Guys writing was SO bad like I got a map for task 1 and I didn't know what I was doing. I've NEVER practiced with maps and was literally praying to not get them. Therefore I started with task 2, which went quite well and spent the remaining 30 minutes on the first one. I normally write around 180 words but I ran out of time so I was stuck at 158 words. I'm so relieved bc I thought I was getting like a 6 or something, ig my task 2 carried my score, or task 1 wasn't as bad. Also yall don't trust chat gpt it used to give me like 5.5 sometimes and most of the time it would score me a 6.

The other sections was fine except for listening I read a question wrong and reading part three was genuinely so weird, which might explain my score being drastically lower compared to listening. Speaking went very well, the examiner was friendly and was smiling all the time, though I think I spoke too much bc she would keep cutting me off.

Anyway if you have any questions feel free to ask them. This subreddit has rly helped me so thank you all and I hope you all achieve your desired scores!

is it accurate or should i follow cambridge mock tests 17-21 for reading esp, i find that reading passages in cambridge books are straightforward

Not perfect but not a bad result either. (Need to work on my writing though!)

For preparation, I only did 3-4 mock tests on IELTS ready premium (it's a free resource on ielts website and becomes available once you book your test) and they were helpful. Especially if you don't have a lot of time like myself and need to get familiar with the test format fast. The mock tests are more difficult in my opinion, so it will be a great practice material for you guys. Good luck!!

I have logged in and there are exam center details but nothing else . Can someone guide me

Been reading this sub for the last month or so thought id share my results as they are a bit different to what most people post.

Surprisingly I got 8 in writing which I did not expect. I even used the word 'youngsters' as a synonym for children which you shouldn't do as its informal.

For reference im native (english) but I do not hold a degree and im a tradie.

Did the test on 0 hours sleep but I did practice for a couple of weeks before (mainly writing structure)

Messed up reading clearly, but will try for 8 for the extra 10 points.

Happy to answer any questions.

Hello everyone!

First of all, I would really like to thank everyone in this sub for the regular tips and feedback that you post, you guys made this process so much easier for me.

For Listening and Reading: in the beginning, I used Cambridge Books 17, 18 and 19; I also did as much mock tests as I could in the IELTS Ready Premium website. I disciplined myself to practice at least one reading mock and one listening mock every day.

Regarding the TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN questions: in the IELTS Ready Premium website you can train those individually, and that helped me a lot.

For writing I resorted to the British Council's coaches. I knew in advance that this would probably be my weakest section (as proved above :P), and I found their individual classes to be really helpful.

For Task1 I had to describe a bar chart that presented the differences on the average price of clothing per kilo imported into the European Union by seven different countries in two different years. For Task2 I got an opinion essay which required me to discuss wether parents should also be held legally responsible when their children commit unlawful acts.

For speaking i also trained using the IELTS Ready Premium website.

For part 1 the examiner asked me what I was doing now (studying or working), if I liked to sing, when and where did I sing the most, wether I would like to continue to learn how to sing. Then they proceeded to ask me if the types of clothes I wear change if I find myself in different contexts (formal/less formal), which colours do not suit me, and if I cared about brands. For part 2, I was asked to talk about a tall building which I liked or didn't like: I had to talk about its location, how does it look like, and why i liked it or disliked it. Finally, part 3 was about how the climate of a city might change the way the buildings are constructed; how to balance the need to construct new infraestructures and preserve historical buildings, and so on.

Feel free to ask any questions!

Hi everyone!

I'm struggling with multiple-choice questions in IELTS Academic Reading Part 3. I often find it difficult to identify the correct answer because the options seem very similar, and sometimes I get confused between two options.

Could anyone share some tips, tricks, or strategies to solve these questions more accurately? How do you approach them, and what should I focus on while practising?

Any advice or resources would really help me improve. Thanks in advance!

Yesterday was my LRW as well as Speaking. LRW went pretty good and I was pretty confident with speaking also because in the mocks, I consistently scored 7.5-8.0

But during the actual test, it was a completely different scenario. My examiner was on old lady. She was calm and graceful, but she kept interrupting me a lot. I’ve known that they’re ought to interrupt for various reasons but it was different in my case. I was barely speaking two lines and she was cutting me off. In part three particularly, I was trying to speak but just after two sentences, she kept bugging me with her interruptions. I was the most confident in speaking but I don’t know what’s my fate now.

