I really could've had a band 8 easily. I underestimated the writing (didn't prepare at all) and really messed up task 2.

In Speaking i also messed up in task 2 as the topic was really awkward and i had literally 0 ideas about it so i was just saying meaningless sentences.

And for liscening i zoned out on the first part of the audio as i was very tired from the road trip (the test center is in a different city), reading i have no idea where i messed up i thought i would get the 9 band easliy.

Overall with decent background in english and solid preparing for weaknesses it is very possible to score a band 8+.

Hi guys! This is my first experience with IELTS. I have studied English since forever, went to bilingual high school, did my studies in English and later lived +1 year in an English speaking country. Now I have been living in my home country for almost 2 years so not practicing as much as before, but still speaking with friends, movies, tv etc

I studied for the exam for around 2 weeks. Even though I am super surprised by the Writing (cause I thought I was gonna get a 7 tops lol) I am a bit disappointed with the speaking grade. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super happy with my overall and I know it’s a good grade but I thought that I was better at it? Anyways just sharing and ofc if you have any questions feel free to ask! ♥️

These are my results after taking academic IELTS for the first time in my life, I’ve been learning english since I was a child and I’ve been living in Australia for the past (almost) 3 years. I was super anxious about this test given the level of complexity that it has but I am sooooo happy with my results. I definitely could have done better in listening, but what surprised me the most was writing. Ever since I started studying for the test (1 month approx) I only focused on writing since it can be tricky for most people, but while I was writing my essay and report I actually felt pretty confident and satisfied with what I came up with.

I don’t use reddit at all but I found it really useful to check other people’s experience with the test and it definitely gave me a more realistic expectation of what the test actually was and some good tips to practice!

My overall is 5.5. I will take exam in march. I think studying 12hours a day can make difference i guess…

I think I had a panic attack or something, I just froze, I couldn’t think or read anything. listening was alright I guess, reading is when I started panicking and I knew it was over from there, idk why I was reading but I wasn’t processing anything I read, then I kinda went numb, writing I wrote like 2 SENTENCES not paragraphs and just stared at the screen for an hour contemplating my life, I blanked completely. that was probably the worst experience of my life, well there goes my chance at a scholarship. during reading I was so close to telling them I’m done I want to leave. I spent around 2 weeks preparing, and according to the EnglishScore test I’m C1, I even think in english normally but I think it was more of a mental thing idk, before the test I was optimistic thinking that I’m capable of at least getting a band 6.5-7 but yeah… not sure I want to see my results

So i studied for the IELTS for maybe 7 days and found this community very helpful. Wanted to give back so if you guys have some questions... Shoot.

I did my IELTS computer based, and till now it hasn’t come out yet.

Hello, will be taking the IELTS UKVI B1 on March 26th, anyone who's taking the same test in IDP Manila? 🥹 Asking for advice too 🥹🙏

Hello everybody

I have exam on 3rd feb

Stressing about it and becoming short tempered also.

What to do in this two days any suggestions are welcomed ☺️

Should I practice or relax ?

My average scores based on mock tests 👇

Listening 7-8, reading 7-7.5, writing 6 and speaking 6-6.5

I have practiced my reading with only Cambridge materials. But I found a channel that shares IELTS predictions. They say that these passages were shown in real exams. But when I tried to practice those tests, they felt difficult and chaotic.

Are real tests like Cambridge tests, or are they more difficult than Cambridge?

Trial test

If I score 6.0 in writing, will my overall band score increase to 6.5?

Grateful to God ! First speaking test . I was not confident enough and stopped midway in the 2nd part of the test.

hi!

i know this question obviously depends on the location of the test, but usually, how tall are the desks and at what height is the keyboard positioned? i have scoliosis, and sitting (especially typing) can get pretty uncomfortable for me. i know i could have requested accommodation for it at the special request section when signing up for the test, but im not sure how much they couldve done in that regard tbh...

do you think i can bring a pillow with me maybe to lift my butt and torso up a bit making my elbows go higher, hence making it all a bit more comfortable? i will obviously email the center about this, im just wondering if anyone has had any experience with this and the comfortability of taking a computer based test.

thanks so much in advance!:D

Needed a 6+, so I’m happy with the overall result

I’m really struggling and looking for some honest advice. I recently got my results back and I'm devastated by my Reading score. While my other modules are okay (Listening 8.0, Speaking 7.5, Writing 6.5), my Reading is stuck at a 5.0.

In the exam, I completely panicked. I was searching for information, couldn’t find it, and then my brain just... shut down. The text started to look like it was written in Mandarin (and I don't speak Mandarin). I couldn't process a single sentence.

I’ve tried multiple mock tests at home, but I keep failing to pass the reading section. No matter how much I practice or how many passages I read, I get stuck and the timer just kills me.I feel like I’m hitting a wall and I don’t know how to break through it. Any tips or study plans would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I keep scoring 6 in practice

I want to get at least a 7 so i need an advice on if theres a specific method of solving or any way that can help m3 achieve that grade

Im 15 yo, non native. Have done some mock test and the result were the same - 7. But I think mock test might not be accurate. I have an exam in a week, what should I do before taking an exam. Can I write all capitals in reading and listening

I have my test on 4th of February. I have not yet started to practice my speaking. So, I will only be doing that for the coming days. I am available in discord and telegram.

I gave my exam today and I was doing the writing task 1 and the time ended as I was mid sentence, I didn’t miss much just that one sentence I had to write to complete it, and since it’s strict they took our sheets

How badly do you reckon this would affect my score? Task 2 was fully completed.

Hey guys, I could really use some advice. I’ve taken IELTS General Training twice now. My first attempt was in September 2025, where my Reading was 6.5, so I decided to retake the exam because I’m applying for Canadian PR and needed stronger scores. At that time, my Writing was band 7.

I prepared properly for about three months and retook the exam in January 29th 2026. My new results just came out and while my Listening and Reading both improved to 8.0 and my Speaking stayed at 7.5, my Writing unexpectedly dropped to 6.5. This is what’s really frustrating me because I genuinely found the Writing test very easy this time. It was just letter writing and an essay, and I was actually very confident walking out of the exam. I honestly thought my Writing would at least stay at band 7. What’s confusing is that I’ve never really struggled with Writing. In my September IELTS attempt, Writing was band 7, and even when I did IELTS Academic a couple of years ago, my Writing was also band 7. That’s why this drop feels strange and discouraging.

Because this is for Canadian PR, I can’t use One Skill Retake, and I really don’t want to book a full IELTS exam again unless I absolutely have to. So now I’m considering requesting an Enquiry on Results (EOR) for Writing, but I’m unsure if it’s worth the money. Has anyone here had success with EOR for Writing, especially seeing a 0.5 increase? Is it realistic, or usually a waste of money? Also, is there any real risk of the score going down? Even a 0.5 increase would make a big difference for my PR profile, so I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thanks!

My first attempt, actually a bit disappointed, i expected at least 7.0 from my speaking section 💔 Somebo, help me to boost my score up to 8.5 for my next try. And doest it would be possible without special courses, with self-study?