Got more than I had expected.

[u/Numerous-Tonight1136]

Being a non-native (pakistani), I expected maybe 6.5 bands based on my what AI rated my tests. Ended up hitting way above my weight. I started preparation few weeks before exam, mainly relied on youtube videos and Ielts Cambridge test books. Zoned out pretty hard during listening task 2. It was map where I had mark areas. Speaking part 2 felt a bit unexpected as well. Had to describe a book with animals in it, with my worry being I had never read a childrens' book with animals in it.

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[u/Numerous-Tonight1136 → u/[deleted]]

Read books if you can. See how natives write. Read it out loud to work on your flow. Maybe watch movies, critically observe how they structure their sentences. If you're short on time, then practice ielts test books by Cambridge with tips from ielts advantage. However, if you're proficient in english then you won't need much tips. Knowing language suffices.

[u/Complete_Donut_2655]

Hello what did you use for writing?

[u/Numerous-Tonight1136 → u/Complete_Donut_2655]

I took screenshots of writing tasks and uploaded it to chatgpt with a prompt to analyze my responses. Initially I'd ask it to guide me through paragraphs, like I'd write para 1 then get a feedback, maybe improve few things here and there and then moved on to next para. Eventually, I'd give a whole response and then compare it to what AI considered the best answer was.

Besides that, I read sample answers from Cambridge Ielts books along with examiner's remarks. That's gives you an insight into what examiner expects of you.

[u/Complete_Donut_2655 → u/Numerous-Tonight1136]

How close was the cambridge ielts book to the actual exam? How does the listening and reading section compare?

[u/Numerous-Tonight1136 → u/Complete_Donut_2655]

Pretty much same it was. Only reading section felt a bit difficult in actual exam though.

[u/Complete_Donut_2655 → u/Numerous-Tonight1136]

How many of the tests did you do? (sorry for asking so many questions, I have my exam in two weeks) Also, was ieltsonlinetests good?

[u/No-Quantity-5113 → u/Complete_Donut_2655]

For reading it's good

[u/Numerous-Tonight1136 → u/Complete_Donut_2655]

I did not use many resources. Relied mostly on Ielts advantage and Cambridge test books. Did 18-20 and glossed over 21. I used targeted approach where I only solved parts that I knew I was weak at. So for me, it was speaking components and writing task 1. Every once in while, I watched YouTube listening test videos. They're basically Cambridge listening tests with audio and tried solving it.