How To Study For IELTS – Module Wise Best 9 Band Study Tips

Every year many students across India aspire to study at a university abroad. The top universities in the world provide the best education. 

To get admission to a university in an English-speaking country, you need to submit English test scores. 

These tests have been introduced to test your proficiency in English and to check whether you can understand what will be taught in the classes. 

There are several English testing exams like IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, and the Duolingo test, but the IELTS has remained one of the most preferred by Indian students. 

Getting a good IELTS score can open many opportunities for you. You can get an advantage in getting into your preferred course at your preferred university. 

IELTS is an easy exam, but students worldwide give this test, so there is much competition. You need to study in advance and prepare well to score more. 

In this blog, I will discuss how to study for IELTS.

Overview of IELTS

Before we dive into how to study for IELTS in detail, let us first understand the basic pattern of IELTS. 

This English testing exam aims to test your knowledge of the language into 4 modules; writing, speaking, listening, and reading. 

All the modules have different time durations and different types of questions. The total time given to complete the IELTS is 2 hours and 45 minutes. 

The Reading and Writing modules are to be completed in 60-60 minutes. For the listening module, 30 minutes are provided (10 minutes extra to transfer your answers), and for the Speaking module, 11-14 minutes are given. 

You need to keep the time restrictions in mind while studying. This is one of the most important steps for how to study for IELTS. 

The Listening, Reading, and Writing modules will be completed on the same day, but the Speaking module can take place before or after these modules. 

The Speaking module is a little tricky in IELTS, as in this module, an examiner will ask you some questions in a face-to-face interview. 

You should take out at least 2 months to study for IELTS. The syllabus is not very vast, but it does require serious preparation. 

Now that you are clear with an overview of the pattern and the format of the IELTS let us look at how to study each module of the IELTS in detail. 

How To Study For IELTS 

This is the most common problem with students that they do not know how they can study for IELTS to get a high band score.

Don’t worry, here I will give you some tips or methods that you can use to fulfill your band requirements in the IELTS exam.

I will give module-wise tips so that if you have difficulty in any one module, you can follow the tips given for that module.

IELTS Writing

The writing module is considered the hardest module in the IELTS. Students are often confused about the preparation for the writing module. 

The answer to how to study for IELTS writing module depends upon your capability. The writing module consists of two tasks. 

• IELTS writing task 1
• IELTS writing task 2

IELTS Writing Task 1:

In task 1, you must describe an image, graph, pie chart, or any other visual representation of data. This task is kept to test your ability to understand and analyze data. 

You can prepare for task 1 by looking for sample questions and answers online or downloading our IELTS writing task 1 pdf for sample answers. 

While preparing for task 1, remember that the word limit for the task 1 answer is just 150 words; thus, you need to think critically regarding the words you are using.  

IELTS Writing Task 2:

IELTS writing task 2 is the main question of this module. You will require a lot of practice to complete this task. 

You will be given a prompt on which you will have to write a short essay. The word limit of the essay is just 250 words. 

You may think this limit is larger than task 1, but this is an essay writing task, meaning you need to cover many topics in a limited time. 

You can look for examples of the prompts on the internet and then practice them, or download our IELTS writing task 2 pdf. 

Grammar and spelling mistakes are the most important things to look out for in the writing module. Any mistake in grammar or spelling mistake will directly lead to less score. 

To practice and improve your grammar, you can write some essays for practice on some prompts and then check the grammar on software like Grammarly. 

IELTS Listening 

The listening module is easier than the writing module, but you still cannot neglect it. Students often skip the preparation of the listening module, which leads to fewer scores. 

You should think about how to study for IELTS Listening to get the most score possible. In the listening module, you will hear some recordings. 

These recordings may be a monologue, a conversation between two or more people, a dialogue, or a lecture. 

After listening to the recordings, you must answer some questions based on them. The questions are of different types like fill-in-the-blanks, MCQs, short answer types, etc. 

One way to prepare for the listening module is by sharpening your listening skills. You can do this by taking time out daily and listening to podcasts or news channels. 

Try to listen to native English speakers to get familiar with the accent. The accent is why many students cannot understand the recordings and often make mistakes. 

Apart from listening to podcasts, you can watch some youtube videos. Any explanatory video will improve your ability to understand English. 

There are a lot of channels that make such explanatory videos, but I will recommend watching Ted Talks. 

If you are facing difficulties understanding the accent, turn on the subtitles and practice like this for a few days. 

IELTS Reading

The reading module is the easiest in IELTS. You will have to read some passages and answer questions based on them. 

This module also has some tricky questions which may reduce your score if you have not prepared well. 

However, you can get the most out of the reading module with proper preparation for IELTS reading. You can consider this module as a comprehension type. 

This module is of 60 minutes. Time restrictions are to be kept in mind while attempting the paper. 

Many students do not consider the time limit as a major point to remember and prepare for and end up leaving some questions. You will have to improve your reading skills to get the most scores. 

The first step in how to study for IELTS reading is making a habit of reading. Take out at least 1 hour a day to just read. You can download our IELTS reading pdf for practicing and understanding the question types.

You can highlight the important points and revise your time to read different paragraphs. This way, you will get a clear idea about your reading speed. 

You can read any general passage like a newspaper, magazine, article, report, etc. Make sure to keep highlighting the main points in the passage you read. This will help you to identify the main point in the exam quickly.  

IELTS Speaking

The speaking module of the IELTS is the most tricky module of the test. The speaking module is to be given separately from the other modules. 

An examiner will take your face-to-face interview in the speaking module. The speaking module starts with you giving your introduction. 

This is the part where you have to get comfortable with the examiner and discuss some details regarding the module. 

This part can be prepared the best as you can prepare an introduction for IELTS speaking in advance. Preparing a short and simple introduction is the first part of how to study for IELTS speaking module. 

Many students remain anxious about the speaking module. The speaking module creates anxiety as sometimes your answer will be countered by a question, and then you will have to speak at the time as a reflex. You can download our IELTS speaking pdf to get an idea about how to answer a question in IELTS speaking.

You will get 1 minute to think before you start discussing the cue card topic, but still sitting with the examiner alone can create anxiety. To prepare for this module, you must practice your spoken English skills. Students have difficulty speaking fluently as they do not speak too often and fall short of words when they do speak. 

If you prepare well, this doesn’t have to be the case with you. The answer to how to study for IELTS speaking lies in daily practice. 

To prepare for IELTS speaking, you must start speaking in English daily with as many people as possible. This will train your mind to get used to speaking spontaneously, and after a month of practice, you will be able to speak clearly and fluently. 

Also, try to learn some new vocabulary. Use this newly learned vocabulary while speaking daily. This will help you get used to the new words. 

Conclusion

The IELTS is one of the most popular English tests. Students need to practice smartly and consistently to make a good score. 

To get a clear answer about how to study for IELTS, you must thoroughly analyze the pattern and the exam module. 

Look at the type of questions asked and read the sample answers. Practicing daily is key to good marks. You must take at least 4-5 hours daily for 2 months to get the desired band score. 

If you have any questions about “How to study for IELTS,” please contact our experts or let us know through comments.

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