Recommended Reading
Students often ask how they can improve their chances of getting a good IELTS score. There is no magic bullet, but here are my top 3 tips:
- Read as much as possible in English, to improve your reading skills and speed and build your vocabulary. Broadsheet newspapers, the Economist etc, and not just the Metro! Try to learn 10 new phrases a day from the material you've read.
- Have Radio 4 or BBC London on in the background while you're eating your breakfast, getting dressed etc. Don't worry if you don't understand much, gradually your ears will tune in more.
- Don't join an IELTS class until you have a good intermediate level of English, and keep going with some general English lessons until you are at least upper-intermediate - far too many students are in too much of a hurry to start preparing for IELTS, and switch to IELTS-only classes when they really need to focus on their general English for a bit longer. However good your exam skills are, if your English language isn't up to scratch, you will struggle.
