Hello everyone, I am currently studying for the IELTS exam, aiming for a score of 7.5. I find this shared content quite interesting, so I want to share it again.
CREDIT: www.reddit.com/r/IELTS
I don't know for which reason you are preparing for IELTS, what colour your skin is, which profession you want to have in the future or what your current level in English is. To be honest non of them matters. If you are reading these sentences, I BELIVE IN YOU AND THERE IS NO REASON STOPPING YOU FROM YOUR DREAMS!
In this post I want to underline the importance of grinding it out. But first let's talk about the general advices we get all the time. There are 2 main types of content as far as IELTS Videos are concerned:
1- Tactical Jesters: "if you read the question first and summersault around your table and underline the subject of the sentence and lick your elbow you can get a band 9 in reading!"
Ok, don't get me wrong, those are respected teachers and I am not be-littling anyone. Also I learned many important points from those videos (even though they have so many clickbait titles like "get a band 9 today right now !!!1!1!1!")
But does a native speaking person who holds a master degree in any major would need any of those tactics? No way! All they have to do is taking the reading test and even if they spend half of the time given it would be enough for them to finish it with a full score. Why? Because they put thousands of hours if not ten thousands reading in English since they were babies. NOTHING BEATS THE GRIND. it is like the mental muscle mass you have. However those people well aware that an average Joe/Jenny does not want to get out of the comfort zone. Even though they are also well-aware that it takes months to get into that level and there is no way around it, they do it to get some attention do they can help people. 99 percent of the time their intentions are good, no offence.
2- Feedback Obsessors
Ok those guys are niche, realistic coaches. They know what they are doing. They say "Practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes it perfect. You need feedback"
Well, it really makes sense. Especially in writing you need someone academically successful to check your essays time to time.
But sometimes those kind of coaches are also acting DELUSIONAL!
Once I gave advice to a friend in this sub. I said something like this "Girl, if you don't feel comfortable speaking in English, it is completely ok, do not negatively self talk to yourself. Start slowly and build a winner effect. Everyday pick a different topic, talk about it for 30 mins while recording yourself and afterwards listen to it and analyze your mistakes. In 3-6 months you wild be incredibly better either confidence-wise or skill-wise."
and one IELTS coach answered: "Without getting feedbacks she can not improve. 6 months later she will be the same."
You what? the same! 6 months of getting out of comfort zone, forcing yourself to speak, being consistent, trying your best, and being the same!!! Dude that is very non-scientific. People really underestimate the importance of the grind.
Final words: In conclusion ( that is probably how ninety percent of us start the last paragraph in task 2, it is the best way in my humble opinion, lol :D ) my friends, yes DO use strategies and tactics, DO get feedbacks from professionals. But besides that NOTHING BEATS THE GRIND! As a wrestler when I was a kid my coaches wanted us to run until our lounges feel like they are gonna explode. They wanted us to repeat those double leg, single leg attacks until we don't feel our muscles anymore! They wanted us to lift weights, wake up early and do cardios, take cold showers, cut weights (probably the most difficult part of competing). I was training with Chechens at the same team in my country. Those people, and our coach Tamerlan... Everybody was a literal beast man! Training with them not only taught me about physical battles but also mental battles to achieve anything you want!
That is the sign for you to grind! From tomorrow morning. Go to a library, find some English books about topics that you are interested in and read them until the sun goes down! Then listen to podcasts in English while speeding them up to 1,25 1.5 or even 2.00 X!!!!! Then speak until you can't feel your throat! Then write essays until you don't feel your arms! Eat your healthy diet, sleep well. The very next day do it again! The very next day do it again! The very next day do it again! The very next day do it again! And again! And again! And again! The Grind is your best friend and you need those hundreds of hours if not thousands! Build a winner effect, always feel grateful to yourself, always say positive things to yourself, always believe in yourself and again and again and again! You can walk after your dreams! You have to run after your dreams! You have to fly after your dreams! Dash and slash! Again and again and again and again! Hundreds of hours! Crush it! I believe in you! There may be billions of people in the world but there is only one YOU! That makes you unique and there is nothing you lacking of! Let's go my friend!
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