Advantages of Selecting IELTS Dates in Advance and Guidelines

Students who wish to pursue education abroad must appear for IELTS, an English proficiency test that assesses four essential skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. However, it is vital to prepare beforehand by solving mock question papers and going through solved samples. This can provide an insight into the marking structure, exam format and the type of questions that appear.

The British Council and IDP have already published the IELTS test dates. Students can check the IELTS test dates and start preparing accordingly. They must adhere to the following guidelines while preparing for IELTS to help achieve a high band score.

Advantages of Selecting IELTS Dates in Advance

Candidates must register for the IELTS exam well in advance. It has a multitude of benefits, as highlighted below:

• Practising mock tests helps one ease the exam structure and questions. The student will be confident before the final exam, knowing what questions may come.
• One can revise those sections that one may not be confident about. Furthermore, they can keep revising now that they know the time before the exam.
• One can allocate time according to the level of preparation. Besides, selecting the IELTS test date in advance helps streamline the application process.
• As the dates are chosen in advance, candidates can craft their Statement of Purpose accurately and add the necessary pointers required for it to be selected. One can rework it and focus on writing it without stressing about registering for IELTS.

Guidelines to Keep in Mind

Candidates must keep the following documents handy while registering and on the day of the exam:

• They must carry their valid passport and a passport-sized photograph.
• There must only be a pencil, an eraser, and the passport on the test taker’s desk.
• Candidates must not carry electronic devices, and they must be switched off. It must be placed with the other personal belongings and kept outside the exam hall.
• They must sign a health declaration and wear face masks at all times.
• They must also carry their hand sanitisers.

IELTS Dates 2022

First and foremost, candidates have to register for the IELTS exam. They can check the IELTS test dates while registering as well. The steps are mentioned below for easier understanding:

Step 1: Navigate to the IELTS website.

Step 2: Select ‘Register for the Test’ on the tab.

Step 3: Select your mode of preferred test: computer-based or paper-based.

Step 4: Select whether you want to opt for Academic or General

Step 5: Navigate to the tab ‘Select location’.

Step 6: Select the five universities where you want to send the Test Report Form.

Step 7: Once the process is complete, you will find the list of upcoming dates for the exam.

Step 8: Once test fees are paid, take a printout of the acknowledgement receipt

Tips for the Exam

Many students find IELTS challenging due to the time constraint of the exam. If one is not prepared enough, one may not score well. However, candidates must follow these tips diligently:

• If the headphones are not working, raise your hand immediately
• Read the questions before the exam commences
• Listen to the recordings attentively as they will be played only once
• Take notes on the answer booklets and hear for keywords
• Make sure to transfer the answers to the booklet within the stipulated time
• Write in capital letters
• Use the skim and scan technique for the reading section
• Do not make spelling errors
• Use a wide range of vocabulary as it will be required for all the sections of the IELTS exam.
• Write both writing tasks 1 and 2 within the allocated word count
• Make sure not to take long pauses
• Focus on the usage of tenses and sentence construction

Candidates can schedule their IELTS exam following the university intake. With the help of IELTS exam dates, this process mentioned above will be streamlined. However, they should use resources and materials to achieve a high band score.