Fix Your IELTS Problems

I read too slowly

Don’t read every word. IELTS Reading tests whether you can find information and understand it accurately, not whether you understand every word.

Skim first to build a map. Read quickly to find the main idea of each paragraph. You only need to know where things are.

Then scan and read closely. Scan for names, numbers, dates and key words. When you find the right place, stop and read that part carefully.

➡ Related lessons: Skimming · Scanning

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I can’t find the answers

Know what you are looking for. Underline the key words in the question, especially names, places, dates and key ideas.

Expect different words. The text often says the same thing in other words. “A rise in prices” might appear as “costs increased”.

Check the evidence. When you find a possible answer, read the sentences around it and make sure the meaning matches exactly.

➡ Related lessons: Understanding Paragraphs – Free · Scanning

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I confuse FALSE and NOT GIVEN

FALSE means the text says the opposite. If the statement contradicts the passage, it is FALSE. If it agrees, it is TRUE.

NOT GIVEN means the text doesn’t say. If there isn’t enough information to decide, the answer is NOT GIVEN. Don’t use your own knowledge.

Watch the small words. All, some, always, often, only and first change the meaning. One small word can turn TRUE into NOT GIVEN.

➡ Related lessons: Free TFNG Check · True, False or Not Given? · Yes, No, Not Given

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Matching headings and summaries confuse me

Headings: look for the main idea. Read the first and last sentences of the paragraph. The heading sums up the whole paragraph, not one detail in it.

Summaries: check the grammar. Does the gap need a noun, a verb or an adjective? Singular or plural? That rules out many options.

Respect the word limit. “No more than two words” means two words or fewer. Copy the spelling exactly from the text.

➡ Related lessons: Matching Headings · Summary Completion

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I run out of time

Read with a purpose. Skim, scan, then read closely only where the answer probably is.

Don’t get stuck. If a question takes more than about 90 seconds, guess, move on and come back later. One hard question can cost you three easy ones.

Practise with a timer. Allow about 20 minutes per passage, and notice which question types slow you down.

➡ Related lessons: Full Reading Test – Free · Reading First Aid Kit – Free

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I get answers wrong

Answer the real question. Read the instructions carefully and check the word limit. Finding the right place is not enough if you misunderstand the task.

Expect paraphrase. IELTS tests whether you recognise the same meaning in different words.

Don’t trust matching words. An option that repeats words from the text is often a trap. Ask, “What exactly does the text say?”

➡ Related lessons: Intensive Reading · Multiple Choice and Matching

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Unknown words stop me

Decide if the word matters. Ask, “Do I need this word to answer the question?” If not, keep reading.

Use the context. Examples, explanations and contrasts nearby often show you enough of the meaning.

Look at the word parts. Un- often means “not”, and -tion usually makes a noun.

➡ Related lesson: Unknown Words

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I can’t keep up with the recording

Move on when you miss an answer. The recording doesn’t stop. Guess, move on and come back later if you have time.

Read ahead. In the preparation time, underline key words and predict what kind of answer you need: a name, a number, a place or a reason.

Let the questions guide you. The answers come in order. If you get lost, find the next question and rejoin there.

➡ Related lessons: Form and Note Completion – Free · Listening First Aid Kit – Free

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Numbers and spelling lose me marks

Listen for corrections. “It’s fifteen… sorry, fifty” is a favourite trick. The last number you hear is usually the answer.

Practise the letters people mix up. Say A, E and I, G and J, B, P and V, and M and N aloud until you hear the difference.

Check the details. Look for double letters, plurals and the word limit. “Double s” means ss, and “oh” often means zero.

➡ Related lesson: Part 1: Numbers and Letters

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Maps confuse me

Find where you are first. Before the recording starts, find the entrance or the “You are here” point and say the directions to yourself.

Learn the direction words. Opposite, next to, behind, at the end of, on your left as you come in. These carry the answers.

Follow with your pen. Trace the speaker’s route on the map as they talk, so you don’t lose your place.

➡ Related lesson: Part 2: Maps and Grammar Checks

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I understand but choose the wrong answer

Wait for the full idea. Hearing a word from the question doesn’t mean you’ve found the answer.

Listen for changes. Speakers often change their minds. But, actually, in the end and rather than often come just before the real answer.

Expect distractors. Several options may be mentioned before the speaker chooses one. Wait for the final decision.

➡ Related lessons: Part 2: Matching · Part 3: Matching

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Multiple-choice questions confuse me

Compare the options first. Underline what makes each option different. Then you know exactly what to listen for.

Expect to hear more than one option. An option can be mentioned and still be wrong. Listen for whether the speaker accepts or rejects it.

Eliminate, then decide. Cross out options that clearly don’t match, then compare the last two carefully.

