Top 10 IELTS Test Misconceptions that Stop Students from Getting a High Band

A major part of doing considerably well in the IELTS test includes having accurate information about the procedure of the test, expectations of examiners and also criteria of marking. Not having enough prior knowledge of the test makes a way for misconceptions to creep in. Many students have a lot of mistaken believes about the IELTS test which hinder them from getting a high band. Hence, it is of great importance to clear these fallacies in order to get a high band.

Written below are the top 10 misconceptions that stop students from getting a high band:

A single answer is correct in the speaking test

Many students believe that the examiner judges your content and thus, if you do not know accurately about the theme, you will not be able to get a high band. In actuality, there is no right or wrong answer in IELTS speaking or writing. The examiner in the IELTS speaking section judges you around four domains, these are:

• Fluency and coherence
• Verbal approach
• Grammatical precision
• Pronunciation

Remember, IELTS exam is conducted to test your English skills and not your General knowledge.

Your opinion must coincide with the examiner’s opinion

At many points during the exam, examiner may disagree with your opinion but it does not affect your band score. This is because IELTS is not an analysis of your knowledge but assessment of your English. Hence, it is not necessary for your opinion to be same as that of examiner.

British council is easier than IDP or vice versa

Majority of the students believe in the rumors that persist stating IDP to be better than British Council or vice versa. It is certain that your test experience in both of these schools is going to be exactly same, since teachers are well-trained through similar methodology and are compliant to assess the examinee with same criteria. You can try taking exams from both of these schools in the same day and your marks will not wary. If they wary, it is because of difference in your performance.

Role of examiner’s generosity and strictness

Many students appearing for the IELTS exam complain of their exam not going good as the examiner was very strict. The generous and not so generous examiners will lose their jobs if they don’t comply by the rules. Hence, the factors which matter in the exam hall are you and your preparation.

Tricks to cheat the exam

There are many misleading articles on the web, promising you a higher band by teaching tricks to cheat in the exam.  There are absolutely no ways to cheat in the exam. Hence, focus on improving your skills then learning these deluding tricks.

Focusing on just IELTS preparation

A language can be learned only through its application. Instead of preparing just for the sake of getting a high band in the IELTS exam, focus on enhancing your overall English language proficiency and ability. Only once your general English is at the required level, you can work on improving the test based skills.

Complex words and sentence structures

Many students have a misconception that only the usage of complex and big words can make their write-up lucent. Not only the big words make your essay unnatural but also disturb the overall coherence and cohesion of your write-up. It is necessary to use a wide range of vocabulary, but only when you know the word’s forms and collocations perfectly.

Asking the examiner to repeat in speaking test

Majority of students think that asking the examiner to repeat a question in speaking test will form a bad impression. On the contrary, it is perfectly normal to ask the examiner to repeat. You even have the privilege of asking the examiner to explain the meaning of particular word in the question that troubles you. But don’t take advantage of the dispensation given to you.

British or American accents

Many students think that one of the criteria of assessment in the IELTS Speaking test is the accent. They think it is important to have British or American accent in order to score a high band. This is completely wrong. You are assessed on the clarity in your speech and the quality of your speech. Usage of structures like sentence stress, weak sounds, linking sounds and intonations and other ranges of pronunciation are important factors to center your focus.

Wide range of grammatical structures vs. error free sentences

Both of these are the vital parameters of evaluation but when it comes to choosing between the two, you should go with the latter. If you use complex grammatical structures with many errors; the sentence will lose its meaning. Hence, only use complex grammatical structures at appropriate places only when you are completely sure that they are error free.

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