If you are aspiring to start your career abroad or want to study abroad then you might have an idea about how important IELTS scores are. 

All the students from non-English speaking countries are required to present a valid score on an English language proficiency test. 

There are a lot of English testing exams available that universities accept, but the most famous and convenient English testing exam is the IELTS. 

This test is widely accepted globally and allows you to get admission into a top university. The IELTS exam is easy, but at the same time, it is competitive. 

You must get at least a 7 band score if you want admission to the top universities. The IELTS exam measures your score on a scale of 1 – 9, and the scores are referred to as Bands. 

In this blog, I will give you tips and strategies for all the sections of the IELTS that will solve your doubts about how to get 7 in IELTS. But first, let’s discuss the pattern of the IELTS exam.

The Pattern Of The IELTS

Before discussing strategies and tips, let us first understand the IELTS exam pattern. This will help you get a basic idea about the exam and help to clear your doubt about how to get 7 in IELTS. 

The IELTS exam tests your English using four sections measuring different skills. The four sections are:

• Listening section
• Speaking section
• Writing section
• Reading section

The total exam duration is 2 hours and 45 minutes on the day when your listening, reading, and writing take place. On the day of speaking, it takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

Let’s understand how much a single section takes to complete.

• The listening section of the IELTS takes 30 minutes. The listening section requires you to listen to 4 recordings of native English speakers and answer questions based on the recording. In the listening section 10 extra minutes are given to you to transfer your answer to an answer sheet.
• The reading section of the IELTS takes about 60 minutes. This section requires you to read 3 long paragraphs and answer questions related to those paragraphs.
• The writing section of the IELTS also takes 60 minutes and is divided into two parts: Task 1 and Task 2. The first task requires describing a graph, diagram, or visual representation, and the second requires writing an essay.
• The speaking section of the IETLS is of 11-14 minutes. The speaking section takes place before or after the other three sections. The speaking section requires you to converse with an examiner who assesses your ability to speak clearly and have a sound conversation. 

How To Get 7 In IELTS Listening

The Listening section of the IELTS is one of the most scoring sections of the exam. It tests your listening skills with questions based on the four recordings you will hear. 

Students often neglect this section, thinking this of an easy one, but to get 7 bands in the IELTS, you need to score very well in each section. 

Following these tips will help you can improve your IELTS listening and can solve your doubt about how to get 7 in IELTS listening. 

Here are some tips for scoring best in the listening section: 

Listen to native English speakers

The main difficulty for students is understanding a foreign accent. Indian students do not face many problems in understanding English when spoken in an Indian accent, but the accent changes from country to country, and every country has a different way of speaking. 

To get familiar with foreign accents, you can look for videos on YouTube with native English speakers. You can watch informative videos on TedTalks, they will not only help you familiarize yourself with the accent, but they are also informative.

Practice taking notes

You don’t just have to listen to the recording, you will also have to answer questions based on it. Some of the questions may be of memory type. 

Students often understand the recordings but forget the detail in the recordings. 

One tip that can help with this issue is making notes. Notes-taking is tricky because you will have to write and listen to the recording together. 

This may cause you to skip some details while writing. Thus, when you are watching videos to familiarize yourself with the accent, try taking notes without pausing the video. 

Manage time effectively

As I mentioned above, the Listening section is of 30 minutes. You must manage your time effectively to ensure you can write all the answers correctly after listening to the recordings. 

How To Get 7 In IELTS Speaking

The speaking section of the IELTS is often a barrier for Indian students, as they are capable of reading, writing, and listening in English properly, but when it comes to speaking fluently, most students face difficulty. 

Another hurdle in the speaking section is that the examiner personally talks with you and asks you questions which may make you a little anxious. 

The speaking section tests your ability to express your thoughts clearly, your appropriate use of grammar and vocabulary, and your ability to frame thoughts and put your opinion. 

Getting good scores in the speaking section is an important part of how to get 7 in IELTS. Here are the tips that can help you:

Speak English daily

This is the best tip to improve your score in the speaking section. Even if you have a good grip on grammar and the writing part of English, fluency is an important part of good speaking. 