I think this is gonna hamper my scores. Also, my speaking assessment barely lasted for 8-9 minutes. Is it normal?

I have an ielts exam next week at Monday so i have been putting all my strength into writing because that is my weak spot, but i can't see any improvements. As all you may have noticed already i make a lot of mistakes both in grammar and word structure. I tend to use sentences that sounds weird or generally incorrect. And i struggle to get correct articles every time despite practising it. But that is not all, the biggest problem here is that i can't get word count to required amount in both tasks. It's just that in the middle of the writing my mind just stops thinking and i can't keep generating ideas, so every time i sit and write mock test i can't finish without looking up some words. Have any of you gone through something similar and if you did, can you all give me an actual helpful advice?

I was always getting 5-6 in writing and speaking. Did not expect those results. Do not trust in the grading of AI.

Idk if I should be proud or mad 🫢, Listening was a mess, as I lost focus for a couple of seconds, and I panicked during writing, I mean everything that could go wrong did :3

But overall, as a non native. with 20days of preparation solo, i guess i should take the win, i dogged a bullet 😂.

For preparation i usted Ielts ready premium platform, the best $4 spent tbh, it's the exact same difficulty as the real test. And for YouTube i mostly watched IELTS ADVANTAGE videos, it was super helpful for speaking.

Good luck camarades 🙏🙏

Hi everyone! I finally received my IELTS Academic results, and I wanted to give back to this subreddit because reading other people's experiences, suggestions and resources here genuinely helped me throughout my preparation. ❤️

My scores:

• Listening: 7.5
• Reading: 8.0
• Writing: 7.5
• Speaking: 8.0
• Overall: 8.0

I prepared entirely on my own, without joining any coaching classes. I wasn't scoring consistently well in my practice tests, and my anxiety on exam day was REAL. I genuinely thought my heart would give up on me before I finished the test. 😭

I'm sharing the resources I used, what worked for me, what I struggled with, and what I would do differently if I took the exam again. Hopefully, this helps someone preparing for IELTS!

1. Listening- 7.5

My biggest takeaway from Listening is that focus and attentiveness matter enormously. You can understand English perfectly well and still miss answers if your attention slips for a few seconds. The recording doesn't wait for you to recover!

I personally gave only ONE full mock test, months before registering for the exam, just to familiarise myself with the test structure. Even towards the end of my preparation, I wasn't always getting the bands I wanted.

Looking back, I think anxiety and losing focus contributed significantly to my mistakes.

Map/diagram questions: These question types can be particularly tricky because you need to follow directions, understand spatial relationships and keep listening while navigating the diagram. I used a separate YouTube playlist specifically to practise these.

My advice? Don't just practise endlessly without analysing your mistakes. Identify WHY you missed an answer. Was it because you lost focus, misunderstood a paraphrase, got distracted by a distractor, or struggled to follow directions?

And please don't let one bad mock test convince you that you're going to perform badly in the actual exam.

2. Reading- 8.0

Highlighting feature is your BESTFRIEND!

A few things that helped me:

• Skim through the passage to understand its overall structure before getting lost in the details.
• Read the questions carefully and identify keywords, names, dates, concepts and other useful clues.
• Scan the passage for those keywords and, importantly, their synonyms or paraphrases.
• Highlight relevant information when practising so you can connect questions with the appropriate part of the passage.
• Don't assume that an answer is correct just because you found the same word in the passage. Read the surrounding sentences and check what they actually mean.
• Keep an eye on the clock. Spending too long on one difficult question can cost you several easier answers later.

For True/False/Not Given, be particularly careful. If the passage doesn't provide the information needed to establish whether a statement is true or false, don't use your personal knowledge to fill the gap.

3. Writing- 7.5

This was the section I worried about the most!

I hardly wrote two complete essays during my preparation. Whenever I used AI to evaluate my writing, I often received estimates around Band 6, which made me doubt myself. AI feedback can be useful for identifying weaknesses, but please don't treat every predicted band as an accurate reflection of what an IELTS examiner will award.

Resources that helped me:

• IELTS Liz: Particularly useful for understanding Academic Writing Task 1 question types and their structures.
• IELTS Advantage (YouTube): Helpful explanations, writing strategies and last-minute tips.

