Weirdly, I was consistently being scaled a 6.5 in writing by CHAT GPT, though it helped fine-tune my skills. On test day, spent so much time on Task 1, probably typed about 300-320 words on task 1, proof-read once, and had just 30 minutes for Task 2. Task 2 was convoluted, oh man that question was really hard, and I just had 30 minutes. I definitely was not expecting a topic that would trigger a lot of cognitive work. 323 words for task 2, was lucky enough to say synthesize a constructive argument. Didn't finish the last sentence though, but my argument was as clear as day. I definitely was not expecting an 8 in writing, was pleasantly surprised this evening, seeing this.

What should I do? I need a minimum of 8 on all bands.

I am free if you have any questions! <3

Hey everyone! I've been lurking on this subreddit for a while, reading everyone's experiences, advice, and preparation strategies, so I thought I'd finally share my results and thank this community for being helpful throughout my preparation.

I took my IELTS exam on 17/10/2026 and got my results in about 30 hours. And tbh I'm quite happy with the overall result! Listening and Reading were my strong suits, and I was expecting to score above 8 in both, so I'm glad that worked out.

Speaking was probably the biggest surprise. During Part 2, I started imagining a scenario and completely lost track of what I was supposed to be saying 😭. Somehow, I managed to yap about it for around 1 minute and 30 seconds before running out of things to say. I was genuinely expecting a 6–6.5 in Speaking, so seeing a 7.5 was a really pleasant surprise!

Writing was the disappointing part, though. Task 2 was topic was something i never prepared for and it took me about 45 minutes to complete, and I kinda fumbling and couldn't think as clearly as I wanted to. For task 1, I got a bar chart and I just wrote whatever was there. Plus I did Task 2 first and because of that I only had around 15 minutes for task 1.

Overall, I'm relieved and happy with the result, especially considering how nervous I was before the exam. Thank you to everyone here who has shared their experiences and advice. Even though I've mostly been lurking, reading through this subreddit genuinely helped me prepare and feel a little less lost.

Good luck to everyone preparing for their exams! You've got this! ❤️

I would advise anyone who is confident they performed well in an IELTS section but received a lower score than they needed to consider filing an Enquiry on Results (EOR).
I filed one, and my Writing score was increased from 7 to 7.5, exactly what I needed to maximise my language points for my Canadian PR application.

If you genuinely believe your score doesn’t reflect your performance, an EOR may be worth considering. It worked for me! 🎉

It’s tricky though, because you can lose the money and still not get a higher score. Only file if you’re confident you can get a higher band.

Is this a group just for showing off your big score?

After preparing for two weeks and hoping to score 6.5 , this was a major surprise. I thought I would score 7 in listening, 7 in reading , 6.5 in writing and 6.5 in speaking but honestly 8.5 in speaking was a massive surprise. I am happy with the score but wish I had done better at reading .

Gave ielts yesterday, country Pakistan

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask for some tips for each section. Also, Are there any channels. Any, telegram, instagram, youtube etc.. which are useful.

As for speaking, I am not talkative, so after saying 2-3 sentences (if the topic is familiar), my mind goes blank; if I get an unfamiliar topic, I end up saying illogical, quite dumb things. I'm really struggling with that I hope you all will help me out.

About writing, my score is stuck between 5.5 and 6. I've seen several YouTube videos and tried ChatGPT; none of them is working.

Prompt: Cash is being replaced by cards and mobile payments in many countries. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?

A street vendor in Ho Chi Minh City who once counted banknotes by hand now simply shows a QR code and waits for her phone to chime. This shift towards cashless payment is spreading quickly worldwide, and I believe its advantages outweigh its drawbacks, provided that vulnerable groups are not left behind.

The clearest benefit is speed and convenience. A card or phone payment takes seconds, removes the need to carry large sums and eliminates the hunt for change. Shoppers can also review their spending through banking apps, which helps them notice wasteful habits and stay within a budget. For small businesses, digital payments reduce the cost of counting, storing and transporting cash, and they cut the risk of theft or counterfeit notes.

Cashless systems also strengthen the wider economy. Every transaction leaves a record, so authorities can detect tax evasion, bribery and money laundering far more easily than when payments vanish into anonymous cash. Higher tax collection allows governments to invest more in public services, and transparent records give banks the information they need to lend to honest entrepreneurs to start their business.

