Planning to take IELTS Exam? Do you know that one of the major reasons for not achieving the IELTS band 7+ is lack of time during the exam? Every year, many aspirants lose their band scores, and end up falling prey to the ticking time. Also, as a fact, IELTS is a strict clock-ticking exam for 2 hours and 40 minutes, managing time is important when taking your IELTS test. If you’ve taken the IELTS before, or if you know people who have, you probably know how important time is for scoring well on this test and getting your dream band score.
You might’ve heard feedback from your IELTS friends or seniors complaining they couldn’t finish the reading section, didn’t have time to read a passage, or that essay writing took up most of their time, and then they whined about only having 1 minute to read all the listening section questions. All these point to the lack of time management and thorough practice.
Here’s how you can manage your time effectively, complete all the questions on time, and perform better in all sections of IELTS Exam.
Time Management Strategy for Listening Module
You should use your 1 minute to read the first 4 or 5 questions of section 1 or the first 10 questions of section 4. But if you have a few seconds left, you can also check out the other questions. You need to be really focused and read the questions quickly for this. While you read, underline key words too. You can look for them when you listen to the audio. This 1 min is barely enough to go over the questions and drill them thoroughly. When you’re writing your listening answers, just write them quickly, but carefully, so you don’t make any spelling mistakes, as you have only 10 mins in your hand.
Time Management Strategy for Reading Module
You’ll need plenty of time to take the reading test. You’ll have one hour to answer 40 questions, divided into three sections. You need to read the passages carefully and write the answers correctly, so you need good time management skills.
When you start attempting, if you read the passages casually, you’ll spend more time searching for the answers and rereading passages. If you get stuck on a question, you’ll probably rush through the rest of the questions and probably get them wrong. Read once, but in detail, to correctly put the answers and save your time. Divide your time of 1 hour for reading, rapid reading, skimming and scanning the passage for answers and the rest for writing the answers.
But try to finish the first two sections as soon as possible, so you’ll have more time to work on the third section, which is usually longer and harder.
Time Management Strategy for Writing Module
You need to be patient for the writing test, but you also need to think fast for ideas and write fast in 1 hour. In the Academic or General Training tests, you will find two writing tasks. Writing Task 1 (40 mins) and Writing Task 2 (20 mins).
Writing task 1 is report writing for IELTS Academic and letter writing for IELTS General Training. You’ll be given a diagram to describe (IELTS Academic) and a formal, semi-formal or informal letter in 20 minutes.
Spend 13-15 for writing the content and secure at least 2-3 minutes for reviewing, rest 2-3 are for going over the question.
For the writing task 2, both IELTS Academic and General Training, you have only 40 mins.
Invest 25 mins for writing, 7-8 mins for reading the question and planning your content. The last 5-7 mins are reserved for reviewing your write-up.
It’s up to you how you manage your time during the exam, but it’s a good idea to practice mock tests to get the hang of your time management strategy. For this, there are many institutes that offer the best IELTS preparation courses, test series, along with mock tests, to rule out the reason for lack of time from your dropping bands. Under the expert guidance and drilling practice tests prepare you well for the IELTS exam, and the tried and tested methods help you achieve a 7+ IELTS band score. Contact us today to know more about these expert designed courses, mock tests and much more.
