hey guys...i just signed up the ielts course in british council...mainly because of the university that i am currently applying for...british council gave me a 30hours online course for free...i am not sure whether its enough to prepare me for the test? well...i just want to know...how hard is ielts? how if compare to muet? what kind of preparation should i do in order to score well in it? at least a 6.5...need advice pleaseee...

This post has been edited by Jjdesu: Oct 15 2011, 11:02 PM

how difficult...or easy it is depends on you level of english proficiency, obviously....it is after all a test of proficiency.......you certainly cannot improve your english with a few hours of teaching, although it is useful to have an idea of the format and reduce the chance of a lower band from unfamiliarity with the format.....

ielts is actually not that hard if your standard of english is normally good. that 30 hours course is just to familiarize you with the format and what they require especially the essay and listening part.

Yup it really depends on the proficiency of your english, for some people it can be easy for others it can be difficult. It varries of course, if you normally do well in high school... A all the way maybe it wont be a big problem to score. All the best, mate

As long as you're calm enough during the test, use you language skills rightfully, and give your best, you'll pass with no worries. Yes its down to how strong you master the language itself. Use the 30 hours practise, it gets you familiar with how the test is done.

again, this shows a failure to understand what ielts tests...

there is NO pass or fail.....you get a band grading, which indicates your proficiency in english....

the respective requesting bodies (ie, unis, immigration etc) will set a proficiency level, depending on the situation....eg, many unis want band 6 minimum, critical courses need band 7, and to get enough points for independent skilled migration application you need band 8......

btw, this is one test you cannot improve your score by repeating....in fact, many people gets a lower band on repeat test......the score can only improve if your level of english proficiency improves significantly......

30 hours? You shouldn't need 30 seconds to get a 6.5. But getting an 8.5 or 9 is tricky because this is a mean test.

Easy.

again, another misconception.....there is nothing easy or hard about the test....it's a test of proficiency....how hard (or easy) to an individual, depends on his level of english, and the requirement expected of him....someone may find it easy to satisfy the band 6.5 (academic) requirement to get into uni......but may find it very hard to get the band 8(general) to be eligible to apply for aussie pr.....

How hard IELTS is depending on your English proficiency (as what some of the posters have commented). It might be easy for some, and it might be a killer for some. There's no way we can tell you that as we don't really know your proficiency in English.

Comparing it to MUET, I would have to say IELTS is on a slightly challenging level. (To me, personally) It depends on the content on that day too (correct me if I'm wrong) but you will get a different set of questions compared to me right? E.g. I might get a less challenging reading test and you might get a more challenging one. But in the end, it's up to your own proficiency.

In terms of preparation, I can only advice to practice on the weak aspect in your English proficiency. E.g. You're weak in speaking - practice more on speaking then. Practice more not just practice only on speaking.

Not on a serious note, please clean your ears so you won't mishear during the listening test

Good luck.

Proficiency is nearly everything in this.

To skim and scam the keywords is not easy..i have practiced a couple of tests and it seems really hard to get answer right only provide 1hr for reading and writing..haih

It's not hard nor easy, IELTS is an English proficiency test, which means it tests your English language ability.

That's a difficult question to ask. It's like asking whether I can pass the ACCA or piano exam without knowing my skills. First, you should take a test by one of the English centres to determine your level and then go for their IELTS preparatory class. From the little that you write, your command of English seems alright but it is best to take a mock test to see what your level is.

A band of 6.5 is not easy for most Malaysians to obtain so you better work hard at it to make sure that you are able to join the university on time.

Good luck!

i dont think so..how come i did easily get band higher than this (8 to be precise)?

p/s: my English is bad u know

does ielts test all the 4 language skills?

Yes..speaking writing listening and reading

If the deadline for UK universities are on January and February, when is the latest can I sit for the IELTS.

I was told that the test is structured, even the speaking session (common interview questions), so do we need to have to attend classes for it or some books itself would be sufficient?

They test four things : Speaking, writing, reading and listening. They then give individual bands for each and you also get an overall band based on an average of the four.

If you want to have your IELTS results before sending in your application then take it in December or January. You will get your IELTS results 13 days after you finish the test so it doesn't take that long. If your not confident that you'll get good enough results than do it earlier so you'll have time to retake.

I spent an hour or so familiarising myself with the format of the test the day before the test and I got a band 8.0 so there's no need really to attend classes. There's a lot of free examples on the internet, you just need to google them.

Wow, you mean you just took an hour to understand the test and then just took it the next day? I heard it's easy but it can't be that easy right? That being said, my friend scored 6.5 with IMO a very poor standard of English, but I need to score a 7.5 though.

I'm actually afraid of the listening part. They would just read the passage to us and we are supposed to write them down after hearing just once?