Tag: pronunciation

Band 9 Decoded

Have you ever wondered what goes behind these bands? What does the British council means when it says you got a band 9 or a band 7? What is the difference? Why do we want to be in band 9 or a band 8? And more importantly what does it takes to be in a band 9? What skills I you require?
Well, you are right. Certainly, there are some skills required if you want to be in band 9. There are rather three parameters on which you are checked. So without further ado, let’s begin.

FLUENCY AND COHERENCE

You are required to speak fluently with only rare repetition or self correction. Although there could be some hesitation, but that is content related rather than to find words or grammar. You are expected to develop topics fully and appropriately.

LEXICAL RESOURCE

A band 9 uses vocabulary with full flexibility and precision in all topics. A band 9 uses idioms most naturally and accurately. You must use full range of structure naturally and appropriately. Band 9 posses’ characteristics of a native speaker. What do you mean by the characteristics of a native speaker? Well a native speaker would use structures more accurately and more precisely.

PRONUNCIATION

The best way to judge if you have good pronunciation or not is whether the examiner can understand you without any efforts. So, you have to work on that. Speak in a way that people can understand better. More importantly, a band 9 speaker ought to maintain the fluency throughout i.e. pronouncing words should not bother them.

So go on, work hard. More importantly work smart. Don’t work on things that shouldn’t bother you in IELTS. Work on the above parameters. And remember, if you decide to get a Band 9 in IELTS, you surely can.

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What Is Band 8 ?

I want to get a Band 8 in IELTS ,fly high and achieve whatever I want to. I want to live my life the way I want to and not the way others want it to be like. Going abroad is going to be the first step towards it. And I want to take the first step with pride. Did you just repeated whatever I said? Is living a life of awesomeness a dream of yours? Do you want to get a band 8 in IELTS? But then do you know what does band 8 stands for? What skills are required to be a Band 8?

Well, if living a life you have dreamt for makes you push a little harder. Go on, read this and make the necessary efforts to live your dream.

Now, lets assume that Avinash is a band 8 guy!

FLUENCY AND COHERENCE

Avinash speaks fluently with only occasional repetition or self correction. But then it does not mean you are super human. There may be times that Avinash hesitates, but that is usually content related and only rarely to search for language. Avinash develops topics clearly and appropriately.

LEXICAL RESOURCES

A band 8 has a wide vocabulary and isn’t afraid to use it. So, if you want to be a band 8 improve on your vocabulary. Express feelings, situations in a better way. Although a band 8 usually uses less of common phrases and may be less skillfully. But then that is because there is a band 9. Other than that a Avinash can use paraphrases as effectively as is required. A positive point for Avinash is that he/she produces a majority of error-free sentences with only occasional inappropriacies or basic/non-systematic errors.

PRONUNCIATION

Avinash uses a wide range of pronunciation features. The most important thing he/she is easy to understand.

So, what are you waiting for? If you want to be Avinash, if you want to live your dreams, go on and get a band eight in IELTS.
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What is Speaking Section #IELTS

Fluency,Grammar,Vocabulary,Pronunciation

Speaking section takes place in the first part of the IELTS. This section is common for both the general as well as the academic aspirants. Similar questions are asked to both of them and wrap up in at most five minutes. It starts with an introduction. First, the examiner introduces himself/herself and then asks for your introduction. Questions concerning you are asked in this section. They are usually about your growing days? Or may about your academics or your family? There may be some queries regarding your favorite sports or food? Questions about your work also pop up.
Now, what does the examiner looks for, while asking these questions

FLUENCY

What the examiner is trying to find out here is whether you can make some effective conversations or not. So, avoid using filler words like “umm” or “aaaa” while speaking. When the examiner checks for your fluency they also check whether you start from some topic and end in there or you wander.

VOCABULARY

You must have heard that a person vocabulary tells the mental growth of the person. So work on your vocabulary. Avoid using words with less rank. E.g., good, bad, okay. Rather use may be fantastic, disappointing, excited etc.

GRAMMAR

When the examiner checks for your grammar they don’t just see whether you used the tenses in a correct way. They also consider whether you make use of all the tenses or are you just stuck with one.

PRONUNCIATION

Make sure you always pronounce the word in the correct way. Why do they check this? To make sure that you are able to make meaningful conversations with people in their country. So make sure you pronounce correctly.

Remember, you are marked equally on all of them. So, focus on all of them. Go into the room with confidence. Be friendly and you surely will come out with success on your shoulders.

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