IELTS Test book

Test taking skills

1. Make dua to Allah
2. Take a course with Mr. Ali
3. When you don't know the answer:
a. Look for key words (The subject, the verb, the object)
b. Eliminate the obviously wrong choices
c. See which verbs are in the question
d. Use common sense
e. Guess the answer
4. Read the questions before reading the passages; on the IELTS you can
also do this for the listening part because the questions are written in
booklet, but TOEFL is computerized and you can't go ahead during the
listening.
5. Do the easiest questions first
6. Do the hardest questions last
7. Guess on all of the questions that you were not able to get by way of
deductive reasoning, the verbs in the question, or common sense.
8. Get plenty of rest the day before
9. Eat before going to the test
10 Pretend like you are the teacher writing the correct answers for the
students.
11 Pretend like you are the one interviewing the interviewer.
12 Be friendly and joke a little.
13 Speak to the heart of the interviewer not at the interviewer.

1. Listening test: The same for both Acedemic and non-Acedemic testing
(This is the first part of the IELTS test) 30 minutes, 4 sections (40 questions), each
section has 10 questions, and answers to questions come in the same order as
the information given in the recording. You will have time to read the questions
before the recording starts. Read them and highlight key words (nouns, verbs,
etc.) in the questions. The 30 minutes include the instructions, listening time,
reading time, and the time allowed for transferring the information onto your
answer sheet. The instructions are heard in the recording. While the recording is
playing, you cannot leave or enter the testing room. The recording is only played
once. Write your answers on the question sheet as you listen. You can abbreviate
your answers in order to speed up your answer writing. Later you will write your
answers again on the answer sheet. There is time to do this after the recording
has finished. Write clearly and don't abbreviate. Each question is worth one point
(total: 40 points) and then converted into a 1-9 scale.
Items to be brought: You must bring a pencil and an eraser, but you cannot bring
any books into the testing room. You will hear different accents in the recording,
but all will be clear and easy to understand without grammatical mistakes. The
questions are of twelve types: pick the correct answers from a list, fill in the
blanks on a form, fill in the blanks in sentence, identifying places on a map or
plan, complete a table, writing answers to questions, multiple choice, matching
things together, labeling a diagram, note completion, flow chart completion, and
classification (deciding which category a word belongs to). You won't get every
question type during the exam. Each section of the test will have about two or
three different kinds. This is the same with the test as a whole.
a. Section one: (3-4 minutes) You will hear a conversation between two speakers
about an everyday, social topic.
b. Section two: (3-4 minutes) You will hear a talk by one speaker about a general
topic.
c. Section three: (3-4 minutes) You will hear a discussion between two to four
people about education.
d. Section four: (3-4 minutes) You will hear a lecture or talk by one speaker
about an academic or study-related subject.

2. Academic Reading
a. 60 minutes, 3 sections, 40 questions in total, 1 reading per section with 13 or
14 questions in each, section one is the easiest (Don't spend a lot of time on
it). You can write in the booklet, but all of the answers must be written in the
answer sheet. There are 16 types of questions on the reading section;
sentence completion (answers are in passage order), notes/table/flow chart
completion (answers may not be in passage order), writing answers to
questions (answers are in passage order), labeling a diagram (answers may not
be in passage order), marking true/false/or not given (answers are in passage
order), Global multiple choice (covers whole passage), matching (statements
are not in passage order), finding information and marking them A/B/C,
sentence completion (answers are in passage order), mark Yes/No/not given
(answers are in passage order), multiple choice (answers are in passage order),
choosing paragraph headings, finding summary completion (answers may not
be in passage order), choosing summary completion(answers may not be in
passage order), classification (Answers are not in passage order), and picking
from a list (answers may not be in passage order). Read the questions first,
and then look for the answers. Read the headings of every passage. Read the
first sentence of ever paragraph and the last sentence of every paragraph.
Look for the key words that you have seen and noted in the questions. In
most cases the questions are in the order of the passage information and
sentences.
b. Non-Academic is not too much different than the academic. There is more
focus on work and life topics. It is not usually argumentative readings.
3. Academic writing
a. You will have 60 minutes for the writing. There are two writing tasks, but task
two is worth more marks than task one. On average you should try not to
spend more than 20 minutes on task one. You are to write a summary of
information given in a graph, chart, table, diagram or a combination of these
using at least 150 words to do so. Give a general overview of the information
in the chart, table, diagram or graph. Select key features and describe them.
Use the information given to illustrate your points. Don't express your opinion
in this type of writing. (Introduction: Tells why the charts or graphs were
made; for example, it was made to show how the temperature has changed all
throughout the years. So, you would say, These charts show how the
temperature has changed all throughout the years.), (The body: Explains the
similarities in one paragraph and the differences in another. Each paragraph
can also be separated according to subject matter or time sequences.), and

(The conclusion: Sums up what you understand or gather from all of this
information)
b. For task two, you should try to allow yourself 40 minutes for writing it. You
are to write an essay in response to a question, argument, or general topic,
containing 250 words. You must focus on your content, organization,
vocabulary, and grammar usage when writing. Practice writing by first making
an outline of your essay. What points will you cover? This will be divided into
introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The body can be divided into two
paragraphs. Both the introduction and the conclusion are only one paragraph.
In general, your essay will be between 3 to 5 paragraphs.
c. Non-Academic writing: You will have 60 minutes for the writing. There are
two writing tasks, but task two is worth more marks than task one. On
average you should try not to spend more than 20 minutes on task one. For
task two, you should try to allow yourself 40 minutes for writing it.
1. In task one respond to a given situation by requesting information or
explaining the situation. You are to express all of your thoughts and
feelings on that topic.
2. In task two, you are presented with an argument, point of view, or
problem. You are to present a solution, support an opinion, and challenge
ideas, evidence, or arguments that are made. This will be divided into
introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The body can be divided into
two paragraphs. Both the introduction and the conclusion are only one
paragraph. In general, your essay will be between 3 to 5 paragraphs.
4. Speaking (3 parts): The same for both Acedemic and non-Acedemic testing

Speaking: This is last part. It has 3 sections and it takes about 15

minutes to complete all of them. Section 1 has 5 to 8 questions on a
general topic. These topics are usually about hobbies, sports, friends,
family, and favorites. Section 2 has 4 or 5 questions on a card. You will
have one minute to prepare your answer and one and a half minutes to
talk. You will not be interrupted or helped. These questions will be
specific questions about a person, a place, or a thing (examples: a
teacher, a city, a gift, etc.). It could even be about an event (example:
your graduation). This is recorded and graded by others, not the
interviewer. Make yourself sound good and clear. Don't speak too
low. Do the speaking section on a different day if possible and speak
English only all that day. Dress very well.

a. Part one (4-5 minutes), you give short answers about yourself and everyday
life.
b. Part two (3-4 minutes), you give a short one to two minute talk about your
experiences in connection with a simple topic that you are given.
c. Part three (4-5 minutes), you discuss a topic.
Important notes: Go early, bring your identification card, and bring your
reading glasses if you need some. This test is usually after all of the other tests
have been completed. In some cases, they will allow you to take the speaking
test on a different day. If you would like to do that then ask them about it.
This part of the test will be recorded by the examiner. Your fluency, accuracy,
coherence, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation are all very important in
this part of the exam. Your results on the test as a whole are usually available
two weeks after the exam has been completed. Be polite, friendly, and mildly
humorous. Be as honest as possible and speak to the heart of the examiner.