4 parts of IELTS test Nature

1. Listening Passive
2. Reading (comprehension) Same Date Passive

3. Writing Active

4. Speaking Active

1. Listening (including 10 minutes to transfer answers to answer sheet?

Consist of following types of questions
a. Short max 3 word answers to questions relating to a paragraph or
b. TRUE / FALSE / NOT CLEAR answers to statements referring to a paragraph
c. Match heading/description to paragrpah
d. Identify which paragrpah contains the following given information

No negative marking

Practice 3 exams (Reading + Listening + Writing) on a stretch as they are taken on same day and you may perform well when pr

The difference between IELTS general and academic is only in Writing and Reading component. Speaking and Listening are sam
 Duration Sections
30 Mins + 10 Min to transfer answers 4 Sections
1 Hour 3 Sections

1 Hour 2 parts

11 - 15 min 3 parts

g 10 minutes to transfer answers to answer sheet?

o a paragraph

they are taken on same day and you may perform well when practicing individual tests but differently when in succesion without break

Writing and Reading component. Speaking and Listening are same for both
 40 Questions Monologues and conversations between 2 or more people - Subjects in
40 questions Increasing level of difficulty of each passage
1 letter - 150 words - 20 Mins - 33% Marks
1 short essay - 250 words - 40 Min - 66% Marks

acticing individual tests but differently when in succesion without break

en 2 or more people - Subjects include obtaining information about and discussing facilities,
Spend increasing time on each subsequent passage as difficultty increases Subject matter: Social, Work related, acade

based on 1 of the following types

Tips

Read the heading first to understand the difference. Some would be very easily distinct while ot
matter: Social, Work related, academics, general knowledge

llowing types

uld be very easily distinct while others would be very similar to another. These will cause the main difficulty. The other difficulty would be w
y. The other difficulty would be with paragraph that would mislead you with a word or two about a certain topic but would be in totality be
topic but would be in totality be about another heading
Listening

Matching
Map labelling
Practise Tests
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnJy8M64ogpkjCQc68aYhiw/videos
Search for keywords on Youtube: IELTS Listening Difficult Hard Test

Tips & Techniques

Answer could be correct factually but the wording can cause it to be marked incorrect
Example: Your answer could be marked as incorrect for using incorrect singular/plural type, incorrect tense, adding extra word
Spelling mistakes
Not using hyphens when necessary

If you have to list 4 things from an audio eg: list 4 reasons mentioned in the audio for blood transfusions, 4 methods
of transportation, 4 types of books a person likes, etc Then you must list 1 from each of the 4 separate groups
mentioned in the audio. Eg: Lets say the reasons for blood transfers are mentioned as 1. surgeries and organ
transplants, 2.premature babies 3. accidents and burns, 4. leukemia and cancer. In this case you cannot list 1.
suregeries 2. organ transplants 3. accidents 4. burns.
17 or 17 years of age, not 17 years old
It Costs: nothing…don’t write free

Prediction
Read sentence in advance before audio plays. Write down predicted answer based on common sense

Listening to directions for an address/destination and and wiriting where on map

Questions whose answers are spoken in quick succession. You will have to practice taking information very quickly and anticipa
Hardest parts are those that describe something in detail - a narration (rather than dialogue or convo because in a convo the q
You must comprehend each word - you miss many words and don’t comprehend the whole sentence context when you're only
Keep 2-3 questions in mind when listening. If you only keep 1 question in mind there is chance to miss the answer to some que
Hard to follow when the topic/subject is changing quickly - To pinpoint when the speaker changes subject looks for SIGNPOSTI
Predict but not too much. Eg Bear cubs are born in _______ (The blank could refer to the season, place, pairs)

Types of questions
Matching: This is different than other Listening question types. Here you will be given 2 lists. One list will be of questions 4, 5, 6
You must identify the list which follows the order of speech being played. One you do that you identify which item is currently
You must write on question paper and learn to swithc between the 2 lists.
You must keep your stanrting/current position in mind. Most directions and info regarding map will be given relative to you sta
Look at the blanks and note the nearby items. The answer will be mentioned in audio right before or after the nearby items.
Doing map questions you cannot just rely on audio - You must use info on the map itself to predict what this blank could be.
Order can be important
Question numbers on the map VS Question numbers in list while options on map - In the latter type all the map is not relevant

