carlos05

Hi guys hope you are well,

So I got the required 7 in all components for my IELTS (Listening 9, Speaking 8, Writing 7,5 and Reading 7).

However as I have recently qualified from ACCA and my old employment experience wasn't sufficient enough, our agent is insisting I re do IELTS Academic and get 8 across.

Is this possible? I found reading and writing components tricky the first time, it's either that or accumulate more experience in my current role.

Any strategies or methods to get IELTS 8 guys?

Thank you in advance.

xizzles

In my opinion, it is achievable. There isn't any magic or secret involved apart from the usual hard work and practice

Good luck!

carlos05

Thank you xizzles :-)

TeeTMI

There are some online practice sites, there are also alternative English options now.

xizzles

Not meaning to show off (heaven forbid), but to encourage the original poster that it CAN be done (and I had to do it twice, to get the points I needed back in 2007, and again, in 2015):



It's definitely do-able!

Soja

I had all 8s (or above) as a non-native
Lots of practice and it should be plain sailing for any native speaker - just familiarize yourself with the test format (which you know already) and the structure etc they are looking for in writing for example.
Good Luck!

Lizzie88

It is possible! Make sure you work through all the free IELTS practice papers. I found these particularly useful

AtherSaeed

As many of the responses here say. Not impossible.

Let me make it easier for you. First time u gave the test as an English test and you had a good score.

Now you need to give it as a Maths test. Listening, Speaking - No probs for you I see.
Writing, Reading need some improvement in scores
Crack it down. Break it down into small segments. Identify the scoring areas, have plan A, B and C ready for every scoring area. Preferably, sit down with an IELTS instructor and vet those plans.
Converting 7 into 8 should not be a problem for you. Just need to identify those small points where you can score.

Best of luck

chrisjm15

Hi there,

I managed it, 9-8.5-9-8.5 in the 4 sections.

I recommend buying the Cambridge Press IELTS guide.
Comes with a disc, so you can practice the listening, as well as 4 full tests to practice on.

isie1980

I need an 8 in each component for the maximum 20 points as my work experience probably falls a little short (assessment is pending).
I get my results tomorrow so we shall see...

I paid for online training via IELTSexpress.com and initially did the reading and listening at home in exam conditions. Where I fell short on the reading it came down to attention to detail. Everything is there for you, and I think I personally have a tendency to overthink things instead of taking the question at face value. This may be a downfall of having previously studied at a high level, perhaps?!

For the writing component, the online training was excellent for explaining the marking criteria and highlighting exactly what the assessor is looking for. You can then identify the type of question being asked and respond in a formulaic way which addressing their criteria. I found this to be as useful as the usual exam practice of familiarising yourself with the format and practicing against the clock.

As people above have said, an 8 across the board is achieveable. It just might come down to a little more preparation and practice than simply being good at English.

I will update tomorrow when results are in!

mgreaves

As a native speaker I just turned up and got 9-9-9-7(writing) with no prior study.

However this only gets me to 60 points and as an accountant with the new ceiling limit I have rebooked to sit it again tomorrow as I'd feel more comfortable with over 60 (awaiting skills assessment result but believe only 3 of my 5 years will count).

So as the others have said, a bit of research and practice and all 8's is doable, at least I hope it is!

isie1980

Well, i did it
9-9-8.5-9
Looks like writing is the tricky one.
I really do think there is a lot to be gained from learning what they are looking for with the writing. The listening and reading require attention to detail to avoid careless mistakes but your answer is either right or wrong. The speaking shouldn't be a problem for a native English speaker but it worth remembering to elaborate a little on your answers. E.g. if asked if you like to eat out, don't just say yes or sometimes, say something like "it's great for a treat and always nice not to have the washing up" or similar. My questions were all on a theme and eating out features quite heavily. For my 2 minute talk I had to just give a bit of a review of a favourite restaurant so I mentioned the menu being varied, nice options for kids and a safe and clean play area. Nothing complex, just fluent chat!
For the writing it is definitely worth practising and also working out how many words you average per line so you know when you've hit the 150 and 250 word minimums for the 2 questions. Show understanding of the question by rephrasing it as the introduction to your answer. Use a new paragraph to address the various components of the question. I used the question book to jot down a rough outline for my answer to help me organise my thoughts. It needs to read clearly and flow so I think a few moments spent planning could be useful.
I spent £29 on my online course and completed less than half of it, but I knew what to expect from the 4 tests and what the assessor was looking for. Definitely money well spent to avoid paying out a further £155 to repeat the test. Hope this is helpful.

mgreaves

I managed to increase my score, however I did not get the 8 I wanted in the writing, 9:9:7.5:9 this time, so an improvement of 0.5. I think I wrote way too much though, over 500 words in part 2.

Maybe I should have sat IELTS General rather than the Acedemic!

I think I will give PTE-A a try now.