How to crack IELTS or TOEFL

The first step towards admission in your dream university is getting a good score in TOFEL and IELTS, but there is so much content on the net everyone has a different story to tell. Here we have tried to make it precise and to the point so that you get a clear idea of efforts needed for making a good score. If you're about to enroll in an English-speaking university, there's no skipping these examinations.

We have guided numerous candidates untill now and after so many success we are sure that all it requires is complex and lengthy preparation, there is no substitute for that.

But no fear—this article will give you a step by step guide to prepare for TOEFL/IELTS effectively with in-depth explanations surrounding the test format and helpful studying techniques.

Plus, we include Links in between do check them out

Steps to Prepare for the Test

Step 1: Set your target score

Remember that TOEFL and IELTS are not a pass or fail exam, but standardized tests to measure your ability to use and understand the English language as it's read, written, heard and spoken in the university classroom and the real world.

Try to judge your current English proficiency; Are you a basic? Intermediate? Advanced enough to understand common academic text? Advanced enough to interact with local speakers and understand their slangs?

Because to know where you stand right now will help you understand how much you have to cover and what are your strength and weakness and work on them precisely.

·        Then think about the kind of universities you're aiming for.

·        You've probably made a good list already. Every university has their own TOEFL and IELTS score requirements, so how high a student's score have to be depends on the university they choose to enrol in.

·        You can start setting your score target this way. Research a bit on your chosen universities and find out the minimum TOEFL and IELTS score each regulates. This way, you have a basis on how broad and how intense your studies need to be on the long run.

·        Of course, a desirable score is a score that exceeds the minimum—some universities will offer special benefits or opportunities for students with extra points, such as a teaching assistantship and on-campus work opportunities.

·        Also, not all universities specify the minimum TOEFL and IELTS score, so you may need to have a score that's in a certain range, depending on the university's ranking (upper, mid, or average-ranking). In this case, you can go through TOEFL and IELTS own range of scores, see what level each range represents, and set your target score to the one that standardizes with your chosen university's ranking.

A good TOEFL score is identified by the level of performance achieved. Each test section are broken down into three to four score range levels:

1. Reading and Listening: High (30-22), Intermediate (21-15), Low (14-0)
2. Speaking: Good (30-26), Fair (25-18), Limited (17-10), Weak (9-0)
3. Writing: Good (30-24), Fair (23-17), Limited (16-1)

As for IELTS, the overall score ranges between 1-9, where each scale corresponds to specified competencies in English:

1 = Non-user, 5 = Modest User, 7 = Good User, 9 = Expert User.

In conclusion, a good TOEFL and IELTS score depends on many things. If you're aiming for upper-ranking universities, student benefits, or your majors requires you to be actively communicative, then you need to aim the highest score possible. If you're aiming for mid to average-ranking universities, or your chosen major doesn't emphasize excellent English skills, then average scores might be enough.

Step 2: Gather all essential studying materials

A good preparation is very important, you cant take any part of the test for granted and that requires right studying materials.

If you google "studying materials for TOEFL/IELTS" or encounter the educational books section of a bookstore, you'll be flooded with a lot of references.

So, how to know which ones you truly need?

In essence, students need to be equipped with preparation books and practice tests. You can start with those created by some of the world's leading English program specialists:

• Kaplan TOEFL iBT Premier 2016-2017 with 4 Practice Tests
• ETS Official Guide to the TOEFL Test, Fourth Edition
• Kaplan TOEFL Vocabulary Prep
• Barron's TOEFL iBT with Audio CDs and CD-ROM
• Barron's TOEFL iBT Superpack, 2nd Edition
• Writing for the TOEFL iBT with MP3 CD, 5th Edition
• Essential Words for the TOEFL
• British Council How to Prepare for IELTS
• Official IELTS Practice Materials Volume 1 & 2
• Top Tips for IELTS Academic
• Vocabulary for IELTS

There also many TOEFL and IELTS study materials available online that you can use besides (or better yet, alongside) books. Sites such as 4tests and Exam English offers practice tests for free. YouTube videos are also sometimes helpful do go through http://gkworks.in/toefl-exam/ for more details and contact our experts for personalized guidance and preparation.

If you plan to self-study, you'll need studying materials that are more interactive. Online courses should be considered. But personal coaching is always more effective http://gkworks.in/ielts/ than any kind of online course.

Step 3: Make a studying plan

With all the materials you need to go through, no doubt it will stress and overwhelm you. For that you need to create a proper plan and follow it without fail.

When you're studying for TOEFL and/or IELTS, it's best to classify the time between studying each skill, doing the practice test and going over the answers of your practice test. Make a monthly or weekly to-do-list or make a mark in your calendar. Write in detail the subjects you want to study or tasks you want to work on and the time duration for each subject and task

There is no "correct" or "one-size-fits-all" study plan. When creating your personalized studying plan, you should ask yourself and analyze: Which subjects do I need to prioritize? How many free hours are available?

