r/IELTS • u/Prudent_Victory_8214 • 13h ago
My Advice Two weeks of fragmented preparation yet sailed through with strategic study - here’s what I did (tips attached)
SIT DOWN BECAUSE ITS GOING TO BE VERY LONG
First of all, my exams didn’t go as good as I anticipated. Listening was bad because I have tinnitus and although headphones provided were top notch, I couldn’t manage it well due to my hearing impairment. Reading was easier than mock tests. I purposely chose the hardest mock tests and I was literally scoring 6.0-6.5 in them, so I thought reading is my weakest section. I wasn’t confident in writing because Gemini consistently graded me 6.5 with occasional 7.0. In mock tests and chatgpt, I scored 7.0-8.0 in speaking, so I was relaxed in it. But my speaking examiner kept interrupting me. I knew why she might be interrupting but she was literally impatient. I thought I had performed horribly in my speaking assessment.
TIPS
LISTENING
- I practiced with 1.30x speed. I could barely score 27-33 in those, but I was chill since I knew that I would be able to perform well in the exam.
- Practiced map questions intensely as I’m the weakest in that.
READING
My weakest skill amongst all.
- Purposely chose hard mock tests to push myself.
- Heavily utilized the highlighter tool.
- Highlighted normal key words, but took a note of lines that had the answer and numbered them.
- In TFNG questions, I had a straight approach. Read the questions first. Search for answers. See if it matches the question. If yes, then it’s true, if no then it’s false, if there is no info as such then not given.
- Wore the headset even after listening to distract myself from the noise which helped me focus better.
WRITING
I wasn’t very confident although I have good writing skills in general.
- Before practicing for computer based assessment, I wrote in a notebook because I focus better here.
- I kept scrutinizing myself with the help of Gemini and correcting mistakes with a red pen as you can see in the pictures attached.
- Made notes for relevant vocabulary that was helpful for me.
- Primarily focused on Task Response and cohesion.
SPEAKING
- I practiced it from chatgpt and mock tests.
- Asked chatgpt to always ask me uneasy, abrupt and uncomfortable questions to assess how I form answers under exam stress.
- Gave timed responses.
- Made sure to smile and keep the environment light.
I feel I could’ve scored higher if the speaking examiner was a little patient, but I’m happy with the results since I didn’t get proper time to prepare. If you have any doubts, you may ask.
Just remember: TRAIN HARDER TO FIGHT EASIER