When you speak English regularly, you will train your mind to speak faster and clearer. Often while speaking, we face a lack of words, which can affect your score in the speaking section. You can try to speak English daily with a friend or a family member. 

Listen to the questions asked

During your assessment, the examiner may ask you 2-3 questions in a row, and then you will be given time to answer all of them. 

Try to answer all the questions completely. If you feel like you need some time to think about the response to frame your opinion, then do not hesitate; just ask for a few seconds to gather your thoughts, and it won’t affect your score. 

Express your opinions

The speaking section is not just about speaking fluently, it is also about being able to participate actively in a conversation and putting your thoughts and opinions forward. 

If you feel that you have a different opinion or disagree with the examiner’s opinion, then tell them humbly that you disagree and give clear reasons for your disagreement. 

How To Get 7 In IELTS Reading

The reading section of the IELTS is often counted as an easy one, but it turns out to be one in which many students lose marks. 

The reading section requires you to read a text, usually an article, essay, academic journal, report, or any general text that can test your reading skills. 

You must train yourself to read and understand a text in a limited amount of time and then come up with answers to the questions. 

Here are some tips that will help you understand how to get 7 in IELTS reading section:

Improve your reading speed

The reading section of the IELTS has three passages and 40 questions in total, which you must answer in 60 minutes. This will require you to have a good reading speed. 

You can develop your reading speed by reading general texts like newspapers, articles, etc. I suggest you look for IELTS reading study material online and practice reading those tests by keeping a stopwatch, so you can mimic the exam conditions and be prepared for the exam. 

Skimming and scanning

The best tip for correctly answering the reading section questions is to use the skim and scan technique. 

Skimming refers to reading a text quickly to get an overview of it, this will help you to answer questions that ask you to give your opinion based on the overview of the text. 

Scanning a text means reading a text thoroughly and looking for specific information. 

Build your vocabulary

Another difficulty faced by students in the reading section is vocabulary. Many texts contain hard words which may seem difficult to understand, but you can make this easy by developing your vocabulary. 

You can do this by reading books designed to build vocabulary for IELTS or apps that help you do the same thing.

How To Get 7 In IELTS Writing 

The writing section, as mentioned above, contains two tasks. You need to practice to get good scores in both of these tasks. There are different types of questions in IELTS writing task 2 and task 1, and you must practice each type of question.

Students often neglect task 1 as it looks easy to describe a visual representation, but you need to give ample time for practicing for both tasks. Here are some tips that will help you get 7 in IELTS Writing:

Follow the instructions

This tip applies to both tasks, but specifically to task 1. Task 1 of the writing sections may contain a diagram, a pie chart, a bar graph, or any other form of visual representation. 

There are specific instructions given in all cases. Read the task carefully and then start farming your answer. 

Organize your thoughts

Most students start writing the essay as soon as they see the question, leading to inefficient essays. 

If you start writing after reading the question and thinking about the topic, you may remember an important point that you can use in the introduction, but when you start writing without thinking, there are fewer chances that you will remember that while writing. 

After reading the topic of the essay, sit for a while and think about how you will write the essay, what topics you will cover, what points you can cover, and what the whole outline will be. 

Use Correct Grammar and Vocabulary

Grammar and vocabulary are important in all sections, but they can define your score the most in the writing section. 

Correct use of grammar includes correct usage of tenses, voices, and all the general grammar topics. 

You can improve grammar for IELTS by writing a text and checking it for mistakes with an AI tool like Grammarly.com. 

Vocabulary also plays an important role in improving the quality of your essay. You can improve your vocabulary with books specially designed for vocabulary used in IELTS. 

You can also read our other blog to get updated vocabulary for IELTS pdf with meaning and examples.

Conclusion 

The IELTS test is easy but competitive. You need to practice efficiently and work smartly to get a good score on the exam. 

The above-given tips are all practical and useful if you follow them consistently. These tips will surely help you get a clear understanding of how to get 7 in IELTS. 

If you still have questions or queries, contact our experts or let us know through comments. Our experts can also help you if you need guidance about studying abroad.

Keep visiting CourseMentor™ for more content like this, and wish you good luck with your preparations. 

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