How To Improve IELTS Band from 5.5 or 6.5 to 7? A Detailed Guide

Students giving IELTS to get admissions abroad often get stuck at the questions like how to improve IELTS band from 5.5 to 7? Or, how to improve the IELTS band from 6.5 to 7?. Basically, most of them are seeking shortcuts on how to score an IELTS band of 7 or 7.5. Find out in the below article why and how students score band 7.5 in IELTS.

What is a Good IELTS Score?

If you aim to go abroad for higher education, then IELTS is the most accepted English proficiency test across most universities during applications. However, only qualifying the exam is not enough; you should also be aware of what score is considered as a bar for universities applications and how to raise your IELTS band to get selected at the university of your choice.

The following table is an organised form of the different IELTS scores and what they indicate about the English proficiency.

Is 7.5 a Good IELTS Score?

In the table, you can see that a band of 7 is a ‘good user’ and similarly a band of 7.5 which is between 8 and 7 is  ‘a very good user.’ Hence, an IELTS score of 7.5 is considered a good score among many of the top universities.

Most of the top universities worldwide ask for an IELTS band of 7 or above to accept admission. These Universities include Oxford University, Cambridge, the Ivy Leagues and other major universities of Europe, the U.S.A and Canada.

How Can I Get a Score Over 7.5 in IELTS?

The most obvious question that comes to one’s mind after knowing the range of scores for IELTS is —how can I get a score of over 7.5 in IELTS. In order to get IELTS band 7, each of the four sections of the test must have a specific band as the overall band is decided by the average band of all the sections. Lacking in any of the sections will show in the overall band, and you may not score the band of your aim.

The score of the sections is called ‘sub-score’ or the module score, to get a band score over 7.5 one, you must obtain a sub-scores between the range of 7.0 and 7.5 or above.

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Here you will understand how much to obtain in each of the four sections to get an IELTS band of 7.0 or 7.5 :

IELTS Listening Band

• One must get 30 answers correct out of the 40 questions for an IELTS band 7.0.
• One must get a minimum of 32 correct answers out of 40 questions for an IELTS band of 7.5.
• The spelling of the answers should be correct.
• Try avoiding writing more than the minimum number of words given in a question.

IELTS Reading Band

• Aim at obtaining 30 correct answers out of the 40 questions for IELTS 7.0.
• Aim at scoring 33 correct answers out of the total 40 for IELTS band 7.5.
• The spelling of the answers should be correct.
• Try avoiding writing more than the minimum number of words given in a question.

IELTS Speaking Band

• Aim at speaking fluently also within the particular duration of the given topic.
• Instead of a number of sentences, try using a range of linking words accurately to connect ideas and answers.
• Aiming at a band of 7.5 means that you are already proficient in English up to some level, therefore to get up to the level of 7.5, you must show your highest proficiency in the language.
• For this, instead of using plain sentences, you can use less common and idiomatic vocabulary.
• Speak at a moderate speed but avoid making any error while speaking. You should be concentrated enough for doing this.
• While speaking, be sure of your pronunciations and utterances.

IELTS Writing Band

• Before writing, read the questions carefully and set a particular time for each of them so that the time remains divided.
• Answers should be written in clear paragraphs, with each having a central idea and supporting sentences.
• Instead of writing plain sentences, prepare a whole range of higher-level vocabulary to use in answer writing.
• Do provide an overview with detailed comparisons in Task 1.
• Indicate a clear position and stick to it consistently in Task 2.
• Always spare time for proofreading your answers. after completing the answers lookout for any grammatical mistake for any other part of editing.

Is 7.5 a Good Score for Canada Immigration?

IELTS is one of the three tests that Canada Canadian universities accept for foreign admissions. The other two known tests being the Test d’Evaluation Du Français (TEF) and Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP).

There are mainly two versions of IELTS, the General IELTS and the Academic IELTS.

Canada Immigration programs require applicants to submit results from the General IELTS Exam. All the language tests, including the IELTS scores, are calculated for immigration purposes by using the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels.

For a CLB level of 10, you may need to get the following IELTS score in the different sections:

1. Reading – 8.0
2. Listening – 7.5
3. Speaking – 8.5
4. Writing – 7.5

Hence, we find that IELTS band 7.5 is the band asked most often for Canada immigration.

Conclusion

One should decide the university and country of their choice and then check the IELTS band requirements, as the preferences vary for every university. Aiming at a particular band will help you score well instead of giving the test without any guidance regarding the proficiency levels of bands. Keep reading our blogs for more information.

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