No one is born an expert
21 March 2019
By Rachel Angie
I’m Rachel. I don’t have linguistics or TESOL degree. I’m writing to counterbalance Miss Anisa because, let’s be honest, no one is aiming for 8.5. Some of us only need the minimum 6.5 to pass a scholarship screening process. So, what did I do to get ready for the test? Aside from joining an IELTS prep class, here's how I prepared myself. This is all hard work because, simply put, no one is born an expert.
#1 Schedule your practice
My goal was to apply for a postgraduate program. Some people take the test just to the water. I think this trial and error will only result in a minimal outcome. You'll take it seriously if you see it as the only option. The next thing to remember is that knowing how to do it is not the same as being able to do it, so I prepared myself for a good one month before the test date.
I practised eight hours a day because knowing how to drive doesn’t make you a good driver. Actually driving does. I understood how to compose an essay based on the IELTS criteria from the IELTS class, but my speed was low. I practised more because I knew I needed to do it in under 60 minutes. Many people do the test after a short IELTS preparation class and are unhappy with the results. It’s better to take stock and strategize.
#2 Know your weaknesses
I was not good at reading graphs, and I tend to overanalyze. That’s why I decided to spend more time improving my writing skills. I schedule a time to practice task 1 and task 2 intensively. Soon extensive practice like this turned tedious, so I balanced it with writing a journal, one entry per day. With this, I practised fluency and did not worry too much about accuracy.
The free-writing helped me with the overthinking because my attitude changed into Whatever! Don’t overthink. Just write. When you feel at ease and stop worrying, that’s when you perform better. My tendency to get caught in the details declined, and I could complete the tasks within 60 minutes.
#3 Read more so you’ll have more to say
Two parts of the test are productive skills: speaking and writing. We cannot produce output if we don’t have input. Reading and listening are the quickest solutions to this, be it from novels, news, magazines, YouTube, Instagram or other sources.
This will familiarise you with IELTS writing or speaking topics, such as education, environment, health, technology, social media, film, arts, foods, consumerism, and tourism. The questions require common knowledge, but if we don’t read, we cannot answer even the most straightforward questions.
With the practice above, I received a 7.5 overall band score. I proceeded with my postgrad application. There is no shortcut to success. It’s all hard work. You need to actually do a hell lot of practice because, once again, no one is born an expert.