➡ Related lessons: Part 2: Multiple Choice · Part 3: Multiple Choice

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I don’t recognise the answer when I hear it

Predict before you listen. Look at the words around each gap and ask, “What kind of information fits here?”

Listen for meaning, not the same words. “A reduction in price” in the question might be “the cost has fallen” in the recording.

Use grammar clues. Does the gap need a noun, a verb, a number or a plural? That tells you what to listen for.

➡ Related lessons: Part 4: Lecture Notes · Flow-charts, Tables and Diagrams

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I lose concentration

Listen with a purpose. Read ahead, underline key words and know what you are listening for.

Recover quickly. If your mind drifts, don’t think about what you missed. Look at the next question and rejoin.

Build your stamina. Listen to podcasts or talks in English without pausing. Start with ten minutes and slowly increase the time.

➡ Related lessons: Listening First Aid Kit – Free · Guided Practice Test

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My Task 1 score is low

Write a clear overview. Two sentences, early on, that give the big picture: the main trend and the biggest or smallest item. Without an overview, Task Achievement is usually capped at 5.

Select, don’t list. Choose the important numbers and compare them. You don’t need every figure.

Describe, don’t explain. No opinions or reasons. Just report what the chart shows.

➡ Related lessons: What Makes a Good Task 1 Answer? · Task 1 Writing Essentials

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I keep repeating “increase” and “decrease”

Change the grammar, not just the word. “Sales rose sharply” can become “There was a sharp rise in sales.”

Add size and speed. Slightly, steadily, dramatically, peaked at, levelled off. Pick five you are sure of and use them well.

Accuracy beats variety. One correct, natural phrase scores better than three unusual ones used wrongly.

➡ Related lessons: Language of Trends · Task 1 Sentence Builder game

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I don’t know how to compare the data

Group similar items. Put items that behave the same way in one sentence rather than going one by one.

Use comparison language. Twice as many as, the highest, slightly lower than, whereas, while.

Back each point with a number. Every comparison needs one or two figures from the chart to support it.

➡ Related lessons: Comparatives and Superlatives · Comparing Population Data

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Maps and processes are hard

Use the passive. “A car park was built” and “the leaves are dried” are the natural way to describe changes and processes.

Follow the order. Describe a process from start to finish, and a map from one area to the next.

Use sequence words. First, next, after that, once, finally for processes. Was replaced by, was extended, was demolished for maps.

➡ Related lessons: Task 1 Maps · The Passive in Task 1

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General Training: my letters

Decide the tone first. Formal, semi-formal or informal? It depends on who you are writing to.

Cover all three bullet points. One paragraph each. Missing a bullet point is the most common way to lose marks.

Match your opening and closing. Dear Sir or Madam goes with Yours faithfully. Hi Sam goes with Best wishes.

➡ Related lessons: Letters – Free · Complaint Letters · Informal Letters

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I’m stuck on Band 6

Answer every part of the question. “Discuss both views and give your opinion” needs both views and a clear opinion.

Develop your ideas. One idea explained well, with a reason and an example, beats three ideas in one line each.

Drop memorised phrases. Examiners notice lines like “In this day and age”. Plain, accurate English scores better.

➡ Related lessons: What Makes a Good Task 2 Answer? · Writing First Aid Kit – Free

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I don’t know how to start my essay

Analyse the question first. Find the topic, the focus and what the task asks you to do. Answer every part.

Plan before you write. Choose two or three main ideas and a reason or example for each. Five minutes of planning makes the whole essay easier.

Keep the introduction short. Paraphrase the question and make your position clear. Two sentences are enough.

➡ Related lessons: Understanding the Question – Free · Task 2 Essay Types

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I run out of ideas

Ask who is affected. People, governments, businesses, the environment. Then ask why for each one.

Choose your two best points. You don’t need every point, only two you can explain well.

Know the common topics. The same topics come up again and again, so think about them before the test.

➡ Related lessons: What Comes Up in IELTS – Free · Task 2 Strategies Using AI – Free

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My ideas are not organised

Give each paragraph one job. Decide what each body paragraph will say before you start writing.

Start with a clear topic sentence. Then explain it, support it with a reason or example, and link back to the question.

Use linking words carefully. Don’t put one in every sentence. Good organisation comes mainly from ideas that follow logically.

➡ Related lessons: Paragraphs and Cohesion · Linking Words

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My sentences are too simple

Combine ideas that belong together. Use because, although, while, if and so that. Don’t make sentences longer just to sound advanced.

Mix your sentence types. Add some relative clauses and comparisons along with short, clear sentences.

Develop, don’t decorate. Add a reason, a result or an example to make a sentence more informative.

