IELTS Exam Tips

Listening

  • Read the instructions and questions carefully before you listen.
  • Try to get an idea of the situation. Who are the speakers? Where are they? Why are they speaking?
  • Remember, you will only hear the audio once. You will need to read, write and listen all at the same time.
  • Listen for 'signpost words' such as however, although and finally. They help you to anticipate what the speaker will say.

Reading

  • Skim through each text to try to get a basic understanding of what it is about. What is the text about? Who was it written for?
  • Carefully read the title and any sub-heading.
  • What is the main point of each paragraph? Each paragraph contains a single main idea. The questions will focus on these main ideas.
  • Remember questions appear in the same order as the answers in the text.

Writing

Read this article about writing task 1 .