There are two IELTS exams; the Academic and the General Training exams. The Academic exam is written by students whose goal is to enter Canadian universities. The General Training exam is written by those who wish to immigrate to Canada and those already in Canada who want to apply for Permanent Resident Status. I am available as a certified ESL teacher to answer any questions you might have.
The IELTS exam consists of four parts: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. On both the Academic and General Training exams the Listening and Speaking parts are the same, but the Reading and Writing differ. The Reading and Writing parts on the General Training exam are simpler.
Whichever IELTS exam you write, a comprehensive preparation is absolutely necessary to achieve the score you need. There is no point going to write the exam unprepared because it will be a waste of your time and money.
This is what I advise my students to do before starting formal preparation:
- Interact with English speaking people whenever possible in order to improve your speaking.
- Watch as much English TV as possible (no subtitles- English or other languages). Try to watch series about normal life with many characters and a lot of interaction. This will improve your listening skills.
- Read daily newspapers eg Metro, 24 Hours (free papers). The English in these newspapers is easier than in the Toronto Star or Globe and Mail. Read National Geographic. Many of the articles are similar to those found in the Reading section of the Academic IELTS.
