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Thank you, Ryan, for your podcasts and videos. These helped me prepare for the IELTS exam I took last 19 July 2014 in Calgary. I just learned my test result: listening 8.5, reading 9.0, writing 7.5, speaking 7.5, and overall 8.0.

I come from the Philippines and have been working in Golden, British Columbia for 9 months now. As a temporary foreign worker here in Canada, I took the GT module so I can apply to the Provincial (Immigration) Nominee Program and start processing my permanent residency.

Again, thank you for your wonderful insights on how to perform well in the IELTS test.

Hi Glenn,

Overall 8 is an amazing achievement. Congratulations! I am so happy to hear this news and that you are now capable of getting PR in Canada. All of your hard work has paid off. Thank you for sharing the story and good luck with your endeavours in Golden!

I find the writing test the most challenging. It is not easy to compose a 150-word letter within 20 minutes, and a 250-word essay within 40 minutes. Writing with pen/pencil and paper can also be another hurdle especially when we are used to having a computer. A lot of practice is very important. To be ready for the exam, it really helps to practice writing quickly, in the absence of dictionaries and spellcheckers and proofreaders. Be imaginative and creative. Read a lot.

I think it is not enough that one has a good command of the English language in order to perform well in the test. Aside from language skills, one must fully understand the test format and question types to achieve his desired band score, which may be higher or lower than his actual English ability as he is marked depending on what he produces within the parameters of the exam.