Writing Task 1: Academic graphs

The most important thing I learnt is to understand the structure rather than memorise entire answers.

My preferred structure:

Introduction: Paraphrase the question in your own words. Don't simply copy it.

Overview: Identify the main trends, patterns or significant comparisons. Usually, two/three/four key features are enough, depending on the visual. This is where you demonstrate that you understand the big picture.

Try not to overload your overview with specific figures or every small detail. Focus on the most important features.

Body Paragraph 1: Describe and compare the first set of important features, using relevant figures where appropriate.

Body Paragraph 2: Cover the remaining significant features and make meaningful comparisons.

Useful vocabulary includes:

• Rose / increased / climbed
• Fell / declined / dropped
• Fluctuated
• Remained stable
• Experienced a gradual increase
• Rose sharply / declined considerably
• Significantly higher / considerably lower
• Approximately / just over / just under
• Accounted for / stood at / reached a peak of
• In contrast / whereas / compared with / respectively

Use these expressions only when they accurately describe the data. Don't force advanced vocabulary into every sentence, and remember that not every graph describes a trend over time.

The actual Task 1 question I encountered 😭

I had TWO bar charts, and I found the question much more complicated than the ones I had practised.

From what I remember, the first chart showed employment rates across different age groups, comparing men and women. The age categories included groups such as 16–20, 24–40 and 60+, although I cannot remember the exact categories.

The second chart showed employment rates according to the age of the youngest child, again comparing men and women. The categories included children under five, aged 5–10, aged 11–15 and other age groups.

I'm reconstructing the question from memory, so these are NOT the exact original labels or figures.

I was genuinely confused because I had to compare two different charts while also making comparisons between men and women. I ended up dedicating one body paragraph to the first graph and the other to the second, highlighting the most significant features and comparisons.

My biggest lesson from this experience: don't panic when you encounter an unfamiliar combination of graphs. You don't need to describe every bar individually. Identify the main patterns, select the most relevant figures, group related information logically and make clear comparisons.

Practise different combinations of visuals, not just individual line graphs or bar charts. IELTS can test your ability to organise information even when the presentation looks unfamiliar.

Writing Task 2: The question I got

The question was along the lines of:

Some people believe that travelling abroad is the best way to learn about other countries, while others think that television and the internet are better ways to learn about them. Discuss both views and give your own opinion, using practical examples.

Again, this is my recollection rather than the exact wording.

My biggest tip for Task 2 is: don't open too many windows in your brain at once!

When I used to brainstorm, I would come up with so many ideas that I struggled to organise them properly. Instead, identify two solid ideas for each side of the argument, choose the strongest ones and develop them with explanations and relevant examples.

You don't need ten arguments. You need a few well-developed ones.

The structure I recommend:

Introduction

• Paraphrase the question.
• Briefly introduce the two perspectives.
• Clearly state your own position.

Main Body Paragraph 1

• State the main point of the first argument.
• Explain why it matters.
• Develop the explanation.
• Give a relevant example.

Main Body Paragraph 2

• Present the second argument.
• Explain and develop it.
• Give an example.
• Connect the argument to your overall position where appropriate.

Conclusion

• Summarise the main arguments.
• Clearly restate your opinion and answer the question.

For a question asking you to discuss both views and give your opinion, make sure you actually discuss both sides and state your own position clearly. Don't leave the examiner guessing what you believe.

Also, avoid unnecessarily repeating the same words. Learn natural collocations and use synonyms where appropriate, but don't replace every repeated word with an unusual synonym just to sound advanced. Clarity and natural expression are more important than complicated vocabulary.

4. Speaking- 8.0 (I'M STILL SHOCKED 😭)

Honestly, I was incredibly nervous during the actual exam. My heart rate was so high that I genuinely felt as though I might collapse.

I had practised common questions, including:

• Introduce yourself and describe your education.
• Describe your hometown.
• What do you do in your free time?
• Describe a local park or place you enjoy visiting.
• Describe a place you would like to visit in the future.

I practised speaking with ChatGPT, which helped me get used to answering follow-up questions and developing my ideas.

However, my actual Speaking test took a direction I hadn't expected.

My examiner was an Indian lady, and the questions focused on friendships, particularly childhood friendships and their role in society.

