edu

Test Fee: US$195

How long......................

Your Cambridge English exam result/certificate does not have an expiry date*. It shows that on a
particular date you demonstrated language skills at a specified level, however, language skills
are known to diminish over time if not used and maintained.
Individual institutions (such as universities, employers, professional organisations and
government bodies) can choose how long to accept results for. Some institutions will only accept
certificates taken within the last 2 or 3 years, although many will take into account evidence that
you have taken action to maintain or improve your level of English since taking your exam.
Please speak to the institution that you wish to apply to if you have any doubts.

Applications for a visa to study or live in a country may also require that you hold an English
qualification that was taken within a specified period (within the last two years for example). We
strongly advise that you check the regulations for that country carefully before making an
application.

If you have any doubts, speak to the institution you are applying to.

Option 1 (Curtin University)

Nama Jurusan Bachelor of Nursing

Tipe Bachelor (s1)
Tempat Kuliah Bentley (Perth, WA)
Kelas Mulai Februari dan July
Durasi 3.5 tahun
Rata-rata 7, dan tidak ada yang dibawah
IELTS (academic)
6.5
Biaya kuliah (3.5 tahun)* $AU 111.600
Pilihan pekerjaan setelah tamat Nurse
Bekerja di Australia full time setelah Bisa (Pekerjaan ada di SOL list yang di
tamat highlight)
*belum termasuk biaya pembiuatan visa, dan akomodasi

Option 2 (TAFE WA)

Diploma of Nursing
Nama Jurusan

Tipe Diploma
Tempat Kuliah Western Australia
Kelas Mulai February dan July
Durasi 1.5 tahun
Rata-rata 6.5, dan tidak ada yang
IELTS (academic)*
dibawah 6
Biaya kuliah (1.5 tahun)** $AU 26.400
Pilihan pekerjaan setelah tamat. Karir Nurse
Nursing setelah tamat
Tidak Bisa(Kecuali melanjutkan ke S1
Bekerja di Australia full time setelah tamat
setelah tamat)
*TAFE menyediakan tes gratis pengganti IELTS untuk mendaftar

**belum termasuk biaya pembuatan visa, dan akomodasi

Option 3 (Notre Dame University)

Nama Jurusan Bachelor of Nursing

Tipe Bachelor (s1)
Tempat Kuliah Melbourne
Kelas Mulai Februari dan July
Durasi 3 tahun
IELTS (academic) Rata-rata 7, dan tidak ada yang dibawah 7
Biaya kuliah (3 tahun)* $AU 87.912
Pilihan pekerjaan setelah tamat Nurse
Bekerja di Australia full time setelah Bisa (Pekerjaan ada di SOL list yang di
tamat highlight)
*belum termasuk biaya pembiuatan visa, dan akomodasi

Jika kamu ingin mendapatkan informasi lebih banyak tentang bidang studi
Nursing dan pendaftaran untuk kuliah di Australia, kamu bisa langsung hubungi
kita di 0361 8466 362

https://www.hotcourses.co.id/study/course/australia/graduate-certificate-of-health-clinical-
practice/56239270/program.html?nationCode=88&nationCntryCode=88

https://www.hotcourses.co.id/study/training-degrees/australia/postgraduate/nursing-
courses/loc/9/slevel/3/cgory/h5-3/sin/ct/programs.html
 Graduate Certificate of Health (Clinical Practice) University of
Southern Queensland (USQ)

44
INFO LENGKAP

MEMINTA INFORMASI

Tentang jurusan ini

o Ikhtisar
o Departemen
Pilihan kuliah
Persyaratan masuk
o Dari Indonesia
o Internasional

Listening dificult............

Communication and language acquisition heavily depend on listening

skills. Just think: With poor listening ability, you can't participate or
continue a conversation. You can't follow instructions correctly if at
all. Success at work, in a classroom, and elsewhere would be
significantly more difficult to achieve.

But what makes listening so difficult?

Unfortunately, it's easier to ask the question than to answer it. A lot of
research actually comes form native language development, as
opposed to second language acquisition. But we can still apply many
of the findings to ESL EFL learning. For example, spoken language
contains colloquialisms and reduced forms like "donchya" for "don't
you" in English. There are steps that a listener goes through too, such
as receiving the information, breaking it down, and identifying its
purpose. The listener's interest in the topic, the content, and any visual
support (or lack of it) similarly affects listening. These points are
universally true for any spoken language.
Spoken language has a number of characteristics that affects or blocks
comprehension. Before going into detail, perhaps an example is
needed. As teachers, we've all likely experienced the following: A
student goes abroad for a week or two, only to come back and say, "I
didn't understanding anything the people said!" It's discouraging, not
only for the student because of all his hard work, but for us too. The
problem illustrates aspects of language which, when spoken, hinder
comprehension. What's more, these problems aren't always worked
into the classroom. They don't get practiced, so the students find
themselves unprepared.

Below are some key ideas that make listening difficult. You can also
read how to teach other skills here.
Colloquialisms: These are one of the most easily identifiable
characteristics. Learners who have primarily studied for tests find this
particularly troublesome because they haven't prepared for or been
exposed to any language other than the "textbook" sort. But even
students more comfortable applying the language beyond the confines
of a textbook or classroom can't be taught every single colloquialism,
as these differ from country to country, region to region, and even
among different age groups.
Accent, intonation, inflection, and stress: All are
readily identifiable trouble spots. Most teachers and students
understand the importance of accent. Of course, unfamiliar accents
can hinder comprehension. Maybe the student has been taught by an
American, but then takes a trip to London. Or maybe his mother
tongue so heavily affects his English pronunciation that the word he
hears doesn't match up with the word in his head. Whatever the
reason, problems with accent can set up the same hurdles like a new,
unfamiliar word. The student might be able to infer the meaning and
continue the conversation. However, he's just as likely to bring the
conversation to a halt because he's unable to understand the meaning.

