Listening module

• Practice as many papers as you can. The material can either be provided by the coaching center or be found online also.
• Utilize the time judiciously by reading the questions in advance
• There are pauses in the tape which can be utilized to read the next set of questions
• Try to anticipate the answers
• While listening to the tape, pay attention to “signpost words” such as however, although, linking words, finally etc.
• The answers are most likely in sequence; thus these signpost words can help to move on to the next question if by chance you missed any answer
• Be careful of singular and plural answers
• Write the answers on the paper itself while listening to the conversation. Can be written in short hand and the spellings can be checked later while transferring the answers on the answer sheet.
• The audio will be played only once so make sure you are able to listen and write at the same time
• Listen to BBC news or CNN news to develop a better understanding of the accent

Writing module

• Begin with task-2 as it has more weightage than task-1
• Give 40 minutes to task-2 and 20 minutes to task-1
• Keep 5 minutes each for planning both the tasks
• Avoid the use of informal language and abbreviations
• Do not write anything which is not related with the question, otherwise it will entail a deduction on band
• Write a minimum of 150 words for task-1 and 250 words for task-2
• Organize and present the ideas in a logical manner using a wide range of vocabulary
• Opinion should be expressed clearly
• Keep sufficient time to revise both the tasks

Speaking module

• Be natural and do not give any memorized answers
• Do not give one word answers, support your answer with some details
• Listen to the question carefully and give relevant answer
• Going off-topic could mean you did not understand the question
• Do not take much time to think, be quick and responsive
• Give clear answers
• Make use of intonation, phrasal verbs, collocations to add more depth to the content
• To identify the weak points, recording can be done on a tape and can be listened to later
• There is no fixed answer to a question, make sure you are able to present your opinion and support it

Reading module

• Don’t read the text first, look out for questions and instructions
• Do not spend too long on one question
• Not more than 20 minutes to be spent on one passage
• Do not read and understand every word of the text, skim and scan for the required piece of information
• All the answers have to be picked up from the text itself, so do not panic if the topic of the passage is not familiar to you
• Copy the same words from the passage, only change the grammar if the answer is not fitting in the blank
• Most of the questions from the question paper are answered in a sequence in the text
• The difficult questions are randomly scattered in three passages
• Once done with one passage, transfer the answers on the answer sheet as no extra time will be given later on
• Even if unsure about the answer, write it in the answer sheet as there is no negative marking for incorrect answers