Some of the questions I remember were along these lines:

• How are childhood friendships different from friendships formed when people are young adults?
• What value do friendships hold in our lives?
• If friendships became stronger, how might the world change?
• How can conflicts involving friends affect marriages?

I hadn't prepared specifically for this topic, and I struggled to come up with ideas. I was hesitant and nervous, but I kept speaking, explaining what I thought and using examples, including some made-up scenarios where appropriate.

And somehow, I got Band 8.0!

I genuinely didn't expect this result because I felt so uncertain during the test. This experience taught me that you don't need to predict the exact topic to prepare well. You need to practise expressing your thoughts clearly, explaining your reasoning and responding naturally to unfamiliar questions.

• IELTS Advantage on Instagram: The day before my exam, I spent HOURS scrolling through its Reels for last-minute Speaking tips. 😭

Practise common topics, but don't memorise entire answers. If the examiner asks an unexpected question, memorised responses may not help you much.

Instead, practise giving a direct answer, explaining why you think that way and adding an example. If you don't have a personal experience to share, a hypothetical example can work when relevant.

And please don't stop speaking just because you make a grammatical mistake or need a moment to think. Stay engaged with the question and communicate your ideas as clearly as you can.

5. A few things I wish I'd known earlier

• You don't necessarily need coaching to prepare effectively. Self-study can work if you're consistent and use reliable resources.
• You don't have to complete dozens of full mock tests, but practising under timed conditions and reviewing your mistakes is valuable.
• A low practice score isn't a guarantee of a low actual score. Equally, don't assume anxiety explains every mistake; use practice tests to identify weaknesses you can improve.
• Don't spend all your preparation time collecting resources. Pick a few useful ones and actually practise.
• Learn the structure of each question type, but don't memorise rigid answers.
• Practise handling unfamiliar questions. This matters especially in Speaking and Writing.
• Don't let AI-generated band predictions define your confidence. Use the feedback to improve, but remember that an AI estimate is not an official IELTS score.

Final thoughts ❤️

This subreddit helped me a lot. Reading other candidates' experiences made the process feel less intimidating, and the resources and suggestions people shared gave me useful direction.

I hope sharing my experience helps someone who is preparing independently or worrying that they aren't getting the bands they want in practice tests.

I'm happy to answer questions about my preparation, resources, experience on exam day or anything else that might help!

Wishing everyone preparing for IELTS the very best. You've got this! ❤️

Basically the title. I really wanted to get an 8 overall but got a bit disappointed that I missed it, especially since the friends I studied with got 8.5 bands.

I Algerian and i look for someone to practice and prepare the test with him. If anybody interested message me.

Hello all,

I have given IELTS twice and got the same band score each time.

1st attempt : Paid 5K to a tutor in which i got enrolled in a batch of regular classes for a week i think so. Secured overall 6.5 bands.
Reading : 5.5, Listening : 6.5, Writing: 6.5, speaking: 7

2nd attempt : Prepared on my own for a week and ended up getting the same overall band score of 6.5
Reading : 6, Listening: 7.5, Writing: 6, Speaking: 7

Now I will need to retake the exam and I am getting anxious about not getting the same score and wasting money on it.

Should I get enrolled in a good IELTS program, will it be helpful to get at-least 7-7.5 (I want at-least 7).
I am very thoughtful about this exam now as it has wasted a good amount of my time and money.

Hey people!

I recently gave my IELTS exam on 24th October and got my results yesterday. I am very happy and contempt with them.

I prepared for 2 weeks and focused most on writing (and it paid off). I used AI to judge my writing and the most I ever got was 6.5, but I managed to get 8.0.

Tips to increase your writing score:

1. Write lots and lots of essays. I wrote around 25 essays without time constraints and focused on getting my vocabulary, sentence formation and word count. This helped me to get a clear flow of essays. And then 30 timed essays.

2. Log your errors and especially work on them. I created notes where I logged my errors and tried to not repeat them.

3. Try to remember at least 60 common words and their synonyms. For example, I used to write, "beneficial" instead of "good", or "detrimental" instead of "bad". This gives a huge boost to your vocabulary ratings.

