[Zishen IELTS] High-score experience

School and grade: 12th grade, Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls High School

Scores: L7, R7, W6.5, S6

Test date: 2026/05/30

[Prep tips & approach for each section]

[Listening]

I think the most important thing in Listening is catching the moment the answer comes up and the keywords, like the various turning points and pause words in the speaker's tone; the answer is usually in the next sentence. The teacher helped me a lot with this through dictation practice. Also, I think staying calm during Listening is really important. You get nervous more easily during the test, and when you hit an unfamiliar word or a question whose answer you missed, don't dwell on it too long, or you can easily miss the timing for the next question and lose even more points.

[Reading]

Before I started preparing for this section, I wasn't very confident in my reading. I'd taken the TOEIC before and got a near-perfect listening score, but my reading was terrible, and the same thing happened on my GSAT, which really knocked my confidence. The teacher helped me a lot in class. He breaks long passages down into different grammar patterns to explain them, which made up for my weakness in grammar. He also adds usage notes for a lot of uncommon words and gave me a list of high-frequency reading vocabulary, which made it less likely I'd run into unfamiliar words on the IELTS. What I think matters most is being able to find patterns across question types and pinpoint the answer in the passage. That was the most practical of the methods the teacher taught me, and it greatly reduced my nerves and anxiety when facing difficult passages or question types.

[Writing]

Writing depends a lot on luck, so you need to prepare all the more thoroughly. First, read the teacher's handouts closely; every writing technique in them is important and helpful. Second, Task 1 question types are very fixed, so when practicing you can imitate the way high-scoring model essays are written. Task 2 needs more logic, so you can sharpen your reasoning by writing a lot and discussing with the teacher to improve. Finally, practice your typing speed, cut down on spelling mistakes and manage your time well, and you can get a high score!

[Speaking]

For Speaking, besides communicating and thinking in English day to day and practicing the questions from the teacher's handouts, I think making good use of AI is also a great approach. When you have no ideas or vocabulary for Parts 2 and 3, you can ask AI and get better sentence patterns, words and connectors. Personally I find talking to strangers a bit hard, but the examiners are all friendly and won't judge you arbitrarily, so as long as you speak and practice a lot, it won't be a big problem.

[Study plan]

My course was private tutoring two to three times a week, so I was in contact with English very often. In the few weeks before the test, I chose to come in for an IELTS mock test every week so I could get more familiar with the real test procedure and answering on a computer. In the final stretch before the test, I did one Cambridge past paper every day and had the teacher mark and discuss my writing and speaking with me, and in the end I stayed in my best form and got the score I was hoping for.

[Test center report]

I took the computer-delivered IELTS. On the day, test center staff take a headshot of you for your score report, so if that bothers you, you might want to dress up a little, because my photo came out really ugly. Before you enter the test room, they check the soles of your shoes and your pockets, and once you're seated there's a tutorial video on the computer, so there's no need to be too nervous. Each test room has two invigilators who can respond quickly if you have any problem, so overall the whole test felt low-key and went smoothly.

[Words of encouragement for other test takers]

I'm not an international school student and my English isn't top-notch, so don't doubt your abilities. Everyone's potential is limitless! When you feel like giving up while preparing, think about the things that motivate you, or go talk to the teachers at Wordgod. The teachers here are all great and helped me a lot. You can do it!

[Score report]