I recently took the IELTS General Training exam. My scores were L7.5, R9, W6.5, S7.5. I only needed at least 6 in each section for my post-graduation visa in Canada, but I thought I’d share my experience in case it helps.
**Background and level:
I’m originally from Spain and have lived in Quebec for five years doing a PhD in neuroscience. It’s a francophone region, and since I don’t speak French, I use English 100% of the time. When I arrived, my understanding of English was almost perfect, but I had never really spoken or writing English in my whole life. Because people in Quebec are not native English speakers, I’ve developed a lot of bad habits and make frequent grammar mistakes when I speak. Also, in southern Spain we don’t pronounce final consonants, and that carries over into my English (third person and past tenses require conscious effort). I have a strong Spanish accent (like Sofía Vergara), but now my strengths are fluency, intonation, and word stress. I think directly in English without translating, so I’d say I’m effectively bilingual, though not perfectly accurate. As a PhD student, I’ve done many presentations in English, so public speaking isn’t an issue.
**Preparation:
I studied about 2 hours a day for 5 weeks. In mock tests I was scoring 8.5–9 in listening and reading, so I didn’t focus much on those. For speaking, I watched E2Language videos (very useful to understand the format) and took 3 sessions with the British Council tutors. They’re affordable and worth it for real feedback and confidence.
For writing, I used E2Language videos for structure and practiced with ChatGPT, which consistently gave me 6.0–6.5 (very accurate in my case). I also asked for model answers to learn vocabulary.
**The exam:
I took the computer-based test. During listening, examiners were whispering behind me at the start, I had to turn around and ask them to stop, which made me miss 2–3 answers in the first (easiest) section. That likely cost me an 8 overall, but 7.5 was already more than enough, I knew I did well the rest of the exam, so I did not make a formal complaint.
Reading was straightforward; I’m used to scientific papers, so I can read really fast. I finished in 40 minutes and even had time to take a break and go to the bathroom before start the writing part. (there are not stops between listening, reading and writing. Don't forget tl gl bathroom before start)
Writing is my weakest skill. Since ChatGPT exists, I barely write in English anymore. I even wrote my thesis in Spanish (with my supervisor’s approval) and published papers the same way (always declaring AI for translation). Honestly, I see little value in mastering written accuracy today. I make grammar mistakes in almost every sentence (mostly prepositions and third person), which probably limits me to around 6.5, but I personally don’t need more that 6.
If you’re aiming for 7: learn synonyms, improve grammar, and study structure (E2Language is great for that). Maybe take a few tutor sessions, for human feedback.
Speaking: Part 1 went very well (questions about hometown, mirrors, art, etc.).
Part 2: I was asked about a free service I had received. I like using personal experiences to speak for 2 minutes, but I couldn’t think of one, so I improvised. I spoke for ~1:30, paused, and the examiner signaled me to continue. I added ~20 seconds but mostly repeated ideas.
Part 3: not completing Part 2 made me nervous. I froze for 5–10 seconds trying to recall the word “escape room”—ironically the same in Spanish. After that, I recovered and finished strongly.
**Some advice that may not be worth following:
I may have been lucky with a generous examiner (or I’m too harsh on myself), but natural speaking seems more important than perfection. Practice a lot, build confidence, and don’t overthink. Some questions are abstract or boring (“Why do people like receiving gifts?”), so I gave longer answers to topics I liked and shorter ones (20–50 seconds) to others, focusing on quality without repetition.
Many sources suggest “idea + explanation + example,” but when I forced that structure, my speech sounded robotic. I answered more flexibly: sometimes example first, sometimes idea + example, sometimes just examples—whatever felt natural.
I expected a 6.5 in speaking at best, so 7.5 was a surprise. Also, speaking seems to penalize grammar less than writing, as long as you’re understood. The same goes for accent—I have a strong one like Sofía Vergara, and it didn’t hurt me. Focus on sounding natural and “melodic,” not robotic.
For writing, my honest advice is: learn what you need for the exam, refine your skills, and practice until you can reach a 7 (if you need it). However, once the exam is over, move on, AI will likely outperform most non-native speakers anyway.
From a scientific perspective, the human brain does not typically learn to write like a native speaker. While some individuals may achieve this, most do not; it is not only about practice, but also about cognitive constraints. People who are native speakers or who became bilingual in childhood may disagree, but they often underestimate how difficult it is to perfect a language in adulthood. And yes, everyone knows that one person who mastered it at 55—but those are exceptions, not the rule.
**Final note:
If any IELTS experts think this is bad advice, please say so—I don’t want anyone to rely on one positive personal experience that might not generalize. Also, my spontaneity comes from using English daily for 5 years. If you have less exposure, following a structure like idea + explanation + example may work better.
If you read until here, GOOD LUCK !!