If you are thinking that it's impossible for you to get a high band in IELTS, then it's important for you to read on so you can find out how it is possible.
Q: Is it possible for everybody to get a high band in IELTS?
A: Personally, I believe it is.
I've worked with many students of all different levels and abilities throughout the years, and that has led me to the belief that it is possible for everybody to get a high band. However, I will give some conditions upon which that is possible. It is not something that is easy for everybody, but I do believe that everybody can do it.
There may be a few things that might stop you or that might even help you to get the high band.
Do you need Talent?
Everybody is born with different talents. Some people are good at mathematics (that's not me!) Some people are good at art and some people are good at sport. Everybody knows this, each of us has certain talents, certain areas, in which we excel. Some people are naturally good at language. I'm sure you know people who can learn languages really easily, who can use language very well - that is their talent. When I was at school, I had a natural talent in English (and other languages), particularly in grammar and in writing, and it was what I enjoyed doing. I have two daughters who are artists, and when I look at the way that they can draw and make things, then I'm quite in awe of them because I can't do that. I have another daughter who's a musician. I also studied music as part of my degree, but she's got music on a different level. Finally, I have another daughter who is a professional dancer – again a natural talent - all these skills are natural but they can also be learned.
It follows then that some people are going to be better at language than others. For them, it's going to be easier to get a high band because they have a natural ability. But that doesn't mean that if you don't have a talent in language, you're not going to be able to get the high score because that’s is simply not true.
Blocks to Your Success
The second thing for some people is that there may be some blocks. People, for example, who have problems like Dyslexia, where it's difficult for them to read and write. With those kinds of problems there are ways of helping. In the exam, you may get extra time. I've worked with students who have hearing problems – so obviously when it comes to the listening, they had some difficulty but there are ways of helping such students.
If you have that kind of problem then it's really important that you talk to the test centre so they can offer you help (sitting closer to the sound source, larger print test papers, extra time etc.). I've worked with other students who had some speech problems and sight problems but again, there are ways of helping. By accessing the help available, there is no reason why high bands can’t be achieved in your IELTS exam despite any ‘blocks’.
There is a saying ‘Where there’s a will there’s a way.’ When there's an absolute necessity, people will do what they have to do. So, if you need the IELTS, there is an incentive there for you to really work at it, to learn all the skills well. This leads me to my final point, which is perseverance, practice and consistency. These are the three things which will ensure that you can get those high bands.
Perseverence, Practice, Consistency
A lot of people give up with IELTS and believe that they can't do it. It's not possible for them because they are missing one of those things. They either don't persevere; they give up too easily or they don't practise enough or they lack consistency consistent. Being consistent is at the heart of IELTS practice. In order to get consistency in your scores, you have to practise a lot. Also, in order for your bands to improve, your practice has to be consistent – namely regular.
Think about other skills that you might have learned. For example, riding a bicycle. I'm pretty sure the very first time you got on that bike you probably fell off several times. But to master riding your bicycle you had to keep going until you could do it. When children learn to walk, they fall down all the time, but it doesn't stop them. They don't fall down and say, oh, that's it, I'm not going to try anymore. They keep going because it's a necessity, it's something that we all have to do in our lives. Actually, it's very important that small children, fall over because every time they get up, they strengthen their muscles. It's a little bit the same with learning any new skill you need to strengthen those memory and skill muscles.
Another skill you might have learned is driving. I'm pretty sure you didn't get in the car and drive off the first time!! You had to learn how to drive that car, how to understand the road, how to manage the traffic. Or cooking - we're not born knowing how to cook. We learn it because it's essential. We need to know how to cook in order to feed ourselves. Some people are better at it than others because they have a natural talent. But all of us will learn to cook if we have to.
These are all skills that you build on, that you get better at. The more you do it, the better you become. With all these ‘life skills’ you make mistakes, you try again and finally you achieve. You don’t stop and say, okay, this is not for me! We will learn these skills because we have to learn them.
It follows therefore that if you have to do the IELTS, and if you have to get high band, what will drive you to achieve it is, firstly, the necessity of having to do it, and secondly, the three things I mentioned:
Perseverance - don't give up - all of us have language and all of us have language at a high level - we can replicate that with English.
Practice - regularly, just imagine with your own language, if you had never used it, you wouldn't be proficient. It's exactly the same with English. You have to keep practising if you want to get to a high level.
Consistency - make sure you do this often and regularly and if you're getting band 5 today, band 7 tomorrow, band 6 next week then it's not consistent, it's random. If it's random, you can't guarantee what's going to happen in the exam. Regular practice will help you be consistent in your results.
Therefore, in answer to the question I posed, 'Can everybody get a high band in IELTS?’ I firmly believe the answer is YES.
How long it will take you depends on your talent, if it's something you're good at it will be quicker, but if it isn't something that you're good at and you find it a bit of a chore, then you're going to have to persevere. But if you're prepared for that, then there is absolutely no reason why you cannot get a high band in the exam.
Certain things can help you.
- Having somebody to check your work to explain how to get the band you want
- Having good techniques for each of the parts of the IELTS exam
- Having feedback and support on all aspects of IELTS
If you want help with any of those things, the way you can do it is to join my IELTS Champions Club.
Follow the link to find out how you can join:
https://ieltslearningtips.com/ielts-champions-membership/
Everybody can get Band 7 or 8 in IELTS - but it depends how determined you are.