Plan to Score High on the IELTS

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Develop Persistence and Focus to score high on the IELTS


Persistence is not allowing anything to stop you from achieving a goal or pursuing an activity once you start it unless it's something really severe. For that you need to maintain discipline and develop vision. In this post, I give you three tools to develop vision, and focus. Using them you should be able to persist until you reach the desired outcome.

1) Make a checklist of your job hours, (timings), commuting or driving time, gym or dance class and whatever else it is that you do. Post it where you can easily find it, and fit the IELTS practice work into your day, for 45 minutes to an hour at least 5 days a week. You know we all spend our time on activities in one of four ways, by working on:

o urgent and important things

o urgent but not important things

o important but not urgent things

o not important and not urgent things


When something is urgent, you rush to do it. When something is important, you prioritize it. Everyday we are coping to manage urgent and and important tasks simultaneously. Urgent means it requires immediate attention. Urgent and important is the NOW stuff! Turn off the gas, stop the baby crying, go to your class so you don’t miss it, go to work on time, go to the doctor if you are coughing badly or some pain is not going away, make the payment for your rent/society dues, electricity, mobile phone if one or more are past due.

Urgent but not important things, means you must not avoid these tasks, such as paying bills (mentioned above), paying income tax, or making your life/car insurance payment, but it can be done later, before the deadline. Important has to do with results: important activities contribute to your mission, values, and high priority goals.


2) Imagine it is two (or more) years from now and we are looking back. We have accomplished many of the things that are important to us. What picture do you see in your mind that represents that accomplishment? If you’re a visual type of person, make a drawing or a poster and look at it. That ‘ll help you keep your vision in mind.

3) Write a Mission/Vision statement for what you see yourself doing two years from now and list the activities and sub-activities

1. What action is to be taken?

2. So what first –second –third-fourth -fifth step actions do you have to take to get to that picture in your Mission statement?

3. Who will be involved?

4. How will they do it?

5. When will the action be taken?

6. Where will the action be taken?

7. What resources will be required?

8. How will the success be measured?

9. What follow-up action will be required?

So from your answers to the Question in No.3, especially Point 2, you can make your list of important tasks. Points 3 to 8 will help you to map out how to accomplish No.2, and for No. 9 you can set your own review date, for every three months from the time you write your Mission statement.

You might have several steps to take for Point No. 2. There might be a diploma course, certification class, IELTS class, applications to make etc. For each major step, do Points3-9 separately then. This might take a little while, but it is better than getting overwhelmed later thinking, “I have to do this and that and this and that and the other..help..I don’t know where to start and what to do!!!”

Whenever you can, IELTS students, test-takers check out the websites below for listening practice. It will help you a great deal for the entire IELTS test; especially Listening test and the Reading Comprehension section. You’ll be ready. Listening to these new stories is going to be really helpful to build your vocabulary, get used to accents, and for general comprehension. There are audios, videos and written stories- No, it isn’t given in the test format but it is presented in a very simple and attractive way. (In the actual IELTS Listening Test you would have about 30 minutes to listen to 4 sections, and complete 40 questions).
All the best for your English learning plan and IELTS Test!

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