Information overwhelming question that has a long intro before coming to actual answer points. Confusing as you don’t know
e, adding extra words when a single word would have sufficed, etc (using incorrect prepositions, a/the etc)

Consistent in mentioning time and date ranges. Eg: write 6pm to 12 pm not 6pm to midnight
facutally free is correct but doesn’t make sense sentence wise

if you cannot predict the actual word, atleast predict whether its going to be a noun/verb/adjective - How will this help?

y quickly and anticipate it

ause in a convo the question are asked often by a person himself. Whereas in a narration its not the case)
ext when you're only waiting for a particular word to be said
answer to some questions.
looks for SIGNPOSTING WORDS This is particularly important in Section 4 which is a long lecture on an academic subject

e of questions 4, 5, 6, 7 etc and the other of options A, B, C, D, E. But technicallly the questions and options can be switched so don’t be co
ich item is currently being talked about and quickly jump to the other list and write the number/Letter against all that qualify
en relative to you starting position on the map
the nearby items.
his blank could be.

e map is not relevant and it can be more confusin

g as you don’t know when the actual points are spoken - British Isles question
ctive - How will this help?

e on an academic subject

s can be switched so don’t be confused.

inst all that qualify
Two tasks in writing test
1. 150 words 33% Write a letter,communication. Can be formal or informal
2. 250 words 67% Write an essay on a problem, issue

Tips & Techniques

Pracice writing with pen and paper - write with even spaces with fixed no of words per line so counting words is easy
Avoid short sngle clause sentences. Use pair sentences if they are short for continuity
Read many topic lists as possible so that there are no surprises. You need not read the answers. Just the topic and think of an i
3 step method for essay writing - when typing on computer you us 3 steps: 1)brainstorm points (2) type full draft (3) type final

Writing Task 1
In letter writing do we only need to convey the points stated in a direct manner or do we need to fill in with other things?
How important is the flow of letter. Can I just adopt a point approach and disregard the flow?
Addresses, sign off, subject, date, etc important?
In letters is it necessary to include introductions to proper nouns? Eg: If I want to write "Just call Ali if you need anything" Do I n
How to give numbers? My friends number is 090078601 / Here's my friends number (090078601) / Here's my friends number
Cover all points in the letter question. Don’t focus too much on one
Can exceed 150 min word requirement.
Keep it concise, use phrasal verbs as much as possible, don’t use formal language. Use smart language and sentence structres
Avoid redundancy
Address Mr/Ms if the person is not a friend or family member

Writing Task 2
Don’t dump all your points in the essay. You will not be graded on how many or great points you mention.
The question is very important. Read it very carefully. A little misunderstanding or overlooking of a nuance in the question will
If question asks "Many people believe fb, insta have a negative impact on people and society. To wh
Max word limit? None
The introduction shold be paraphrasing of the question
If the question requires for an opinion you must pick a side of three: agree, disagree, or partially agree. Cannot sit on fence an

Types of questions in Writing General part 2

1. Opinion (Agree or Disagree) What is your opinion? Direct question. Do you agree or disagree
2. Advantages and Disadvantages
3. Problem and Solution
4. Discussion (Discuss both view)
5. Two-part Question
 Topic List with high band answers
https://www.ielts-mentor.com/writing-sample/gt-writing-task-1
https://www.ielts-mentor.com/writing-sample/writing-task-2

ng words is easy

the topic and think of an idea or two. Do this for both section 1 and section 2
pe full draft (3) type final paragraphs. This will allow you to pick from the draft the sentences and ideas you want as you read and get a fe

in with other things?

you need anything" Do I need to write "My brother Ali"? The person I addressing the letter to can be a close friend who doesn’t need to b
Here's my friends number: 090078601 / You can call my friend at 090078601 You can do without writing dow

ge and sentence structres to convey info or instructions. There is no hard and fast rule

uance in the question will cause you to answer a different question. Examiner will interpret it as you being unable to understand english.
people and society. To what extent do you agree"? - Do not be tempted to dump all the brainstormed negative effects of fb and social m

ee. Cannot sit on fence and state advantages and disadvantages of both

Do you agree or disagree? To what extent do you agree or disagree?

ou want as you read and get a feel. This cant be possible in 2 steps

se friend who doesn’t need to be rtold who Ali is.

