Are you preparing for your IELTS test?  Do you need a high band score for immigration or study reasons? Perhaps you have already taken the test and didn’t get the band score you wanted? Take one step closer to getting a band score of 7 (or better) by reading our tips.

You can practice all the tips below through our free IELTS practice tests.

How to get a band score 7 for the Writing section

One of the most common issues that people have is improving their writing band score.  Before you start, the first thing to do is to understand how to achieve a level 7 by reading the band descriptors.

IELTS writing band descriptors part 1

If you want to get a level 7, you will need to make sure you are covering all the requirements for this band score.

• Task achievement – present a clear overview describing the main trends (Academic test). Describe the main purpose of your letter and cover all the bullet points (General Training test).
• Coherence and cohesion – logically organise your information and use appropriate transition words
• Lexical resource – show a range of vocabulary and knowledge of less common lexical items
• Grammatical range and accuracy – produce a variety of complex sentence structures and error-free sentences

IELTS writing band descriptors part 2

• Task achievement – present a clear position in your essay and support your main ideas
• Coherence and cohesion – logically organise your information and use appropriate transition words. Have a main idea in each paragraph.
• Lexical resource – show a range of vocabulary and knowledge of less common lexical items
• Grammatical range and accuracy – produce a variety of complex sentence structures and error-free sentences

How to get a band score 7 for the Speaking section

Check out the band score descriptors and look at the section for level 7.

IELTS speaking band descriptors part 2

Fluency and coherence – speak at length without noticeable effort or loss of coherence. Use a range of connectives and discourse markers with some flexibility.

Lexical resource – use vocabulary resource flexibly to discuss a variety of topics. Use some less common and idiomatic vocabulary and shows some awareness of style and collocation, with some inappropriate choices. Use paraphrase effectively.

Grammatical range and accuracy – use a range of complex structures with some flexibility. Frequently produces error-free sentences, though some grammatical mistakes persist.

Pronunciation – show all the positive features of Band 6 and some, but not all, of the positive features of Band 8 (see the band descriptors for more information!)

How do I increase my chances to get a level 7 for writing and speaking?

Read our blogs to get more information on how to prepare for your Writing and Speaking sections.

Find out more about IELTS General Writing Task 1

Find out more about IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

Find out more about IELTS Writing Task 2

Find out more about the IELTS Speaking section

How to get a band score 7 for the Listening section

Your band score for the Listening section depends on how many correct answers you get out of 40, so it is important that you take a practice test to see where your current level is. Once you have done your test, calculate your score.  In general, you will need to get about 30 out of 40 to get a level 7.

How to get a band score 7 for the Reading section

For the Reading section, the marks you need to get a level 7 depends on the type of test you are taking. For the Academic test, you will need to get between 30 to 32 out of 40 to get a band 7.  For the General Training test, you will need approximately, 34 to 35 out of 40. This will change from test to test so these scores are a guide only!

How do I increase my chances to get a level 7 for listening and reading?

Work on your weaknesses

If you only practice the skills you are already good at, then you will tend to get the same score during your practice tests.  Make sure you look at the answers you got wrong.  Do you see a pattern emerge?  Do you have problem with a specific section? Make sure you practice these sections.  If you do, you will see your overall band score increase.

Overprepare

It is best to overprepare before booking your test.  This means that if you are averaging 29 or 30 out of 40 in your practice Listening test, then practice a bit more.  You want to average a few marks more than you want. This way if you miss a few marks on test day, you can still get the score you need.

Answer all the questions

Make sure you answer all the questions.  If you don’t know the answer, guess it! Never leave any blank spaces on your answer sheet as you do not lose marks for an incorrect answer.

Challenge Yourself

When you practice for the Reading section, give yourself less time than you would normally have in the test. Set the timer for 50 or 55 minutes.  This will make sure you are focused during the practice run.  Also, you will feel like you have more time when you take the real test (when you get 60 minutes).

Find out more about how to improve your listing score by reading our IELTS Listening Test blog.

Find out more about how to improve your listing score by reading our IELTS Reading Test blog.

Want to know more about IELTS in Canada?  Visit the IELTS Canada homepage.

Ready to book your test?  Find an IELTS test date near you.