Posted on 26th March 2018 by New College Group

Tips For Learning English When Studying For The IELTS

It’s not exactly easy to study English, which is why many get the tailored tuition and help needed by enrolling on an English speaking course at NCG. Many of our students wish to go on and apply to a UK university, and to do that they need to pass a certain score in the IELTS test.

To achieve the desired score you will have to speak English well, but before you start the course, we do have some top tips to give you a helping hand in achieving English fluency…

Know that English is difficult to learn

It’s worth just accepting the fact early, that English is one of the most weird and difficult languages to try and get your head around. The language has many distinct patterns in grammar, but often the rules seemingly seap away and make no sense whatsoever.

Words can be spelt the same but be pronounced entirely differently depending on if they’re in the the past or present tense, plural words can often be inconsistent, e.g. “mice” is plural for “mouse” but the plural for “house” is “houses.” And it’s probably best not to even go into strange synonyms and illogical idioms right now!

English is littered with rule breaking inconsistencies, which can leave you getting stuck trying to learn how to speak it properly. By focusing on the strange exceptions and finding a clear reason for everything – you’ll make your journey to fluency a whole lot easier.  

Remember the importance of listening

It’s always essential to listen closely to native speakers whenever you’re learning a new language.

Keep in mind though that as you listen to understand what specific words mean, also try and listen to exactly how the person says them. Take note of how they link certain words together in a sentence, along with any particular inflections, or contractions.

Remembering the little details and copying how the person pronounces their words can all help you to sound more natural. It’s not always easy to understand native speakers, due to factors like, speed or strong accents – but sticking with your listening learning can definitely pay off.

Make sure to immerse yourself

If you study English for an hour or two every week, or every other week – it’s never usually going to be enough for you to make any real positive progress.

The best way to ensure you progress quickly is by diving in deep, and finding the time to practice for a few minutes every day. Immerse yourself in the language, by studying it, listening to it, reading it and speaking it. Don’t shy away from the difficult bits, challenge yourself by taking them on, and make the language a part of your daily routine.

Log your language journey

Get yourself a log book, or even create a file on your phone or computer, so that you can document your learning. Make notes on the definitions of words that you find tricky, and write down every time you learn something new.

Having a comprehensive log to read over and look back on will not only allow you to reflect on your progress, it will also make it easier for you to reinforce new vocabulary.

Positivity will improve progress

Get yourself in a positive frame of mind, and you’ll be surprised and how much of a difference this can make to your learning. Thinking of yourself as someone who speaks English well will really improve your confidence, and help you use what you already know more effectively.

Try to stop constantly translating every conversation in your head and instead focus on thinking in English. Take risks and don’t be put off if you happen to make mistakes, as mistakes just give you more opportunities to evolve your learning.   

At NCG, we want to help you learn English the best way at any one of our English schools – and if you’re looking for help to prepare for your IELTS or simply need to get your English learning up to exam preparation level, then we have the ideal courses for you.