The very best way to keep motivated is to see progress and the best way to see progress is to practise regularly and keep a log of your progress – it’s amazing to look back and see how far you’ve come. You may not recognise this if you don’t monitor what you are doing.
Ironically many of my students tell me after a few lessons that the reading tests I am giving them are easy. In actual fact they are all generally the same level but the truth is that the students are actually achieving higher marks but haven’t yet realised this and assume that the tests are easier than others 😊 – when you focus hard on an area and have the right strategies and techniques then this is bound to happen.
By keeping a record of your progress and looking at the specific areas where you still make mistakes, you can begin to work on those areas and slowly everything will move forward and your scores will begin to get higher.
It is important nonetheless that you have the right level of English generally for your band. If your vocabulary is lacking then this is an area to improve and if you find the passages very difficult to understand even with lots of time to spend on them then it could be that your overall level of English needs to be improved.
You can do this by taking some general English training or going through some general English course books. The truth is that the better your English overall the easier the IELTS will be and the higher your score. Don’t be like the student who told me a few years ago:
“I know that my English is not good enough for Band 7 and that I should learn more general English but I don’t have time for this because of studying for IELTS”
What can I say? 😊
If you go to the free resources page of my website you will find a study plan all ready for you to use where you can record your study and your results and then monitor this – it will really help to keep you motivated and moving forward.
https://ieltslearningtips.com/free-ielts-resources/
Another fantastic way to keep motivated is to study with other people. This support can be invaluable when preparing for your exam. If you have friends around you who are taking then exam then why not study together? If you don’t then find an online group to join – perhaps a Facebook group where you can ask questions or share experiences. If this is led by a teacher or someone who can guide you well then it will be a great place to hang-out for help and support. When you know that other people are on the same journey as you and you are not alone it can help to keep you moving forward and help greatly with your study.
To that end, I want to let you know that I have started a brand new IELTS Facebook group - IELTS Band 7 and 8 Success Network. It’s specifically aimed at Band 7 and 9 students and we’ll be using it as an IELTS community for you to meet, share ideas, experiences and get tips and advice from me. It’s a private group but any IELTS students can join so if you want to be a part of this go here and request membership:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/522215755202117/
I really hope you will join me and get more help and support.