How Can I Self Study for IELTS or PTE?

The situation of a newbie student

If you have never given IELTS or PTE Exam before and want to give it a try probably because you always got high score in English back at school or university; I would recommend to consult a professional IELTS or PTE tutor, trainer or teacher. Do not get confused or take the exams lightly because without Tips & Techniques, the chances of getting your target score are minimal.

Nonetheless, if you are still determined to give IELTS or PTE exams a try, then make a clear study plan. Though, both have Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing sections; the study plan for each of these sections differ significantly because the sub-sections are different from each other. You can visit the following links to get a general idea about IELTS and PTE main and sub-sections.

PTE Exam Structure

IELTS Exam Structure

IELTS and PTE Study Plan

Let us come back to our IELTS or PTE study plan. Firstly, go through the IELTS and PTE official websites and overview the exam structure. Secondly, you should have access to the latest IELTS or PTE books. You probably do not have to buy them. Thirdly, try to search for electronic book (or eBook) versions. I personally prefer IELTS and PTE computer-based exams over paper-based exams because markers do not have to struggle understanding hand writings, students can see the word count during essay writing and scrolling up and down in the Reading and Listening section becomes easier after few trials. Fourthly, carefully go through the marking criteria and understand the marker’s evaluation. Fifthly, make separate study plan for Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Listening. Sixthly, list-down Tips, Tricks & Techniques for each section, test these and modify to your own needs. Lastly, give the IELTS or PTE exam.

Issue with IELTS and PTE self-study

The only problem with this IELTS or PTE Study Plan is, you are not getting feedback from an experienced exam taker or exam trainer. Therefore, you are testing your luck and happen to pass the exam if the difficulty level was either easier or you attempted the questions according to the examiner’s expectations accidently. In simple terms, you were just lucky or fortunate to pass the IELTS or PTE exam. I have come across many students who simply believe that passing IELTS and PTE exams is pure luck. I do not believe that because if you prepare the exam using the right Tips & Techniques leaving no chance for surprises then 95% of the time you will get your target and even desired score in one attempt.

An alternate solution to self-assessment

Alternatively, before giving the IELTS or PTE final exam, you should test yourself through official practice or mock exams. In the case of PTE, there are many websites which offer their own marked tests and results are available within few minutes or 24 hours. The dilemma is, the marking is not correct and the scores are no where close to what students achieve in their PTE exam. On the contrary, the Pearson’s Practice Tests are the best and I have tested and recorded using Screen Recorder software more than 70 students and whatever they achieve in these mock tests; they normally achieve higher in the PTE exam as the difficulty level of these tests is higher. As far is IELTS practice tests are concerned; IDP is the best resource to check your sample writings or ask an IELTS Trainer like myself or a retired IELTS Marker if you have any access.

IELTS and PTE Instructional Design

My Students’ Focused Lesson Plans overcome the hassle of self-discovery and learning through trial and error. Since 2010, I have been in touch with hundreds of students, understood their personal issues, test, develop and modify lesson plans, only request for one exam attempt once they are fully prepared after consistently getting their target scores in the practice tests. Over 10 years of experience in the education sector, I pinpoint the problems and provide on-the-spot solution effortlessly. A non-experienced student may not achieve that level in a limited time period unless he or she is purely gifted.

Final thoughts

I hope this blog would let you make aware that giving IELTS or PTE exams without preparation cannot guarantee your pass or achieve target score. You need a plan, tips, tricks and techniques and on top an authentic marker to assess you Speaking, Reading, Writing and Listening sections so you know exactly where you are standing and what strategies are needed to overcome your weaknesses and enhance your strengths. My suggestion is, do not give the exam just for fun because if you do and face failure, it is hard to overcome either for yourself or a tutor to pull you out from that depression and follow the instructions as strictly as possible.

About ALI Tutor

Ali the IELTS and PTE Tutor has more than 10 years of experience in tutoring students. If you follow his instructions, you will save both time and money and apply for your visa at the earliest possible basis. Call ALI at 0400 443 265, Book Skype (ID: alizaheer79) ONE-HOUR FREE TEST DRIVE SESSION and One-to-One Classes, buy the IELTS or PTE package with fixed and flexible hours, and Score PTE or IELTS in One-Attempt!

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