I scored an 8.5 in my IELTS exam and I prepare for it at home without hiring any coach. I’m sure you must be wondering “How can I prepare for IELTS at home?”
Are you unable to find the right IELTS trainer? Is your work/study life making it hard for you to attend online or physical classes? If your answer to these questions is a resounding YES, then this comprehensive guide will shed light on how to prepare for IELTS at home without coaching. You will get all the practical skills tips, strategies and advice that I personally used to ace the IELTS exam with an 8.5.
Before moving forward, do note that practicing on your own may require additional time than joining classes. While many aspiring candidates opt for coaching classes, it is absolutely OK if you feel confident enough to get the same level of practice at home. IELTS scores are important for visas, immigration and getting enrolled at your dream universities.
Why You Need to Prepare for IELTS at Home?
This may not be the most popular opinion, but preparing for IELTS at home has its own perks. Here are some:
- You can save time and money on travelling while preparing for IELTS at home.
- Create a study plan based on your own time schedule.
- The vast majority of IELTS practice materials is freely available online, including the Cambridge IELTS Test Books and practice papers.
- Understand your weaknesses and focus on them with the right time and effort, something not possible with group coaching.
Now that you understand the reasons for IELTS preparation from home, let’s get started with the practical tips
1. Understand the IELTS Test Format
It all starts with the basics. You need to understand the IELTS test format, the different modules, and the duration for each one. This is imperative before you can embark on IELTS preparation. There are 4 IELTS modules; Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Understanding the basics such as question types, time limit, and watching videos on sample tests is critical.
2. Start IELTS Preparation At Least 2 Months in Advance
You will thank me later for this. While IELTS coaching classes take around 5 to 7 weeks for complete preparation, if you are doing it all on your own from the comfort of your home, then prepare to spend more time and efforts. That’s right. You need to prepare for IELTS without getting panicked. Take ample amount of time because when you are preparing yourself, you also need to figure out the test tips, strategies, and practice the exams without any external feedback. This will massively increase the required time for preparation.
Hence, 2 months is minimum, and 3 months or more is ideal. You may not get time everyday to study, so you will need to compensate for lost time by preparing for the IELTS exam much earlier than other candidates.
Despite being an expert writer on Upwork, and having native English language skills, I know the perks and perils of studying IELTS on my own. Hence, I booked my IELTS Test in the first week of October and appeared for it on the 30th November. This makes for roughly 2 months of preparation. Do note that as I mentioned earlier, not everyday was easy for me. Trying to juggle between a work and IELTS was not easy either. Days would pass by without touching any practice material, and some days, I would invest hours in practicing for the test sessions.
At the end, it all depends upon how well you are able to prepare on your own. My rule of thumb is to keep at least 2 hours aside for IELTS every day.
3. Endurance Matters – Stamina Testing
Most of the IELTS candidates that prepare on their own, will keep on practicing for one module at a time. There is absolutely nothing wrong with sitting for a 30-minute Listening or a 1-hour Reading/Writing Test on a daily basis. But do you know something?
In the real IELTS exam, you need to sit continuously for 2 hours and 30 minutes, without any break. This requires mental stamina and endurance. For this purpose, I have always enforced stamina training for my students. This is where they practice IELTS mock tests all in one go, as if they are sitting in an actual test environment. Not only it highlights their flaws, but also allows them to build the stamina required to sit in the test.
This is exactly what you need to do. Once you are done practicing all modules one by one, it is time to practice the entire IELTS test for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
4. Set SMART Goals With A Viable Study Schedule
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Timely. Goals that successfully fit this criteria are called SMART goals. This is an important part of marketing strategy, and while you are not making up a strategy for any company, you still need SMART goals to prepare for your IELTS exam.
Create a study schedule as per your needs and requirements. As mentioned earlier, morning, afternoon, evening or night, whatever works for you, allocated at least 2 hours everyday. To avoid burnout, give yourself regular breaks. Once you have a study plan with a calendar that marks the time and dates, you will be able to prepare and get your dream score without any problems.
5. Prepare Using Authentic IELTS Test Materials
The internet is filled with lots of free practice tests, tips, and advice. The problem is that not ALL of it is reliable. In fact most of the information is either outdated, or written by someone who has never appeared for IELTS, unlike us, who have appeared for IELTS tests, and are providing IELTS coaching services. There are ONLY 4 authentic and reliable sources through which you can prepare for IELTS without any problems:
- Ielts.org official website
- Cambridge IELTS Prep
- British Council
- IDP
All other websites and training materials may need second thought, but not the ones listed above. They have test books, sample papers, and lots of free articles, videos and advice to help you prepare for IELTS at home.
6. Keep Practicing Your English skills
Start by speaking, reading, writing and listening in English on a daily basis. Find a speaking partner. Learn some new words everyday, jot down their meanings, and make new sentences out of them. Practice by writing at least one Task 1 Letter or Academic visual on a daily basis. Watch English documentaries on a topic that interest you, for example, crime, education, politic, etc. You will notice a massive improvement by learning English from the native English speakers.
Watch at least 30 minutes of videos on Youtube, no, not the cat videos. I am talking about podcasts, movies, or documentaries that increase your knowledge and vocabulary, pronunciation.
7. Time Management is Important
The IELTS exam is timed. Hence, it is vital you time yourself and always improve your score by completing full length practice papers within the allotted time limit. One way of doing this is by constantly practicing on a daily basis till you improve your time. Another way is by adjusting your test strategies and changing the order in which you do the questions. Work on strategies like skimming and scanning in Reading, or using the band descriptor in Writing, and finding a partner in Speaking. For the Listening module, you need to watch videos and listen to native English speakers, probably from the British or the Australian accent to get to know the various ways of pronunciation.
8. Do NOT Focus TOO MUCH on Model Answers
While model answers for Writing Task 1 and 2 work great, they aren’t the means to an end. Do not rely on most of these answers that you find online. As mentioned earlier, writing is quite difficult for everyone and getting an 8.5 just like I did, requires focus, dedication, practice, and strong English language comprehension skills. Following and copying the templates of model answers is only going to take you so much.
Remember, when an examiner sees a copied answer, he/she immediately recognizes it. Write your own answers and use the band descriptors to self-assess your writing capabilities.
9. For IELTS on Computer, take practice sessions
IDP provides free-of-cost IELTS on Computer practice tests to that you can familiarize yourself on how to attempt this test on the computer. Here is the link:
IELTS On Computer Familiarization Test
You can find Listening, Reading and Writing Modules for free practice tests.
Know more: What is the difference between IELTS on Computer and Paper?
10. Remain Positive
For motivation, read our blog on IELTS Test Day Tips so that you can control your fear and anxiety. Other than this, just remain positive as you have already done a lot of work. Nothing to panic as long as you have given yourself enough time to practice multiple test strategies.
Conclusion
Preparing for the IELTS at home is possible and can lead to excellent results if you follow the right strategies. Implement these tips in your study plan, stay consistent, and watch your IELTS score soar. Good luck!
10 Ways To Prepare For IELTS at Home
- Understand the IELTS test format
- Start IELTS Preparation at least 2 months in advance
- Endurance matters – Stamina Testing
- Set SMART Goals with a viable study schedule
- Prepare using authentic IELTS test materials
- Keep practicing your English skills
- Time Management is important
- Do NOT focus too much on model answers
- For IELTS on Computer, take practice sessions
- Remain positive
So there you go. These were the tips on how to prepare IELTS without coaching
