Ha Linh
Ha Linh, a 13-year-old student, says the secret to getting 8.0 in IELTS is lots of reading, listening, and practice. While having good teachers helps, she believes self-study and reseach are more important.
Linh is in class 8D at Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted. She got 8.0 in IELTS after retaking the Listening test on September 5th. Her listening score went up from 7.5 to 9, while her other skills stayed the same at 7 to 8.5.
"I was very surprised by my first test result. At home, I usually get 8.5 or higher in Listening practice," Linh said. She thought the test was okay but made some mistakes because she wasn't careful enough. She also lost points for spelling errors because she wasn't used to the computer keyboard.
Linh took the IELTS test to challenge herself. She retook it to reach her goal of 8.0 overall and not waste her three months of summer study. In 2022, only about 4% of test-takers in Vietnam scored 8.0 or higher.
Linh started learning English through songs and cartoons when she was 3-4 years old. In primary school, her family sent her to an English center. She likes drawing and playing games, and because many online tutorials are in English, she became more interested in learning the language.
At the start of 4th grade, Linh began studying English seriously. She spends most of her day doing 5-7 exercises or 1-2 practice tests. She checks her own answers, notes her mistakes, and learns new words.
To improve her skills, Linh joins her school's English club, talks with friends, reads English books and stories. She also listens to music and learns lyrics from singers like The Weekend and Bruno Mars. When watching movies or BBC programs, she uses subtitles to learn new words.
Linh believes these activities help her improve her vocabulary and writing skills. She has won several English competitions, including a perfect score in TOEFL Primary in 4th grade.
Although her mother is an English teacher, Linh usually studies on her own. She only asks for help with very difficult words or structures. Her mother helped her prepare for secondary school entrance exams by correcting her work and teaching her to be careful.
"My secret is reading and listening a lot, using English often, and doing exercises every day," Linh says. She believes passion and hard work are key to learning English well. While good teachers are helpful, self-study and research skills are more important for remembering things longer.
"There are many distractions when studying, like browsing the internet or friends asking to play. My advice is to be disciplined and finish studying before having fun," she adds.
Linh's homeroom teacher, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Nha, says Linh is active in class and good at self-study. She shows talent in English with wide vocabulary and natural speaking skills.
"Linh smiles a lot, talks well, and is very friendly with teachers and friends. She's also good at social subjects," Ms. Nha says.
Linh's next goal is to join her school's team for gifted English students and win district and city-level competitions. She also plans to prepare for the 10th-grade entrace exam for the English specialized class.
Source: vnexpress
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