#4 IELTS DOs & DON’Ts: Reading
▶️ Your ability to understand written English can make all the difference, not just in the Reading section.
1) ❌ Don’t only read IELTS reading sections. The texts are too short to give you real knowledge and too short to make you think in English. ✅ Do extra reading and watch documentaries about common topics of IELTS reading sections.
2) ❌ Don’t limit your reading to academic texts if you struggle with them. ✅ Do keep the natural order of reading materials – at first stories, then free voluntary reading about topics of interest, and then only academic reading. (according to Krashen, 2011)
3) ❌ Don’t stick to classroom style intensive reading for as many details as possible. ✅ Do practice skimming (reading for gist) and scanning (flying over the text searching for specific details). You need these subskills because of the time limit.
❗️ For general advice on reading check out #13 Learn to learn of 28 September! 👆
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
▶️ Your ability to understand written English can make all the difference, not just in the Reading section.
1) ❌ Don’t only read IELTS reading sections. The texts are too short to give you real knowledge and too short to make you think in English. ✅ Do extra reading and watch documentaries about common topics of IELTS reading sections.
2) ❌ Don’t limit your reading to academic texts if you struggle with them. ✅ Do keep the natural order of reading materials – at first stories, then free voluntary reading about topics of interest, and then only academic reading. (according to Krashen, 2011)
3) ❌ Don’t stick to classroom style intensive reading for as many details as possible. ✅ Do practice skimming (reading for gist) and scanning (flying over the text searching for specific details). You need these subskills because of the time limit.
❗️ For general advice on reading check out #13 Learn to learn of 28 September! 👆
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
#5 IELTS DOs & DON’Ts: Last Minute Preparation
▶️ Your test date is drawing nearer and you’re getting nervous? Here’s some advice:
1) Mental state ❌ Don’t get stupidly nervous, so nervous that you can’t think straight. The test is important but it’s only a test of your English, not your value as a human. ✅ Do keep calm and be closer with the people who support you, not those who judge you. Be realistic about the score you can get.
2) Attitude ❌ Don’t look for a quick fix. Students lose precious learning opportunities by looking for shortcuts to a high score that may or may not work. ✅ Do think about topics deeply and practice self-expression. Start having opinions. That’s an attitude, not a trick.
3) Around you ❌ Don’t let your English stay in your books. It must go into your head! ✅ Do immerse yourself (=get into) fully in English. Listen to English, speak in English, think in English, dream in English. Find a study partner who is equally crazy.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
▶️ Your test date is drawing nearer and you’re getting nervous? Here’s some advice:
1) Mental state ❌ Don’t get stupidly nervous, so nervous that you can’t think straight. The test is important but it’s only a test of your English, not your value as a human. ✅ Do keep calm and be closer with the people who support you, not those who judge you. Be realistic about the score you can get.
2) Attitude ❌ Don’t look for a quick fix. Students lose precious learning opportunities by looking for shortcuts to a high score that may or may not work. ✅ Do think about topics deeply and practice self-expression. Start having opinions. That’s an attitude, not a trick.
3) Around you ❌ Don’t let your English stay in your books. It must go into your head! ✅ Do immerse yourself (=get into) fully in English. Listen to English, speak in English, think in English, dream in English. Find a study partner who is equally crazy.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
#6 IELTS DOs & DON’Ts: Preparation for Speaking
▶️ Before you are asked to speak uninterruptedly for up to two minutes (Speaking, Part 2). You are given just one minute to prepare – what to do in that short time?
1) Cue card ❌ Don’t spend the whole minute reading the cue card (=the paper that has your topic on it) again and again until the time is up. ✅ Do find key words and think of examples.
2) Written notes ❌ Don’t start writing sentences. You can neither finish nor can you easily read them during your speech. ✅ Do take very brief notes – just a few key words – to remind you of the points you want to talk about. Some people also do a good job with only mental notes. Find out what works for you.
