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Don’t give up on your study or migration goals, prepare instead, with these 5 tips

With the current COVID-19 situation, we all have to change how we live, work and go about our daily lives. It might seem like you need to pause your migration and study abroad plans due to national lockdowns and the temporary closure of IELTS Test Centres, but that is not the case. Don’t feel discouraged. Use this time to prepare for IELTS and boost your score.

So, how can you do this? Here are 5 ways to prepare for IELTS during COVID-19.

1) Get familiar with the IELTS Test format

There are 4 parts to the IELTS test, Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Each test part is made up of question types that asses your English-language skills in either an everyday work environment or life situation, academic or professional setting.

Make sure to look at how much time you have to complete each test part, what type of questions you might get, the band descriptors and what each band might look like.

Download the free IELTS Practice Tests to get started or join an IELTS Masterclass and have an IELTS Expert walk you through all of this.

2) Expose yourself to a wide range of topics - read, watch, listen, write

Use all the extra time you have to read, watch and listen to English content across a wide range of topics.

Read news articles, books, online publications, and blogs. Watch your favourite movies or TV shows. And if you are not too confident, turn on the subtitles for extra support. Podcasts are another great way to improve your English-language skills. Or practice letter writing with friends or family.

The effort you put in now will make a big difference when it comes to taking your IELTS Test. The texts you see in the Reading and Writing Test are taken from real-like scenarios, such as newspapers, articles and work manuals.

3) Get a step ahead with IELTS Support Tools

Now that you are familiar with the test format and the topics you might encounter in your IELTS Test, go a step deeper and download the IELTS Support Tools booklet. You will get a better understanding of:

The IELTS test assessment criteria
The IELTS band scores
Various writing samples with examiner comments

4) Get Personalised Feedback from IELTS Experts with IELTS Progress Check

IELTS Progress Check is the only official practice test available. Get personalised feedback from an IELTS Expert and an indicative overall band score, as well as one for each part of the test (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking).

You will be able to see where your current English-language skills are at, and where you might need to improve to get the band score you need.

5) Stay Up-To-Date

As the Coronavirus situation evolves, it is important to keep up to date with the latest news and how it might impact IELTS test dates, and your study, work or migration coals.

For the latest information on this, visit our Coronavirus page.