MY IELTS

I took my IELTS in November 2015. English is the official language of Ghana and it's the medium of instruction in Ghanaian schools at all levels,so I wasn't particularly scared of this exam.
In addition i watch a lot of foreign movies and I am an avid reader .
Nonetheless, I had researched quite extensively on this exam and had also noticed on the PLAB FACEBOOK GROUP that it could be a tricky exam ,so I had to strategise .
I noticed that the most challenging section will be the writing section,in the face of the fact that the last time I wrote a proper academic English essay was in first year university communication skills course.
I also came to know about the connundrum in the writing section, the thin line between band 6.5 and the required band 7.

HOW I PREPARED :
I completed about 10 practice tests from the Cambridge book,timing myself under exam conditions in at least 4 of them.
I watched a lot of YouTube IELTS videos which highlighted common mistakes by candidates.
I spent particularly more time in practicing essay writing bearing in mind a full structure of introduction,body and conclusion.

RESOURCES
Cambridge practice test series
http://ieltsliz.com/
https://www.takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5g63smyohdk1vmd/AAB4A7arrGwDe46-_HgQh7qba?dl=0

PREPARATION TIME : Approximately 3 weeks;3-5 hours daily

EXAM DAY

SPEAKING : My speaking test was 3 days before the rest of the exam,at the British Council,Accra-Ghana.I arrived in good time before my allocated slot and was told to wait at the reception.I was called upstairs to the exam area about 10 minutes to my time.My ID was inspected and a photograph of me was taken.I was given a safe area to keep my watch,phone  and other belongings. When my time was up,I was taken to one of the cubicles to speak with the examiner.It was a relaxed atmosphere,She explained all instructions to me and we started.Straightforward questions like 'tell me about your job,who is your mentor ' amongst others. It barely took 10 minutes.

LISTENING,READING,WRITING
These 3 modules were taken together at the GIS,Accra-Ghana. I arrived on time.There were a lot of candidates already present,each writing a different type of IELTS (Academic,General Training,etc) and of course each person with the bands he/she was targeting.Apart from the band required for FY1, PLAB has the highest band requirements.We were given places to store our belongings after which our IDs were inspected.There was a list on the wall where you could confirm your name and classroom you will be seated including the row.
After completing those formalities,we were allowed to use the washrooms before the exam commenced.Instructions were spelt out and we began with the Listening section.Each person was given an earphone which was very clear.The trick here is to remain 💯 percent focussed since it is only played once.We completed with the Reading and Writing sections.

RESULTS
Results became available online after exactly 13 days.I went for my TRF (Test Report Form the following day). The required band for PLAB 1 is at least 7 in each section and overall band of 7.5.

WORD OF ADVICE : Even if your English Language is excellent, you won't perform at your optimum if you lack ideas about the question with regards to SPEAKING and WRITING.So do well to surround yourself with English whiles preparing,eg. watching and listening to programmes/movies/series/news in English.

Comments

  1. Please leave any comment/question/suggestion below for prompt response .

    ReplyDelete
  2. do you recommend applying for the IELTS UKVI instead of IELTS academic?
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Malak,yes ,it's advisable to take the UKVI academic from the get go since you will need it eventually to apply for a tier 2 visa.You can read more on it here : http://wamarchives.blogspot.com/2017/07/ielts.html

      Delete
  3. how i can find a partner for speaking section i need to practice with someone

    ReplyDelete
  4. looking for a partner for the exams

    ReplyDelete

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