Common Myths About The IELTS Exam Debunked

The IELTS exam is the most popular language proficiency exam in the world. Each year thousands of students take the exam as part of their university admission or immigration requirements. If you are one such prospective test taker, then you probably have already heard or read a lot about the exam. in this article, I aim to dispel some of the common and popular myths about the IELTS exam, that are actually untrue.

#1 You Have To Have A Native Accent

During the IELTS exam, your accent is not assessed. It is your pronunciation that matters. Most people are unaware that pronunciation and accent are actually two different things. The examiner assesses how well you use the correct intonation, word stress, and pace of speech. In fact, if you attempt to mimic a foreign accent, you might end up making more mistakes since it is not your natural manner of speaking.

#2 The Writing Section Is the Most Important Section

While it is true that most people consider the writing section to be the toughest part of the exam, it is not the most important. All four skills i.e. Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing contributes equally to your overall score.

This is especially true since a number of institutions and organizations have minimum requirements for each individual component as well as your overall score.

Therefore you need to pay as much attention to your preparations in these three areas as you do for writing.

#3 The Passing Score For IELTS Is Band 7.0

There is no passing mark for the IELTS exam. the grading system is just a scale that measures a test taker's level of language proficiency with 9 being the level of a native speaker of the language and 0 representing a person who does not speak English. Most immigration authorities and universities require a certain overall band score and a minimum score for each individuals component. This varies from institution to institution and it is not always a band 7.0. In fact, in some cases, the required scores can go all the way up to an 8.5. The owner is on the candidates, to check with the relevant institutions about the required score.

#4 You Need To Be Knowledgeable On A Wide Range Of Topics In Order To Score Well

In the IELTS test, your content is not assessed. As long as your responses are generally topic-related. The examiners are interested in your language skills and have you communicate with whatever little knowledge you have.

I have seen plenty of tests in which test takers have had brilliant ideas but have failed to score well because they kicked the vocabulary and grammar skills to sufficiently communicate their skills.

Now that you have a better about what the IELTS exam is really about, you can now move forward with your IELTS preparation.