Step 4: Familiarize yourself with the test format

Once you've built a good foundation on all four skills—reading comprehension, academic level vocabulary, standard grammar—the next crucial step is to familiarize yourself with the test format.

Your TOEFL and IELTS studies will be a lot simpler and effective once you get the idea of the content of the test, the question and task types of each section, and also their rules and regulations.

The best way to do this is by regularly taking the practice test.

TOEFL takes about four hours long. The test is done orderly: Reading (36-70 questions, 60-100 minutes), listening (34-51 questions, 60-90 minutes), speaking (6 tasks. 20 minutes), and writing (2 tasks, 50 minutes).

IELTS test takes about two hours and 45 minutes long. The listening test consists of 40 questions (30 minutes), reading 40 questions (60 minutes), and writing 2 tasks (60 minutes). These three tests are done in one sitting. The speaking tests, consisting of three parts (11-14 minutes), may be on the same day or up to seven days before or after the other tests.

Another important thing to notice is that even though both tests the four language skills, TOEFL specifically spans around academic topics, while IELTS gives more of a real-world feel. Expect in TOEFL predominantly multiple choice questions, university lectures or conversations in a campus, and more analytical thinking — while in IELTS more short essay and gap-filling tasks, English spoken in a range of different accents, and broader comprehension skills.

Step 5: Join a Course or Hire an Expert

The more you take practice tests, the more you'll able to identify your weak spots. In this case, for a faster and more effective progress, it's best to have a tutor alongside your studying journey for that you can go to http://gkworks.in/personal-coaching/

You can join a TOEFL/IELTS course or work with a professional tutor in each of those fields. It's better to have tutors that are both English experts and are familiar with the test form rather than just hiring an English expert.

Generally, it's hard for self-learners to know where they stand: whether progress has been made, whether there's an unnoticed mistake committed over and over, or whether they are already well prepared for the exam. By hiring an expert tutor or teacher, you have someone alongside you with the eyes to identify the gaps in your learning process, pinpoint your weaknesses and give you the right guidance to hone each skill and tackle every section of the test.

Tips on Mastering the Four Language Skills

·       Reading

Gather as much English-written materials as you can: Academic books, novels, long articles, blog posts and so on. Be open to texts with different narrative styles, level of difficulty and subjects. The more diverse your reading materials are, the more you are able to familiarize yourself with different grammaric structures and the ways they are applied.

Throughout the learning process, have a dictionary and thesaurus in hand. Every time you encounter words or phrases you don't understand in a text, don't skip them. Circle or take notes of those words and look up for their meaning.

·        Listening

To improve your listening skills, you have to make general understanding of what is being talked about your goal. The mistake most language learners make is trying to understand every single uttered word. A good listening skill is actually more about having the ability to keep up with the conversation and comprehend the main idea.

You can practice with your favorite podcasts, documentaries, and even films. A great tip is to listen without reading the transcript and subtitles.

A good listening skill is also about understanding English vocabulary spoken in different pronunciation styles. This is also how you'll be tested when taking IELTS.

Challenge yourself to listen to English-spoken audios in multiple dialects. In the listening section of IELTS you'll be hearing English spoken in 10 accents: Northern British, Southern British, Scottish, Welsh, Northern US, Southern US, Canadian, Australian, Kiwi and South African.

·       Writing

In writing, you are challenged in the ability to interpret the main points of a text and express personal opinions on a specific subject in accurate use of written English. This includes the use of text symbols, capitalization and spelling.

You can start by using your reading and listening materials. Write down your opinions towards what is being talked about, summarize it in a few good paragraphs of five to six sentences.

The easiest way to improve your writing is to find examples of text and copy them. As you copy down sentence after sentence, you are internalizing sentence structures and word order—making them gradually second nature.

·       Speaking

You might've mastered the fine points of English grammar but is still at a loss when it comes to actually having a conversation in English. This is because you're required to be more spontaneous than you need to be compared to the other three skills.

The only way around it is to practice, practice, practice.

This goes the same with improving pronunciations. Have conversations with native speakers or an acquaintance with excellent English skills. Talk about your hobbies, interests, every day life, current events, dreams and aspirations.

 Think in English, imagine every conversation you have in English and how you could have made it mire effective with certain words.

Above all, the most important thing about studying a language is Persistent practice.

Thinking in English at all times can be a challenging yet fun way to quickly improve all those four skills. This way, you'll start developing the ability to think faster. Your mind will less spend time figuring out the meaning of a sentence or figuring out what grammar structure fits best for the sentence or what tense you should use. The right words will come out more naturally without you needing to be conscious about it. As you use English day-to-day, going back to your studies will be easier to follow up.

And in time, you'll see yourself ready to tackle the TOEFL or IELTS test.

Good luck!