3) Content ❌ Don’t think about just one aspect of the topic. ✅ Do think of something general, something personal as well as real-life examples. A structure of ‘on the one hand … but on the other hand …’ is easy and interesting to follow.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
▶️ Before you are asked to speak uninterruptedly for up to two minutes (Speaking, Part 2). You are given just one minute to prepare – what to do in that short time?
1) Cue card ❌ Don’t spend the whole minute reading the cue card (=the paper that has your topic on it) again and again until the time is up. ✅ Do find key words and think of examples.
2) Written notes ❌ Don’t start writing sentences. You can neither finish nor can you easily read them during your speech. ✅ Do take very brief notes – just a few key words – to remind you of the points you want to talk about. Some people also do a good job with only mental notes. Find out what works for you.
3) Content ❌ Don’t think about just one aspect of the topic. ✅ Do think of something general, something personal as well as real-life examples. A structure of ‘on the one hand … but on the other hand …’ is easy and interesting to follow.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
#7 IELTS DOs & DON’Ts: General English
▶️ Some students look down on General English as if that was something for children. This is very unfortunate because General English is your ticket to IELTS. What else is IELTS if not a test of your General English?
1) Developing vs testing ❌ Don’t think you can develop your skills by testing them again and again. ✅ Do allow enough time to develop your skills with meaningful practice and interesting topics.
2) Practice ❌ Don’t limit yourself to IELTS materials. ✅ Do keep good habits like following the news or reading about your subjects of interest in English.
3) Getting ready ❌ Don’t practice only IELTS when your level is still far away from the score you want. ✅ Do get serious about exam preparation a month or two before you actually take it.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
▶️ Some students look down on General English as if that was something for children. This is very unfortunate because General English is your ticket to IELTS. What else is IELTS if not a test of your General English?
1) Developing vs testing ❌ Don’t think you can develop your skills by testing them again and again. ✅ Do allow enough time to develop your skills with meaningful practice and interesting topics.
2) Practice ❌ Don’t limit yourself to IELTS materials. ✅ Do keep good habits like following the news or reading about your subjects of interest in English.
3) Getting ready ❌ Don’t practice only IELTS when your level is still far away from the score you want. ✅ Do get serious about exam preparation a month or two before you actually take it.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
#8 IELTS DOs & DON’Ts: Listening
▶️ Listening can be tricky, especially since you can hear the recording only once. How can we maximise our chances?
1) Get visual ❌ Don’t keep doing listening tasks with zero picture in your head. You will always struggle. ✅ Do try to understand daily life abroad. Get an idea of university life, transport systems, restaurants, gyms, etc. Watch TV serials or YouTube videos showing you daily life.
2) Concentration ❌ Don’t lose your focus or interest easily like a TikTok victim. ✅ Do consume videos, articles, podcasts and of course Afandi English posts that take more than a minute to understand. Learn to keep up your attention – you will need it for IELTS Listening.
3) Accents ❌ Don’t think English is just from abroad and therefore all the same. ✅ Do become familiar with different accents. In the recordings you may hear English from the UK, North America and/or the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand and South Africa).
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
▶️ Listening can be tricky, especially since you can hear the recording only once. How can we maximise our chances?
1) Get visual ❌ Don’t keep doing listening tasks with zero picture in your head. You will always struggle. ✅ Do try to understand daily life abroad. Get an idea of university life, transport systems, restaurants, gyms, etc. Watch TV serials or YouTube videos showing you daily life.
2) Concentration ❌ Don’t lose your focus or interest easily like a TikTok victim. ✅ Do consume videos, articles, podcasts and of course Afandi English posts that take more than a minute to understand. Learn to keep up your attention – you will need it for IELTS Listening.
3) Accents ❌ Don’t think English is just from abroad and therefore all the same. ✅ Do become familiar with different accents. In the recordings you may hear English from the UK, North America and/or the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand and South Africa).
