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Advice for the IELTS by an IELTS teacher


luckytobehere

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On 1/9/2019 at 6:41 PM, Carrots said:

Those who registered for the IELTS workshops, how helpful were they?

 

I have bought two Udemy courses as they are on sale, and was wondering if it was worth doing the workshop as well. The practice test they have on the IELTS site for reading and listening was real easy, but reading some of the comments here makes be think that not all of them would be?

Could you tell me how much these courses were ? 

I need to rewrite as I didn’t score well enough on the written section. 

Many tips would be super helpful. 

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11 hours ago, BronSAtoAUS said:

Could you tell me how much these courses were ? 

I need to rewrite as I didn’t score well enough on the written section. 

Many tips would be super helpful. 

 

You might also look at the PTE option if you did not do well with the written test.  As a very broad generalisation some people who do badly with the written test in IELTS do better in PTE - however equally some people who do not do well in the PTE speaking test often do better with the IELTS test. 

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  • 1 month later...
On 2/7/2019 at 12:02 PM, BronSAtoAUS said:

Could you tell me how much these courses were ? 

I need to rewrite as I didn’t score well enough on the written section. 

Many tips would be super helpful. 

 

Sorry for only replying now, the courses were R100 on sale. There's usually a sale every month or so, so it's worth waiting. Standard price ranges from R500 - R2000 per course.

I put in a lot of effort in the writing part, and I think it prepared me very well. I ended up getting a 7.5, but I think it may have been due to me writing to little, then trying to force more words into the essay.

 

I gave the PTE-A a try after that, and it was MUCH easier. I got 9 for everything there, as opposed to my 8.5 and 9s, and the 7.5 for writing in IELTS. The fact that it was computer based helped me, as I can type much faster than write.

 

PTE-A has less preparation resources online, but they do have paid, evaluated practice tests.

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Hi , thank you so much for your advice. I’m now debating whether to rewrite the IELTS or to just do the PTE. I got over 8 for all sections except writing in the IELTS so I’m not sure if I should try rewrite it as it’s a whole new process and way of writing? Or to wait and try again at the IELTS. Also with regards to the IELTS- there is a waiting list for getting a test date...

 

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4 minutes ago, BronSAtoAUS said:

Hi , thank you so much for your advice. I’m now debating whether to rewrite the IELTS or to just do the PTE. I got over 8 for all sections except writing in the IELTS so I’m not sure if I should try rewrite it as it’s a whole new process and way of writing? Or to wait and try again at the IELTS. Also with regards to the IELTS- there is a waiting list for getting a test date...

 

We were also unable to obtain 8 for writing. After a long wait and re-writing still no change, even sent it for a Remark. Put us back almost 5 months with all the waiting. PTE is quick to get a date and results are also released sooner. 

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Thanks Frosty, did you pass the PTE first time? How did you find the exam? Any tips for learning and preparing?

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31 minutes ago, BronSAtoAUS said:

Hi , thank you so much for your advice. I’m now debating whether to rewrite the IELTS or to just do the PTE. I got over 8 for all sections except writing in the IELTS so I’m not sure if I should try rewrite it as it’s a whole new process and way of writing? Or to wait and try again at the IELTS. Also with regards to the IELTS- there is a waiting list for getting a test date...

 

 

As Frosty said, it is much easier to get a date for the PTE. They do tests during the week as well, which makes it even easier. I think I could find an available date  2 weeks in advance. They promise results within 5 days, but I think I got mine after 2 days, so it is a much shorter process.

 

I did a PTE practice test about a month after I wrote my IELTS, and scored 9's and an 8.5 without any additional prep. If you work through the video below, you should get an idea what to expect from it.

Some of the tests are just plain silly easy compared to IELTS. For example, one of the reading tests is literally reading some text aloud. Some of the listening and speaking tests are listening to and repeating a sentence. There are more difficult sections as well, and it isn't a pushover, but compared to IELTS I found it considerably easier. 

 

 

I also suggest doing an assessed practice test before writing, to make sure you don't waste your time if you aren't ready:

https://www.ptepractice.com/

 

 

 

Edited by Carrots
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  • 2 months later...

I want to know if you are a teacher and applying for an Australian visa do you have to do both the Pearson test and  the IELTS or just one and how does one obtain the 7,7,8,8 for Academic IELTS

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