IELTS Tutor - Ask Me Anything

[Arod]

Hi Jordan,

I took the IELTS (General Training Module) last month for the first time, my results were L/R/W/S: 7/8/8/8. Because of the Listening part my CRS score is well below 400, which means that I won´t probably see an ITA in the near future.

I´ll take another test next week. I´ve been doing all the practice tests I can in order to reach at least an 8 in Listening which would increase my score to about 430. Besides practice, is there anything else you would recommend? I want to leave the IELTS matter behind me as soon as possible so I can focus on gathering the rest of the documentation, but I can´t move on without getting the results I need.

Thanks in advance.

 

[DecisionsToMake]

I got my score today. 6.5/7.5/8.5/9 S/W/R/L.

I expected atleast 7 in my speaking. This was the second attempt. In my previous attempt I scored 7 in speaking. I retook as I needed to improve my writing.

Do you suggest remarking for speaking or retaking the exam.

I did speak fluently most of the times. I guess there were couple of questions where I might has paused or took some time. But I felt overall I was quite ok.

 

[FastTrackIELTS]

Hi Jordan,

I took the IELTS (General Training Module) last month for the first time, my results were L/R/W/S: 7/8/8/8. Because of the Listening part my CRS score is well below 400, which means that I won´t probably see an ITA in the near future.

I´ll take another test next week. I´ve been doing all the practice tests I can in order to reach at least an 8 in Listening which would increase my score to about 430. Besides practice, is there anything else you would recommend? I want to leave the IELTS matter behind me as soon as possible so I can focus on gathering the rest of the documentation, but I can´t move on without getting the results I need.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Arod,

You may find it useful to find an IELTS tutor who can find out what exactly it is that you are doing wrong and how you can improve that particular order.

You already have a good understanding of IELTS and English. For example, in the UK, students that are emigrating only need a 6.0-7.0 (even doctors only need a 7.0!) so for you it is just a matter of finding those areas of weakness and focusing in on them. Try completing a practice exam, grade it and see what types of questions you are slipping up on and then focus on those areas.

I see it is the speaking exam you have scored the lowest on. If you'd like to send me a recording of your speaking, I'd be more than happy to offer some feedback to you on how to improve.

Good luck!
Jordan

 

[CherianA]

Hi,

I would have taken my IELTS exam in March of this year and received 7.5/6.5/6.5/7.5 in LRWS. I am scheduled to take another exam in September as i need higher scores. My question is.. if i score lower in say the Speaking test the second time around, can i use back the original result along with the improved results from the other areas from the second time around?

 

[branda5]

can I ask a favor? What band is my essay( correction not required, just band)?

Government should invest more money in science education rather than other subjects to develop the country. To what extend do you agree or disagree with this statement?


Government is always trying to find ways to develop the country’s economy, infrastructure, and prosperity, such as investing money in various spheres. There is a debate that more money should be invested in science education rather than other subjects. Regarding whether money should be invested in scientific researches, there is a case to be made on both sides, which we will discuss here.

On the other hand, it might be said that development of science is an essential, such as new discoveries, inventions will be leading to the worldwide recognition and respect. For example, Sydney University has been known for its numerous researches, like early detection of cancer and treatment possibilities in effective way, which will result reduction of phatalogical cases. Added to this, some developing countries might want to invest or propose new research due to their proficiency and availability of facilities, which benefit both countries. Furthermore, funding in science education may also lead to the

In contrast, it might also be said that there is some other vital or more effective subjects which need investment in order to develop the country. For example, funding on sport activities such as F1, Olympics, Eurovision will be better contribution, which Qatar is aiming to do by investing to build stadium to host 2022 FIFA games. This means that country will attract tourists and visitors, as a result will boost countries economy and create more jobs.

Overall, I don’t agree that more money should be invested in the science education, if country is in developing stage, because citizens’ welfare is more important in this case. I believe that in order to be creative, productive scientist the developed environment is essential rather than developing.

 

[Arod]

Hi Arod,

You may find it useful to find an IELTS tutor who can find out what exactly it is that you are doing wrong and how you can improve that particular order.

You already have a good understanding of IELTS and English. For example, in the UK, students that are emigrating only need a 6.0-7.0 (even doctors only need a 7.0!) so for you it is just a matter of finding those areas of weakness and focusing in on them. Try completing a practice exam, grade it and see what types of questions you are slipping up on and then focus on those areas.