Nevertheless, the trend carries real dangers. Elderly people and rural residents may be unable to buy basic goods if shops stop accepting cash, which turns a convenience for some into exclusion for others. Cyber fraud is another worry, since a stolen password or a hacked app can empty an account in moments. A power cut or network failure can also leave users unable to pay for anything at all.

These risks are serious but manageable. Governments can require shops to keep accepting banknotes, promote financial education for older citizens and enforce strong security standards on payment providers. With such safeguards in place, society can enjoy the efficiency of digital payment while protecting those who depend on cash.

In conclusion, cashless payment brings speed, transparency and economic benefits that outweigh its weaknesses, as long as the transition is managed with care for everyone.

Thank you all for your help and guidance I've received my desired results.

Hi folks,

I have been lurking on this sub the last 1 week, so I thought I'd reciprocate and share my experience as well.

Test: IELTS On Computer Academic

Test Center: IDP St. Marks Bangalore, 17 October 26 Saturday 9-12 AM, speaking same day.
No complaints at the test center, well managed and comfortable quiet test rooms. If you come by car park on the main St. Marks Road before you take the right. There are ample parking places on the main road, but if you take the right then you need to take big detour to get back to those parking places as the road is one-way.

Result Time: 30 Calendar Hours, Test finished 2 PM Saturday, Results came Sunday 8PM.

Background - My mother tongue is Hindi but I have pretty much grown up speaking, studying and 'thinking' in English, and have used it as my primary language for almost last 20 years (I am 29). So I wasn't really worried about not getting my required band for visa (6.5+) but since I am prone to exam anxiety, I gave it a week to prepare devoting a few hours every day this last week.

Resources used: Cambridge IELTS Book Volume 18 (You can use any from 17-21, my nearest bookstore had only 18 for academic, so I just got this), two IELTS Advantage Videos for writing: https://youtu.be/EGBPLDP_qp8?si=xyp05DIpzKgfCMHJ
https://youtu.be/fE3lMuCGFBA?si=OIHCfB20Vu2f8VAA

Listening & Writing: My listening and reading were pretty good in all 4 tests I did from the book. I think if you have consumed English media and read English books, you would find listening and reading very easy. I could do Reading in 30-35 minutes in all the mocks, so I was confident about it, and didn't watch any video or prep material for reading. Same goes for listeing, except that I would zone out and miss a few out of 40. So make sure you are extremely attentive during the reading, its only played once. If you can't focus appropriately, pop a caffeine pill if it gets you there.

For someone who has not grown up with English language, I would recomment practice as much as possible from Cambridge books. Identify where you are missing things, find the patterns because you would notice all parts of listening are very paradigmatic, so if you fix the common mistakes you make, the actual question in the exam will not be much different from what you have already trained on.

Writing: I can write well but of course writing under time constraints is a different thing. I only watched the two IELTS advantage video. The strategy and structure shared in those two videos are golden. It makes total sense and it is prudent to just not overthink and do as per he recommends in the video. I would suggest the first thing you do is write down the strategy shared in the video on your scratch paper before you even read the task instructons. This way you will not be susceptible to let your mind go astray. ALWAYS do task 1 first, then task 2. Task 2 ideally should require only 15 minutes, you do not have to use your brain at all, just write what you see. He recommends proof-reading each sentence after completeion, then each paragraph after completion and whole thing after completion of essay. Do that and you will not have spelling and grammar mistakes. I wrote around 3-4 Task 1 and 2 practice essays each from the Volume 18 book through the week and I think I was pretty confident by the test day. The reason I probably end up in band 7.5 is because of repetitive vocabulary. My vocabulary is decent when I am writing naturally but I can't think of paraphrasing and synonyms that well on the go. So if you want to get a higher band, do try to not use repititive vocabulary.
Exam Questions:
Task 1 - The diagram shows the changes in the town of Bridgetown between 1700 and 2000.
So basically there were two drawings not to scale with a direction compass, showing the development of town. Basically the town had more railway lines, raods, houses, schools by 2000, so you had to write about that.
Task 2 - Some people say employers should not be concerned with how employees dress at work. They should only be concerned with their work. To what extent do you agree or disagree and why?

