Guys I have something to share here. I usually do not involve myself in online forum discussions but I thought my story will definitely help you take the right decision.
I gave my IELTS on 29th September in Chennai, India and these were my marks
L - 9
R - 9
S - 8.5
W - 7
I sulked badly. It was disheartening to see that I missed the CLB 10 by just 0.5 in writing. My CRS stood at 438. A 7.5 in writing would yield 3 more points and my CRS would shoot up to 441 and my chances of getting an ITA would increase. I decided to submit an enquiry on results. And to justify my decision, let me give you a brief backgroundI. I have strong bounds with the English language and my entire education till today has been in English. I studied in an Anglo-Indian School where children were punished if they spoke in any language other than English. I have enacted in multiple shakespeare plays too. I went on to study engineering in a Christian university in Chennai, which too was heavily influenced by English.
And icing on the cake were my TOEFL results. I gave my TOEFL just 15 days before I gave my IELTS (Because my ultimate goal is to attain higher education in Canada) and ironically I scored 117/120! That boosted my confidence to apply for a revaluation for IELTS.
I received my revaluation result today (16 Nov) and these are my results.
R - 9
L- 9
S- 8.5
W - 7.5
Hell yeah! Euphoria just struck me! My CLB level is now 10 and my CRS as of today stands at 441! A ray of hope again!
To conclude, my point is I read tons of online discussions by people with such similar dilemmas. My suggestion would be to go for it if you are confident. If you truly believe you performed well and if you have a proven history with the language, there should no second thoughts. I feel that the examiners specially in countries like India are too inclined towards the rules and hence do not tend to capture the nuances in one's writing abilities. English is just a language at the end of the day. Everyone communicates their thoughts in their own unique way.
That being said, I would say that IELTS is definitely not the best way to test the ability of one's language skills. I mean c'mon! I was able to score high in listening and reading because I am an engineer and have given plenty of exams and I am accustomed to work under pressure. I wonder how well the Queen of England will perform in such a situation!
Thats a powerful insight. Thanks. However in all the forums about EOR, CONFIDENCE is something which is recommended by people who have got the positive outcome. Though, it is a subjective term. Each candidate ,who appears for IELTS, is more or less confident about his/her skills and performance in the test. In my view, EOR is a sheer gamble. If its your lucky day, You might get a raise and vice versa. EOR is an anticipation for a dejected candidate at a hefty price.
More so, As the posts in EOR forums are largely from successful candidates, It might feel to many that EOR is a game changer. However, The fact remains that chance of getting a raise in EOR is almost negligible.
The context should not be viewed that I condemn EOR.
Its just that if you have that unutilized 10K (Appx.) to be played on a Roulette table, Go for it !!