| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | to write with, pen or pencil. Yet there are rules: |
| There are many aspects in IELTS that people find | | | | the Listening and Reading answers are to be |
| surprising, usually when it hits them hard. It is | | | | written in pencil and Writing - in pen. This is |
| quite a paradox — the information is right | | | | another example of how small details can be very |
| there, available to everyone, yet people are still in | | | | significant in IELTS. |
| the dark. Allow me to draw your attention to | | | | Writing and Speaking are graded differently from |
| several facts you don’t want to be | | | | Listening and Reading. There is no half band grade, |
| surprised about. | | | | which means it is impossible to get 6.5 in either |
| Usually extensive answer is considered a very | | | | Writing or Speaking. The reason is the way |
| good one, but not in IELTS. When instructions say | | | | examiners are currently trained, but hopefully it |
| give one answer or answer in 3 | | | | will change in the future (according to official |
| words, it means give us two answers or 4 | | | | IELTS site maybe even in 2007). |
| words and we’ll fail you. The reason for | | | | In Reading and Listening tests the spelling is |
| this limit is quite simple and obvious — | | | | important, meaning one can loose points for |
| there is not enough room for more than 3 words | | | | misspelled words. The best way to overcome the |
| on Answer Sheet. By the way, articles a | | | | spelling problem is to copy words. In case of |
| and the count as one word, while common | | | | Reading, copying words from text is a very easy |
| assumption is that they don’t. | | | | and natural thing to do. In Listening test, as simple |
| People tend to forget that they are graded by | | | | as it may sound, it is best to write what you hear |
| Answer Sheet and not by what they wrote in | | | | and not to rephrase. It is acceptable to skip |
| IELTS booklet. Any correct answer not copied to | | | | words — after all there is 3 words limit, as |
| Answer Sheet will result in exactly 0 points. There | | | | long as the important words are not substituted |
| is an option of submitting appeal and requesting to | | | | by their synonyms. |
| read your answers from the booklet, but it takes | | | | And at last some good news: starting from May |
| time and costs money. | | | | 2006 candidates don’t need to wait 90 |
| Not many people think about what they are going | | | | days to retake the test. |
