IELTS News – What should you do if you don’t get the IELTS score you want?
IELTS News – What should you do if you don’t get the IELTS score you want
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Berni Wall |
In this edition of IELTS News:
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Gapfillers IELTS Writing Bootcamp – why it works to improve writing
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Writing can be the last ‘hurdle’ for many IELTS students
Make sure you get help to conquer it once and for all |
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We’re just coming to the end of our second IELTS Writing Bootcamp and I can report that once again great progress is being made.
Why does the Bootcamp work? There are several reasons and I’ll explore three of them here.
Firstly, for 3 weeks you focus completely on writing which means that you are giving it FULL attention. This is good as writing is an area that you really have to concentrate on to make sure that your answer fits the question, is well organised, contains good vocabulary, uses good grammar, spelling and punctuation and really demonstrates great English at the band score that you want. (Notice that I did not mention anything about ideas – ideas are the least important thing yet most students worry primarily about ideas).
Secondly improving your writing effectively is a four-step process: you write, you get feedback, you study the feedback, check out the models and then write again in light of all of this. On the bootcamp you write every day which speeds up the process and means that you will see improvements quickly.
Third and finally, during the bootcamp we have online sessions too where you will learn about planning, checking, the kind of sentences you need to use to get a good band and many other aspects of IELTS writing. On any skill incremental improvements are the most effective and the most secure and that is exactly what happens in the bootcamp
The next IELTS Writing Bootcamp will be in April
Can’t wait until April?
Then contact me berni.wall@language-tuition.co.uk and we can discuss other training options for writing.
IELTS Step by Step – help me to celebrate my birthday!
"IELTS Step by Step" on Gapfillers
a 12-week, lesson-a-day, online IELTS programme designed to get you you to bands 7/8
On Sunday it is my birthday and to celebrate this I want to give you a very special birthday gift – from me to you!!
For the next 3 days everybody who joins IELTS Step by Step will ALSO receive 2 writing credits (worth £50) – that’s 4 IELTS writing tasks (academic or general) which I will personally correct and return to you with an estimated band score and advice on how to improve
If YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR IELTS then YOU SHOULD BE ON THIS PROGRAMME.
I have put everything I know into my IELTS Step by Step (that’s 20 years of teaching and examining) and I really want to share it with you. I really do know what you have to do to get band 7 in every part of the IELTS test and I really want YOU to take advantage of this knowledge and be confident that YOU also know what you need to do to get IELTS band 7.
If you are ready to step up and get through your IELTS and on to the future that you dream of then join me in this very special birthday celebration and get everything you need for the next three months to make sure you get your IELTS score.
But hurry – on Monday my birthday will be over and so will this special offer
Find out how you can accept my birthday gift and join IELTS Step by Step here:
What should you do if you don’t get the IELTS score you want
Sometimes it happens, you study hard, you know you have ”all your ducks in a row’, you are really prepared, motivated and ready for the exam but somehow, for some reason you don’t get the result you need and it’s a BIG BLOW.
Some of my own students have experienced this and I shared the disappointment with them, especially as I really knew that they had everything they needed at their fingertips to pass with the band they wanted. Something had gone wrong on the day and the task in hand now would be to do a post-mortem and then decide on a way forward.
So here’s my plan of action that you can put in place when your exam doesn’t give you the score you want.
Firstly, be assured that you HAVE NOT FAILED, you haven’t quite got your target score but if you have scored 6.5 instead of 7 then that is a VERY good score! Allow yourself to feel disappointed, angry, despairing, whatever emotion you feel – go through this – you have to get over the disappointment before you can move on. Talk to whoever you feel you need to talk to or hide in your room for 3 days if that’s what you need to do – get it out of your system!
After the initial hurt has passed you should feel more inclined to think about the exam – what happened? I think this stage is important as unless you address where you made the mistakes it’s very difficult to move on in a positive way. Ask yourself these questions:
- was I really ready for the exam (did my teacher advise me against taking it, for example?), be honest
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- what happened in each paper; did you finish, did you say enough in the speaking, did you do something new or different, how much guessing did you do, were you too anxious, or even too confident – try to get an overview of the day
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- how did you feel about the questions were they straightforward, were they difficult,
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- how were you on the day – did you feel rushed, were you confident, too nervous, petrified etc..
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Try to get a picture
Now it’s time to ‘get back on your bike’ and try again – but with the knowledge and experience you have gained from this last experience.
From your analysis of your exam you should have an idea where you might have performed less than your best and this is what you must address while not allowing the other areas to drop.
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- work on these ‘problem’ areas in more detail
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- put a study plan in place
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- if you need only revise one area and the score was close, set a provisional (or actual) date for your next exam
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- if you had more than one lower score then you may need to go back to the drawing board and find out what is going wrong – perhaps get some professional help
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- if this keeps happening then you will have to change the way you are approaching your preparation – it could be that you are becoming an expert at a particular score and you need to ‘up your game’ to move away from this
Maybe you can’t work out what went wrong and you came away from the exam feeling very confident that it had all gone really well. It can be dangerous to be over-confident and it might be worth checking with a teacher that you really have the skills at the level you want. If this is confirmed then it was probably a fluke and you should keep up the practise but go back and take it as soon as possible (this is especially the case if all scores were very high except one e.g. if you got 3x band 8 and a 6.5 which was unexpected). If, on the other hand, your teacher thinks that your English level is below your desired band score then you need to get more English language practice and you MUST address this first.
