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During his 10-month intensive preparation period, Thanh dedicated significant time to Writing. He found that brainstorming (a method of quick thinking to find approaches to a problem) was crucial.
"If you don't focus on this step, you'll likely write with poor ideas or run out of time during the test," Thanh explained.
Rather than practicing Writing with individual topics, Thanh preferred thinking in thematic groups. When searching for writing approaches, he would research additional knowledge about that topic. For instance, when writing about transportation, he studied traffic congestion reports from various countries, examining which nations performed well and what policies they implemented to use as examples.
This process not only helped him with the exam but also broadened his knowledge. Previously, Thanh only knew climate change as a familiar concept that was frequently mentioned, but he didn't understand its causes and effects.
"After studying, I learned so many new things, which makes me very happy," Thanh shared. "Environmental topics became my favorite subject."
On the exam day, Thanh performed well in three skills - Reading, Speaking, and Writing, but encountered difficulties with Listening. During practice, he usually worked directly on paper, but the test was conducted on a computer. The screen was several times larger than a paper page, and since Thanh wasn't used to viewing content across such a wide area, he struggled to navigate between different sections, making it challenging to mark keywords for matching answers.
This resulted in Thanh scoring 8.0, despite consistently achieving 9.0 in practice tests. He decided to retake the Listening tests from morning until evening, using a computer to simulate actual test conditions. According to Thanh, the second test was longer and more challenging than the first, but thanks to through preparation and strong mental fortitude, he achieved the perfect score he desired.
Thanh believes that learning English isn't difficult when it's connected to one's interests, passions, and perseverance. He mentioned that he currently doesn't feel the need to retake IELTS immediately to improve his Writing score. He plans to consider attempting IELTS for a second time when his certificate expires or when he feels his Writing skills have significantly improved.
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