8 DON'Ts in IELTS preparation of your students

IELTS is quite a demanding exam that tests all the skills and knowledge of all the language systems. 

Therefore, thorough preparation is key to passing this exam with flying colours. 

At the moment, you can find a lot of information and guidelines about what to do in your exam preparation course.

In this article, we would like to discuss the issues you should avoid doing. 

Besides, we will look at what you can do instead to make the most of your lessons and prepare your learners more effectively. 

Here are some tips on what you should not do in your IELTS preparation lessons.

You should make sure your learners know the exam format details, e.g. the number of parts, task types and the task requirements, the length of the sections, what kind of answers are required and even whether to write in the pen or pencil in the paper-based test. 

This knowledge will help your learners feel more confident in the exam and focus on the tasks. 

It is of great importance to select learning materials which correspond to the latest exam requirements. 

Your learners will be better familiar with the task types and will be able to apply appropriate exam strategies. 

Every time learners complete a task, we, teachers, should react to it and inform the learners whether the task was done correctly or not, why some parts are not correct and how they can be improved. 

In other words, a teacher should provide constructive feedback.

The teacher will inform the learners if their essay is on the topic, if the grammar is accurate and complex enough, if the spelling is correct, if appropriate linkers have been used. 

In terms of speaking, the learners can get to know if the oral response is well-structured, if the range of grammar and vocabulary is wide enough, if the learner sounds fluent enough. 

It is important to discuss why the answers are correct or not and encourage the learners to find the evidence in the text. 

All this will boost their confidence during the exam. 

We all understand the importance of practising exam tasks to familiarise the learners with the format and develop certain exam strategies.

It might have a negative effect on the learners’ motivation and may reduce the preparation course efficacy. 

Instead, it is useful to analyse the exam task format, learn how to approach it, and develop a certain exam strategy. 

It is essential to understand the difference between General English lessons and an exam preparation course. 

The aim of a General English course is to upgrade the knowledge of the language with more or less equal focus on the skills and language systems. 

Therefore, learners master new grammar and vocabulary, read and listen to some texts, etc.

On the other hand, exam preparation courses aim to prepare learners for taking exams which includes developing exam strategies in particular. 

We can discuss and revise some grammar topics which are specifically required for certain tasks, for instance, the use of prepositions to describe a map or the Passive voice to analyse an industrial process. 

Talking about skills, we, for example, read the texts primarily to develop various skills — gist reading, reading for specific information or detailed reading. 

They will enable learners to deal with the task more quickly and effectively. 

IELTS, like any other exam, has certain limitations in time. 

Therefore, it is vital to teach learners to manage their time effectively. 

They should know how much time to allocate for the task analysis and for completing the task itself. 

It is a specially organised practice of exam tasks in accordance with the exam conditions, and limited time in the first place. 

Such activities will help learners allocate their time correctly. 

Apart from that, learners can test the developed exam strategies and see how they work. 

Finally, regular timed practice and mock tests will reduce the exam anxiety and stress.

Each learner has some strong and weak points in the language, therefore, they may have some specific needs for the exam preparation.

Thus, see if you can tailor your lessons and adapt the tasks so that they suit your learner's needs. 

Creating a tailored course may be complicated in a mixed ability group. 

So in this case you can address the common needs of this particular group and provide some personalised recommendations for the individual learners. 

Sometimes we may tend to provide more practice and focus on one section at the expense of others. 

This is often the case with writing which is considered by many teachers and learners the most complicated section of the exam. 

Other than that, you should balance all the exam sections to make sure you develop all the skills equally. 

We hope that following our advice will help you avoid these pitfalls and make your exam preparation course practical, useful and effective.