MOCK IELTS
WHY DO A MOCK IELTS?
When a student completes the mock IELTS test, the current skills level of each student is determined and a training program is then prepared according to his/her own needs. This allows the student to receive the preparation required before the actual IELTS test is taken.
SPEAKING
WRITING
LISTENING
READING
Speaking
The test is administered by a mock IELTS examiner who will ask questions from all three sections of a speaking test and will evaluate the responses of the student according to the criteria set in the speaking band descriptors (Grammar, Pronunciation, Vocabulary and Coherence)
Writing
The student is to complete a writing task 1 report and an essay within the hour time limit. The mock IELTS examiner will mark the writing responses and provide a score according to the criteria set in the writing band descriptors (Task response, Vocabulary, Coherence and Grammar)
Listening
The student will listen to a full recording of an IELTS practice test and will be provided with a band score according to the number of correct answers given.
Reading
The student is to complete the reading exercises by reading all 3 passages and answering the questions within the hour time limit. The band score is calculated according to the number of correct answers given.
LANGUAGE ANALYSIS IS DONE
The gap between the mock IELTS score and the target average band score is calculated for each of the four skills. The number of hours required to achieve the target are calculated according to the difference in the current score and the target.
In order to achieve 1 band higher score overall, a total of 200 study hours are recommended.
For example:
The student achieved a band 4.5 overall score and the overall target to achieve is band 7:
| Mock IELTS | Difference to target | Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 4.5 | 2.5 | 138.89 |
| Writing | 5.0 | 2.0 | 111.11 |
| Listening | 5.5 | 1.5 | 83.33 |
| Speaking | 4 | 3 | 166.67 |
| Overall average | 4.5 | 2.5 | 500 |
A total of 500 hours is needed to achieve an additional 2.5 band overall score.
Some of these hours will be spent in the classroom or online with the teacher but most of the hours will be spent by the student doing homework assignments and additional practices at home.
One IELTS course is usually 12 hours of teacher training and the progress of the student is reviewed after each course to determine how many additional teacher training hours are required in order to reach the target band score.
TRAINING PROGRAMME IS DEVELOPED
An experienced teacher is assigned to the student and a training programme is developed according to the specific individual needs of the student. The teacher considers the current level of the student for each of the four skills and then develops the IELTS preparation course based on these particular needs.
STUDENT DOES THE IELTS PREPARATION COURSE
The student is required to attend lessons (in class on site or online) and to complete all homework assignments.
The IELTS preparation lessons are designed to teach the students the strategies in order for them to further develop the four skills. Practical examples are done together with the student and they then practice and produce each of the exercises, with continuous support and feedback from the teacher.
An overview of the course content is as follows:
Students are provided with strategies on how to answer all three sections of the speaking test. They are shown how to expand on their answers and how to use appropriate vocabulary, idioms and extreme adjectives related to the various speaking topics.
The strategies for improving grammar, fluency and coherency when speaking are also provided and the student is assessed after each speaking practice, with feedback given on how to further develop speaking skills.
Listening strategies are provided and students are shown how to identify the correct answers for all of the different types of listening questions. IELTS listening practices are conducted and feedback is given to the student after each practice to identify the reasons for the answers.
Students are taught how to effectively answer all of the following different types of questions in the reading passages:
- True, False or Not Given
- Matching paragraphs to a list of headings
- Identifying missing words
- Multiple choice answers
- Matching information to a paragraph
- Matching statements or arguments from the passage
Practical examples are done with the student to show them how to identify the correct answers and he/she will do further practices for homework. The answers are then checked in the following lesson, with reasons provided to the student and further assistance provided as needed.
The writing band descriptors are explained in detail to the student and they are shown how to:
- Develop an efficient task response to each of the writing tasks
- Have sufficient grammatical range and how to reduce grammatical errors
- Use a wide range of vocabulary appropriate to the topic
- Develop a coherent, logical response to the tasks
Clear strategies are provided to show the suggested structures for each task.
For writing task 1 exercises, students are taught how to write the introduction, overview and body paragraphs in response to the following various types of questions:
- Charts, graphs or tables – how to compare and describe numerical data
- Diagrams – how to describe a process from a diagram
- Maps – how to describe and compare information presented on maps
For the writing task 2 exercise, students are shown how to:
- plan for the essay
- write the introduction
- develop ideas into paragraphs and how to expand on main ideas in each of the paragraphs
- write an effective conclusion
The teacher will evaluate each of the writing assignments and provide feedback to the student on how to improve writing skills according to the set criteria.
A progress test is conducted by the teacher prior to the completion of the course and feedback is provided to the students and parents on what has been achieved by the student, with recommendations on any further training that may be required.