Well, a new year has started and thus it is a perfect time to establish some objectives for the next 12 months. I want to invite you to post your IELTS goals for the coming year as a reply to this opening post (just press "Reply" to do so).
Please note that this is for serious students only. In December of 2014, I am going to individually contact every single person that participates and hold them accountable to what they've posted here. Following this, I will create a video summarizing the outcome. My hope is that this little exercise will hold you accountable to your studies and push you further towards success. (We want more successes than failures in the resulting video!!)
You may post your goals in any format you find effective, but you must be specific. You are much more likely to achieve your goals if you have a clear plan for this year's studies.
Here is the information I suggest you include:
1. Your current IELTS band in all four sections (listening/reading/writing/speaking). If you have never taken the IELTS before, you may leave this section blank.
2. Your target IELTS band in all four sections that you plan to achieve before the end of 2014.
3. How many hours per week you plan to actively listen (noting new speaking patterns as you hear them; engaging practice tests; ...)
4. How many hours per week you plan to actively read (underlining vocabulary and noting word forms; engaging practice tests; creating a personal dictionary of new colloquial phrases; ...)
5. How many hours per week you plan to actively write (memorizing band 9 essays and reproducing their sentence patterns in your own writing; experimenting with vocabulary and phrases and having this work checked by an IELTS coach; ...)
6. How many hours per week you plan to actively speak (exercising with speaking partners; repeating listenings after you hear them; ...)
7. A detailed description what you envision to be your typical IELTS study week in 2014.
To help you get started, here is an example response:
Let's make 2014 the year you say "GOODBYE" to IELTS forever!1. L -6 R - 6 W - 5 S - 5 (Overall 5.5)
2. L - 8 R - 8 W - 7 S - 7 (Overall 7.5)
3. 5 hours
4. 5 hours
5. 3 hours
6. 5 hours
7. My typical IELTS study week will involve 6 study days and 1 rest days. However, I plan to use English as much as I can, even on my rest day.
I will make arrangements with my colleague to actively practice IELTS speaking with them after work for 1 hour on 5 of my study days. We will push each other to speak at length and give each other feedback on our performance.
As I commute for an hour by bus, I plan to sit and listen to conversational English from movies and example IELTS listenings while I travel to work. I will keep a journal while listening of any colloquial phrases or vocabulary I hear that is new to me.
I plan to use my commute home to actively read. I will read English texts about subjects I enjoy and occasionally sample IELTS readings. I will keep a journal of all new phrasings and vocabulary.
On Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, I will write either a Task 1 or 2 response after I get home from work. Every 2 weeks, I will get my grammar checked by my native English speaking colleague.
On study day 6, I plan to spend some time reviewing what I have noted in my journal during the week. I will also engage practice IELTS listening and reading tests. I will record myself speaking on a subject for 5 minutes and review this recording. I will try to use the new phrases I have learned while speaking.