You Too Can Ace IELTS | Score Band 8 In All Sections…!

You Too Can Ace IELTS | Score Band 8 In All Sections…!

Samuel Francis Gills Published:
August 11, 2023

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is an internationally accepted system for evaluating English language abilities in the four skill areas (ListeningReading, Writing, and Speaking) for non-native speakers intending to study or work in an English-speaking country like Canada. The General IELTS test is designed to assess a candidate’s practical ability to apply English in practical situations.

If an individual is applying for Canadian permanent residency, General IELTS must be taken. It meets the language proficiency requirement standards of IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada) as it is compliant with the CLB (Canadian Language Benchmarks). A good IELTS score can have huge impact on the immigration process.  This article talks about how to get a good band score.

Overall band score calculation

Before we go into the techniques for attaining a band 8 in each section, let us take a look at how the total band score is computed.  The average of the four component scores, rounded to the nearest whole or half band, is used to get the overall band score. The Listening, ReadingWriting, and Speaking assessments each have four component scores, and the four component scores are equally weighted.

The overall band score will be rounded up to the next half band if the average of the four parts ends in “.25”, and to the next full band if it ends in “.75”. Additionally, the total score will be rounded down if the average score contains a fraction that is less than “.25” or “.75”.

How do you get 8 in each band?

IELTS Listening section: in the IELTS Listening test, you will hear audio recordings played to you, and you will be asked questions about what you heard. There will be a total of 40 questions on this test, divided into 4 sections with 10 questions each. In order to achieve a Band 8 in listening, you must:

  • Obtain a score of at least 35 (Band 8.0),
  • Obtain a required score of 37 (Band 8.5),
  • Free of grammatical errors, and
  • Follow the word count.

IELTS Reading section: in the Reading test, you will be asked to read multiple texts and then complete a set of tasks for each text. There will be a total of 40 questions on this test, which is divided into 3 sections and has a range of question formats. If you want to get a Band 8 in reading, you must:

  • A minimum score of 37–38 out of 40 (Band 8.0),
  • A minimum of 39 out of 40 (Band 8.5),
  • Follow the instructions given and answer accordingly, and
  • Develop good reading techniques to complete tasks on time.

IELTS Writing section: the Writing test will have two tasks. However, keep in mind that Writing Task 2 is worth two times more than Writing Task 1. Therefore, be vigilant and do not spend more than 20 minutes on Task 1. Four criteria (task achievement, lexical resources, coherence and cohesion, and grammatical range and accuracy) will be used to evaluate your response, and each one is worth 25% of the overall writing marks. In order to get a Band 8 in writing, you must:

  • Answer both questions using the minimum word count,
  • The response should be organized,
  • Make sure to spell everything correctly, and
  • Good vocabulary range without overuse of the same phrases.

IELTS Speaking section: for the Speaking Test, you’ll have a conversation with the examiner during which you’ll be evaluated on your ability to speak on any random topic. There are three parts included in the test. Four criteria (fluency and coherence, usage of lexical resources, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation) will be used to evaluate your response, and each one is worth 25% of the overall speaking marks. Therefore, if you want to get a Band 8 in Speaking, you must:

  • Speak confidently, and without pause,
  • Use a variety of connecting words,
  • Pronounce clearly and accurately, and
  • Make use of language that is free of errors.

Contact us for personalized IELTS Training. Check out Owlspriority Immigration’s Canada Settlement Resources to learn about finding employment in Canada, making your initial days stress-free, etc.

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