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Five reasons why IELTS will make you ready for university


Audience

Test Takers

Date Published

03 August 2023

Get ready for university with IELTS.

If you’re planning to study a university course taught in English, it can be demotivating if you don’t have the English skills you need to communicate effectively. Thanks to the unique design of IELTS Academic, you can be confident that you are ready for higher education!

Here are five reasons why IELTS will make you ready for university

1. IELTS is designed for this purpose

We design the IELTS Academic test to cover the full range of English language skills that you need in the first few months at university. By taking IELTS, it proves that you have the ability to understand sophisticated spoken and written language, to write effective arguments, and to contribute to discussions on academic topics.

2. IELTS will give you a wide range of skills

By preparing for an IELTS Academic test, you will develop a wide range of language skills that will be really useful at university. For example, IELTS covers the skills you need to be confident in reading and summarising complex information, writing essays, presenting ideas in class. and collaborating with your classmates. This makes preparing for IELTS an ideal way to get ready for higher education. In fact, research by Anthony Green at the University of Bedfordshire backs this up. Green’s work shows extensive similarities between the tasks in an IELTS test, and the way students use English in their studies.

3. IELTS boosts your confidence

Preparing for IELTS Academic can help build your confidence in the skills that matter. You will get plenty of practice in speaking and writing English. This is important because as a student using a foreign language it can be challenging at times and it is a big factor that can discourage you from joining in with seminars, discussions, and important conversations in the classroom. It can also affect your confidence when it comes to being able to express yourself using your writing skills.

An investigation by David Allen at Ochanomizu University in Japan, shows that preparing for IELTS Academic improved students’ speaking skills, giving them lots of opportunities to practise and to improve their ability to use language more actively. This is very helpful in preparing to study in English, particularly for students whose previous experience of language learning may have focused mainly on understanding the language in speech and writing.

4. IELTS helps you organise your ideas

Being able to organise your ideas and opinions when writing essays is a key skill at university. By preparing for and taking the IELTS Writing test means you'll get lots of practise in essay writing, which means you'll be familiar with the writing structure by the time you get to university.

5. The importance of well-being

Let’s not forget that good English language skills can also really help with your well-being. If you have a good command of English, you will find it easier to integrate into university life and the wider community of where you are living and studying. Our live Speaking test with a trained Examiner makes sure you have the confidence to use English in everyday conversation, as well as at university.

So, to wrap things up, achieving the band score you need for your university will provide you with a fantastic foundation for the first few months of your course, and for a worthwhile study experience.

You’ve got this!

Looking for IELTS preparation resources? We provide a range of IELTS preparation materials to support you on your IELTS journey.