I just received my IELTS results, and honestly, I thought I had messed up the Speaking test! 😭 Part 3 was SO tough, and I was fumbling over my words so badly. I genuinely thought I’d messed it up. Never expected the results I got!

I aimed for an 8, with 8.5 being my slightly outrageous dream score. I gave my exam on the 19th and spent the next two days convinced I’d messed up, especially Writing Task 2. The question was weird, I struggled with my arguments, and halfway through, I realised I wasn’t really answering what it asked. I tried my best to salvage it but genuinely expected a 6–7 overall. When I finally saw my result, I screamed so loudly that my parents thought I’d injured myself again.

I didn’t take any courses or coaching; this was all self-preparation. I do wish I’d scored higher in Writing, but honestly, I’m just grateful and happy. On exam day, I kept thinking I wasn’t ready enough, but reminded myself that you can never feel completely ready. Maybe I wasn’t ready enough to face my doubts, but I showed up anyway, did my best, and got my dream score. Still can’t believe it.

I though my test went bad but turns out it was not as bad as i though..... paper was tough tho please don't expect easy topics in writing and speaking, just try keeping it simple and accurate

I didn't really prepare much since I was occupied with my uni applications. I did think an 8 in every category would put me in the safe spot but this isn't so bad. My advice would be to not take Task 1 so lightly. I think that really did drag my writing score down a bit because I'm sure my Task 2 was good. Good luck to y'all!! Feel free to reach out :)

Before exam i was really anxious. In all mock test i scored maximum of 5.5 in speaking as my stammering was considered as time used to guess words and its really frustrating thinking the word that is stuck in your throat 😡😡😡. I applied for special accommodation and was provided but i still think stammering still affected my score. I know i can get a overall 8 but i really cant risk my 6 in speaking. For some it may be failing score but for me it matters for than the two 8.5 bands. Now i am relieved rather than happy but its fine🤗🤗

Anyone who wants to know anything about accommodations ask anything and the information online is really limited.

I recently appeared for the exam and my scores were L : 7.5 , R : 6.5 , W : 6.5 and S : 6 . My goal is 8777 so maximise my scores for permanent residency application. Can someone please suggest me what strategies should I need to implement/change in my learning.

Note : I've scored this by preparing on my own for about 2 weeks.

Hi everyone! I want to improve my English and eventually take the IELTS exam. I'm willing to spend even more than a year improving my skills, so I'm not in a rush. First, I'd like to know my current level. Where can I find reliable tests to assess it? And do you have any advice on how to start learning effectively and build a strong foundation? I'd be really grateful for any tips or resources you could share. Thank you!

Hi! I plan to take ielts in the first week of November

I didn't got for any ielts classes I do study by myself and youtube videos and I do practice questions from idp because i thought ill take it from there so any tips?

Any has anyone taken from there? How was the experience.

I feel like the writing is gonna be more tougher but idk honestly

So anybody who took or is planning to take please do drop some tips/advice it would be really helpful

Thankyousm

For the matching questions in the British Council mock tests, in an exercice i found (not all of them ) the answer options are at the top, while the sentences you need to complete are further down the page. You have to scroll down to read the sentences, so the options are no longer visible. Is it the same in the actual computer-delivered IELTS exam? I find it distracting to keep scrolling up and down while the audio is playing.

Do you guys think I should go for a retake for the writing part
I struggled a lot with time management and made a lot of spelling mistakes and punctuation mistakes, which I couldn’t recheck during the last few minutes
I believe that’s what led to so much point deduction in the writing part
Otherwise my vocab and ideas were up to the mark
I wanna apply for a master’s with this score , and I think it is adequate for almost all programs
But I’m so disappointed how I missed my C2 just cuz of poor time management

Has anyone taken the IELTS speaking test in person this October? Could you share the questions you got? Thank you!😭😭

Hi everyone! 😊

I’m preparing for the IELTS General Training test and would love to hear about your experiences with IELTS Ready Premium.

• Is it worth paying for?
• Are the practice tests similar in difficulty and format to the real IELTS exam?
• Did your actual test scores match your practice test results?
• Which platforms would you recommend for preparing for IELTS, especially if they provide detailed feedback. tests, helps me identify my weaknesses, and allows me to track my progress.