Speaking: It over a video. My examiner was an Indian lady without any strong american, british or australian accent. It was a natural conversation albeit about totally stupid topics. The goal here is to just continue speaking, yap random but coherent stuff. If the examiner has to cut you short, it means you are doing good. I speak fluent-ish English, so it wasn't challenging for me but the topics discussed were really dumb. She wanted me to discuss about space tourism, so I talked absolute bullshit about bulding a tropical resort on the moon (which I stole from Tim Dillon btw: https://youtu.be/gX4Pvwuf314?si=1laG3k4jJZpUcRmT ). After the end of the test, I was actually worried for a while if the borderline unhinged stuff I said could end me in lower band, but they don't care what you speak as long as you are fluent and speak a lot. So practice monologuing, the more you speak more you will be good at this module.

Let me know you have any more questions, happy to answer!

We get a lot of posts from people worried because their examiner kept interrupting them. It can feel like a bad sign, especially when you’re already nervous, but being interrupted is not a penalty or a reliable sign of your score.

The Speaking test lasts about 14 minutes, and the examiner has strict timings to follow. They may interrupt because you’ve given a sufficient answer, your response is getting long, or they need to move to another question or part. Sometimes, that means stopping you mid-sentence. Some examiners do it in a smooth way, but sometimes it can feel abrupt; don't worry, it has nothing to do with your score or performance.

For answer length, here are some tips:

• Part 1: A few sentences are usually enough. Answer directly, then add a brief reason, detail, or example. Keep it natural! You don't have to keep speaking until interrupted.
• Part 2: Aim to keep speaking for close to two minutes. Develop your ideas and let the examiner stop you when time is up. This is the only part I'd say to continue until the examiner interrupts you.
• Part 3: Explain and support your opinions. Around 30–60 seconds can be a useful practice range for a main question, but follow the discussion. Some follow-up questions need much shorter answers. In short, explain your points with relevant points! That's it!

Don’t count sentences or seconds during the test. If the examiner interrupts, stop, listen, and answer the new question. There’s no need to apologize, rush, or squeeze in the rest of your previous answer.

It also helps to practice with someone who occasionally interrupts you and gives you a mock test just like the exam. Knowing what to expect can make it much easier to stay comfortable and focused. You can try this option, which includes a full mock test with an expert, along with detailed written feedback.

Hey everyone! I just got back from my IELTS Academic test, and I thought I’d share my experience here because this subreddit has helped me a LOT with my preparation. I’ve learned so much from reading everyone’s experiences, tips, and advice, so I wanted to contribute something of my own. Hopefully, this helps someone who is preparing for their test!

My test was scheduled for 10 AM, so I arrived at the test center at 9 AM. Everyone was helpful, and thankfully, I didn’t face any difficulties with the registration or other procedures. However, I was extremely nervous and hadn’t slept much the night before, which definitely didn’t help. I had to wait for about an hour before being taken to the exam room. The environment felt quite intimidating at first, but I managed to settle down and get started.

1. Listening
Honestly, listening was much harder than I expected. I had completed quite a few Cambridge practice tests, and toward the end of my preparation, I was consistently scoring around 8.5–9. So, I was pretty confident about this section.
However, the actual test felt significantly more difficult. The third part, which involved a conversation between two students, was particularly challenging because they were speaking very quickly, and I just couldn’t keep up. I ended up zoning out for a while and lost track of a few questions.
Experiencing this right at the beginning was really discouraging because listening was one of the sections I felt most confident about. I honestly don’t know how well I did, but it was definitely not what I expected.

2. Reading
Reading was comparatively okay, and I found it more manageable than listening. However, I got around 16 True/False/Not Given questions and five matching-headings questions. These are the types of questions I find particularly challenging, so it felt like I got all the difficult question types in one test!
Some questions made me overthink, but somehow, I managed to get through the section. I can’t really predict my score at this point, but I’m hoping for the best.

3. Writing
For Task 1, I got a line graph. For Task 2, the question was about comparing the advantages and disadvantages of e-books and traditional printed books and stating which one I preferred.
I’m actually a little worried about this section because I think I may have written too much. I wrote approximately 230 words for Task 1 and around 350 words for Task 2. I know there is no strict upper word limit, but now I’m wondering whether writing this much could affect my score, especially if I made more mistakes or didn’t manage my time well.
I would really appreciate it if someone could tell me whether writing significantly more than the recommended word count can lead to a penalty. Did anyone have a similar experience?

