IELTS has established itself as one of the best English proficiency tests. Many universities demand it from the world's leading countries, such as the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Newzealand. 

The cut-off IELTS score varies from university to university and program to program. For instance, a bachelor's in nursing in Australia demands more IELTS scores than a bachelor's in account in Australia. 

No matter which field and country you are looking to pursue your further studies in, it’s always better to be on the safe side with a good IELTS score. 

Follow this article till the end if you want to learn simple yet effective tips on how to get a good IELTS score. 

How to get a good score in the IELTS Speaking section?

The speaking section of the IELTS test is perhaps the most haunting one for students considering IELTS. Since you will be face-to-face with the examiner and giving an oral interview, students might be nervous about the speaking section. 

Nevertheless, the speaking section is one of the significant parts of IELTS, and you need to score well in speaking to get an overall good IELTS score. 

This section is 11 to 14 minutes long. 

Marking criteria for IELTS Speaking

• Fluency and coherence: Less to no stammering and smooth sentences score higher
• Lexical resources: You will score higher using complex sentences, conditional clauses and idioms.
• Grammatical range and accuracy: Speaker who delivers grammatically sound and structured ideas score higher.
• Pronunciation: Pronouncing simple and complex words flawlessly help you score higher.

IELTS Speaking: Tips to boost your score

• Communicate in English with peers for fluency.
• Practise speaking about yourself- your hobbies, interests, goals, family, and aspirations- in English.
• Take a moment to collect your thoughts before rambling on and on.
• Be natural.
• Unless ornamental vocabulary comes naturally to you, don’t take a break to develop showy vocabulary. Always remember- fluency matters more.
• Use some complex sentences.
• What you know about the topic is not essential; how you develop ideas within a limited time is.
• Don’t give answers in a single sentence.
• Explain your opinion and create a story.
• Don’t bring up the words you can’t pronounce well.
• Build a steady pace so the examiner can comprehend what you are saying.

How to get a good score in the IELTS writing section?

This is an hour-long section. You must attempt to write at least 150 words in Task 1 and 250 in Task 2. 

Note: Quality always wins over quantity.

Marking criteria for IELTS Writing

• Task achievement/ response: Not going off-topic and answering what the question is asking to help you score higher.
• Coherence and cohesion: Readable answers with well-connected sentences.
• Lexical resources: Using rich, correct vocabulary and exact words increases the score.
• Grammatical range and accuracy: Minor grammatical errors are okay, but avoid making significant errors and redundancies.

IELTS Writing: Tips to boost your score

• Structure your ideas before starting to write the essay.
• Stay on the topic.
• Use complex sentences to present coherent ideas.
• Save some time for a final scan to detect and remove grammatical inaccuracies.
• Be concise.
• Buttress your idea with reasons, supporting sentences and concluding sentences.
• Practice writing, and find room for improvement.
• Use the correct vocabulary at the right time.
• Don’t use words you can’t spell.

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How to get a good score in the IELTS reading section? 

IELTS Reading: Tips to boost your score

• Read magazines, books, and newspapers to increase your reading speed.
• Identify paraphrasing.
• Broaden your vocabulary
• Manage the time: Allocate 1 minute for each question and some time to scan the essays. You don’t need to understand the entire essay.
• Don’t over-analyze or overthink the sentences.
• Make notes: highlight keywords (dates, places, names, numbers), essential points and gist.
• If you don’t know the meaning of a word, use the context to come up with a suitable meaning.
• Practise and learn from your mistakes.
• Practice under realistic situations with a time limit to see your pace.

How to get a good score in the IELTS Listening section?

The listening section is comparatively more accessible and will help you get a better band score. If you are used to watching English series and movies without subtitles, you are already off to a good start. 

While taking the test, listen to the clips carefully without losing interest. 

IELTS Listening: Tips to boost your score

• Watch English movies, listen to songs, and have radio conversations with native speakers on diverse topics.
• Listen actively: You are not to lose focus.
• Read the question before the recording starts to play.
• Sharpen your paraphrasing skills and vocabulary.
• Make short abstract notes while listening.
• Transfer your answers to the answer sheet.
• If you don’t know the answer, guess by staying close to the speaker's tone.
• Pay attention to negative or transition words.

To know more about IELTS tests, check out IELTS: Everything you need to know.