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Some General Advice - Part 1






At the start of your test, the examiner will ask you if you have a mobile phone. If you do, it’s important to turn it off and leave it outside the room. Better still, leave it at home or with a friend.


After you enter the room, the examiner will make a brief announcement to make sure your details are rerecorded correctly on the recording device.


The interviews are recorded to make sure the examiner is marking fairly. Try not to worry about the recording; it’s there to help you.



Part 1 (Some questions about yourself)



Always try to give answers that are as full as possible. Remember, the examiner can only mark the language he hears. You might have a wide range of vocabulary, but if it you don’t use it, the examiner will never know. Also, this will help you get off to a good start.


Additionally, giving short answers to questions may limit you to a Band 5. Band 6 requires that you can give longer answers to questions, so practice answering questions in that way. For example:


Q: Where are you from?

A: I'm from Qingdao in Shandong. It's about 400 kilometers south of Beijing. It's a very pretty city near the sea. Many people like to travel there on holiday.


But also remember it’s important to actually answer the question. Some candidates try to give longer answers by giving lots of information that is not relevant to the question. So try to keep on topic. Don’t just give a huge list of information about the subject.


Q: Do you play sports?


A: No, not really. But I do enjoy watching them. I watched a lot of the last Olympics. It was really exciting.


Also, try offering examples to help you explain a statement.


Q: Why are you preparing for the IELTS exam?

A: Because I need it for my studies. I've been offered a place at a university in England to study on an MBA but I need to show my level of English is good enough.


For more examples of Part 1 click here.




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