[Zishen IELTS] High-Score Experience

School and major: graduated from National Cheng Kung University, Department of Pharmacy

Scores: 7.5 ( L 8.5, R 8.0, W 7.0, S 7.0 )

Test date: 5/26/2026

[Prep Experience & Methods by Section]

[Listening]

I think the most helpful thing the teacher did was tell us where to really prick up our ears: “pauses, subjects, settings.” This helped me a lot, because I was very confident at first, but after doing practice questions I found I made careless mistakes very easily! Make sure you practice a lot. After all, sometimes what's being tested isn't your ability but your attention to detail and technique! I already had a habit of listening to podcasts, so I listened to BBC news to get used to very fast speech, and I wasn't nervous at all on the test.

[Reading]

I think you need to be especially careful with true/false questions. Always remember the teacher's reminders: whether the keyword appears in the passage, whether it's in the corresponding paragraph, the order of the surrounding text, and so on. I didn't score as high on reading as I'd hoped, probably because I also got some true/false wrong, so I hope you'll really test your judgment a lot.

Also, when doing multiple-choice reading questions, always keep track of which question goes with which paragraph. If it's not in the corresponding paragraph, it's basically never the answer!

[Writing]

Task1 isn't really about using impressive words; it's about clear logic! For the data, just as the teacher said, you do “not” write out every number; you highlight “the process of change”! That's the key to scoring 7 or above.

For Task 2, if you want a quick win, take the model essay templates the teacher hands out in class and pick your favorite one (just one, no need for more). Rewrite the opening, the ending and the transition sentences in the body paragraphs in your own words, then apply it to any topic. Having read high-scoring essays myself, I noticed the transitions and openings basically all used very natural wording, so you can tell IELTS examiners probably don't like overly stiff template sentences. I suggest building a template that doesn't overlap with anyone else's!

[Speaking]

The teacher has everyone hold conversations in class, but I think the most basic practice is “talking to yourself” every day. It sounds strange, but it really is the fastest way to practice any topic! Get yourself familiar with all kinds of common everyday situations and objects, so that even if you're asked about a very strange topic on test day (I got questions about architecture and art history), you'll have practiced something similar in your head and can still say something meaningful!

[IELTS Intensive Course]

I think the intensive course helps test takers pick out the key points when time is limited and get familiar with the question types. I remember that in the writing class, the teacher said the most important thing in writing is the structure of the whole essay, not the word count. So during the test I kept the importance of structure in mind: besides having something to say, you also need logic and clear expression. I think that's the key to a solid 7!

[Study Plan]

I think Wordgod's test tips are very helpful for test takers who work part time! After all, I couldn't spend too much time a day on practice and review, but the little test-day tricks the teacher shared in class really helped me get the score I wanted. Basically, no matter how tired I was, I spent 3 hours on English every day: one hour on listening and reading questions, another hour writing an essay (one task 1 or task2 a day so it doesn't get too tiring) and correcting it the same day, and 30 minutes of speaking. For speaking topics, I'd look at the question types that often come up online and pick my favorite of the day to practice, plus 10 minutes of improvised talking to myself. For the improv, I usually riffed on a podcast topic I'd heard that day and gave my opinion on it. After about a month of practicing like this, you'll find your mind really doesn't go blank anymore when you get a topic you have no ideas about. For listening and reading, I basically only did the practice questions the teacher handed out and full mock tests, to get used to the test's pace. For writing, I finished two short and two long essays a week and showed them to a friend, to check objectively whether my logic held together and whether my examples were simple and clear.

[Test Center Report]

I took the computer-delivered test. I think the convenient thing about it is that for writing you don't have to worry about making big revisions. On test day, for example, I hadn't thought carefully about the key point of the prompt when I started, and only realized I was off topic when I got to the second paragraph, so I quickly rewrote everything. If I'd been writing by hand, I would definitely have needed a lot of correction fluid, and the answer sheet would easily get messy, which would inevitably affect the overall score. So if you can, I'd still recommend choosing the computer test. A couple of weeks of typing practice will improve your speed a lot, so don't be too nervous~

[Words of Encouragement for Other Test Takers]

Trust time and your own effort; the results won't let that hard work down!