General comments:

Sleep well the night before the examination. Staying up late to study at the last minute may seem like a good idea but actually it isn’t.

Have a good breakfast – you’ll need resistance.

Be punctual. Once the examination has begun you will not be admitted.

Check the timing carefully so as to make the best use of your time.

Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. You will get a low mark if you leave questions unanswered. The examiner can evaluate only what can be read or heard.

Don’t forget to bring an official I.D. – this is essential. In Mexico, the only official identifications are your elector’s card or passport.

Read instructions carefully.

Listening:

Don’t waste time over questions you haven’t understood – you might miss the following ones. Remember you will hear the tape only once.

A good strategy is to concentrate on only two questions at a time.

Practise listening to tapes a single time and extracting only the information you need.

Reading:

Many students do not obtain the grade they expect in this module. Practise your own comprehension strategies and get used to reading long texts.

Measure your time: there are three texts to answer about 40 questions on in one hour. Some candidates do not manage to reach the last questions.

Writing:

Familiarise yourself with different types of text so as to be able to produce the one requested.

Make sure you can structure different types of text and organise them clearly.

Remember useful connecting phrases / words such as “On the other hand” and “However.”

Calculate your time carefully and follow your plan. Don’t spend too long trying to answer questions that puzzle you. Remember that you can always go back to them when you’ve finished.

Write as legibly as possible. Illegibility results when you don’t leave enough space, letters are on top of one another, words are written incorrectly or are above or below the line.

Clarity of expression and good grammatical structure in your answers will help your examiner to assess your text. Try to read through your work and correct it (be sure to cross out clearly what isn’t needed).

Avoid “stuffing” and repetition. Put your ideas down concretely and clearly.

Lastly, give your work a final look-over. Make sure you have answered the as much of the examination possible. Cross out any word you don’t want to be read.

Speaking:

The interview follows a fixed pattern. Make sure you this and what you might be asked to do.

All interviews will be recorded. Practise recording yourself so that you don’t get nervous on examination day.

You can also hear your own voice and check your pronunciation. Interviews are carried out individually and last 10 – 15 minutes. Can you keep up a 10 –15 minute conversation without difficulty? With practice, you can!

And finally…

Candidates who do not earn a good grade often did not understand instructions clearly. Read your IELTS handbook – given free of charge to all candidates and containing a lot of useful and interesting information. It can also be consulted on line.

There is a wide range of material available for preparing for the IELTS examination that you can buy, and also English language books with different types of exercises in the areas you need most. You will find “IELTS Specimen Materials Pack” on sale in our offices.