Inflection and stress are perhaps less obvious trouble spots, yet both
play an important role in picking up the meaning of a sentence. Take
something simple like, "My dad was eating dinner when the phone
rang." If different words get stressed, then the meaning changes.
Compare the following:

Example #1: My DAD was eating dinner when the phone rang.
Example #2: My dad was EATING dinner when the phone rang.

The first example focuses on the person. The second example focuses
on the action. For the listener, stress helps predict the information that
follows.

Inflection adds nuance to a sentence, or even changes its meaning.

Take the following statement, "Your dad was eating dinner." If you
raise the pitch of your voice towards the end of the sentence, as when
asking a question, then you're confirming the information. In other
words, a question is asked to check the meaning or information.
There's the opposite too, such as turning a question into a statement
through inflection. A conversation might look like the following:

A: My dad was eating dinner when the phone rang.

B: Wait a minute. Your DAD was eating dinner. (rising inflection)
A: Yeah, my DAD.
B: (interrupts) I thought he was still away on business.
A: No, he got back early. Anyway, he was EATING and...
Reduced Forms: Reduced forms cause problems as well,
especially for lower-level ESL EFL students. Native speakers often
string several words together. "Can't you" becomes "canchya" and
"what are you" becomes "whachya." There are also contractions, such
as "we're" and "he's." Yet even upper-level students might not fully
understand a sentence if they miss part of a sound.
Fillers, Correction, and Repetition: In English, speakers
often use fillers like "uh," "ummm," and "well." These serve as pauses
and hesitations as the person thinks about what to next say. There are
phrases which signal correction or clarification, such as "I mean,"
"kind of," "sort of," and "like." Then people also repeat information,
redelivering previously presented ideas. All of these points together
act can sound like static on a radio. In other words, they can obfuscate
what would normally be an otherwise simple set of sentences.
Word or phrase clusters: These are yet one more aspect that
makes listening difficult. Native speakers and adept second-language
learners select and digest manageable clusters, or chunks, of words.
These chunks are often broken up with conjunctions, prepositions,
and the like, which then serve as markers. For example, look at the
following sentence which, although a run-on, would sound quite
natural when spoken:
Example: My dad was eating dinner when the phone rang, and was
he furious because it was one of those telemarketers who always seem
to call just as we're sitting down to dinner.

A listener might break this into six chunks that represent the key
information:
Chunk #1: dad eating dinner
Chunk #2: the phone rang
Chunk #3: furious
Chunk #4: a telemarketer
Chunk #5: always call
Chunk #6: sitting down to dinner

The problem pops up when a student tries to retain too much

information, such as all of the words of a sentence or even several
sentences. He just gets overwhelmed by too much information, which
he can't process and remember. As a result, he loses the thread of the
conversation.

Content: Content plays a very significant role in listening

comprehension. Without sufficient background knowledge on the
topic, which may very well include specialized vocabulary, the
listener won't be able to follow the conversation. Just think of the
differences between a casual conversation with a friend, the type of
English needed at a doctor's office, and a discussion on global
warming, politics, or the economy.

Each of the above aspects works in conjunction to make listening

difficult. As teachers, we must consider the problems and pitfalls that
listeners face both inside and outside the classroom. We must design
activities that provide real, relevant content that improve the
awareness of and ability to deal with colloquialisms, accent,
intonation, and the like.

If you liked this article, be sure to look at other ESL EFL articles,
advice, and lessons at: www.headsupenglish.com.
They're all difficult in their own way and it depends on your personality, learning style and
practice history which one will be most difficult for you.

In the listening part, you only hear the texts one time! If you haven't done practice tests, you will
probably panic and fail this section. Learn to read the questions quickly in the time allowed and
to anticipate when and how the speakers will say the answers.

In the reading part, there is basically too much to read. The trick is to learn how to answer the
questions while only reading what is absolutely necessary. Read the questions first and then find
the part of the text that you think will answer the questions and only read that part. Then go to
the next set of questions and do the same again. If you try to read the whole text, then look at the
questions and then try to find the answers, you will most likely run out of time.

In the writing part, they want very specific things in each part. Learn exactly what they want and
don't want and make sure you write enough. Not writing the minimum amount has a very severe
penalty. The different task types have pretty standard answer styles which you can practice.

In the speaking part, just try to stay on topic and give complete answers. Don't just try to speak a
lot, stay on topic. Listen to the questions carefully. In part 1, the examiner will ask questions
about what you do, what you like, what you think, etc. In part 3, the examiner will ask questions
about what people in your country do, what people your age like, etc. So don't answer questions
in part 3 with what you do or what you like. In part 2 of the speaking test, you will need to speak
for 2 minutes. Use your preparation time to think about the 4 parts of your answer, you will see
these written on a card that the examiner will give you. Practice making mind-maps for your
notes, it will help you get more ideas when you finish your notes. Most people who make a list
find it difficult to add new things when they get to the end of their list.

In general, you should do as many practice tests as you can before you take the test. Then you'll
learn what's difficult for you. But you should also learn what you are good at, and try to improve
that as well. Your score is an average of all 4 parts so wherever you improve, it will show up in
your score.

The British Council has a good preparation website: Road to IELTS Test Drive. This is the free
one with a full test. You can also pay for more tests through them. I have more tips and practice
tests on my own website: Bens IELTS Tips