LisaandSteve

Hello to you all,

I am applying for the FSW in July so will be sitting the IELTS exam. I believe this is not a pass or fail, however, if I dont score 67 points we wont get in. I score 69 points with all the English on High marks. So, I need to do extremely well to pass. When the results some out, how do I find out how many points I go? I dont want to submit the form unless I have enough.

What can I do to prepare myself for the test?

Thanks

Lisa

luckymonkey

Hi,
I'm in the same position as you are re the points being a bit neat and the exam results being important. There are example questions on their website; the marking of it is very specific and answers must be in the format they specify. The test can be re-taken but at £115 a go it's not something you'd want to do too often.
Hope that helps.

CanadaJimmy

Go to your local library (if it hasn't been closed down), they will very likely have the IELTS practice materials.

I found the best combination was the recent "New Insights into IELTS" which included a CD, and also an older book which had a whole bunch of example answers in it which turned out to really be invaluable for learning how to structure the written questions.

Good luck

LisaandSteve

Happy days..best of luck with yours. Have you booked a test yet? When for?
Let us know how you get on.

matt_t

I found this site very useful:

http://www.canadavisa.com/ielts/free...ice-tests.html

I found the listening part took my total concentration because you can only hear it once. I found the way you have to write the answers down confusing and over complicated at times. I managed to get the top marks (i am english after all) but I couldn't have done it without the practise tests on canadavisa.

Overall the test is way too overkill, it was basically like doing all of the GCSE english exams from school in one day.

luckymonkey

Thanks! I've booked test for mid March but am waiting to receive confirmation of the dates from the centre.

Just hit Amazon for the books as recommended by CanadaJimmy and bookmarked matt_t's website link, so

matt_t

Well good luck, its just one of those things where you can't go in over confident. Even the reading part I found myself having to read over and over again to find the correct answers and double check your answers afterwards. During the speaking part which I assumed would be the easiest part, I got asked to talk for 2 mins about my favourite role model. It had to be someone I knew personally. I suddenly even found this difficult to talk about for 2 mins I jsut had to make it all up.

Jagerbomb

My husband recently did the "General Training" not Academic IELTS test required for a Spouse Visa for the UK. The scores are out of 9, the funny thing is he scored 9/9 for speaking (which he hates to do) and 7/9 for reading which he loves to do and always has a book (now a Kindle) in his hands.

It did help to do the practice notes which he downloaded for free on the internet as it prepares you for the 'tricky' way in which the questions are sometimes asked.

We have got his results online and are just waiting for the paper version to arrive through the post before we can apply for the Visa. The wait is agony.