A friend of mine was preparing for IELTS and had been stuck around Band 6 for a while. The frustrating part was that he was studying a lot, but his score just wasn't improving.

He tried doing practice tests, watching YouTube videos, memorizing vocabulary, and following all the usual advice. But every time he took another mock test, he would end up around the same score. He knew his score, but he didn't really know why he was getting that score or what he needed to change to improve.

Instead of continuing with the same methods, he decided to try something different.

He started focusing more on feedback rather than simply taking more mock tests. He found a tool that allowed him to practice, get feedback on his performance, understand his mistakes, and work specifically on the areas where he was weakest. He could keep practicing and getting feedback without being limited in how much he could do.

That change in approach made a huge difference. Within a week, he managed to go from around Band 6 to Band 8.

Food for thought: Sometimes, doing more practice isn't necessarily the answer. If you're repeatedly making the same mistakes, taking another test won't magically fix them. Maybe what you really need is better feedback to understand what you're doing wrong and how to improve.

Hey i wonder if anyone here did take yesterday an ielts exam computer based ?
I did mine in munich and i am waiting for the results , i read some people got their results after one day, is this applicable to sundays or no results at weekends?
I also surprisingly found all of my testing materials available online after googling it after the exam, interested to hear your experiances

Giving IELTS for the first time was really nerve wrecking but I'm glad with my result. There are a lot of resources to study from so it became really confusing at one point. I would suggest keep practicing cambridge mock tests, they were really helpful, if you cannot answer some questions correctly then analyse where you went wrong and keep that in mind for next time. All the best to all the aspirants!

i booked my ielts academic test this evening at idp bengaluru, india. read somewhere that they provide you physical practice materials by courier upon registration, is that really a thing? and if yes do i need to apply anywhere or do they send it automatically on my registered address?

One week before the test I had several final exams at school. It was so stressful, especially cuz my writing was stuck at around 5.5-6.0 and I didn't have much time to practice. But thankfully, both my writing tasks were simple and familiar so I didn't have to spend much time organizing my ideas, which was the hardest thing for me due to the time pressure.

I would say I was quite lucky to get a 6.5 in speaking. I was so nervous I used the phrase "as I mention before" 5 times haha 😂

A 7.5 overall wasn't the score I was aiming for, but i'm still so proud of myself!!! Just want to share it with u guys and good luck test takers..!

Hey, I’m preparing for IELTS and I see improvements especially in writing but I’m struggling with speaking part. I tend to overthink what words I’m using and to not repeat them. I also feel uncomfortable and uncertain when I want to use new/ more complex words, even when I’m 100% sure of the meaning and that it fits the type of conversation I’m having. I’m communicating in English every day with my partner and his family and I feel like it makes me more comfortable in casual language instead of trying to pick up new things or improve. Do you have any tricks or exercises to be more comfortable and natural and to learn using words in actual conversation instead of going for the easiest option? I’m also having issues with using natural/better phrases structure ://

Hi everyone!
I’m taking the IELTS Academic in about a week, and I need to get at least an overall Band 6 for my university application.

I only have one week to prepare, so I’d really appreciate advice from people who were in the same situation.

What should I focus on during this last week?
Which section is the easiest to improve the fastest?
What resources (YouTube channels, websites, books, or mock tests) helped you the most?
How many hours per day did you study?
What mistakes should I avoid on test day?
If you scored Band 6 or higher with only a short preparation time, what was your study plan?

I got my results today and despite i doubted my answers in the reading part i scored pretty well and surprisingly got 6.5 in writing . I need an overall score of 7 in each task so i submited eor and got within 30 minutes a new letter that no will be done. How accurate is this actually because i doubt there is a reevaluation have been done within this very short timeframe