What you should expect from an online IELTS Preparation
Course
The IELTS exam is a difficult test
but not an
impossible one. It tests the English-language skills
that students actually need to succeed in graduate programs, and its
assessments are rigorous and thorough.
That said, IELTS also expects each of the four tasks –
listening,
reading, writing and speaking – to be done
in a particular way. It doesn’t necessarily specify what that way
is. Consequently, many IELTS candidates
with high English language skills score more poorly than they might
if they knew the “rules.”
The prime criterion of a good IELTS preparation course is that it
trains candidates in the ways IELTS wants
to see things done. Also, because IELTS often asks tricky questions,
it is imperative that anyone who wishes
to achieve a high score learn the tricks, how to spot them, and how
to overcome them.
To decide whether a particular IELTS preparation course is fully
adequate, look for specific guidance in the
following aspects of each of the four tasks:
Listening
- Check to see that the different demands of each of the four
sections of the Listening Test is explained.
- Then make sure that there is a good explanation of the question
types that are most often encountered
in Listening. Although any of the question types used in the Reading
Test can also be used in Listening,
the Listening Test is more likely to focus on form-filling, summary
gap-filling, short-answer, true-and-false
and fact-and-opinion questions. You should find instruction not only
on those question types and how they work, but also on the indirect
ways IELTS often asks questions, the way it relies on rewordings of
things that are spoken – so that you have to understand the same
idea expressed in two different ways – and words before and
after key ideas that change the meaning of words supplied in
questions.
- There also should be tips on how to anticipate answers before you
hear them.
Reading
- Make sure that there is thorough explanations of all the IELTS
question types, how they work,
how IELTS sometimes asks them, and how you should answer them.
- Check that there are at least three readings of appropriate IELTS
length and difficulty, so you can learn
to time yourself to read a passage and answer 13 questions in 20
minutes.
- Look to see if there are useful tips on how to read quickly and
with the single purpose of answering questions
correctly. Normal advice about “speed reading” is not enough,
because the issue is not how fast you read or
even how much of the passage you understand – just how many
questions you answer correctly.
Writing Task 1
- Look to see that there are complete explanations about how to
comprehend information presented in graphic
formats such as graphs, bar charts, pie charts and diagrams. You
must know how to “read” all six types of graphic
data correctly, or you will make inaccurate observations that are
the fatal flaw of Writing Task 1.
- Make sure there is a complete, sentence-by-sentence explanation of
the report form. No matter what data you are
asked to describe, the report format is the same and must be
understood completely and thoroughly.
- Check to see that all the vocabulary you need to describe
information precisely is provided. There should
be appropriate vocabulary lists, indications of how to combine
words, and clear explanations of the different kinds
of vocabulary different features of graphic information require.
Writing Task 2
- Make sure that the IELTS preparation materials teach you what kind
of essay – opinion, explanation, or
discussion – is required to answer the IELTS question properly.
Writing the wrong kind of essay, no matter
how well, could cost you as much as a whole band point.
- Check that the formats for all three essay types are presented in
full, with the names and functions of
each of the sentence types precisely described. Following the
expected format is key to writing a good essay.
- Look to see that the preparation materials include ample
exercises. Most students need practice to learn
how to write the different kinds of sentences – from hooks to thesis
statements to supporting
sentences – that work together to make a successful essay. Make sure
that the course you take includes plenty of exercises so you can get
the practice you need.
Speaking
- The Speaking task has three distinct parts. Make sure the nature
and function of all three is clearly explained.
- Check to see that there is clear explanation of the “Long Turn,”
the central section in which you must speak by yourself without any
help from the examiner. There should be clear directions about how
to give your answer to that critically important question shape and
form.
- Look to see that the preparation material gives you concrete tips
on how to turn question-answering into real communication and
natural conversation.
- Make sure that there are explanations of more than just proper
verbal language. Good, appropriate body language can be almost as
important in this task, which is the only one that puts candidates
face-to-face with the examiner.
On the other hand, save yourself the trouble of
looking for all these things in other IELTS preparation courses.
UniRoute
IELTS Preparation
- the IELTS Maximiser - has them all, and it’s time-tested and known to
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