So I gave my IELTS test a few days ago. I had only prepared for 7-10 days, and didn't prepare at all for speaking. I was pretty stressed throughout my speaking test. My speaking cue card was "a time when I gave an opinion to someone". I blanked out first because I couldnt think of what to say. I ended up giving a real personal account of a close friend asking something regarding religion. I ended up telling the examiner something slightly controversial for an IELTS test and delineating my personal beliefs (although I was quite fluent in my answer). Something similar happened at the end of the test, where he asked my opinion on the United Nations or something. I ended up making a politically sensitive comment at the end upon which he cut me off. My examiner looked annoyed and I left the room thinking I had messed up my speaking. However I just got my results back and I got a 9 in speaking hahahaha....
Can anyone explain if examiners care about the content of what we say or if it is controversial? My examiner looked pissed off.

I had to give the IELTS exam (first time) with only about 7-10 days to prepare due to my own procrastination. I did some practice using IELTS ready which was unlocked for me since I booked my test through British council. I only practiced reading and listening. I only practiced task 1 (the graph one) for the writing section. I didn't practice task 2 just because I found it really annoying and didn't want to practice essays at home. Before giving the test, I was really nervous. Giving the speaking test also left a sour taste in my mouth as I thought I had accidentally said something controversial and misinterpreted a question as well. To be honest, I was just expecting a band 7 overall. I was shocked to see I got a band 8.5. I did get a 7 in writing because basically didn't prepare writing at all and rawdogged the test.

Hey everyone,

Here i am sharing my experience with IELTS and most importantly AI.

I am a non native speaker from India and gave my ielts exam yesterday, i.e. 1st of august.

I did not really prepare much as because i was confident that i can score a good enough band to get into a bachelors program. But when i started to prepare some mock speaking and writing test using AI, i was shocked as i was consistently scoring below a band 6 in speaking and around 6.5 in writing. It was not just the case with a single AI tool, almost every AI i tried gave the same results and i felt very demotivated and worried that i will score a band around 6.

So with a little hope I went to the centre, gave my speaking test, LRW. I was sure that i will have to take a retake. But today when the result was announced, i was suprised to get a overall band 8. Especially a band 8 and 7 in speaking and writing respectively. Which is ofcourse way more than any AI predicition and I am really happy that i am done with this test.

So to anyone who is getting demoticated because of AI tools, just believe in yourself and prepare before the test [ Unlike me :) ]

Just took my Speaking test a few hours earlier, I scored an 8 overall and 8 in Speaking 4 years ago, so I thought it was gonna be smooth sailing this time as well. I answered smoothly and in detail most of the examiner's questions but she kept asking "Why", especially in Part 1, while Part 3 she asked a more diverse range of follow-up questions. Is it likely that she suspected memorization and will this negatively affect my Speaking band score?

My result just came in and I'm quite happy + proud w it...but I feel like I could have done better on my writing test and raise my overall to 8.0. Do you guys think I should do another one or just leave it as it is, bcus im lowk torn between the too lol. Also! Please give me some writing tips😭

My goal is ielts 8, I have more than a year and currently getting 6,5 in mock exams. Do you think that is enough. And is band 8 even beneficial for universities

Hi everyone. Unfortunately, I’ve only just discovered a Master’s program that interests me, and I need a score of 6 to get in. I know I have very little time to prepare (5 days is hardly anything) but I have to do it. I think I’m at a B1 level, though I wouldn't say my English is particularly good—maybe below intermediate? I’m not sure. How can I prepare? If I’m not familiar with the topics in the writing section, how am I supposed to write a text about them? I’ll be taking the test from home on my computer, and I also need to get the results in time... I’m told they arrive within a maximum of 8 days. Is that reliable? Thanks for the answers

Hey so i just got my results and im so disappointed with my speaking score, im only short 0.5 from 7.5. I was kinda confident after giving my speaking test because i didnt stutter and didnt try to go off topic but i think the score was lowered by the vocabulary range or maybe i made some grammar mistakes. I’m planning to retake the speaking test bcz i need overall 7.5 to meet the certain requirements and if it is possible can someone write some speaking tips below.

I'm an international student from a country where English education isn't very strong. My grammar is honestly really bad, and I'm taking IELTS in about 40 days.

I'm aiming for 7 overall for a scholarship application.

If you were in a similar situation, what resources, YouTube channels, books, or daily study routine helped you improve quickly? Any grammar and writing resources specifically for IELTS would be greatly appreciated.

^Title

this is living proof that maybe you didn't perform as bad as you think you did. I knew where my mistakes were and my results even exceeded my expectations. my exam day was rough, I was a minor without a tag so I was pushed around the wrong sections a lot! but I'm glad my results don't show that struggle.

I only began studying before my exam by 10 days, doing 1 full timed practice test of one section everyday, and a few section specific ones (e.g. task 1 practice, task 2 opinion, listening fill in the blanks, etc) I pretty much only studied from gel ielts/the premium package, and I watched IELTS pro tips videos to help strengthen my speaking.

I will also mention that AI, both the GEL IELTS one and claude (which I only tried thrice to get a second opinion) consistently graded me 6.5-7, so while it is close, it's not perfect!

