WHAT I DID TO GET BAND 7 AND ABOVE ON IELTS EXAM

As you may already know, I am from Malaysia. To migrate or study oversea I need to pass English exam and, in this case, I took IELTS – General Exam because this is what I need for my visa type. English is my second language. I was raised in a Malay community in Gombak. I attended Tadika Kemas then primary school at Sekolah Kebangsaan, after that I continue secondary school at Sekolah Kebangsaan and this time with Arabic & Islamic studies. Therefore, my circle of friends is always malay and speaks malay. It is not ended there, I also attended Matrikulasi and UiTM where is it for bumiputra only. Some people may think I get the privilege as bumiputra which is true but I don’t say it is good. Malay may think they are superior in Malaysia because people call it Malay land. Trust me “wahai anak2 melayu yang muda2”, it is not good for you. “Merantaulah” then you will understand why I say it is not good.

For me taking IELTS exam is a real challenge. I would like more people to pass the exam and pursue your dream so check it out what I did to get band 7 and above on IELTS Exam on first trial.

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1)     Listen to English medium radio and tv program

I’m learning English just like baby by listening. First, I turn on to mix.fm, Maybe I’m more like kakak2 so I cannot accept hits.fm. I also start to listen to New Zealand news like NZ heralds, metservice news. At first I can’t really understand the news at all. My English was that poor.

 

2)     Turn off subtitle in tv program

      I will turn off subtitle in TV so I need to practise to listen properly. Sometimes I also turn on my Spotify and try to write down lyrics of the song that I hear. After that I google back the lyrics in the internet. It’s started by guessing the whole sentence meaning after that slowly I can catch up what people sing or say word by word.

3)     Speak English at home and colleague

We try to make conversation in English at home too. Its easy to speak English with my kid because he don’t judge. heheheh. Its okay, just keep going. Speak out your heart.

 

4)     Read English newspaper

Honestly, I never read books before. During my university time I don’t even know where libraries are. I might just go there once or twice. That’s why I pay the price of my limited vocabulary in English. I started reading with small and thin material. The cheapest english medium that I can get is newspaper. So, I started to read Thestar, News Straits Time. I also read malay newspaper to double check my understanding of certain words. I know I got to start somewhere.

 

5)     Watch youtube on exam preparation

This tip is important. There are a lot of you tube material sharing about the exam scheme, sample of questions and people experience in youtube. Make sure you check this out.

 

6)     Write down the story about yourself and fake it until you make it

Last but not least I practise my writing. Try to write down something about yourself like diary or notes in English. When you write, try to find words that have the same meaning to expand your vocabulary. Don’t use the word ‘very” every time for examples: Im very happy, Im very scared, Im very hungry. Avoid it please. Also practise in front of the mirror when you talk. Fake it until you make it. 😊

 

Preparation During Exam:

 

Speaking Exam:

 

The tips that I can give here :

 

1)     Speak slowly 1 by 1 so you have the time to think of what you want to say. You also can arrange your sentence more proper with the right grammar.

2)     Talk clearly and don’t munch your word. Open your mouth.

3)     Smile and looks confident. Don’t shake your hands or legs. I have this shaking legs problem.

4)     Just take other people story and become yours if you have no idea.

 

Listening Exam:

I feel this is the hardest exam. I was seating at the end corner of the exam halls and the speaker was so far away. The tips that I can share:

1)     Be calm

2)     Choose of what you want to listen to. Stop listening to the sound of aircorn/ fan, people sneezing or cough. Filter that out.

3)     If you couldn’t listen word by word, just guess the whole meaning.

4)     Write down specific information given like days, time, phone number, date.

 

Reading Exam:

I got 8.5 band in reading. Hahahah. LOL eventhough I don’t like reading. I guess reading newspaper does help me a lot. Tips that I can share here:

1)     Read carefully. Don’t assume the story too quick.

2)     Try to understand the meaning between the lines.

3)     Read at least twice.

 

Writing Exam:

 

1)     Do mind mapping and segregate your writing to at least 5 parts ( Intro, point 1, point 2, point 3 and summary)

2)     Read back what you write

3)     Use simple tense to minimise grammar error

4)     Add adjective and describe further your point

 

Basically these are the things that I did to prepare myself for the exam. My English is still not excellent but its okay. I’ve proof that I can communicate with native speaker, sometimes I make joke and I can recognise US accent, British accent, Scottish, OZ and Kiwi accent already. Don’t be scared and You can do it. Best of Luck!

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Nga Mihi,

Mira