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How long will it take me to get Band ‘X’?

Home » How long will it take me to get Band ‘X’?

By Ruth Chambers 19 Comments

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Do you need to prepare for the IELTS exam but have no idea how long it will take you? Perhaps you fear that you’re running out of time before your exam?

This article will help you determine the amount of time you should spend preparing for your IELTS exam and outline exactly how you can implement your plan of action.

But before we begin, I want you to imagine a scenario for me…

***

Imagine that you have been feeling sick for some time and need to get better.

You don’t know what the problem is.

You’ve posted questions on Facebook, watched videos on YouTube, but there is so much conflicting and confusing information available that you can’t find the answer anywhere!

So you finally decide that it’s time to see a professional.

When the day arrives, you walk into the doctor’s office, take a seat and ask:

‘Doctor, how long will it take for me to get better?’

In reality, the doctor will always reply:

‘That depends – I need to know what’s wrong, first!’

***

The exact same principle also applies to IELTS preparation.

No IELTS expert can tell you how long it will take to achieve your desired score if they don’t know anything about you.

Below, I will list 8 questions you MUST ask yourself if you wish to determine how long it will take you to prepare for the IELTS exam:

how-long-will-it-take-me-to-get-a-band-7 - How long will it take me to get Band 'X'?

Give yourself the time to think about these questions and then record your answers on a blank sheet of paper or document. It’s important that you complete this task because your answers will indicate how much work you have left to do. This should only take around ten minutes or so. I’ll include an example answer sheet below:

ielts-how-long-will-it-take - How long will it take me to get Band 'X'?

Now what?

Once you have recorded your answers, you should review and annotate them. Unfortunately, I can’t do this for you!

You will need to look for ‘telltale signs’ that indicate how much time you will need to spend studying. For example, if you answered ‘NO’ to questions 6-8, it is likely that you should factor in extra time to do some research.

You can use the key below to determine how much time you will need to get your required score:

  1. How is your general English?

Answer this one honestly. There is no shame in saying ‘my general English isn’t great’!

However, you should know that your general English skills will impact the time it takes for you to prepare for the IELTS exam.

If your general English is weak, you will need to learn the rules behind grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, all of which require TIME and practice to improve.

If your general English is strong, your main focus will be improving your exam skills, which will require far LESS TIME.

  1. Where are you now and where do you need to be?

Another way to phrase this question is: What is your current band score and what is your required band score?

The larger the gap between your current and required scores, the MORE TIME it will take you to prepare for your test.

  1. When is your exam?

If you have already booked your test, it’s important that you are realistic with your expectations. For example, expecting to complete your preparation in just one month will damage both your confidence and your perception of the IELTS exam. The IELTS exam isn’t difficult if you know what you’re doing!

If you haven’t booked your test yet – GOOD! You are in a very favourable position. My advice to you would be to set a realistic deadline by which you should complete your studies. Once you hit this deadline, you must ask yourself – ‘Am I confident that I can get the score I need?’ If the answer is ‘no’ then you should spend more time preparing.

  1. How much time can you spend studying each day?

This will impact the overall amount of time it will take you to complete your IELTS preparation. For example, an individual that can spare 4 hours of study per day will achieve their IELTS goals in a much SHORTER PERIOD OF TIME than a student that can only study for 30 minutes a day.

  1. What are your specific weaknesses?

Remember: weaknesses are specific reasons that prevent you from getting the score you need. It’s up to you to identify your individual weaknesses so that you can tackle and improve them in time for your exam.

This will both speed up the preparation process AND make it more effective.

If you have lots of weak areas, you will need to spend MORE TIME preparing for your IELTS exam.

I would recommend prioritising your weaknesses in order of the most difficult. Ranking each area of difficulty will help you determine the areas that you should spend the most time on.

  1. Do you have a positive mindset?

A positive mindset is more than just ‘looking on the bright side’.

In my experience, the pupils that achieve their required score the QUICKEST are the ones that view criticism as constructive, feedback as valuable and mistakes as opportunities to improve.

  1. Are you using reliable materials?

I speak about the importance of using reliable materials constantly. The reason for this is simple: there is nothing more frustrating than seeing a student’s progress handicapped because they depend on poor quality materials with inaccurate information or misleading advice.

Using reliable materials will help you achieve your IELTS goals much QUICKER.

Watch the video lesson below for some advice on finding reliable IELTS materials:

  1. Do you have a strong strategy?

It’s important to be strategic while preparing for your IELTS exam; many IELTS students waste their valuable TIME searching for ‘tips’, ‘tricks’ and ‘secrets’ that they think will boost their score.

Unfortunately, the only thing that will improve your score is hard work!

***

Once you’ve determined how long it should take you to get your required score, you need to make a plan of action. You might also know this as a study plan or a revision schedule.

In my experience, the best way of creating a study plan is by using your answers from the questions above. This information can essentially be transferred into a study plan.

Below I have drawn out a sample study plan based on the sample answer sheet I provided above.

NOTE: this study plan is just an example and is not suitable for your own use. It’s important that your action plan suits your needs and weaknesses. I found the template by Google searching ‘March calendar 2019’ – you can do the same, draw out your own or use the calendar on your phone. Whatever works best for you.