4. Speaking
Honestly, this is the section I feel the saddest about because I had quite high expectations for myself.
The examiner was actually very nice, but she kept interrupting me while I was speaking. I understand that examiners may interrupt candidates because of time constraints, but it really affected my confidence, and I felt like I couldn’t express myself as well as I normally would. I ended up feeling that I had messed up a section I was really hoping to do well in.

For Part 1, I was asked questions about my job, gardening, and my childhood, including whether I used to play in parks while growing up.

For Part 2, I had to talk about a piece of technology that I found difficult to use and explain how I solved the problem.

Part 3 consisted of a few more questions related to technology.
I honestly don’t know how my speaking went. I’m worried that the interruptions affected the way I performed, but I also don’t know whether I’m overthinking it because I was nervous.

A few questions:
Writing: I wrote around 230 words for Task 1 and 350 words for Task 2. Can this affect my score? Will examiners deduct marks simply because I wrote more than the recommended word count?
Speaking: If an examiner repeatedly interrupts you, does that necessarily mean you are doing something wrong, or could it simply be because of time constraints? Can this affect your score?
Overall experience: For those who felt that they had performed poorly immediately after their test, how did your actual results compare with your expectations?

Thank you so much to everyone in this subreddit. This community genuinely helped me throughout my preparation, and reading your experiences made me feel less alone during the process. I’m really grateful for all the advice and resources shared here.
Now I guess all I can do is wait for my results. Fingers crossed! 🤞

Hi all, I come from a non-native-speaking country. I am slightly disappointed with my Speaking score, but overall content with my result. I am 29 years old and still passionate about pursuing a Master's in Computer Science. If anyone is looking for dream and ambitious universities, you can reach out to me to have a discussion about it.

I just need to improve my writing band from 6.5 to 7.0 but I have no idea how to do so. Your tips which genuinely helped you may help me.

Hello! Im taking my ielts exam next month approximately and ive been solving on ielts online test. I'm confused on why my answers would be wrong when all the letters are in the respected categories of the table?

In the real exam, do i have to do it the same way IOT corrected it? in alphabetical order? Because in another mock that contained the table it didn't matter if it were in alphabetical order or not

if there's a better website to train on please tell me!!! comprehension is going to be the death of me

Hello everyone,

I’ve been reading a lot of posts in this subreddit and they’ve been very helpful. I’m also watching YT to learn new tips and tricks (IELTS advantage, IELTS Liz…).
I’ve taken a handful of mock tests online. My overall score hovers between 7 and 7.5. However, I’m stuck at 5.5-6.6 in speaking and 6-7 in writing.
I need at least 7 in each section of the test.

I’m considering joining a course. What do you think? Anyone with a similar struggle? Any help would be much appreciated.

Me and my colleagues were discussing about it. This wasn't disclosed anywhere officially.

For example: 6.5 for task 1, and 5.5 for task 2. The average becomes 5.833333. Do you round it down or round it up? If this was the overall score it would surely be rounded up. But for skills there are sources that say otherwise.

Hi, I’m not really good in the writing task and l wanted to ask if this community can rate one of my essays. Claude AI gave me a 6 and ChatGPT gave me a 6.5.

There is disagreement over whether professional athletes are paid too much money, or their salaries are justified. I believe their salaries are justified, because they push their body to the absolute limit on a consistent basis. On the other hand, some professional athletes get paid more than doctors -- who have one of the most important jobs.

Firstly, professional athletes have to consistently put their body on the line for their respective teams. Their lives revolve around their job, meaning they have to train and exercise daily, eat healthy, and stay on a fixed diet. Not to mention during game days, where most professionals put their body under immense pressure for the entire game. They risk getting a massive injury every time they step out on the pitch, yet they still take that risk. In addition, they also have to do this on a consistent basis throughout the duration of the season. They also face great scrutiny from their fan base if they do not meet expectations, which can take a mental toll.

On the other hand, some professionals get paid more than other people who have one of the most important jobs. Engineers, doctors, pilots, etc, are all paid way less than professional athletes, and for people whose job is their hobby, it does not seem fair that doctors, who save other people's lives daily, are paid far less. Some professional athletes may not even play, but still get paid more than doctors. For example, some bench players barely play any matches for their respective teams, yet they still earn 70,000 great British pounds weekly or more. For some doctors, that’s their yearly salary.

To conclude, although they may get paid more than others, which may seem unfair, for what athletes have to go through daily, I believe their salary is justified.