Finally ‘don’t give up’. This is a setback and if you are on-track for the score you need you WILL get it. Keep focused, keep improving your skills and keep motivated. Every day you will be improving and IELTS is only the starting point for your future so none of the preparation you do will be wasted, it will all help you when you need to use the language day in, day out on your course or in your job.
Using Gapfillers to really make a difference to your IELTS reading and writing
- Gapfillers exercises are based on reading texts written for native speakers so they are, in fact, often more difficult than the exercises you will find in IELTS books. That means that you are stretching your skills to really get to the higher bands of 7 and 8.
- The vocabulary and grammar that you need in order to produce great band 7 and 8 writing is all contained in our Gapfillers vocabulary, grammar and word of the day sections so you can get great practice at the click of a mouse. And not only that, but we provide you with lots of help and advice about how to use these.
- The sheer range of topics covered (there are well over 8,000 pages of exercises and content) include many that appear in IELTS reading and writing so you can find suitable language on Gapfillers that will make your job in the exam a whole lot easier.
- We even use similar exercises to IELTS – true, false, not given, gapfillers, summaries, multiple choice etc. so you can be sure that everything you do on the site will be contributing to your improving skills and taking you nearer and nearer to your IELTS goal.
- One of the best things you can do for your IELTS preparation is to be exposed to English every day and we have thought about that too! We have Gapfillers Daily Practice where you can find a bunch of exercises to do every day (Mon to Fri) all ready and waiting for you. As well as a grammar exercise you will find a reading, writing or listening every day.
- We think that you might ‘get hooked’ on our exercises because they are fun and interesting – so there are many more in the archives (all under Member Home) for you to explore.
- So practice your reading skills and check out your spelling, punctuation and error checking every day – it couldn’t be easier.
On Gapfillers we cover every skill, and also vocabulary and grammar at the level you will need to attain if you want to get a band 7 or 8 in IELTS.
And because we want to provide enough topics and themes to suit you all we have a poetry and literature section too! Life is just too short for boring exercises! Choose what interests you.
Most of the excellent training material for English lies behind the subscription which is just £174.97 for a whole year. We have over 8,000 pages of exercises all of which will help you with your IELTS or the English you need in your work or for every day communication. (find this on Join Gapfillers in the Home Page)
BUT: If you join IELTS Step by Step you will get a whole year of Gapfillers included in the £97 price!!
Now that’s a ‘no-brainer’!!
I really would love to see more of you enjoying your study with all the amazing exercises in Gapfillers and getting the same success in your IELTS as many other Gapfillers students.
IELTS Speaking practice via Gapfillers
Finding speaking buddies on Gapfillers is great way to improve your fluency and give you extra opportunities to practice your speaking.
I see that some of you are doing this – well done!
This is a great way to get regular practice so don’t be shy!! You can also use the calls to help with other parts of the exam. I know people who have discussed and helped each other with reading and listening too! If you have questions then you can post them on the site or send them to me and I will answer them.
Be honest with your level and tell other Gapfillers members which band you want that way you will be able to find people who are going to be great partners and helpful to your practice for the exam.
To find speaking ‘buddies’ here for your own practice. Simply send a message from Member Home to the IELTS group network (a network message) asking for people to share Skype names with you and then you can meet on Skype and practise your English!
If you want to practice your speaking then contact those members who have already left messages or post your own message and connect with others.
You don’t have to struggle along alone with your IELTS?
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We are here to help and advise you – just contact us or post your questions
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Keep an eye out for workshops and webinars offered via Gapfillers
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Give me YOUR suggestions for how I can help YOU
If you want individual help that will show you exactly what YOU need to do to make sure you get the band you want – contact me. I have spaces for 5 people at the moment for 1:1 private training
MAKE SURE that you are ON TRACK.
http://www.gapfillers.com/default.aspx?atk=8106
Latest results
January has been a quiet month for IELTS results so only one to report with a band 7 overall – just what he wanted!!
Well done and congratulations!
These band scores take a lot of hard work and dedication so I really appreciate all the hard work that you are doing and you just have to focus – if you are getting 7s and 8s but one part is not yet there then clearly you have the language, you need you just need to push a little more and focus on how you can bring that score into line with the others!!
I know that many of you have exam dates in February and March so good luck and keep focused!!
We love to hear your successes so please let us know so we can all celebrate with you!!
Don’t forget to check The World of IELTS for any new updates!
Why if YOU don’t change – nothing will change
A final word on your IELTS practice.
I get many students approaching me saying that they keep getting 6.5 but need band 7 and when I ask then about their practice for the exam they usually tell me that they are doing practice tests.
Practice tests are great to do just before the exam but if you are consistently getting band 6.5 you are becoming a bit of an expert at this band and you need to move on and become an expert at band 7 or 8 and guess what? – you won’t do this by repeating the same things over and over.
You need to leave the practice tests and look at more specific exercises to work on the parts of the exam that need more attention – by doing this you will gain the extra points that you need for your overall IELTS scores.
The best way to get a different result is to change the way you prepare – focus on the areas that need improvement – don’t play safe, the safe way is 6.5 you know you can do this easily.
Getting band 7 or 8 needs a step up.
I can help you to do this and I currently have 5 spaces for private IELTS training.
If you want to find out more about this then email me and we can speak about it:
berni.wall@language-tuition.co.uk
See you all next month
If you need any help with anything just send a message via Contact Us in the Gapfillers site or directly in Member Home or the IELTS Network – I check all the messages every day!
Happy IELTS practice 🙂
Until next time!
Berni