Image-from-iOS-12 - How long will it take me to get Band 'X'?

By comparing the sample answer sheet with the timetable above, you will notice that:
  • The answer sheet told me that I had 5 weeks and 4 days before my exam. Therefore, I scheduled IELTS preparation into my calendar for every single day until the test. This might not seem realistic, but it’s important that you don’t miss a day, even if you begin by studying for just a small amount of time. You can gradually increase the time slot, the most important thing is that you’re always moving forward with your progress.

 

  • The study plan I made begins with the specific areas of weakness that were outlined on my answer sheet. This tactic is beneficial for many students, as it prevents them from being overwhelmed when their exam nears, as it means they can revise material they’re comfortable with instead of trying to learn a new and difficult topic.

 

  • One of the weaknesses written on my answer sheet was vocabulary. To address this, I incorporated regular slots of time throughout the week dedicated to vocabulary, as it isn’t a weakness that can be fixed overnight. These sessions should never consist of reading through a dictionary or memorising a long list of words, as there are plenty of ways to enjoy widening your vocab range. You can read about them here and here.

 

  • Note that my study plan includes slots of time dedicated to engaging with and learning from feedback. This is an incredibly important part of IELTS preparation, as gaining feedback from an IELTS professional is the most reliable form of identifying your weaknesses and monitoring your progress.

 

  • Finally, don’t skip anything. If you don’t complete a topic in the time you allowed yourself to complete it, return to and finish it. Trust me, you don’t want to take the risk of ‘hoping’ that a certain topic or question type won’t appear.
If you do take part in this activity, make sure to let me know how it goes. You can either let me know in the comments below or send me an email at chris@ieltsadvantage.com.

Alternatively, if you’re wondering whether it is worth the time or effort to create a study plan, you should watch Daniela’s story below. She struggled to get the help she needed to improve her writing before following the structure of our VIP Course. She then studied the modules every day, submitted her writing and learned from her feedback before getting the score she needed in the time she had available – a band 7 in just 2 weeks.

 

 

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About Ruth Chambers

Ruth here from IELTS Advantage!

I'm a Student Success Manager and help the team out by replying to your questions over email and social media. I also create blog posts for the IELTS Advantage website like the one above, making sure that you get the answers and attention you deserve.

If there's anything you need from myself or the team, please feel free to send us an email. We're always happy to help.

Ruth Chambers
Student Success Manager
ruth@ieltsadvantage.com

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Ruth ChambersKatherineGowthamUchechukwu Florence OnwuliRajitha Bitla Recent comment authors
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Katherine
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Katherine

Thanks for the above information, it is very helpful for me to plan my study plan. I’m going to sit for the IELTS in maybe 4 weeks later, the university I applied for gave me a conditional offer that I need to achieve Band 6.5 overall and all elements band 6.0 at least. However, in my first attempt, I scored a band 5.5 in my writing. The overall is 6.5 though. I realized I was lacking enough vocabulary to express and elaborate on my ideas. Grammar is also my weakness… I spent too much time generating ideas in writing task… Read more »

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25 days ago
Ruth Chambers
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Ruth Chambers

You’re very welcome, I’m glad my article was able to help you out.

Good luck with your exam! Please feel free to reach out to our team if you’d like expert IELTS guidance or feedback on your work. You can contact us here: chris@ieltsadvantage.com

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17 days ago
Gowtham
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Gowtham

Hi
Thanks for the info it very useful for me and people who really want to achieve Band 7 or above.
Writing and speaking are my greatest weakness that I should focus on , Is there any thing that I can do to improve.
Coming to speaking Part I will get nervous and I will speak too fast so that others can’t really understand me ,is there any technique that I can improve my speaking slowly and clearly.

Thanks in advance

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2 months ago
Ruth Chambers
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Ruth Chambers

You’ll find help with improving your speaking skills here: https://www.ieltsadvantage.com/speaking/

However, if you’d like feedback from our IELTS teachers or the chance to take part in a mock exam, please send our team an email: chris@ieltsadvantage.com

Thanks!

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1 month ago
Uchechukwu Florence Onwuli
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Uchechukwu Florence Onwuli

Thanks for this information Chris. I have 2 months before my exams. Have been thinking of how to make a time table for self study but it was difficult for me. This item is such a great relief. The exact format for my type for vocabulary improvement is one of my aims. Keep it up. May God bless your effort.

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2 months ago
Ruth Chambers
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Ruth Chambers

Thanks for your kind words, I’m really glad you found my article useful!

If there’s anything else we can do to help you, please feel free to email our team at chris@ieltsadvantage.com. We’re always happy to help!

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2 months ago
Rajitha Bitla
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Rajitha Bitla

need a score of above 6.5 or atleast 6.5 overall score so frank to say that iam week in specially in reading and writing so if u can help me or suggest me and I hope it!!

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2 months ago
Ruth Chambers
Author
Ruth Chambers

No problem, we’re happy to help you out! You should try our free IELTS Fundamentals course. When you join, you’ll get strategies for the four sections of the IELTS exam, practice questions and answer sheets. Here is the link to sign up:

https://my.ieltsadvantage.com/

Let me know what you think of it. 

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2 months ago
Carol Fonseca
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Carol Fonseca

best tips ever

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4 months ago

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