I’d really appreciate any recommendations or personal experiences. Thank you! 🙏

IELTS Marburg – 18 September 2026: Anyone else experiencing withheld results?

Hi everyone,

I took my IELTS test with the British Council in Marburg, Germany, on 18 September 2026. My results have been withheld due to an investigation, and I am still waiting for a clear explanation or a final outcome.

I submitted the requested statement and have followed up with the British Council several times. I was informed that the investigation could take up to eight weeks, but I have not received a clear explanation of why my results are being withheld.

I would like to know whether anyone else who took the IELTS test in Marburg on 18 September 2026 is experiencing the same issue.

In particular:

• Have your results also been withheld for investigation?
• Have you received any information or updates from the British Council?
• Have your results been released, or are you still waiting?

I am particularly interested in hearing from candidates who took the test at the same location on the same date, as this might help establish whether other candidates have experienced similar delays.

Please feel free to comment below or send me a private message. I would appreciate hearing about your experience.

A quick question of mine, If I am booking my IELTS test via computer, will I still be doing my speaking on computer through zoom or some other app; or speaking will be conducted in-person?

Hi y’all i got 5,5 on writing and 6 on speaking i wanna get overall 7,5 .Meaning i have to get 7,5 on writing or 8 on speaking, I wrote around 30 words on task 1.
Which one would be harder to get in 1 skill retake. Thank you

I will take IELTS in 16 days, and I need at least band 6.5 overall. My target for the Reading section is band 7.

However, the computer-based IELTS reading texts seem harder to me than the paper-based ones. I'm not sure if this is just my impression.

Are IDP's practice tests at the same level as the real exam? Which practice tests would you recommend to check if I'm ready for band 7?

Thank you in advance

Very happy with the outcome! I booked my exam on Tuesday and sat it on Saturday the same week 😅

Hello everyone, I took my Ielts on the 19th(writing on paper), and got my results the next day. I got 9/8.5/6.5/9 and a 8.5 overall. I’m in a bit of a tough spot as I need a band 7 atleast in all sections, to get funding through RAships and TAships for my masters. I took the Ielts 4 years ago with basic proficiency and still got a 7 in writing. I’m confident about my writing exam, I’m not saying it deserved a 8.5 or a 9, but atleast a 7.5. Even a .5 increase would solve this issue. Should I get a re-mark?

I’m hesitant because it’s a lot of money, and If I don’t get the refund, that’s going to be devastating. But one skill retake costs more money and there isn’t much that I’d do differently, so I’m not sure if that will improve my score. I have heard that local/regional examiners are very harsh when it comes to grading the writing tasks, but my script would be reviewed by someone who is going to be an expert and review my answers holistically. Has anyone’s writing score increased after there being a 2.0+ band discrepancy like mine?

Hi everyone! For those who have recently taken IELTS Academic, did you get a mixed-chart question in Writing Task 1 (e.g., a bar chart + line graph or a pie chart + table), or did you get just one chart?

Thanks in advance!

I genuinely thought I was going to get a lower score because I really struggled. I still can’t believe my results, this is more than enough for me. 😭

The use of social media is replacing face-to-face interaction among many people in society. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

A number of people are using social media to communicate over physical meetup. While, face- to- face interaction has it's own joy and safety, electronic media makes it possible to interact with people all around the world.

Online interaction does not gives feeling which one feels during physical meet-up. When we meet someone in person, we meet and greet enthusiastically by shaking hands and hugging which can't be done by online communication. Moreover, we are able to do deep talks with friends and family which is not a case in online interaction because of the cyber security issues that one might face. Thus, people don't have the opportunity to express themselves truly through social media interaction. For example, last year in USA, a lot of cases were reported in which someone's personal information was leaked which they gave to another person online.

We live in a privileged world, where we have the opportunity to interact with someone anywhere during any part of the day through social media. In the past people faced the issues of communication with the people who lived far away and the only type of interactions possible were physical or through post service by letters. Which is why people who lived far away from each other barely knew things about each other but now we live in a world where we know about people from all around the world. For example, before social media foreign students used to face trouble interacting with their friends abroad after graduation but now because of social media they are able to connect throughout their life.

In conclusion, although face to face meetups could be more enjoyable and safe but the opportunity to interact far across the borders outweighs the pros over cons of social media interaction.

my academic IELTS is in 3 days and I was wondering what i could do before the exam