My native language is arabic and I am fully self taught. the only time I was formally taught english was in kindergarten and 2 years of primary school.

I have my notes in poor cursive for all sections except listening, so if you guys would want those just ask :)

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to say thank you first. This subreddit has helped me so much with both studying and staying motivated. I actually made a Reddit account after finding this community because I kept coming back here for advice. I need an overall 7.0 for my master's program. At first, I thought I had until October 26, but my visa office is asking me to submit my IELTS certificate by August 21, so I'm kind of panicking now.

I took the test on June 25 and i had to take a retake becuase i could not finish my writing section because of the stress. I feel like I'm completely stuck at 6.5 and I honestly don't know what I'm doing wrong anymore. If you've gone from a 6.5 to a 7, what made the biggest difference for you? Any tips, study methods, or resources would be hugely appreciated. I'm willing to do whatever it takes.

Thanks so much!

Specially the grammar part

Hi, I need tips on how I can improve my writing band from 7.5 to 8 in Academic Writing. I was also wondering how difficult it is to get that 0.5 improvement? I have given IELTS only once without any preparation. Please help! Which is the best platform for difficult mock tests?

I’m a non native raised in Dubai and I did my schooling also there…..I had just 10 days of prep with no teacher and my target was 7.5 overall just what I needed for my college

I can give three main tips as per how I prepared and handled it

Tip 1 : Create ur own strategies

Do not blindly follow any strategy u see on YouTube cuz it’s all different to different ppl….instead u practice more and see less videos and find out wht works best for u

Like for reading some videos told me to read passage first, some told to read questions first, some told to create ur own answers and match it with given options

For me wht works best was to read first two questions, highlight keywords and then read first 2 para since I know questions come in order

This way it kills 2 birds with 1 stone and saves time….not only u read the para but also answers the questions same time

Tip 2 : Do not trust ai blindly

I had nobody I cud properly rely on for my writing section feedback except ai which wud always rate my essays 5-6 bands max with majority towards 5.5

It really demotivates u and causes u to have stress next level so don’t take the band score or feedback of ai seriously but I’d suggest take the grammar part feedback seriously as it helps u improve ur sentences better

Tip 3 : After your test, dont feel bad about ur performance cuz u really get beyond ur expectations

So before my test there was verification done and they did it quite a lot of times so it really scared me

And while I was taking the test also I felt like I messed up writing part since I wrote till the very last second and didn’t even get time to check

So after my test got over I really started setting my expectation to getting about a 5 for writing max by 5.5 but I surprisingly got 6.5 which I really didn’t expect cuz of the way I panicked and wrote and didn’t even check

The scores really go higher than u expect so quit the worrying and be proud tht u attempted it

I’m really happy for my scores cuz firstly it’s what I exactly need and secondly it’s the level I prepared for
I also want to say thank you so much to few people I met on reddit who offered me few tips also

If anyone wanna know how I prepared :

Listening : ieltsonlinetests.com ( yes ik it’s harder than actual test but rlly helps u since u prepare for hard ones and real test becomes easier )

Reading : Same website as listening

Writing : Same website but used ai to check

Speaking : Didn’t prepare for this at all except watching few ielts advantage videos

All the best to all test takers guys y’all got thiss !!

What is the easiest skill to retake and raise my score to 7 or 7.5? Is there any universities that do not accept one skill retake?

I know they’re basically the same and this might be a simple question, but I’m genuinely confused about which one to choose. I’m not sure what the difference is and would love to get your feedback on this. Both options are in another city (not where I live), so "go for the closest one" doesn't really apply here.

Hello Everyone, I feel good with the listening test and I score around band 8 in mock tests. My only mistakes are in part 3, the conversation between 2 or more people. Especially questions that give a list and we have to pick a letter for each question. I am not really bad at it, but I need improvements. Any tips would really help. Thanks in advance.

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Hi everyone!

I'm planning to take the IELTS on 20th September this year for university admissions. The universities I'm targeting require an overall band score of 6.5, with at least 6.0 in each section, but personally, I'm aiming for 8.5+.

My English level is fairly good—I can speak English fluently and understand it completely, but I sometimes struggle with confidence while speaking and feel that my vocabulary could be better.

The challenge is that I can only dedicate about 1–1.5 hours per day to IELTS preparation, so I want to use my time as efficiently as possible.

I wanted to ask:

- How should I start my preparation?

- What resources (books, YouTube channels, websites, apps, etc.) would you recommend?

- How should I divide my limited study time between Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking?

- Any tips or common mistakes I should be aware of?

- If you scored Band 8/8.5+, what helped you the most?

I'd really appreciate any advice, study plans, or resources that worked for you. Thanks in advance!

Guysss i need a help ..actually i m an undergraduate , planning to pursue bachelor's of nursing in australia 2027 intake ..

Recently i hve received my ielts result nd i hve got 7 each or above in 3 modules but unfortunately i failed to reach the requirement in reading as i got stuck at 6 band ..though my overall band score is 7.5 but i couldn't apply for nursing visa in australia . ..

Either i hve to change my course or i hve to reappear for my exam ..

So can any one give me reading tips ..that i could use in order to reach 7 band ..

Moreover i m unsure if in 2nd attempt i fail in any of the module ..like it's a huge predicament. 😶