Many aspirants practice the IELTS mock test papers to prepare for the exam. This is because these papers give an idea of questions that can be asked in the exam. However, aspirants encounter problems in solving the listening section and reading sections. So, in this article, let’s know how one can prepare for the exam by using the IELTS listening mock test and reading mock test papers.

Understand the Listening Test Format with IELTS Mock Test

A good mock test paper of the listening section is exactly the same as the real test paper. It contains four audio recordings. However, these recordings are taken from

• Everyday conversation between two people
• A speech
• Conversation between up to four people
• An academic lecture

All these recordings are in different accents in the IELTS listening mock test for practice. However, students also have to answer 40 questions of 11 types to complete the task.

Tips to Ace Listening Section

There are many ways to practice for the IELTS exam, but practicing from a mock test paper is the most common. However, trainers at the IELTS coaching center advise the aspirants to follow some tips. It helps them to ace the listening section through IELTS mock test papers.

Understand the Format

First, every aspirant must know the test format before starting the preparation. This will help you make a good study plan for the exam. However, in the listening section of the IELTS exam, there are 4 recordings and 40 questions of 6 types. These recordings can be in any accent of the English language.

Let’s first know all 11 types of questions first.

1. Multiple choice questions
2. Matching questions
3. Map and plan labeling
4. Diagram labelling
5. Form completion
6. Note completion
7. Table completion
8. Flow-chart completion
9. Summary completion
10. Sentence completion
11. Short-answer questions

Aspirants must practice the mock test papers to know how to solve these questions. In addition, they should also learn to complete the task on time. This is because they will get only 30 minutes to complete this task.

Listen for The Fist and Specific Information

The listening test in the IELTS test checks the English listening ability of the test takers. That’s why the 4 recordings in this section are taken from speech and daily life conversations of 2 to 4 people. However, aspirants should not ignore the new words that are used in this audio; listen to them carefully and make notes of all the small details. For example, a phone number or address. In addition, test takers should also try to understand the idea behind the audio. These two practices will help the aspirants to achieve good scores in the listening section.

Practice in Different Accents

There are different accents of the English language because it is spoken in almost every country of the world. That’s why aspirants must practice the listening section maximum. This practice will help them to catch the words easily in the exam, and hence, it will result in a good band score.

Concentrate

The speed of audio increases in the last 2 recordings of the IELTS listening section. So, aspirants must practice concentrating on what they listen to while solving the mock test papers. In addition, they should also listen to English songs and watch movies in the language. This will help to increase concentration power. In addition, they will also be able to listen to the gist and specific information in different accents through this simple practice.

Know Reading Test Format with IELTS Mock Test

There are 3 passages in the reading section of the IELTS Exam. These passages are taken from magazines, newspaper articles, and other sources. Aspirants have to read the passages carefully and then answer 14 types of 40 questions in the IELTS reading section. These types are:

1. Matching Headings
2. Matching Paragraph Information
3. Matching Features
4. Matching Sentence Endings
5. True False Not Given or Yes No Not Given
6. Multiple Choice
7. List of Options
8. Choose a Title
9. Short Answers
10. Sentence Completion
11. Summary Completion
12. Table Completion
13. Flow Chart Completion
14. Completion Diagrams

However, aspirants get 60 minutes to complete this task. They can practice this task by solving the IELTS mock test papers. Moreover, they can also practice this section by reading newspapers, books, blogs and articles online.

Tips to Ace Reading Section

The overall band score depends on the performance of the aspirant in each section. So it is necessary to practice all the sections. However, there are some test takers who find it difficult to answer the questions in the reading sections. So, they can follow the below-mentioned tips while solving the mock test papers. It will help them a lot in this section.

Skimming and Scanning

If an aspirant is a slow reader or reads every word in the paragraph, then he or she is never going to achieve a good score in the reading section. So, aspirants must practice skimming and scanning while solving the mock test papers. This is because

1. Skimming- It is a rapid reading of a paragraph to get a general idea or overview of the material.
2. Scanning- It is quickly reading the paragraph to find specific information like phone numbers, addresses, names, etc.

However, there are some additional tips test takers must follow while practicing skimming and scanning.

Skimming-

1. Read the first paragraph to get an idea.
2. Read a few sentences carefully in between the passages.
3. At last, concentrate on reading the last paragraph. This is because it is the summary of the whole paragraph.

Scanning-

In this process, just underline the information like name and all.

However, these practices will help to save time in this section.

Focus On Reading

Aspirants have to answer 40 questions in this section. So, they should concentrate on their reading. In addition, aspirants must also highlight and make notes of information in the passages. However, it will help to answer the questions correctly.

Expand Reading Vocabulary

All the passages in the reading section are full of lexical resources. So, aspirants must practice learning new phrases and words every day. This practice will help them expand their vocabulary and reduce the risk of struggling with new words on the exam, resulting in a good band score.

Identify Keywords

Aspirants should try to find the keywords (words matching the questions asked in the exam) while skimming and scanning the IELTS mock test paper for practice. This will help them find the answers immediately and save time for the rest of the questions.

Final Thoughts

Lastly, it is important for the aspirants to practice mock test papers to prepare for the IELTS exam. This is because a mock test gives an idea of the test format to the aspirants. However, many aspirants seek to practice listening and reading IELTS mock test papers online. This is because these are the trickiest sections of the whole exam. So, gradding.com has prepared the mock test papers for all sections. You can visit their site and practice the mock test papers for free.