Noemi took the IELTS test to get a job as a nurse in the UK. She needed an overall band 7 and at least a 6.5 in writing. When Noemi got her results she was ecstatic. Here is what she got

• Listening: 9
• Reading: 8
• Writing: 7.5
• Speaking: 8
• Overall: 8

Noemi is a Premium Member of English Pro Tips and I had been watching her progress throughout her preparation. Her perseverance and motivation to improve – especially in her writing- was very impressive.

Here is a summary of Noemi’s advice:

1. Monitor your progress with IELTS mock tests. Noemi bought 3 mock tests from Take IELTS and spaced these out over her preparation. She was very happy to see a 0.5 band increase between each mock test. If you would like to do a mock test with Take IELTS, you can use the code englishprotips to get 10% off!
2. Enrol in a course to guide your learning. Noemi did all of the lessons and practice activities in my Academic Writing Course and gave it a 10 out of 10 rating.
3. Gain technical knowledge of the exam. Several years ago, Noemi got a 5.5 in her IELTS writing test. This surprised her because she felt she already had a good level of English. This time, she made sure to learn about what examiners are looking for in the writing test. As a result, she was able to score band 7.5.
4. Spend more time on task 1 to improve your writing score. In my writing course, I encourage people to try different timings for task 1 and task 2 of the writing test. Noemi did this and found that she prefers to spend 30 minutes on task 1 and 30 minutes on task 2.
5. Improve your vocabulary. Noemi recommends my IELTS Vocabulary Course for learning vocabulary for the common topics that appear in IELTS. Noemi also recommends the BBC Learning English App
6. Read the news from trusted sources like The Guardian and the BBC. She said that the vocabulary she learned from these news outlets were very suitable for her IELTS exam.
7. Immerse yourself in English. Watch films and documentaries in English; listen to music and podcasts; listen to a range of different accents; read English books in your spare time; get a dictionary and look up any new words.
8. Use the new vocabulary you have learned- especially by talking to English speakers.

I hope that Noemi’s experience and advice can help you all with your IELTS preparation. 

Good luck!