How to Prepare For IELTS at Home: Expert Tips & Tricks

If you have your dream university shining bright in your eyes, the next step you need to take is to start preparing for the IELTS exam. Often students ponder over the question of how to prepare for IELTS at home and if it’s possible to prepare all by yourself. Well that depends on how much time do you have. Well that depends on two cases that we’ll discuss in this article. Before we jump in into the IELTS preparation strategy, let us look into some more details about IELTS exam.

What is the IELTS exam?

The IELTS examination stands for International English Language Testing System. It is a proficiency test that evaluates your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. The examination evaluates your proficiency in the following 4 sections:

• Reading
• Writing
• Listening
• Speaking

The total score is awarded as a band score, based on your overall expertise. To get admission in one of your desired college you need to qualify for the band score required by that college. 

IELTS Band Score

The IELTS bands range from 0-9. Universities across the USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, and Australia have different band requirements. Generally, a 7 or higher is a good score. Some universities even prefer a band score of 7.5, 8, or more.

Here’s what each band score on the scale indicates:

You can read in detail about the IELTS band score here. 

How to start IELTS preparation at Home?

These are some basic yet important points to keep in mind from the start of your preparation till the end.

• The IELTS preparation at home requires more than just learning the English language. You must prepare yourself to finish on time with absolute efficiency.
• Each section of the test is allotted a time limit for the completion of the task. Therefore, from the beginning you need to practice for your test according to the time limit of each section.
• Apart from the time frame, you need to maintain fluency in communication for the speaking test. It doesn’t mean you need to learn all the words from a dictionary, but you must be able to articulate your points clearly.
• Confidence is the key. From the start of your home preparation, you need to keep check on your confidence level. If you are hesitant in speaking or writing, you need to brush up your skills on that.
• Be updated about the instructions of the test before hand. It will save you from panicking during the exam.

Here are a few steps you can follow to increase your efficiency for your IELTS preparation at home:

• Start with the Parts of Speech

This is the base of the English language. Making your foundations clear will help you to form clear sentences without any mistake. To maintain a flow in your sentences, you need to learn 8 parts of speech, how and where to use them, tenses etc. You can practice this in essays. 

• Learn the rules of grammar

This is an extension of the first point. Learn how to use it in its correct form to frame simple, compound, and complex sentences. 

• Learn new words

Practice learning at least 5-7 new words every day. Synonyms are handy words to learn. You see, more often than not, you might find yourself repeating a sentiment to describe all its components. If you use the same word over and over again, it compiles a very poorly constructed opinion. You can use synonyms to express the sentiment in different ways.

For instance, if you say “Cleaning the house is important. You must clean the house to maintain hygiene. Also, a clean house represents a person’s inner-self. If the house is not cleaned properly, it might attract rodents and insects.”

Notice how the word clean is repeated. When you read this sentence, it doesn’t seem elegant. Instead, if you say “Cleansing the house is an important task. A clean house reflects the sentiments of the owner and their hygiene. It is attractive to look at and helps avoid pesky rodents and insects.

These are complex sentences that convey the same message eloquently.

• Practice Different Reading Techniques

During your IELTS preparation at home, focus on different ways to read and understand the passages faster. You cannot read and re-read the passage during the exam. Practice taking notes of important points and keywords. Find ways to tackle the test as efficiently as possible. The reading test poses the maximum challenge as you have to:

1. Read and understand the passages (each is more difficult than the one before)
2. Find the answers
3. Enter them in a separate corresponding answer sheet (Not the questionnaire)
4. Maintain perfect grammar, tenses, and voice.
5. Answer all questions within the allotted 60 minutes.

• Understand the pattern of the examination

The IELTS exam is divided into 4 categories, and each of them is timed. When you start your IELTS preparation at home, make sure you know how much each section affects your score and prepare accordingly.

There are 5 main things to focus on while preparing for IELTS at home:

1. Vocabulary – As we have said before, vocabulary is very important. It is one of the fain factors that the examiner evaluates in all 4 sections. Make sure to improve your knowledge of words and idioms. It contributes to 25% of your overall score.
2. Cohesion and coherence – The third most important factor is coherence. During the course of the entire examination, you must maintain a flow in your answers. This means, your thoughts should be connected, not random. For example: “The Nutter-Butter is an underrated cookie. But I like munching on popcorn during movies.” These sentences do not indicate any connection. They appear to be 2 random thoughts. Instead, you can say, “Even though the Nutter-Butter is an underrated cookie, it is my favorite. Although, when I’m watching movies I prefer popcorn over biscuits and sweets.” Now, the thoughts are connected. It shows that you are expressing your strong opinion over the use of Nutter-Butters.
3. Pronunciation – It is a particularly important factor that carries a 25% weightage of your speaking test score. Pronunciation of each word indicates your fluency in the language. During your IELTS preparation at home, listen to English podcasts, and lectures. Observe how the words are pronounced and practice them repeatedly. If you aren’t sure about a particular word, look it up online, and listen to the sounds. You don’t have to understand phonetics. Just understand the sounds made for the vowels and consonants in each word. Pronunciation also involves how you state a sentence. In case of questions, you must end the statement in a higher voice note. In case you want to add different adjectives or points, you must indicate so with your tone. Just remember, you must use connotations and intonations as required otherwise it will sound like a monologue.
4. Task Achievement – Every category in the exam provides you with a set of directions or guidelines. You must follow these principles to complete your tasks correctly. For example, Academic Writing Task 1 requires you to write an essay based on a pictographic chart. The task will define the parameters to read the chart correctly. You must implement the directions provided and write your essay accordingly.
5. Fluency – This is the final most important factor that will affect your overall score. Fluency does not indicate that you need to know every word, idiom, and phrase. Just speak with clarity and ease. During your speaking test, you will be provided a topic and 1 minute to prepare what you want to say. Take the time to organize your thoughts and then start speaking. Avoid stuttering or hesitating in the middle of your sentence.

• Take Mock Tests

Download sample questionnaires or take online practice tests as much as possible. You can also create your own tests and evaluate how well you perform. Practice Tests help you refine your skills and prepare adequately for the actual exam scenario. They will also help you prepare well for the critical portions of the reading and writing tests.

You can try the mock tests on the following websites:

1. Official website of the British Council 
2. Official IELTS.org
3. Official IDP website

• Timing is key

During your IELTS preparation at home, you can time yourself. Choose a practice test and start the timer. Evaluate how much of the test you finished within the time limit.

Here’s how the IELTS exam categories are timed:

1. Writing Test – 60 minutes for 2 tasks. You can allow 20 minutes for the 1st task, which is easy, and 40 minutes for the 2nd task, which is comparatively harder.
2. Reading Test – 60 minutes to answer approximately 40 questions based on passages provided.
3. Listening Test – 45 minutes to answer 40 questions based on 4 recordings.
4. Speaking Test – 11-15 minutes.

How long does it take to prepare for IELTS?

It takes up to 2 months to prepare for the IELTS examination properly. If you practice self-study, this might take longer as you will have to tackle all the learning challenges independently.

If you need to take the test sooner, then you must opt for a training program to speed up the learning process. One of the best programs is offered by Leap Scholar. They provide end-to-end services to help you prepare for your IELTS examination. If you hope to study abroad, you can also speak to their expert advisors about their scholarship programs. Leap Scholar provides dedicated services to help deserving students with education loans and scholarships.