1.Band 7 and 8 is not easy to achieve. Here are the statistics:
- Over 3.5 million people take IELTS in a year
- The average test score worldwide is Band 6
- Most universities ask for 6.5 or 7
- Most professional bodies require Band 7.5
- Most immigration departments ask for 8
Therefore a lot of people who want Band 7 and above and do not reach this band
2.On average, IELTS writing scores reach 6.5 or below
- Only 26% get band 7 and 7.5
- Only 17% get band 8
- Only 4% get band 8.5
- Less than 1% get band 9
So, doing it by yourself reduces your chances of a high band
3. If you want to reach high bands you need to give yourself the very best chance
- It’s possible to reach a high band in listening and reading but it will take time
- It will take even longer to reach a high band in speaking unless you have reliable speaking partners
- If you don’t have a chance to speak regularly this reduces
- It’s almost impossible to reach band 7 in writing by yourself unless you have a strong English language background and even then it may not happen
I know several native speakers who have not achieved band 7
4. Most good schools recommend around 2 to 3 months to increase your score by half a band
- This is working with teachers!
- It can be quicker working one to one with a teacher
- But, by yourself it will take longer
- Doing it completely alone might,
- Cost more
- Take much longer
- Delay your plans
- Cause you to lose confidence
And some IELTS students just give up in the end
5.Getting support from an IELTS expert teacher will help you
- It will make the process faster
- It will reduce the ‘trial and error’
- It will give you more confidence
- It will give you more certainty
- It will save you money in the long run (taking lots of tests will add up and the time it takes will cost even more!)
Makes a lot of sense