Common Mistakes of Indian IELTS Test Takers

Common Mistakes of Indian IELTS Test Takers.

There are many common test takers make which are typical to where they come from.These are often related to the influence of their first language. 
Below are some common mistakes that Indian test takers make when taking the IELTS. Being aware of these will help you to avoid them.

• Not managing time well- This is especially true in the reading test. Practice using past papers and time your responses.You don’t need to learn to speed-read or understand every single word, but you do need to be able skim and scan for general understanding and locating specific information, If you don’t try every part, you’ll automatically lose marks.

• Not following instructions carefully enough. Eg. If the task says "in not more than 3 words", using 4 or more will go against you. Getting the band you need largely depends on how well you follow the instructions given in each part. Even though it might sound ridiculous, the importance of this cannot be stressed enough.

• Not respecting words limits in the writing module. The 150 and 250 word limits are minimums. Less than this number of words will limit your band score.

• Using  non-standard pronunciation- Although accent is not important in the speaking  test, pronunciation is! IELTS is a test for non-native speakers of English and therefore, a strong accent will not affect your band score. However, as it is a test of international English, mispronunciations which make it difficult for listener. Using the correct stress and intonation to carry meaning will give you a better band score.

• Not sticking to the topic in the writing task.You must answer the topic given, not one you would like to answer, or that you have learn’t an essay about. No matter how perfect and wonderfully interesting your essay is if it doesn't address all parts of the topics, your score  will be limited.

• Writing too much- Longer essay doesn't mean better mark. It is the quality of the arguments, evidence and language you use that are important, not the number of words above the limit. Very long responses increase the chances of you making both at words, sentence and paragraph levels.

• Memorizing responses- A good memory can get you in trouble. Having seen that the topics sometimes repeat, “smart” students with good memory decide to memorize essays. This is a terrible mistake to make because the examiners are trained to look for memorized essay and your band score will be severely limited.

• Writing or saying what you think the examiner wants to hear/read- There are no right and wrong arguments or opinions. Examiners do not make value judgement about  what you say or write, but  how you express yourself. It’s important to be accurate with your language in relation to grammar, use of vocabulary, spelling and idiom.

• Not using sufficient and appropriate connecting words- Linking your ideas well makes it easier to read or understand you. Connective words: The more is not always the better. Smart students know that one of the essay marking criteria are coherence and cohesion, and what better way is there to demonstrate cohesion than to use lots of connective  words, right? Wrong !!! Overuse of connective words is a know problem, which is easily recognized and penalized by the examiners.

• Not  being  familiar  with the test format and question types- Being familiar  with  the structure  and the  procedure of the test will help you concentrate  on your language and responses rather than wondering  what you need to do.

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