I see it is the speaking exam you have scored the lowest on. If you'd like to send me a recording of your speaking, I'd be more than happy to offer some feedback to you on how to improve.

Good luck!
Jordan

Hi Jordan,

Thanks for your response. I think one of the problems I had was that the sound quality was not very good, there was some sort of an echo in the room.

Just wondering, I got an 8 in Speaking, why do you consider that score to be the lowest?

Thank you.

 

[FastTrackIELTS]

Hi,

I would have taken my IELTS exam in March of this year and received 7.5/6.5/6.5/7.5 in LRWS. I am scheduled to take another exam in September as i need higher scores. My question is.. if i score lower in say the Speaking test the second time around, can i use back the original result along with the improved results from the other areas from the second time around?

Hi CherianA,

You can not mix your results with previous results. You can only use one set of results unfortunately.

The good news is though that it sounds like you are very close to passing! Just focus on that reading and writing to ensure you pass.

Jordan

 

[FastTrackIELTS]

Hi Jordan,

Thanks for your response. I think one of the problems I had was that the sound quality was not very good, there was some sort of an echo in the room.

Just wondering, I got an 8 in Speaking, why do you consider that score to be the lowest?

Thank you.

Hi Arod,

It's difficult to say without hearing you speak. Do you perhaps have an academic background so you're very comfortable writing and reading and therefore score well in those areas?

Jordan

 

[shrinivas1980]

Hi Jordan,

I need your expert advice please. Will it be considered wrong if I write 'True' in stead of TRUE.

Thanks in advance.

Best Regards,
Shrinivas

 

[tammanna786]

Hi... I wrote my ielts exam yesterday & by mistake I wrote T F & NG instead of true false.. I am from India would this is marked wrong?

 

[FastTrackIELTS]

Hi Jordan,

I need your expert advice please. Will it be considered wrong if I write 'True' in stead of TRUE.

Thanks in advance.

Best Regards,
Shrinivas

Hi Shrinivas,

Good question. It does not matter whether you write in CAPITALS or not.

Hope this helps.

Jordan

 

[shrinivas1980]

Hi Shrinivas,

Good question. It does not matter whether you write in CAPITALS or not.

Hope this helps.

Jordan

Thanks a ton Jordan

 

[Canadream2017]

Hello Jordan,
Thanks for your initiative here, really appreciated!

My IELTS (General Module) is scheduled next month, and I still have few concerns regarding exam setup, marking, score calculation, etc.

1) My main weakness is Listening, and specifically directions and locating things on Map. That is, when we are given a map ,for example, and we have to mark where the place that the speaker talking about is located. I tend to mix a lot between things here, and to be honest with you, I don't even know where shall we start. The map in exercise doesn't provide information on a start point such as a "You are Here" sign, or "Entrance" or just a plain "Start Point", and this is where majority of my struggles come from. Do you have any suggestions of where I can get a good resource on this particular skill?

2) Do we get half mark for giving half answer? For example, when we are supposed to choose TWO letters from a multiple choice question, and the correct answer is "A, C", but then I write for example: "A,D". Do I get 1/2 mark for mentioning a portion of the correct answer?

3) During my listening preparation (tried 4 mock exams so far), I tend to always get a mark of 32 out of 40 or 34 out of 40.. Now that's 7.2 and 7.65 out of 9.0, respectively. This is how I calculated it: (32/40)*9 Not sure if my method is accurate. But, anyhow, my question is, how is 7.2 or 7.65 translated to an overall band for one skill? Can I get "7.2" for Listening or does it get rounded down?

I may come up with few questions soon, but your answers for these above will help me a lot!

Thanks again!

 

[Immigreat81]

Hi Jordan,

Thanks for your help. A couple of questions:

1. An IELTS instructor from IDP said we can use all capitals when answering in listening and reading etc. However, he said if it's a proper noun, the first letter should be extra large so the examiner knows you know it should be a capital letter. Is that correct?

2. For writing task 2, if the question was something like: Children around the world gets lots of homework. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Is this asking for our opinion?

Thanks

 

[shrinivas1980]

Dear all,

Is it OK if I write every answer with first alphabet 'capital' in L & R part? I am extremely worried. Please advise.

Thanks.