5 Common Errors in IELTS That Hinder Your Study Abroad Dream

Introduction

Prior to moving to a foreign country for either study or work, you are required to exhibit your proficiency level in the English language, for which you plan to take the IELTS test. Most students fail to achieve their desired bands on the first attempt due to some errors that can be avoided. This blog will guide you through the most common blunders students make, as well as the tactics that can be applied to attain success in the very first attempt.

Serious Mistakes in IELTS

As humans, we are bound to make mistakes, but at the same time, knowing the inaccuracies made by others is, generally, equally indispensable. Understand and avoid them.

• Taking No Notice of Instructions: Usually, in your Listening and Reading skills of the IELTS exam, you are given a lot of instructions on how to perform or answer the question. For example, in Listening, "Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER" will be written. If you write two or more words, then your answers will be incorrect even if they include the correct one.
• Imperfect Management of Time: Students spend more than the required time finding the answer to a single question. The most valuable skill in the IELTS examination is time management, especially in Reading and Writing. In Reading, a maximum of 20 minutes should be allocated to each passage, while in Writing, 20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 minutes for Task 2 is considered ideal.
• Answering by Utilizing Templates: Examiners can easily identify when candidates use pre-defined templates. Memorizing answers and using them in the Speaking or Writing sections is not recommended. Always respond in your own words to ensure your answers sound natural and authentic.
• Turning a Blind Eye to Grammar and Vocabulary: Using complex vocabulary without understanding its proper usage can result in contextual errors. Apply correct grammar rules along with a suitable range of vocabulary to enhance your IELTS performance.
• Absence of Uniformity and Interrelatedness: Candidates often fail to address all parts of a task. Coherence and Cohesion are essential in Writing. Ensure that you answer every part of the question as required.

How to Refrain From Committing These Faults?

There are numerous ways mentioned below in which you can stop yourself from making such mistakes.

• Make yourself aware of all four components of IELTS, along with the question types, and practice by taking mock tests that help you know your weak points.
• To refine your reading, confine your search timing for the answers to almost 90 seconds per question. Moreover, you can also keep the timer of 20 minutes per passage and keep challenging yourself by reducing the time by 1 minute without compromising on the accuracy level.
• Every day practice of speaking will help you enhance your fluency. Also, neglect the interruption of your flow by not pausing even when you know that you spoke something false.
• Learn a broad range of vocabulary instead of imbibing just a few very heavy words to stay clear on the pronunciation part, and make varied sentences by making use of complex grammatical structure to present a charm in your speaking and writing.
• Safeguard your write-up by bringing immaculate structure to keep it informative. Moreover, look at what the question demands from you and then answer accordingly.

Techniques That Guarantee Success

These strategies described below will help you ace your score on the first attempt itself.

• Always practice with resourceful and authentic materials such as Cambridge IELTS that support you in knowing your grey area.
• While doing the exercise for the speaking section, check that you do by recording yourself. This will aid you in letting you be conscious of your own faults.
• Approach the best IELTS coaching institute and ask for feedback from the faculty.
• Slangs are, of course, not much appreciated by the examiners, so make it certain to not to employ them, such as gonna, wanna, won’t, can’t, and many more.
• Instead of employing intricate statements, you should make mindful utilization of a variety of grammatical structures with ideal syntax.
• The preparation time given to you during your part 2, cue-card, must be used efficiently by making bullet points to recall your thoughts while speaking.
• Set the timer when performing your writing tasks and assure that you finish it within the permitted time. Furthermore, 5 minutes for planning and another 5 minutes for proofreading your Writing Task 1 and 2 should be spared to significantly downsize our errors.
• Keep an eagle eye on the instructions of the Listening tasks to protect yourself from writing incorrect answers.

Conclusion