Recently, the new semester is about to start, and many students have already planned to prepare for IELTS, after all, whether it is for the application for studying abroad in the future, or for adding a certificate that can better highlight their English ability on the basis of the fourth and sixth grades, etc.
First of all, you need to look at whether you need an IELTS score for long-term planning or ** planning.
*Planning. If the school itself has a "2+2" or "3+1" program, that is, 2-3 years are undergraduate studies in China, and the remaining 1 or 2 years continue to complete the study at the corresponding overseas school, this kind of basic need to start taking IELTS from the freshman year, and take the IELTS test from the second semester of the freshman year to the first semester of the sophomore year. After all, you still need to reserve 1-2 opportunities for yourself to continue to take IELTS to rush to the target score, if you are directly stuck in the test before submitting the materials, it is very likely that you will miss the opportunity because you did not get the target score.
Long-term planning. If you are preparing for graduate school or work, you will have more time to prepare. You can start with the first year, officially enter the IELTS training in the second year, and wait until the first semester of the third year to officially take the IELTS test, so as to ensure that your IELTS score is still valid at the time of application (the IELTS score used for study abroad application is valid for two years).
But don't wait until your senior year to take IELTS, because although there are not many courses in your senior year, you still face more important tasks such as internship and graduation, and it is also close to the time to submit your application. If you don't meet the IELTS score at this time, your long-term plans will be disrupted.
Now that you know the time period of the test, let's see how to plan your IELTS preparation time
How to plan your IELTS preparation reasonably?
Freshman. When you have just finished high school and come to university, you may still have a lot of things you want to experience - including your professional courses, various club activities, class and college activities, plus there are usually more courses in the first year, so there is not much time left for you to concentrate on IELTS, and you also need to find time to prepare for the Level 4 and 6 exams.
Therefore, it is recommended that all first-year students can start with the foundation of vocabulary and grammar, because the IELTS vocabulary and grammar examination points also overlap with the fourth and sixth levels, so this step will be of great help to your fourth and sixth levels and the subsequent IELTS test. The larger the vocabulary and the better the grammar is used, the lower the barriers to later learning.
If you usually have time, you can also do more extensive reading and listening training, and try to immerse yourself in the English language environment in fragmented time - such as listening to BBC news and listening to podcasts; Take a look at journals and magazines in English and build up some vocabulary. In addition, you can also improve your listening comprehension and vocabulary by watching English** (such as TED talks, etc.). But remember that in this process, you can't just listen aimlessly, you can't just listen and remember, you must practice with a purpose, and in the process you can improve your listening and reading skills as much as possible, and you can even improve your speaking skills by reading and imitating.
Sophomore. In the second year, you will start to practice for the IELTS exam. If you are a student who mentioned above that you want to apply for the "2+2" or "3+1" program, you can enter the IELTS special practice a little earlier, and see how much time you need to prepare for the IELTS concentration based on your current foundation.
If you have a relatively weak foundation (such as failing to pass the line or just passing the line in Level 4), the target IELTS score is still 6If you have a score of 5 or more, you need to leave at least 3 months of intensive preparation time; If you have a good foundation (you can easily score 550 in the Level 4 naked test), the target IELTS score is only 6About 5-7 points, then you can leave 1-2 months to prepare for the exam.
Before entering the intensive IELTS preparation, you need to understand some basic knowledge of the IELTS test, including what the IELTS test is, what the examiner wants to see, and what scores you need to achieve in order to get your target score. After understanding, it can help you plan better and practice more targeted.
At the same time, it is recommended that you practice separately at the beginning of IELTS preparation, and help you improve your preparation efficiency according to the characteristics of different subjects of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
For example, for the mastery of vocabulary - the vocabulary required to be mastered by listening is mostly linked to your daily life and learning scenes, which is relatively simple, but requires you to master the sound, shape and meaning (pronunciation, spelling and meaning) of the vocabulary, that is, after hearing the words given by the audio, you can not only reflect the meaning, but also spell correctly; Although the vocabulary involved in spoken language is mostly related to daily life, it requires you to understand the correct use of words in context, common collocations and phrases of words, and correct pronunciation. Reading requires you to master the amount of new words, and there are many academic vocabulary in professional fields that you need to know, but you only need to see what the word can recognize, and you don't necessarily need to know the spelling or pronunciation of the word; Writing, on the other hand, requires you to master a lot of written vocabulary and be able to spell it correctly.
The end of the second semester of the sophomore year - the first semester of the third year.
Everyone's IELTS preparation can continue to learn according to the path of laying a good vocabulary and grammar foundation - IELTS single subject consolidation practice - IELTS full subject simulation practice, in which the vocabulary and grammar foundation are throughout the IELTS learning process, rather than only needed at the beginning.
After determining the approximate time period of the exam, you can register about a month in advance, and after registering, you can form a motivation to continue to promote your own learning and enhance your sense of urgency. Otherwise, if you keep studying aimlessly, you will find that you are never ready.
Finally, the advice to everyone is that whether you plan to register for a class and follow the IELTS teacher to learn IELTS systematically, or plan to learn IELTS by yourself, if you are not fully sure of your own speaking and writing, it is recommended that you find a professional teacher to help you guide and correct, otherwise these two subjects may have been standing still, and you will not find your own problems. In the IELTS Speaking and Writing sections, don't just watch and don't practice, otherwise you will never be able to improve.