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Why Are IELTS Test Takers Worried?



IELTS has turned out to be  a nightmare for many test takers since April 2018.

Please note that  my comment is based on the experiences of IELTS  candidates from India

Earlier, getting a 7 in writing was an uphill task for most people.

Scoring a 7 band was another problem for many test takers.

The latest development is that Reading left many candidates confused in May and June, 2018.

Many of the test takers feel that IELTS is   tougher than other tests.


My students ask me whether it is true.


Answers:


1. There is no change in the  pattern and level of  difficulty of Writing Task 1 (Academic & General).
2. Task 2 questions of the Academic test  change ( approximately) every 10 days.
    Earlier,  four or five  questions were repeated for one month.
    Now, Task 2 questions which  appeared on the test 2 or 3 years reappear more frequently.
    Do not expect this week's questions to appear on the test next week.
 
 3. One out of every 10 task 2 questions is a new question but there is no reason to panic.
     Task 2 Questions change but the topics do not change.
4.  Answers to Reading questions used to follow an order. It meant that you could locate
     the answers one after the other, from the beginning to the end. It followed an order.
     But now, at least 2 questions skip the order.
     It means some answers can be found in  a shuffled order - one below and the next one just above
     that. Apart from that, Reading remains the same.


HAPPY NEWS

1. The  level of ( the difficulty of) Speaking questions remains unchanged.

2. Candidates who took the LRW  tests of both IDP and British Council this week felt  quite                    comfortable with the questions.
















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