Myths About the IELTS Test that you need to Dispel

The Top 15 Myths about the IELTS Exam

Just like most popular things in the world, the IELTS is also surrounded by several myths. As the leading study abroad company in the country, it is our responsibility to clear off those myths.

Myth 1:

The IELTS varies between countries

IELTS has two formats, IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. Aside from these, there is a no different format. On any given day, the IELTS is the same across the world.

Myth 2: 

IELTS prep courses are not required

A course is not mandatory but it certainly helps. Find a course near you which will help you learn the tricks to work towards a great score. A good prep course should guide you in the right direction for preparation.

Myth 3:

IELTS can only be taken once

The test can be taken any number of times and there is no upper limit. However, each test has a fee.

Related Blog: IELTS listening: 5 Golden Tips to secure an 8.0 band

Myth 4: 

Too many practice tests help you get better scores

The practice is imperative, no doubt in that. However, just giving numerous practice tests is not your ticket to great scores. It is important to know the strategies of the test and hone up your English skills.

Myth 5: 

A native accent is important to ace the speaking test

Shed your ‘Mother Tongue Influence’ and work on your pronunciation. Stress on the right syllables and pace your speech appropriately. Voila! You are on your way to a great Speaking test. If you skip these steps and try to mimic a foreign accent, you are causing more harm than good to your test.

Myth 6:

Speaking is the most important section of the IELTS

If a test has four sections and all the four sections are uniformly scored, what would make one section more important than the rest? So it goes without saying, that all the four sections of IELTS, Reading, Speaking, Writing, and Listening are equally important. The individual requirements for college admissions (and/or Visa requirements) usually include an overall score and minimum score bands for individual sections.

Myth 7:

Speed may take a backseat

Every section is timed and hence you need to keep the ticking clock in mind when attending those sections. Your practice should be aimed at providing quality answers within the stipulated time.

Myth 8: 

The passing score in IELTS is a 7.0

There is no ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ in IELTS. It is just a scale to measure your proficiency in the English language. However, universities and organizations have their requirements with respect to the IELTS score and you need to get the required scores (overall and individual score bands) if you need to reach your dream destinations.

Myth 9:

IELTS test centre should be within your city

There is nothing elitist about the test centres or the cities where the tests are conducted. There is no discrimination either. So when booking for the IELTS, just keep the test date availability and your convenience in reaching the test centre in mind.

Myth 10:

IELTS is more difficult than other English tests

A tried and tested format for several years now, IELTS is considered one of the best tests for the English language. While there are other tests such as the TOEFL and the PTE, they have their formats and are not comparable with IELTS on the difficulty scale. No matter how difficult the questions, your focused practice will fetch you your dream score.

Related Blog: Tenses, IELTS, Grammar and How It All Fits In

Myth 11:

Should keep one’s opinions to oneself

Remember IELTS is just a test of the English language. It has no business with your opinions or ideologies. Hence, be frank and in your comfort zone to be able to speak freely and fluently.

Myth 12:

It pays to exceed the word limit

Keep it crisp, concise, and meaningful. Whatever your point is, just make it and make it within the word limit.

Myth 13:

The right and wrong answers

Just like there is no pass or fail, there is no right or wrong answer. Every question and every module aims at testing your grammar, pronunciation, and fluency in the English language.

Myth 14:

Moderate pace of speech and extended pauses will be negative

Speak clearly and lucidly to make your point. Pauses, when made appropriately, will impress the examiner more.

Myth 15:

The scoring pattern differs between IELTS Test Centres

Just like the format is uniform across centres and nations, the scoring patterns are uniform too. The examiners are calibrated and are on the same page when scoring this ‘highly-critical-to the-future-of-the-test-taker’ test.

The Things that make IELTS Exam hard

The IELTS full form is the International English Language Test System. The main focus of the IELTS Exam is to judge a student’s English-speaking ability according to English-speaking native countries. Like Australia, England, the USA, etc.
Why do people take IELTS? Because according to facts, English is the highest spoken language in the world, and an estimation of more than 200 million people speak or take the IELTS exam annually.

The IELTS exam is one of the most popular exams in the world, around more than 10000 schools or study-abroad universities acknowledge this test around the world, and even more than 3000 universities in the USA recognize this test. Due to its wide range of benefits, people want to study and work by taking the IELTS test to communicate with ease.

You can have a glimpse of the IELTS score scale table and get an idea of why it is IELTS difficult.

The scale table of IELTS Score:

Other than this the time factor plays a very crucial role during the IELTS exam, if you examine the exam format carefully you’ll understand that there are four sections: IELTS Speaking section, IELTS Writing section, IELTS Reading section & IELTS Listening section and each section consist of tasks.

IELTS Writing section

There are two tasks assigned. Total of 60 min.

• 20 min in IELTS writing task 1
• 40 min in IELTS writing task 2

IELTS Speaking section

In this, the time is on an errand. Usually, the examiner will provide you with a topic that you have to prepare with no time but to speak for 2 min.

IELTS Reading section

3 sections total and 40 questions with time assigned 60 min.

IELTS Listening section

In this there are a total of 40 questions allocated with the 4 tasks that have to complete in 60 min. Other than this there is vocabulary and paraphrasing which take an extra 10-20 min.

In total, you’ll get 3 hours in the IELTS exam.

The Reasons Students fail in IELTS exam

1. IELTS preparation without a proper understanding of exam syllabus pattern.
2. Lack of time management during the IELTS exam.
3. Out of focus and concentration could lead you to miss out on questions during the IELTS listening exam.
4. Lack of time to prepare for the IELTS writing exam.
5. Unable to use paraphrasing or lack of vocabulary during IELTS speaking exam.
6. Other than this there are other several reasons like the use of old syllabi or study material, Preparing without a plan, and lack of motivation.

Tips to get Band 7.0 in the IELTS test

You can use these tips to get more Band 7.0 in the IELTS test if you follow these tips properly, those are as follows:

• Practice a lot with previous year’s IELTS questions set papers.
• Prepare a SWOT analysis on the basis of IELTS sections, where you are lacking.
• Run some mock test sets to get an understanding of your time management skills during the IELTS test.
• Set realistic goals and targets to achieve more than the band 7.0 in the IELTS test.
• Speak and learn English vocabulary for the IELTS speaking test, at least do it for 20 mins a day.
• Watching English movies will help you during the IELTS Listening test and help you get a grasp on the accent.
• Read the Question Carefully, and try to be attentive and responsive at the IELTS speaking test.
• Assume that the IELTS exam is an interview and just perform it naturally.
• Answer the necessary questions, nothing out of the ordinary, even if you know less about the topic. They want to judge your English-speaking ability, not the GK.
• Play online video games that have conversation facilities. Where you have to chat with other people.

Conclusion

The IELTS test will examine you in a very constructive way, yeah it is true that this exam is hard but adding myths makes it impossible for the students. What’s in this article? We try to uncover the most controversial myths about the IELTS test that haunt students to date. And also give some reasons and tips to get you an overview of your preparation for the IELTS exam.