You can do without writing dow numbers. Just say try my cell phone number, or I have written the numers on note, or will send you short

Don’t assume dumb reader. If you have to give an instruction don’t cover all steps. Eg: Keep outside lights open at ni

unable to understand english.

negative effects of fb and social meda on people. - Must also include the effects on society as a whole - and if you disagree then give ad
s on note, or will send you shortly.

g: Keep outside lights open at night instead of Turn on outside light before you leave and turn them off in the morning

and if you disagree then give advantages also

On Youtube search: IELTS speaking 9 band sample https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjrlnyFKVKU

Duration 11-14 mins

Section 0 Wt not known Greeting, Name, ID, Where you from
Section 1 Wt not known You answer general questions asked by interviewer on 2-3 topics for ab
Section 2 Wt not known Talk on a topic chosen from cards given to you. 1 min to prepare and m
Section 3 Wt not known Examiner asks more general/philosophical questions on topic in section

Assesment criteria (same as for writing test)

1. Fluency / coherence not searching for words, well structured sentence
2. Vocabulary good nouns, adjectives, verbs
3. Grammatical correctness PPF Can you use multiple tenses correctly?
4. Pronunciation clearly

Section2:
PPF method (optional but recommended) Tell 3 stories in the Past Present and Future to avoid running out of thin
Problem: There is barely enough time to talk about one story why and
You don’t need 3 separate concepts/ideas/subjects for the 3 stories. Yo
Talking about abstract ideas in part 2 minute part might not be require

Section 2: Brainstorming for ideas in 1 minute.

Eg: If you're asked to speak on an adversitement you saw, start jogging
For books, start thinking about genres and subjects and that will lead y
for movies, use genres, actors, . For music use eras, genres, bands, etc

Good morning, My name is ABC

Section 0 Tell me your full name
Where are you from
Can I see your identification

Secition 1 Ill ask a few questions about yourself

What type of accomodation do you live in?
Which room you spend most of your time in
Describe the view from your house
Lets talk abt social networking sites
How often do you use social networking sites
Do you find them easy to use?
 Do your friends also use similar site?
What do you and your friends use them for - own question
Lets talk about things you find funny
What kind of things you find amusing
Do you like to tell jokes and make others laugh
Do you friends and family have a similar sense of humor

DON’T BEGIN SENTENCE IN AN EXCITED WAY. RATHER START IN A DUMB WAY

ABSOLUTELY THAT’S AN INTERSTING QUESTION
THERE SHOULD BE DEFINITE STATEMENTS. PEOPLE LIKE DFINITE CONCLUSIVE HAPPY STATE

Why are you taking IELTS?

DO NOT COMPROMISE FLUENCY FOR GRAMMATICAL CORRECTNESS. BOTH ARE EVALUATE

Must make notes in the 1 minute time, while pracising also. It makes a huge difference
Use 4-5 difference tenses to demonstrate your english You don’t need to know the names of t
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRFEKvsw-vs

Speed
Don’t give single word answers
Don’t speak in monotone
Repeat the question - paraphrase it
Go off topic
Say I don’t know - Say I havent given it much thought or know much about it but I think…
Use simple low level vocabulary - Good/Bad, Very, etc

Part 1 Start speaking immediately - use filler phrases if you have to but don’t remain silent - use n
Avoid using filler words in part 1. They can be used in part 3. In part 1 you cannot say "That
Must elaborate on answers. The questions can easily be, technically, asnwered in a

Part 2 How to intriduce your answer DO NOT use bookish formal sounding introductio
Because of short time one strategy is to talk about the first thing that comes to mind so tha
The bullet points in the cue card need not be addressed, they are just there to help you ge
To get ideas regarding a topic (person, place, trip, object, situation, food, etc) - Think about
Conditional tenses = Sentences that are made up of clauses in different tenses. Overall therefore a conditional sentence would

