Prep for the IELTS to Study Abroad After 12th Grade
More and more students are choosing to study abroad after 12th grade. And if you are one of them, prepping for your English language proficiency tests is at the top of your mind.
If you are heading towards the world’s most popular study abroad destinations, English is likely the predominant language of learning. Admissions officers use your ability in the English language as an indicator of your success in their programs.
Hitting minimum band scores on the IELTS is necessary for admission to many universities in the English-speaking world. Think of it as the gold standard for evaluating English proficiency. In this article, we break down everything you need to know about the IELTS to study abroad as an undergraduate student.
Understand the Test
Universities around the globe accept the IELTS as proof of your English proficiency. It is one of the major tests with widespread recognition among higher education institutes and immigration authorities. It is also one of the most accessible tests worldwide, with over 4,000 testing locations in almost 150 countries around the world.
First things first, you need to acquaint yourself with the format and structure of the IELTS Academic, the version of the test you will sit to study abroad after 12th grade. There are four sections on the exam: Speaking, Writing, Reading, and Listening. Universities often specify minimum band scores for the IELTS overall, as well as these four individual bands.
Listening:
This section tests your ability to listen to and understand the English language. There are four recorded monologues and conversations you will hear in this section, along with multiple-choice and sentence completion questions. The monologues and dialogues you hear will cover a combination of everyday and academic scenarios. For example, you might have to answer questions about situations like:
- University lectures
- Conversations between students and professors
- Dialogue between a customer service representative and someone seeking a service
- A brief about an activity, timetable, tourist location, etc.
Reading:
Three text passages, usually factual, analytical, or descriptive sections, ask you to read and answer text-based questions. Questions come in different formats, including multiple-choice, matching headers, and identifying facts.
These passages test your ability to read and understand the sorts of texts you encounter in an academic setting. Excerpts from reports, journals, books, news articles, etc. will test your ability with academic language.
Writing:
There are two writing assignments in this section. Candidates must analyze, describe, and draw conclusions about visual information in Task 1. This may be in the form of graphs, maps, charts, diagrams, or tables. In Task 2, you will write an essay of at least 250 words in response to a prompt. The prompt can take the form of a problem, argument, or perspective that you will need to respond to.
Speaking:
You will complete the Reading, Writing, and Listening sections in one sitting. The Speaking section, however, is a separate session. Depending on the availability of slots at your test center, you may be able to sit both sessions on the same day.
The Speaking session is an in-person interview with an examiner during which you will respond to the examiner’s questions and prompts. You will briefly introduce yourself, discuss a topic, and answer follow-up questions about your topic.
Understand the Band Scores
To study abroad after 12th grade, one of the requirements you need to meet is the minimum IELTS score bands. Each of the individual sections ranges in scores from 0 to 9, at 0.5-point increments. The total score tallies your individual band scores out of 9 as well – the score range is the same as individual bands, between 0 and 9 at 0.5-point increments.
Below, we’re breaking down the IELTS band score requirements you might expect to study abroad after 12th standard:
| Destination | Minimum Total Band Score |
|---|---|
| Australia | 5.5 |
| Canada | 6.5, with 6 in each band |
| UK | 6.0 – 7.0 |
| USA | 6.0 – 6.5 |
How to Prep for the IELTS to Study Abroad after 12th Grade
Use Official Study Materials
A variety of official study materials are available from the IELTS administrators to help applicants like you prepare for the test. Practice exams, sample questions, and study guides are some of the resources that you may find very handy.
To better grasp the format and question types on the test, as well as the best test-taking strategies, make sure you include these resources in your study plan. You can also look into online study abroad counseling from leading providers of overseas education support!
Take Practice Tests
Practice exams are a great way to gauge your skill level right now and pinpoint areas that require work. Set aside time to complete online and offline practice exams in exam-like settings to mimic the actual assessment. Track your performance and concentrate on improving your weakest areas of expertise.
Luckily, the official IELTS administrators offer a range of practice exams simulating the real deal. Some of these include actual past questions from previous IELTS tests! These include both free IELTS practice papers as well as premium computer-based practice exams.
Enroll in Preparation Courses
IELTS preparatory classes can fast-track you to your ideal scores, making the best use of time and resources to get you test-ready. These courses can offer focused practice exercises, personalized feedback, and thorough strategic tips and tricks from certified IELTS trainers.
