Misconception About IELTS

Common IELTS myths Some common misconceptions
1. Is it better to take the IELTS test with IDP or the British Council? There is absolutely no difference. All of the tests are prepared in exactly the same manner, are pre-tested equally and are marked in exactly the same way. Regardless of whether 'a friend of a friend got a better result with...', there will be no difference (and in some cases, they will use exactly the same test materials on the same day). 2. Do some test centres give higher marks? No. All test scores are checked by Cambridge, the British Council or IDP and must be marked using the same criteria. However, there are some test centres where the facilities are better (comfortable headphones for the speaking test or speaking examiners who are friendly and encouraging, for example). It is worth asking to look at the testing rooms before you apply to a specific test centre, as many cities have more than one test centre and it can sometimes be worth travelling a little further to find one that you think suits you best. 3. IELTS tests are reused so you can get a test that you have seen before? Before 2007, this was potentially a possibility (although it was unlikely). However, since 2007 all IELTS have become unique - they are used once only then not used again, so it is impossible to predict what will be in the next IELTS test. 4. I have to speak in a British or American accent or I will lose points Pronunciation is important in IELTS, but this does not mean you have to sound like you are from the UK or the USA. You are being assessed only on your ability to communicate and you will only lose marks if your accent makes it too difficult for the examiner to understand. It does not matter if your accent is neutral. If you are able to clearly convey your thoughts in flawless and fluent English, the examiner is bound to give you good marks. 5. The more I write in the writing test, the better my result. You have to reach the word limits in the writing test (see Format of the Academic test and Format of the General test), but writing too much beyond that is likely to actually reduce your score as you are risking showing more errors to the examiner and also being
penalized on not being sufficient cohesive or coherent in what you write. Ideally, aim for about 10-15% beyond the required word limit. 6. Easy/ Difficult depending on the Exam centre. The level of difficulty of the IELTS tests is the same at all the test centers across the world. So, there is no such thing as an easier test or a better result if you sit for the test in your home country as compared to others. 7. Writing / Speaking test misconception. In the Writing and Speaking tasks, there is really no such thing as a right answer or a wrong one. Your opinion is respected and accepted as an answer and you do not have to worry about the examiners opinion about the same topic being different from yours. Some students feel that if they write more than the word limit requested for the Writing Tasks, they will score more. This is not correct. Examiners are trained and instructed to reduce your marks if you write less than the word limit which is 150 words for Writing Task 1 and 250 words for Writing Task 2. Trying to fit in more words in either of the tasks will only eat up your time and consequently result in less time for the other Writing Task. You must remember that you need to finish both tasks within one hours time. 8. Do I fail in the IELTS test? The most important thing about the IELTS test is that there is no pass or fail mark or score. Everyone who appears for this test is given a score based on their performance on a band scale of 0 to 9, where 0 denotes non-appearance for the test. How much you need to score will primarily be determined by which university or college you wish to attend or depend upon the visa issued by the country to which you are going to.
8 Famous IELTS Mistakes And How To Avoid Them
The success in IELTS test largely depends on students' ability to follow the instructions. It sounds ridiculously simple, and yet it is a common mistake to underestimate the importance of following the instructions precisely. So here is a list of 8 most famous IELTS pitfalls that cost test takers precious points.
1. More is less. A very common mistake is to answer in more words than instructed. If the task says "Not more than 3 words", answering in 4 or more words will definitely cost marks. 2. Less is less. The length of a written task is crucial. When instructions mention a minimal number of words (250 for essay, 150 for report or letter), it means that any work shorter than required will be penalized. 3. Longer essay doesn't mean better mark. Another common misconception is that longer essays score better in IELTS. Not only is this a myth, but also a dangerous one. Writing a long essay can indirectly cost marks, because the chances of making mistakes increase with the number of words and sentences. 4. Changing the subject is unacceptable. Every so often a student is asked to write on topic, that he doesn't understand. To avoid the disaster of missing a whole task they decide to write on a slightly or entirely - different topic. The sad fact is that no matter how beautiful the submitted work is, the wrong topic means zero score. Another similar pitfall is to omit parts of the given topic or ignore the guidelines in your work. Every point the topic refers to needs to be covered because the examiners will be actually counting them. 5. Good memory can get you in trouble. Having seen that the topics sometimes repeat, "smart" students with good memory decide to memorize essays. This is a terrible mistake to make because the examiners are trained to look for memorized essays and have firm instructions to disqualify such works on the spot. 6. Accent is not important. Pronunciation is.! IELTS, being a test for non-native English speakers can't penalize people for having an accent. The problem here is that not everyone knows the difference between speaking with an accent and mispronouncing the words. No matter how strong of an accent a person has, the words are to be pronounced correctly or it will cost marks. 7. It is not the ideas that are important, but the way they are described in. Many students think that expressing the wrong ideas (whether it is in essay, letter or discussion) can
harm their score. The truth is that no idea can be wrong and the ideas are not important on their own, it is the way they are expressed in that important. 8. Connective words: the more is not always the better. Smart students know that one of the essay marking criteria are coherence and cohesion, and what better way is there to demonstrate cohesion than to use lots of connective words, right? Wrong. Overuse of connective words is a known problem, which is easily recognized and penalized by the examiners.

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Common IELTS myths Some common misconceptions

8 Famous IELTS Mistakes And How To Avoid Them

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