Mistakes made in 1st attempt

spoke in a low volume
Body language wasn’t confident, eye contact and facial expressions not friendly /good
Replied to ouickly in fear of not taking pauses. This lead to suboptimal answers that couldve been better structured with better
Was too rigid in asnwering questions in part 1 . Kep repeating same answer whn the interviewer wanted a different answer and
where do you live qustion 15 minute
Part 2 asked for clarification
Part 2 blanked out initially
Part 2 ran out of ideas and realized immediately after
Don’t get too pessimistic talk about negative things all the time if you have good material and can be fluent. eveeg: Do you like
tch?v=HjrlnyFKVKU

terviewer on 2-3 topics for about 5 minutes. For each of 3 topics there will be 3 questions each making a total of 9-10 questions
o you. 1 min to prepare and make notes. 2 min to speak. The topic is your own feelings experience of a particular thing (event/gift/vacation
al questions on topic in section 2 Around 6-8 questions , 5 minutes

ords, well structured sentences

use multiple tenses correctly?

re to avoid running out of things to say and keep repeating the same thing
talk about one story why and how to talk about 3?
s/subjects for the 3 stories. You can talk about the same music/art/law/personality/vacation etc and give an example from past, present, an
ute part might not be required as that is for part 3. Part 2 should be linear stories

tement you saw, start jogging your brain by thinking about different goods/products and that will lead you to their ads. Else you wont be ab
d subjects and that will lead you to books or authors or topics you can invent a book name
c use eras, genres, bands, etc

??
Im Bilal Zahid. You can call me Bilal
Im from Karachi, the biggest city and the economic capital of Pakistan If the test venue is in Karachi d
Sure. There you go

I live in a 4 bedroom apartment in an apartment block in the southern side of the city close to the sea. I live with my parents an
Definitely the bedroom come home late, rest, only leave room for dinner
Simple vs visiospatial position adjectives directly down, left, right, further in background etc
Since the topic is social network sites: brainstorm all the functionalities of these sites: sharing photos, updating status, messagi
Profiles on most of the popular SNS like fb,Inst, twt, but don’t use for socialzing/networking. Use them for watching content, su
 Absolutely Most of them use, Infact I don’t know of any person in social circle who doesn’t. Some people I know spe

Helpful to brainstorm types/genres of humor, media of humor (stand up, moveis, sitcoms, memes, cartoons, etc, comics, etc). C
Depends on the people, Im quiet type and reserved and sense of humor is dirtier I fell so I don’t in family, but yeah when Im w
Circle of friends we enjoy similar kind of humor movies, memes group, roasting

IN A DUMB WAY
N INTERSTING QUESTION Use definite filler words THAT’S ATHOUGHFUL QUESTION
ITE CONCLUSIVE HAPPY STATEMENTS I HAVENT GIVEN IT MUCH THOUGHT, HAV
I DON’T HAVE MUCH KNOWLEDGE ON TH

CTNESS. BOTH ARE EVALUATED SEPERATELY.

need to know the names of the tenses. But when you are trying to convey something you must use the correct tense

but don’t remain silent - use native speaker ways to buy time - ummm can be used but in a natural way
In part 1 you cannot say "That’s a thoughtful question" or "I havent thought about it" because the questions are not difficult, thoughtful, no
nically, asnwered in a Must To elabroate you can start talking about how it impacts your life, if you cant describe

h formal sounding introductions like I am going to tell you about Eg: I want to talk about ….
ing that comes to mind so that you don’t have to spend time brainstorming for potential topics and instead you spend time to brainstorm f
y are just there to help you get ideas. Only the main question is important. You can talk about anything related to it
ation, food, etc) - Think about what, where, when, why, how, and last time you interacted with/used it and how you felt, talk about backgro
a conditional sentence would not fall in any single tense category

n better structured with better content

wanted a different answer and was putting words in my mouth

n be fluent. eveeg: Do you like TV, international travel, flowers, . Mix things up
otal of 9-10 questions Topics include: about yourself, your work, your accomdation, your family, the weath
ticular thing (event/gift/vacation) 1 min prep, 2 min speak V Hard topics list with answers
Eg topics and questions http://ieltsliz.com/ielts-speaking-part-3-topics-2/

n example from past, present, and future

to their ads. Else you wont be able to recall any ads.