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
#9 IELTS DOs & DON’Ts: Notes for essays
▶️ The big DO here is DO WRITE NOTES before you start writing your essay, OK? Here are some points to keep in mind:
1) Timing ❌ Don’t rush this and don’t get nervous when you see other people starting to write. ✅ Do invest around five minutes in taking notes. Good notes can save you from running out of ideas or going off topic.
2) Style ❌ Don’t waste your time by writing whole sentences and don’t squeeze tiny notes into a corner. ✅ Do be generous with space as you may still add some notes during essay writing when you have more ideas. Use symbols, bullet points, subpoints, arrows, numbers – whatever helps you structure your thoughts.
3) Content ❌ Don’t copy from the task or write obvious things like “firstly” or “in conclusion”. ✅ Do write arguments, counterarguments and topic-related high-level vocab that you want to use – all in the shortest form possible. Just enough to remind yourself.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
▶️ The big DO here is DO WRITE NOTES before you start writing your essay, OK? Here are some points to keep in mind:
1) Timing ❌ Don’t rush this and don’t get nervous when you see other people starting to write. ✅ Do invest around five minutes in taking notes. Good notes can save you from running out of ideas or going off topic.
2) Style ❌ Don’t waste your time by writing whole sentences and don’t squeeze tiny notes into a corner. ✅ Do be generous with space as you may still add some notes during essay writing when you have more ideas. Use symbols, bullet points, subpoints, arrows, numbers – whatever helps you structure your thoughts.
3) Content ❌ Don’t copy from the task or write obvious things like “firstly” or “in conclusion”. ✅ Do write arguments, counterarguments and topic-related high-level vocab that you want to use – all in the shortest form possible. Just enough to remind yourself.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
#10 IELTS DOs & DON’Ts: Career advice
▶️ It’s worth thinking about why you want to take IELTS. What kind of person do you want to be and what role does this exam play?
1) As a future professional ❌ Don’t get crazy about grammar rules. Linguistics is not your field. ✅ Do work with professional materials BUT all in English. Let the linguists get the high scores, with your knowledge you will get the high salary in the future.
2) As a language person ❌ Don’t get stuck with IELTS materials. They are not rich enough for you. ✅ Do explore language more deeply, try different strategies and develop your strengths. No need to worry about a high score.
3) As an academic ❌ Don’t try to show off with a high score. It’s not your business. ✅ Do work quietly. Use imitation and academic reasoning to become fluent enough for the score you need.
You know best which one or what combination you are. Don’t just go with the flow (=do the same as other people) but know what you need.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
▶️ It’s worth thinking about why you want to take IELTS. What kind of person do you want to be and what role does this exam play?
1) As a future professional ❌ Don’t get crazy about grammar rules. Linguistics is not your field. ✅ Do work with professional materials BUT all in English. Let the linguists get the high scores, with your knowledge you will get the high salary in the future.
2) As a language person ❌ Don’t get stuck with IELTS materials. They are not rich enough for you. ✅ Do explore language more deeply, try different strategies and develop your strengths. No need to worry about a high score.
3) As an academic ❌ Don’t try to show off with a high score. It’s not your business. ✅ Do work quietly. Use imitation and academic reasoning to become fluent enough for the score you need.
You know best which one or what combination you are. Don’t just go with the flow (=do the same as other people) but know what you need.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
IELTS DOs & DON’Ts: Review time
I often get asked advice that I’ve given before, so let’s look again at the past 10 posts in this series before moving on:
1️⃣ Exam culture
2️⃣ Speaking: Self-introduction
3️⃣ Academic topics
4️⃣ Reading
5️⃣ Last minute preparation
6️⃣ Preparation for Speaking
7️⃣ General English
8️⃣ Listening
9️⃣ Notes for essays
🔟 Career advice
❗️ Recent test takers – your suggestions for future posts are welcomed!
