So I will keep this as concise as possible. I booked my IELTS academic exam in start of September and got a booking for 4th of October, which was later pushed to 7th of October 2020. I booked a computer delivered one because I am much more accustomed to a keyboard. ( I will further mention the pros and cons of CD over paper based so you can decide by yourself.) Also I needed an overall 7.5 or above with a band of no less than 7 in all the individual modules.
With couple of weeks in my hands and no prior IELTS experience, I got very anxious to see all the overwhelming information and websites. First thing I did was to understand the exam itself ( this is very important, because having a sound idea of what you're expecting on the exam day really helps you to perform better). After I got the gist of the exam, I tried a mock exam to see where I needed more working on. ( speaking and listening mocks are available online, will mention the website too, and for writing, this blog was a godsent).
I realized that like many people speaking, listening and reading were not that big of a hurdle but the writing module was the real trouble maker. Let me first wrap up the first 3 modules.
https://ieltsonlinetests.com/
This website was very helpful in regards of speaking, reading and listening. Moreover, they had a wide variety of mocks exam available so I had enough to material to practice with. Also they offer evaluation for writing and speaking by an IELTS expert for a charge of around $19.99 ( I didnt do it but if you want professional evaluation, band score and pointers to improve you can avail this option). The mocks were quite difficult and from the reviews I read from previous IELTS takers did not project the difficulty level of the actual exam. So I started the actual past exams ( they have a volume of that sorted chronologically) and found them to be on an easier level. I did around 4 volumes from January 2020 to April 2020 and tried attempting two papers daily.
For writing, This blog personally was very helpful, you can go and see in the writing sections. I posted my task 2 essays and got an amazing evaluation and sound advice from Anthony Schultz (https://www.goldcoastielts.com). I really owe him a lot, he is a full time IELTs teacher with his own website and youtube page. Also very active on this blog as well ( if you re reading this Anthony then Thanks a bunch).
For task 1 and topics of task 2, I found this website to be quite helpful https://virtualwritingtutor.com/ielts . Now this website not only provides you with topics of task 1 and 2, but it also evaluates and check your passage for you virtually. ( note : its checked by an automated program and not an individual so results shouldn't be taken as predictive of actual score). Furthermore, It helps you in time management, erasing small grammatical errors and the overall structuring of passages as well.
some benefits of CD IELTS are:
1. you can erase and edit easily.
2. the word count is visible so you have an idea of the word limit
3. Not as cumbersome as writing an essay by hand
4. result available within 5 days of exam
Drawbacks:
Probably less time given since you don't have to shift your answers on a sheet of paper.
My result
Speaking: 8.0
Listening: 8.5
Reading: 8.5
Writing: 7.0
Overall: 8.0
Note: I am not a native English speaker, However English has been my primary mode of communication for a while now so it's fair to say that I had quite a control of the language basics. I wouldn't recommend this time span to anyone who doesn't have prior experience with the language. Also, If you can, get directions from a certified IELTS teacher for the writing module, they can guide you better on how to specifically tackle task1 and task 2. If anyone needs any further guidance feel free to get in touch via this blog or you can contact me on my email ahmedkhan94@gmail.com. I would be more than happy to answer any queries regarding the exam to the best of my knowledge.
have a nice day
Leo7.5