If the test venue is in Karachi do I need to mention that?

the sea. I live with my parents and siblings. How many descriptors you want to tell about where you live
Weekends, rest or go out, defintely the room

photos, updating status, messaging, video call, groups, pages, entertainment, games,
se them for watching content, subscr pages and get articlev/vid in my feed. How much time you spend around an hour everyday
oesn’t. Some people I know spend hours each day

mes, cartoons, etc, comics, etc). Change in taste as you’ve matured,

’t in family, but yeah when Im with old friends we enjoy roasting each other, I share jokes stories, and funny memes on whatsapp/fb group
Family different. Father likes x type of humor, brother y type, while z type

THOUGHFUL QUESTION DON’T TRY TO BE OVERSMART BY BEING TOO HONEST OR DEEP

GIVEN IT MUCH THOUGHT, HAVENT REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT BUT…
HAVE MUCH KNOWLEDGE ON THE DUBJECT

orrect tense

ns are not difficult, thoughtful, nor about thing you don’t know about. You cannot not know about your home, family, town, etc
cts your life, if you cant describe the main thing

Eg: I want to talk about …. Instead practice strarting without the introduction. Instead of saying "I am going to
d you spend time to brainstorm for points to talk about for the topic that you've already chosen

how you felt, talk about background before the event happened to or the object was bought by you, what you plan to do in future with it,
mdation, your family, the weather, studies, social media, your hobbies, type of books you like, etc
pics list with answers https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/30-difficult-ielts-cue-card-topics-answer-razibul-hassan/

nt to tell about where you live What you live in 4 bedroom apt, 11th floor, apt complex

und an hour everyday

y memes on whatsapp/fb groups

me, family, town, etc

Instead of saying "I am going to talk about a move I saw, my friend, a trip I took, I book I read, etc" Say "I read a book last year, saw a mov

you plan to do in future with it, etc

 Eg Topics list https://www.ieltsbuddy.com/ielts-speaking-questions.html
-razibul-hassan/ Topic list and model answers 8+ https://www.ielts-mentor.com/cue-card-sample

h floor, apt complex location in city: south, close to sea, monument With whom
read a book last year, saw a movie few weeks back, There is a friend of mine, I took a trip last year etc that didn’t go exactly as planned
 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw-rStYUYgBHUWRqSk1CNW14bEU/view
/cue-card-sample https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0DmnunH-Q7BYmpob215RVE0a0E/view

Your feelings
didn’t go exactly as planned OR I don’t watch too many movies, read too many books, go to
VE0a0E/view
vies, read too many books, go to too many parties (because….) but I read a book called some time back and it wa really interesting (paraph
d it wa really interesting (paraphrase interesting because this would be in the question). The question would be "Describe an interesting bo
d be "Describe an interesting book you read"
1. Reading (comprehension)

Passive

1 Hour
3 Passages
40 questions
Increasing level of difficulty of each passage Spend increasing time on each subsequent passage as d
Subject matter: Social, Work related, academics

Variety of question types:

MCQ
Short answer - one word, 3 word, etc
Sentence completion - Fill in the blank
Paragraph headings
Summary Completion
Locating information
Writers view and claims
Classification
Table, Chart, Diagram - fill in information in them
Matching

Test Practice vs Overall english improvement Only doing sample tests will not help much
Reading fast vs slow

Questions
Not given vs False - often confusion between the 2. IF something isnt mentioned explicityl is it always false?
Can there be alternative answers in case of "Write a word or three words" ?

Tips and Techniques

Activity Type
Matching Paragraph Headings
Read the list of headings (options) first
Often the match can be determined simply by reading the first sentence/line of the paragraph. Though not always possible
Write 2 matches against a para if not sure and eliminate one later
There will be more heading options than paragrpahs. Be careful don’t be afraid if all don’t match.
There will be synonym in the paragraphs conveying the same meaning as the heading. So becareful to get the gist of paragraph
Reverse matching - first you read the options and match them to questions (which are the actual options)

A series of questions in a section can ask you the name of person who does x from the paragraph. One question can ask design
Reading all options, list, paragraph is important because you can select partially matching option because you encounter it first
In TFNG if its not explicitly mentioned and there is no information that contradicts an option in list - ALWAYS say NOT GIVEN
 subsequent passage as difficultty increases

ot help much

gh not always possible

o get the gist of paragraph

ne question can ask designation of person and you still answer the persons name in haste
ause you encounter it first while you ignore the true, perfect match for the question
ALWAYS say NOT GIVEN Eg: The benefits of mentoring are many. You will be able to become xyz, do abc, be more qwe a
come xyz, do abc, be more qwe and kju. Here it doesn’t say these are ALL the benefits or ONLY