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
I often get asked advice that I’ve given before, so let’s look again at the past 10 posts in this series before moving on:
1️⃣ Exam culture
2️⃣ Speaking: Self-introduction
3️⃣ Academic topics
4️⃣ Reading
5️⃣ Last minute preparation
6️⃣ Preparation for Speaking
7️⃣ General English
8️⃣ Listening
9️⃣ Notes for essays
🔟 Career advice
❗️ Recent test takers – your suggestions for future posts are welcomed!
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
#11 IELTS DOs & DON’Ts: Writing
▶️ In Task 1 you will be given a graph that you should describe. It usually contains a lot of numbers.
❌ DON’T describe numbers aimlessly while using big words. Not all numbers are significant and readers cannot digest more than a few numbers.
✅ DO look at the graph carefully and decide which of the numbers are important. Replace numbers by chunks like “more than half” or “only very few”, etc. In this way you can demonstrate your understanding much better.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
▶️ In Task 1 you will be given a graph that you should describe. It usually contains a lot of numbers.
❌ DON’T describe numbers aimlessly while using big words. Not all numbers are significant and readers cannot digest more than a few numbers.
✅ DO look at the graph carefully and decide which of the numbers are important. Replace numbers by chunks like “more than half” or “only very few”, etc. In this way you can demonstrate your understanding much better.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
#12 IELTS DOs & DON’Ts: Speaking
▶️ The Speaking part is a mixture of dialogues and monologues.
❌ DON’T develop a habit of speaking in uninterrupted monologues. Yes you need to speak uninterruptedly for 1-2 minutes in Part 2 but compared to the rest of the exam this is a smaller part.
✅ DO make speaking communicative. It’s not that different from your mother tongue actually. When you talk to other people you don’t just keep talking about yourself for several minutes. You take turns naturally. Got no environment? Find crazy friends to practice with you!
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
▶️ The Speaking part is a mixture of dialogues and monologues.
❌ DON’T develop a habit of speaking in uninterrupted monologues. Yes you need to speak uninterruptedly for 1-2 minutes in Part 2 but compared to the rest of the exam this is a smaller part.
✅ DO make speaking communicative. It’s not that different from your mother tongue actually. When you talk to other people you don’t just keep talking about yourself for several minutes. You take turns naturally. Got no environment? Find crazy friends to practice with you!
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
▶️ Afandi English is over 4 years old now and there’s a ton of stuff you’ve missed. Here are some hashtags for posts about language learning:
#correct
Check if you can spot some common mistakes.
#grammar
Brush up your grammar.
#ielts
Get the DOs and DON’Ts of preparing for IELTS.
#learn2learn
Take advice on how to learn a foreign language.
#mistakes
The biggest collection of Uzbek learners’ typical mistakes in English – at your fingertips.
#oddmanout
See if you can find the mistake.
#pronunciation
Fix your pronunciation problems, one at a time.
#self_study
Sit down and help yourself. Interesting videos plus script plus activities.
#tongue_twisters
Work on your pronunciation and fluency in one go.
#uni_vocab
Understand university-related vocabulary.
#vocabulary
Learn about lexical problems and pick the right words next time.
#world_englishes
Realise that English is a world language and prepare for the worst. Or the best?
#writing
Say goodbye to your most common and unnecessary writing mistakes.
#correct
Check if you can spot some common mistakes.
#grammar
Brush up your grammar.
#ielts
Get the DOs and DON’Ts of preparing for IELTS.
#learn2learn
Take advice on how to learn a foreign language.
#mistakes
The biggest collection of Uzbek learners’ typical mistakes in English – at your fingertips.
#oddmanout
See if you can find the mistake.
#pronunciation
Fix your pronunciation problems, one at a time.
#self_study
Sit down and help yourself. Interesting videos plus script plus activities.
#tongue_twisters
Work on your pronunciation and fluency in one go.
#uni_vocab
Understand university-related vocabulary.
#vocabulary
Learn about lexical problems and pick the right words next time.
#world_englishes
Realise that English is a world language and prepare for the worst. Or the best?
#writing
Say goodbye to your most common and unnecessary writing mistakes.