A great option is the British Council’s English Online IELTS Course. The British Council is one of three official co-providers of the IELTS, alongside IDP and Cambridge English Language Assessment.
Develop Test-Taking Strategies
To achieve the best results on exam day, you’ll need to both sharpen your skills in the English language and also cultivate efficient test-taking techniques. Among the strategies to focus on are:
Time Management: To guarantee you finish all questions in the available time for each section.
Skimming and Scanning: To use your time efficiently and effectively, practice skimming and scanning the text to extract necessary information.
Understand the Instructions: Avoid losing points by thoroughly understanding what each question is asking you to do.
Stay Calm and Confident
Lastly, stay calm and be confident going into the test. This is why practice and preparation are so important. The more familiar you are with what to expect and how to handle it, the more confident you can be during the test. You can lose valuable time or make mistakes if you are nervous or trying to understand the format or question types for the first time in the exam.
To reduce exam anxiety, engage in mindfulness exercises and picture yourself scoring well to keep calm. Trust in the effort you put in to prepare!
A Few More Tips for a Great Result
Understand the Scoring Metrics Inside and Out
Knowing the score bands and the proficiency levels is part of the equation. To ensure you meet all the requirements, you will also need to understand exactly what you are being evaluated on.
It’s not enough to write excellent essays for the writing tasks, for example. Without knowing what the examiner is looking for, even a native speaker might struggle to score!
Have a look at the skills each of the sections will assess:
Listening:
• Your understanding of the key ideas and facts
• Recognition of the speaker’s attitude, purpose, and opinions
• How well you follow the development and/or progression of an argument
Reading:
• Ability to pick out the main gist, ideas, and details
• Understanding implications and inferences
• Recognition of the speaker’s attitude, purpose, and opinions
• How well you follow the development and/or progression of an argument
Writing:
• Accuracy, variety and range of grammar
• Content
• Idea organization
Speaking
Your ability to express and communicate:
• Information
• Ideas
• Topics
Scored practice tests help you finetune strategies and outline tips and tricks for each section to understand these expectations better. For example, it isn’t enough to have a rich vocabulary bank – you will also have to apply it accurately and appropriately.
Remember that your test performance is an indicator of your success if you study abroad after 12th grade. The language and exercises you will complete will simulate the types of situations you will need to apply your English skills in as a student overseas.
Practice for the Writing Section
Students lose the most marks in the Writing section, according to statistics. How can you prepare better knowing this? The IELTS providers offer handy study guides with certified teachers walking you through what makes for a good writing task submission. These look at real writing task samples, covering what earns points and what loses them. You can access many of these guides via the Road to IELTS resource you will unlock after registering for the IELTS!
It’s always a good idea to work with a certified IELTS trainer to look through your written pieces. You can direct your efforts in a meaningful way by understanding what you’re doing right and what you need to improve.
Although the saying is trite, practice does make perfect, so take advantage of all these IELTS prep resources to polish up your writing skills. Work on striking the right balance between improving and hitting the requirements to score higher for each task.
Practice the Speaking Exam with a Partner
The Speaking portion just takes 11–14 minutes, but the section holds a maximum score boundary of 9 nonetheless. While you can’t anticipate exactly what topic your examiner will ask you to discuss, understanding what they’re looking out for in your answers helps you prepare for anything.
Because this is a highly time-sensitive exam, you should be ready for the possibility that the examiner will interrupt you to direct you to the next question. Don’t let this throw you off – in fact, anticipate that you will need to be succinct with your answers. Stick your focus to your main talking points and don’t stray from these as you speak.
Having a look at sample Speaking test sessions is always handy. You understand early on what to expect in the exam room, so you don’t have to worry about the adjustment period in the short time you have for the test.
Again, practice can give you a real edge in these sessions. If you are working with study abroad consultants or getting online study abroad counselling, you may be able to sign up for mock IELTS speaking practice!
Rounding Up
Preparing for the IELTS to study abroad after 12th grade requires time, effort, and commitment to succeed. Meeting and exceeding the minimum score criteria help boost your application’s strength. And with opportunities like scholarship eligibility in the mix, we think the practice and prep are always worth it. We hope that our breakdown helps you get the ball rolling on your road to the IELTS!