4. Visualise the entire essay in a clear body format. For example for Task-1 and Task-2:

Task-1:

Paragraph -1: Overview and Paraphrase

Paragraph-2: Overall and generic trends

Paragraph-3 and Paragraph -4: Detailed description of graph/chart/process with numbers

Task-2:

Paragraph-1: Paraphrase + opinions/clear intentions

Paragraph-2: Body 1 with view-1/advantage with Examples

Paragraph-3: Body 2 with view-2/disadvantage with example

Paragraph-4: Conclusion is a must.

Use PEEL (Point, Explanation, Example and Linking) to write the body of an essay.

Rest, Speaking was a bit difficult for me, as I got stuck a few times on Task-3, but still managed to get a 7.5.

Made a few silly mistakes in listening and hence lost a band there, but got a perfect 9 in reading.

Please feel free to ask for help would love to give back to the community!

Good day, cheers!🥂😁

Hi everyone! I wanted to share my results and experience since this community helped me a lot.

I took the paper-based test. The results arrived 16 days later (instead of 13). I suspect there was a delay because there is a 2-band gap between my Reading/Listening and my Writing.

Speaking Test:
Part 1: Asked if I was a student or working, with follow-up questions. Also asked about cooking and photography.
Part 2: Talk about a funny movie you’ve watched.
Part 3: Questions about humor and how important it is for people.
It felt incredibly quick. During Part 3, I asked for a second to think, and almost instantly, she moved on to a different question. I was surprised and asked her about it afterward—she explained it was because I used the full 2 minutes for Part 2, which left less time for Part 3. It felt different from the IELTS Advantage videos.

Writing Test:
Task 2: Some people believe that the more money people earn, the healthier they will be. Others argue that wealth rather has a negative effect on health. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Task 1: Map layout of Riverdale College, comparing 30 years ago with today.
(ChatGPT used to score my practice essays at 7-7.5 lol)

Reading & Listening:
Standard Cambridge book-style difficulty. I don't remember the exact topics, but nothing out of the ordinary.

I had my Listening, Reading, and Writing in the morning, and Speaking in the afternoon. The morning staff and examiner were super sweet. The afternoon felt a bit more rushed and less friendly, probably because it was the end of the day and I was the last candidate.

Thank GOD, I was NOT doing this whole thing again, it exhausted me!! LOL!

My university and scholarship applications require 6.0 but a 7,5 would be much better for the cv. Tbh i expected higher for speaking around 7-7,5 i realized i fucked up the writing in the exam too so its fine.
I just need speaking to be 7 or writing at 6,5.

I didn't see this coming. I expected 7.0 overall at best. I'm 100% satisfied with my result. I studied for about slightly less than 2 weeks. Thanks everybody!! and best wishes for every candidate!!!

​

I’m preparing for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, but I struggle with sentence formation and structuring my answers. I often get stuck when I try to describe graphs or write an overview.

As a beginner, what should I learn first? Please recommend free resources or a step by step plan to improve my writing from scratch.

I am feeling very depressed 😔

Hello guys i took my exam last month and got overall score of 6.5. However,I will book my speaking exam again because i need a band 7. Do you guys have any tips for me? My last score in speaking was only 6.

Exam was on the 24th October which was saturday. I had around 3 weeks to prepare for it and mostly focused on my writing. The reading had 6 TFNG and 6 YNNG 🫩 if i had done one or two questions correctly, it would have been an overall 8.0 but heh, satisfied that my score is well above what universities usually require. During speaking, the exam center’s video call malfunctioned and i had to retake speaking so i was scared of my score but happy that i got an 8 on that.

hey everyone so i have this really weird problem with ielts writing task 2 and i genuinely dont know how to fix it

i actually know a lot of vocabulary like a decent amount but when i sit down and write my ideas they come out disconnected and unnatural like the sentences just dont flow together the way they should

the strangest part is when i see a corrected version of my writing the patterns feel SO familiar like insanely familiar i recognize everything immediately but for some reason i just dont use them when i write on my own and i have no idea why that happens

has anyone else experienced this before and actually fixed it

also i feel like the way i study might be the problem but im not sure what the right method even looks like like should i be copying good essays by hand should i be reading more should i be writing every single day and getting feedback or is there something else that actually works faster

if anyone went from writing that feels translated and robotic to actually sounding natural please tell me what you did specifically not just general advice i mean the actual method you used day by day

any help would be genuinely appreciated