So, it's time to tell you what happened after I received my first 7.0. Finally! 😊

To understand the story, you need to realise one thing: back then, a 7.0 was a big deal.
At least where I lived.

Most students at the learning centre where I studied scored around 5.5 or 6.0. Even my English teacher, who had completed his Master's degree in the US, had 7.5.

So when I saw that seven on my Test Report Form, I genuinely felt that I had reached the summit.🥸

Ironically, that was exactly the moment I stopped focusing on English.

Instead, I started learning German and, later, French.
English never really left me, though. It simply found itself a new job. 🌟🌟

Whenever I learnt new German words, I translated them into English first. I wrote their definitions in English. I even learnt German grammar through English.

Because my major was English, I also began reading about linguistics, phonetics, and language acquisition in English, even though most of our classes were taught in Russian. It simply felt more natural.

Then came the pandemic.🐻

For many people, it was the beginning of endless scrolling.
For me, oddly enough, it became the beginning of reading novels in English.That was when l made myself a promise: from now on, every book I read would be in English.

Two years passed.

Then I needed IELTS again to apply for a university in Europe.

I had about two weeks to prepare.

I completed a few practice tests, walked into the exam, and received an overall band 8.0.

🌟Listening: 7.5 → 8.5

🌟Speaking: 6.5 → 7.0

🌟Writing: 6.0 → 7.0

No, it wasn't magic.

And no, I'm not suggesting that IELTS preparation is unnecessary.

What I am saying is this: for those years, I barely touched an IELTS book. My score improved because I spent those years actively engaging with the language instead of constantly preparing for the test.

Without realising it, I had stopped treating English as a subject and started using it as a tool—for learning, communicating, and exploring other interests.

🌟So, if I were to give one piece of advice to every young learner, it would be this:

Don't let IELTS become your world.

It is an important exam, but it is still just an exam. English is infinitely bigger than any test can ever measure.

Read books.
Listen to people.
Fall in love with ideas.
Learn new skills.

Use English to explore the world—not just to pass through an exam.

Love, peace 🌟

#christenwrites 🌟
#sixseven