Scored the necessary band for plab 1 , ielts exam date -10October 2019 delhi India ( apologies for long post and typing errors if any )
My score
L-7.5
R-7.5
W-7
S-8
Preparation time 1 month
wouldn’t have been possible without the guidance from some amazing teachers in this group by name Ielts Tips and Tricks with 1.5 lakh members
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1033671333348928/
especially Joko MacKenna Mueed Ullah
My preparations tips
-It was my second attempt , earlier i gave it 2 years back for a course in UK which needed 6.5 and 7 above , this time i needed to improve as Plab demands a score of overall 7.5 and 7 in each .
-First see all IelTS Liz videos and then start practice (also saw Ielts advantage and Asad yaqub but most helpful was Liz )
-Practice Cambridge papers timed , than specifically practice those questions where you score less in Reading , Listening , writing most importantly
-Any question of Cambridge ielts writing task must be there in group search history , so u can read the suggestions put forward by experts in these tasks . These points really help you in knowing what must be written and what to avoid.
Writing -
I specifically practiced more of writing , and got it evaluated over here by teachers , their valuable advice was the key to my writing score . Remember to ignore advice from free lancing youtube experts( this species copy pastes the same review everywhere and then at the end provide you the link of their youtube channel ) . There are fake accounts also going around. Dont waste your time on them .I am even aware of a fake account holder who wrote fake high scores and then shared in inbox about a writing coach , for whom i have to pay first . Beware of such spammers(Must check their profile you will notice facebook shows their activity in group where they wrote the same comment copy pasted ) . Better to go for trusted writing evaluators . For me it was this group only as so many teachers and experts are here to give advice .Just 10days before exam i started reading Ieltsbuddy reading material for both tasks , that was also very helpful . They especially explained the language of comparison very well . If you have time do go through their website, and read it was really good in
In addition stick to the question , try to underline all points which are asked in question and then make a flowchart of how are you going to devide the answers in various paragraphs . Make sure you answer the question correctly . Like In opinion based questions you have to discuss both opinion and then also give your opinion . A mistake which i used To make was write unnecessary stuff not related to question . This would lead to me crossing the word limit to 330-340words sometimes . Try to stick to the question and answer as per the points you thought of as answers in the initial planning time before you start writing( i used to take 5mins ) . Task 1 and Task 2 has some specific synonyms which you must make a separate list and keep in mind . This only comes out of practice .Also make a separate list of spelling mistakes . Like for example caught and thought have separate spelling however they sound similar .
Listening -
it has some easy questions like one word ones which are easy to do but the MCQs are really difficult to solve sometimes. I realized this just 3 days prior to exam . Why because i was practicing writing mostly and ignored the reading and listening sections .
-Cambridge papers are mostly easy . Real exam is tough . So i suggest instead of practicing whole papers again and again timed we must start practicing specific questions which we are weak at . For me they were MCQs
in listening . I searched on group history , read some tips by experts and practiced it in last 24-48 hours . This was like playing with fire . But i got some practice and in the final paper i found nearly 18-20 questions which were MCQs . These tips really helped me as normal Cambridge papers have less MCQs. Here are some advice i copy pasted from an expert ,
Tips for MCQ in listening module
☞Tip 1: When there are multiple choice questions in front of you, Read the question very carefully and try to know “what question is asking exactly to you?” and what is the real meaning…
☞Tip 2: While attempting questions, there are more chances that you get confused among multiple choices. So, to avoid it, the best idea is not to read the choices that are available to you to pick as an answer. Instead, just read the question only and just concentrate to listen the exact answer.
☞Tip 3: I always recommend my students to make notes of lecture while they are listening any lecture or conversation when there are multiple choice questions rather making a matching because sometimes, students may lose the focus. After the lecture is finished, whenever you have a time just refer your notes to find an answer for your question. The difficulty of this kind of approach is many student find Note Taking quite hard. So try to improve this skill and eventually you will see the change.
☞Tip 4: The best idea is to guess the answer while reading your answers. Then there are more chances to find the best answer.
Finally, a possible solution could be The Elimination of the Wrong answer.
If you paid attention, mostly the right answers are paraphrased in such a way that, at that short time it is hard to determine whether this option says the same or not. So, why not to listen for the wrong answers? Because, I did paid attention, they are not parapharsed in a complicated way. So guys, if Note Taking does not work for you, Go fo this Option. Eliminate the wrong answers, the answer that is left is your Right answer.
i followed the notes making strategy for solving the MCQs but its tricky as you have to solve all these MCQs in the last 10mins you get to transfer the answers to the answer sheet . Plus practice is crucial as this needs a lot more concentration . Earlier my MCQs were getting wrong mostly , practice helped me a lot as in main exam 18-20MCQs came and i was just lucky to know the method .
Reading -Dont ever read passage direct , instead read the questions first , then use skim technique to solve these questions first as these are the easiest marks up for grabs , leave difficult questions like TRue ,false not given or Yes or no or match the heading for later. One word from the passage must be done first as its easy to score . Out of 3 passages you will get 1 passage in Cambridge papers as difficult or all 3 easy . The most difficult is match the headings . I practiced it separately timed to get good at it . In real exam however i got 2 out of 3 passages difficult but there was no such Match the heading question . I tried to follow that you must underline the main points of paragraph or you can make your own simplified heading of each paragraph of passage and try to match the headings then .
Speaking -
i only practiced a day prior perhaps 3 hours before sleeping , thats me , you can practice as per your wish. Search on group and look for tips in speaking , A blog by Ielts expert Shelly Cornick was an excellent tool for help in speaking , you can search for it in group search button .
- another tip exam is long , you enter exam hall by 1130am and come out by 4 415 so have a heavy breakfast before sitting for exam as they take time to recheck your identity details and passport .
Again thanks a million for this group , as i found the admins , teachers and Ielts experts the most helpful and genuine as compared to all the other groups . If you have any query i would be happy to help .