A 24-year-old student named Nguyễn Chí Thành has achieved a perfect score of 9.0 in the IELTS exam after more than 20 attempts, consistently scoring between 8.0 and 8.5. Thành's meticulous approach to each skill, especially Writing, led to this outstanding achievement.
In the exam on June 25th, Thành scored 9.0 in Reading and Listening, as well as 8.5 in Speaking and Writing. "I have accomplished my goal of scoring 9.0 in the IELTS this year, and the feeling is indescribable," said Chí Thành.
Currently a second-year student of Psychology at RMIT University Vietnam, Thành previously graduated in International Business from the National Economics University. His IELTS journey began six years ago with an initial score of 6.5. Following a dedicated study plan, he devoted approximately 5-6 hours daily to improve his scores.
For Reading and Listening, Thành extensively studied the Cambridge series from book 7 to 13, practicing and reviewing each test in detail. In terms of Speaking, he honed his skills through the Shadowing technique, imitating others to improve his pronunciation.
"The most challenging part of practicing speaking is to open your mouth wide enough for sounds to come out clearly," Thành said. He usually practices speaking alone on any topic that comes to mind when he has free time.
"Many times, I felt quite embarrassed because I was caught talking to myself."
In terms of writing skills, Chí Thành initially practiced many topics and learned high-scoring tips, but it was not effective. After submitting many writing pieces to be assessed by former IELTS examiners, Thành realized that the overuse of complex words was causing him to be stuck at a low score.
Thành illustrated the point with two sentences: "The salutary advantages of habitual physical exertion on physiological and psychological well-being are manifestly evident" and "The benefits of regular exercise for physical and mental health are clear." Both sentences mean "exercise brings health benefits," but the first sentence uses many "sophisticated" vocabulary, making it hard to understand. Meanwhile, the second sentence uses simple words and conveys a clearer message.
"It's clear that using precise vocabulary appropriate to the context is the key to achieving a high score," Thành said.
In addition to practicing writing, Thành also increased his exposure to real-life English by reading newspapers like The Guardian, New York Times, and watching subtitled movies.
After two years of practice, Thành achieved an 8.5 IELTS score. Since then, Chí Thành has taken the test more than 20 times, consistently scoring 8.0-8.5, with the writing skill often being lower than the others.
Thành is trying to continue improving. When describing the chart in Task 1, in addition to the introduction to state the issue and the overview outlining the main features, Thành used to look for similar figures and then divide them into two paragraphs. He noticed that this often leads to a "head of an elephant, tail of a mouse" situation.
"The first paragraph may be reasonable, but when forcing different data into the next paragraph, the essay will lack coherence," Thành said. Therefore, depending on the data, candidates can divide it into three or more paragraphs.
Thành also tends to "squeeze" the chart. For example, for an essay showing trends over the years, in the past, Thành only wrote about the increase and decrease in the first and last year. Currently, Thành pays more attention to the changes in the data over each time period, then ranks and comments on the degree of change.
"The purpose of describing the chart is for the reader to visualize the chart without having to look back at the prompt," Thành summarized.
In Task 2, which requires arguing about a social issue, Thành noticed that high-scoring essays all compare both sides of the issue and analyze deeply.
In the given topic asking for opinions on whether English becoming a global language is more beneficial than harmful, Thanh used counter-arguments. He argued that some people are concerned about the loss of language diversity when many young people consider their mother tongue outdated and less important than English. However, this fear is unfounded because governments are making efforts to preserve languages. Thanh then demonstrated that English is convenient for international communication and cooperation, increasing cultural understanding. Finally, he affirmed that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
"You need to show the examiner how well you understand the issue and how logical your ideas are," Thanh said.
Thanh also noticed another reason for low scores in essays, which is the misuse of linking words between sentences and paragraphs.
"When writing, it's necessary to limit formal linking words and focus on connecting based on the relationships between sentences, using linking words to attract as little attention as possible," Thanh shared. Previously, he often practiced writing various types in English, such as diaries.
Furthermore, Thanh developed thinking and contextual vocabulary research to express concisely. This is also how he thinks in Speaking skills. "I often choose simple, concise vocabulary, aiming for the naturalness of the sentence."
Mr. Luyện Quang Kiên is the first Vietnamese to achieve a score of 9.0 in all four IELTS skills. He once guided Chí Thành in Writing skills. Thành initially scored 6.5 in his first essay. However, just a few months later, his writing ability improved to 7.5.
"Thành showed determination, focus, good analytical skills, and quick learning from experience," remarked Kiên.
To achieve high IELTS scores, Thành believes that candidates should not just practice tests but also increase their exposure to natural language.
"You can read newspapers, watch movies, and browse TikTok in English every day. This helps you understand English style much better than just solving exercises."
Moreover, for scores of 8.0 and above, candidates need to pay close attention to every detail. Even though the Listening and Reading sections can be easily mastered through practice, candidates should not be complacent.
Thành plans to further his studies in Education to enhance his English teaching skills in the future.
CREDIT: VNEXPRESS
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