IELTS
Reading
Do Matching Heading questions first in any section to get a gist of the passage.
When you practice, make a list of keywords in reading text and their common paraphrases.
Don’t spend too long trying to find one answer.
Make sure you read a few sentences around the location of your answer to get the context
right.
Check and recheck the directions to ensure that your answer is within the word limit.
Practice reading a variety of texts from good news journals and magazines.
Ensure that your spellings are correct if you are copying from the question paper.
Listening
Practice reading, listening and writing all at the same time.
If you don’t know the answer, guess and move on.
Check and recheck the directions to ensure that your answer is within the word limit.
Know the spelling of the most common academic words.
Read the directions carefully to know what you should write as your answer.
Train your ear by listening to podcasts, news broadcasts, and TV shows.
Visualise what you’re listening to while answering map questions.
Focus only on finding the answers to questions.
Stay ahead! When you’re done with one question, be ready to listen to the answer to the
next question.
Writing
Since Task 2 has twice the weightage of Task 1, spend more time on it.
Just write enough! Don't write too much that you run out of time.
Make sure you proofread your response to eliminate the most obvious errors.
Keep your writing organised by dividing your writing into paragraphs.
Speaking
Decide in advance what your favourites are: book, movie, thing, place, etc and prepare
content on them beforehand.
Keep adding information to your answers and stop when you think you have spoken just
enough to justify your response.
In almost all cue card questions, you can weave a story around the topic.
Don't worry about your accent. What you speak must be easy to understand.
Be confident and friendly. Remember this is not a job interview.
PTE
Reading
In MCQs, read the question to find out the information you need to answer the question.
If you can't find out the answer, try eliminating the wrong answers by identifying the options
which can't be derived or don't answer the question.
Find linking words and clues and make pairs in Reorder Paragraphs.
In Fill in the Blanks, look for words that often go together.
Listening
Listen for the overall context in order to answer Summarize Spoken Text, MCQs, and
Highlight Correct Summary.
Think about what you're listening to and anticipate what might come next especially in
Select Missing Word
Practice effective note-taking with keywords, repeat words, and relationships between
concepts.
In MCQ Multiple Choice and Highlight Incorrect Words, mark only the options/words that
you are sure about.
Writing
Read the Essay question carefully and be sure that you write about what you are asked.
Keep your sentence simple in Summarize Written Text.
Make sure that you read your summary and get a gist of what is in the passage.
Get your FANBOYS right! Use For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet and So effectively in your sentence
to join ideas.
Write your response within the word limit.
Speaking
Remember that your examiner is a machine, speaking fluently and clearly is the key.
Try to speak at a natural pace and enunciate words clearly.
Try not to speak in a flat tone. Varying your tone while speaking can help you improve your
score.
Keep speaking and don't stop. The microphone automatically stops recording if you stay
silent for 3 seconds.
Try not to rely too much on templates. Use them as a guide wisely.
