Lindsay McMahon
"The English Adventurer"
Jessica Beck
"Director of IELTS Training"

The IELTS is all about timing!

If you don’t know how to manage your time well on all four sections then you will not get the score you need.

Today we’ll talk about the timing strategies you need for success.

Timing strategies for IELTS:

  • The Listening test: Follow what they say for the timing. Remember that you have ten minutes at the end to transfer your answers. That is crucial to remember.
  • The Reading test: You need to practice timing before test day for the Reading (and for all of the tests). You have three passages. The first step is skimming. Take one minute to skim the passage. Read bits and pieces to get an understanding of what they are talking about. If you don’t take that minute your brain won’t be ready when you look at the questions. When you are searching for answers don’t take more than one minute on one answer. Skip to the next question if it’s taking too long.
  • The Writing test: Practice timing for all 3 steps. Plan. Write. Check. If you have 20 minutes for Task 1 then it’s 3 minutes to plan, 14 minutes to write, and 3 minutes to check. Make sure you leave time for all steps.
  • The Speaking test: Here the examiner controls the time for you. You have to be aware of how much the examiner wants to hear. In Speaking Part 1 you should give 2-5 complete sentences. In Speaking Part 2, take the full minute to plan. Take the full 2 minutes to talk. In Part 3 every answer should be 30 seconds, more or less.

Remember, the foundation of your timing strategy is having a solid strategy system for all parts of the test.

In our course we teach you 3-step systems for each part of the test.

You can learn more about our course here.

Leave us a comment below!

What questions do you have about IELTS timing?

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