get 8+ in writing in a non-English speaking country

[josephcom]

Do you think it's possible for those like me who live in a non-English speaking country to get 8+ in writing/speaking? How about sharing such experiences so that you be an incentive for the others.

To be honest, I used to get 6.5 each time I took the exam. After I spent some time reading Ryan's stuff, soon I found myself with a beautiful 7 in my hand. But my final goal is 8 which seems impossible, right?

[Ryan]

Do you think it's possible for those like me who live in a non-English speaking country to get 8+ in writing/speaking? How about sharing such experiences so that you be an incentive for the others.

To be honest, I used to get 6.5 each time I took the exam. After I spent some time reading Ryan's stuff, soon I found myself with a beautiful 7 in my hand. But my final goal is 8 which seems impossible, right?

The IELTS is a very regimented testing system. There is very little variation from one country to another.

It is interesting that you feel scoring band 8 is more difficult in a non-English speaking country. Most of the emails I get from frustrated students express exactly the opposite. Why do you feel this way?

[Ryan]

I want to post a few links here to the IELTS.org research reports (you've probably seen them before). Unfortunately, there is no list outlining scores by testing country.

http://ielts.org/researchers/analysis_of_test_data.aspx