How I Studied to Get 8.5 in IELTS Academic Reading and Listening
Table of Contents
- Top
- Reading
- Reading During Commute
- Reading Problems in Class
- Reading Game Scripts
- Listening
- Anime Listening
- Listening Problems in Class
- Western Music Listening
- Prime Reading
- Grammar and Vocabulary
- School Lessons
- BBC Learning English
- Ultimate English Vocabulary
- Other Tips
- Read from the Beginning
- Learn English in English
- Don't Overthink It, Just Do It
- What I Was Conscious of During the IELTS Test
- [R] Read the Questions Carefully
- Take an Interest in the Topic
- Know When to Give Up
- [L] Read the Questions First
- Conclusion
In the last IELTS Academic test I took, I scored 8.5, almost a perfect score, in Reading and Listening.
However, I wasn't sure what had worked, so I reflected on what I did during my studies in Australia.
I'll also mention what I was conscious of when solving the test problems.
I hope this article will be helpful as a hint for studying.
Reading
Reading During Commute
For the first month, I commuted 40 minutes by bus, and for the remaining five months, I commuted 15 minutes by train.
Since I had a pay-as-you-go mobile plan, I couldn't browse Twitter, so I read on my tablet instead.
The books I read were HEAD STRONG and No Game, No Life vol.1,2, recommended by Pink-haired Senpai (<a href="http://blog.hatena.ne.jp/necojackarc/" class="hatena-id-icon">id:necojackarc</a>).
HEAD STRONG has easy vocabulary but a large volume, which helps build endurance.
On the other hand, No Game, No Life is challenging in terms of vocabulary, which helps improve inference skills.
When reading, I highlighted unknown words and skipped them.
I just wanted to understand the overall content.
It's a good idea to memorize highlighted words separately, but I didn't do it. Maybe someday.
Reading Problems in Class
In class, we read A4-sized texts (about 1-2 pages) and answered questions.
After entering the IELTS course, we used actual IELTS problems, so there wasn't much change.
Basically, we were given texts at our level, so if we could understand them all, it was fine.
If we were to proceed on our own, it would be difficult to choose the right level of difficulty, but I think it's good to choose texts where we can understand 70% or more of the vocabulary and grammar.
It's essential to fill in the gaps in our understanding, especially grammar.
In IELTS, even a small mistake in understanding can affect the overall flow, so it's crucial to find and fill in the gaps quickly.
Occasionally, we had speed-reading classes where we read at our maximum speed and answered questions.
This helped me balance speed and accuracy.
According to our teacher, it's essential to set records and try to surpass our limits every time.
Reading Game Scripts
ADV (visual novels) are often associated with Japan, but there are many excellent English works, and more are being created.
I recommend "To the Moon" and "Finding Paradise".
These games have many medical terms, so they're a bit challenging.
If you want to try reading English game scripts, "The Witch's Isle" is also a good choice.
Listening
Anime Listening
I read a blog and watched all episodes (S1-S4) of Steven Universe.
The American accents and fast speed made it challenging at first, but getting used to it by the end made it easier to understand.
It took about twice the time to finish, but it was worth it.
I watched it with subtitles at first, but later without them.
The story was very interesting, so I recommend it even if you're not studying English.
I also occasionally watched RWBY, which I had seen before.
RWBY Chibi is still being updated.
Steven Universe and RWBY are similar in difficulty, so you can switch between them.
Additionally, I watched Japanese dubbed anime on Netflix, but be aware that the quality of Japanese dubs is not guaranteed.
I watched "In This Corner of the World", "Violet Evergarden", and "Fate/Extra".
Note that Netflix's subtitles are not reliable, so use them only for review.
Listening Problems in Class
This was similar to reading problems in class.
At first, we had short listening exercises (about 1 minute), and later we used actual IELTS problems.
Western Music Listening
I did gap-filling exercises with song lyrics, which were challenging.
Choose songs with slow tempos and familiar melodies at first.
Recently, I've been listening to Ed Sheeran, Pharrell Williams, and Maroon 5.
Sia and Katy Perry are also good choices.
Older songs like Billy Joel, The Cure, and Eagles are also good.
Cindy Lauper is also a good choice.
Gap-filling exercises with song lyrics are challenging, but they help you get used to natural sounds and are a good way to study.
Prime Reading
Prime Reading is a system that offers free access to selected titles every month.
There are also English learning books available, such as "[Free Audio Download] English that Makes You Cry: Good Stories".
This book has good pronunciation, but the vocabulary is too simple, so it wasn't suitable for IELTS listening practice.
There are many other titles available, so it's a good way to study efficiently.
Grammar and Vocabulary
School Lessons
This was the most important part.
We had lessons on topics like movies and transportation, which helped me solidify my vocabulary.
We also had weekly tests, which helped me memorize the material.
BBC Learning English
This is an online English learning resource provided by the BBC.
It's free and of high quality, so it's a waste not to use it.
The course function is well-designed, and you can progress step by step.
I used the Upper-Intermediate course, but you can find a course that suits your level.
The listening videos are challenging, so try to get used to British accents.
Ultimate English Vocabulary
I bought an app to learn the SVL Vol.3 vocabulary recommended by ALC.
At first, I tried to memorize the words in card format, but it was difficult, so I listened to example sentences during my commute.
I'm not sure if it was effective, but it's a good way to memorize vocabulary.
Try to focus on listening.
Note that the Android version of this app is very weak and crashes easily.
Also, you can't resume playback from the middle of a category, and the app's usability is poor.
It's a shame because the example sentences and audio are excellent.
Other Tips
Read from the Beginning
When reviewing, I realized that I didn't understand the content and couldn't read quickly.
Make sure to read from the beginning of the text.
Learn English in English
Translating English grammar into Japanese limits your access to resources and can lead to context switching, making it inefficient.
Use BBC Learning English to learn grammar and vocabulary in English.
This applies not only to grammar but also to other areas.
Try to exclude Japanese as much as possible.
Don't Overthink It, Just Do It
There are individual strategies for Reading, Listening, and other areas, but ultimately, you need to practice all skills, including Speaking and Writing.
Try to balance your studies.
What I Was Conscious of During the IELTS Test
I'll mention a few things I was conscious of during the test.
[R] Read the Questions Carefully
In IELTS, the questions are usually in the same order as the text.
Read the questions carefully, including the previous and next ones, and then answer them.
Also, there's more time than you think, so take your time to read and understand the content.
Take an Interest in the Topic
If you think it's someone else's problem, your inference skills won't work.
Try to enjoy reading and listening, and your concentration will improve.
Fortunately, IELTS topics are often academically interesting, so you can enjoy them.
Know When to Give Up
There are times when you're stuck or the speed is too fast.
Don't get stuck on one question; move on to the next one.
Especially in Listening Part 3, if you get stuck, you'll lose a lot of points.
Try to grasp the overall flow and move on.
[L] Read the Questions First
Knowing the questions beforehand makes a big difference in your answers.
Try to read the questions as much as possible during the explanation and predict the answers.
Conclusion
I listed my study methods for Reading and Listening.
I also mentioned some tips that might be helpful during the test.
As I mentioned earlier, practicing Speaking and Writing also helps with Reading and Listening.
Try to balance your studies.