➡ Related lessons: Building Better Sentences · Relative Clauses

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I run out of time

Do Task 2 first if it helps. It’s worth twice as many marks. Spend about 40 minutes on it.

Use the same routine every time. Analyse, plan, write, check. With practice, every stage gets faster.

Leave three minutes to check. Look for articles, plurals and verb endings. These are quick marks.

➡ Related lesson: Writing First Aid Kit – Free

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I get nervous and my mind goes blank

Remember it’s a language test. The examiner checks your English, not your opinions. There’s no “right” idea.

Have a few thinking phrases ready. “That’s an interesting question, let me think” sounds natural and gives you a few seconds.

Make speaking normal. Answer questions aloud, record yourself on your phone or practise with AI. Short, regular practice builds confidence.

➡ Related lessons: Speaking First Aid Kit – Free · Speaking Practice with AI

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I don’t know what to say

Develop one idea. Take one point and explain it, give a reason or add an example.

Ask yourself why, when, where, who or how. You can also compare the past with now, or add a personal example.

Give a true, simple answer. A real detail from your life is easier to talk about than an invented one.

➡ Related lesson: Speaking Part 1 – Free

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I run out of things to say in Part 2

Use your minute well. Note one or two words for each point on the card, not full sentences.

Add how you felt and why it matters. These two always give you more to say.

Tell it as a story. What happened first, then, and in the end keeps you talking naturally.

➡ Related lessons: Part 2: How to Plan and Speak · Part 2: Four Card Types

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Part 3 questions are too hard

Give an opinion, then a reason. “I’d say… mainly because…” is a simple pattern for any abstract question.

Talk about people in general. Part 3 is about society, not just you. Use many people, young people, in my country.

It’s fine to think aloud. “It depends” or “That’s a tricky one” is natural, as long as you go on to explain.

➡ Related lesson: Part 3: Discussion

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My answers sound memorised

Learn phrases, not whole answers. Know how to start, give an example and finish, then fill in your own ideas.

Use everyday spoken English. To be honest, I’d say, that’s a tricky one sound natural. Written phrases sound stiff.

Answer the real question. Examiners notice when an answer doesn’t quite fit what they asked.

➡ Related lesson: Natural Phrases

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I speak too slowly and hesitate

Find out why you pause. Record a one-minute answer. Are you searching for an idea, a word or the grammar?

Speak in phrases. Fluent speakers use ready-made phrases, not one word at a time.

Stop translating. Translating whole sentences in your head causes long pauses. Use simpler English you can say directly.

➡ Related lesson: Fluency and Coherence

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I worry about my pronunciation

Aim to be clear, not British or American. You don’t need a particular accent. Focus on the sounds that cause misunderstanding.

Notice stress and rhythm. Copy short sections of real English and record yourself.

Practise in sentences. Say difficult words inside useful phrases, not alone.

➡ Related lesson: Pronunciation Essentials

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I make grammar mistakes

Find your repeated mistakes. Most marks are lost on a few repeated errors: articles, plurals, verb tenses and subject–verb agreement. Work on one or two at a time.

Correct it yourself first. When a teacher or AI marks an error, try to fix it before you look at the answer.

Control before range. Clear, accurate sentences score better than complicated sentences full of mistakes.

➡ Related lessons: Articles · Grammar Lessons

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I mix up my tenses

Ask when, and is it finished? Past simple for finished time, present perfect for a link to now.

Learn tenses in phrases. “I’ve been working there since 2020” is easier to remember than a rule.

Combine tenses naturally. “I used to play football, but recently I’ve been watching more cricket.” This kind of sentence shows range.

➡ Related lessons: Present Perfect or Past Simple? · Grammar Tenses lessons

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I need more complex grammar for Band 7

Use a few structures well. Relative clauses, conditionals and the passive cover most of what you need.

Make it fit your idea. Use a structure because it says what you mean, not to show off.

Check it’s accurate. A complex sentence with a mistake doesn’t help your score.

➡ Related lessons: Relative Clauses · Unreal Conditionals · Higher-Level Grammar

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My vocabulary is too limited

Learn words that go together. Reduce emissions, a heavy workload, public transport. Write your own example sentence.

Learn by topic. Build useful language for education, work, health, technology and the environment.

Use it to keep it. Choose a few new phrases each week and use them until they feel natural.

➡ Related lessons: Say It Better game – Free · Vocabulary Lessons

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I keep using the same words

Paraphrase on purpose. Practise saying the same idea two ways. It helps in all four skills.

Swap plain words. Very big can be huge or enormous. Good can be beneficial or worthwhile.

Refer back instead of repeating. This, these, such, the former avoid repeating whole phrases.

➡ Related lessons: Referencing Words · IELTS Games

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