British Expats - IELTS ADVICE THREAD

Hiya guys,

I currently work very closely with IELTS and one of my dearest friends is the head of IELTS for the British Council in the north of England. I saw some people put some details on here about their IELTS results, I'll try and answer some of the questions I've seen but if you would like more information or advice about it- please PM me.

Can I challenge my IELTS result?
Yes you can but you will need to raise a challenge usually within 10 days of your IELTS result being received. Normally you will be asked to provide information on WHY you wish to challenge your result.

Can I challenge more than one sub-test score?
Yes you can but again, you will need to list the score you wish to challenge and why you think this is incorrect. If your test examiner was unprofessional or if your equipment was inadequate you WILL need to say this- don't try and please them by assuming the markers knew your reasons for challenging the result, in my experience the most detailed explanation of your reasons for challenging the result- the better.

What if the equipment was faulty?
There is no use saying the CD player wasn't working properly after your result comes in -if you didn't challenge it during the test and you allowed the test to continue then you wont have a leg to stand on. However, should there be excessive noise outside the test centre, should there be interruptions to the test- raise a complaint and put it in your IELTS results query.

Does the Australian Government get money for us doing an IELTS test?
No. Any money raised from an IELTS test goes 1st to the British Council and then if an independent test centre any extra charges or any profit goes to that test centre. This is sometimes a cause of concern if for example you take a test in China and if the test centre is needing to make ends meet and the test date finds the centre full and noisy- you can challenge this and you might find this works in your favour.

What if I'm a native English speaker but my result is lower than I expected?
The fact of the matter is this- the IELTS test is an exam. It is under exam conditions and your result will be marked under strict exam marking criteria. If you assume the examiner will know your reply because there is a shared understanding based on both of you being a native language speaker and sharing an ability in English- you're wrong. You might be the best essay writer in the land but if you have ANY spelling mistakes, ANY grammatical errors and if ANYTHING doesn't make absolute obvious sense- you will be penalised for this and as a result your mark will suffer. If you get just 6 answers wrong in your listening exam, your result will be a 7.5. No higher. If you do not put EXACTLY the answer they want for some of the questions- you wont get a right answer and if you mumble or don't give a coherent answer in your speaking exam, if you assume they know what you're on about- your result will suffer.

My advice is- book a test, take the exam and see what your result it. Then book another test and study in the meantime if you don't get the result you need. you can get an IELTS test practice book to help you develop your results and if you don't do very well in the second test- consider taking IELTS practice classes.

You should also consider this. When was the last time you took an English test? Recently? Ever? Did you honestly study and treat the test as a serious examination of your English language ability? Did you turn up with any preperation at all? Did you know what to expect from the test? If you read this and still honestly believe you were treated unfairly then pay the £60+ to challenge your result and stick to your guns. Abide by the rules of challenging your result and hope for the best.

If anyone needs any further help or advice with regards to IELTS, please let me know. This is all just second nature to me so I really don't mind.