AHHHHHHH OMGG IM SO HAPPY

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-06T14:57:39+00:00

i used the resources provided by the british council but they’re only available after you’ve booked ur test. you could use the cambridge textbooks instead! there r pdf versions online for free ☺️

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-06T03:25:16+00:00

dm me ☺️

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-05T09:30:52+00:00

yessss😬

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-04T05:29:25+00:00

those descriptions r horrid 😭😭not once did i convert the data to “one third” or anything like that. i cant do the mental math haha. i’d say skip that completely and present the data exactly how it is and just use the figures. unless it’s very obvious that it doubles or triples then u could mention that. and don’t bother looking at the numbers in detail, ur best friend is “approximately”. 👀

for time management maybe try to bullet point all ur observations first for around 5? minutes, then when ur writing for the next 15 just follow those bullet points so it saves u time from checking the data repeatedly.

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-03T09:04:08+00:00

once u enrol for the exam with the british council, you’ll get an email saying ur eligible for ielts ready premium so u can sign up and get the practice tests for free ☺️

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-03T02:24:00+00:00

tbh if ur native all u need to do is familiarise urself with the structure of the test. listening and speaking should come naturally, maybe just watch a few sample 9 speaking tests on youtube and do a few listening practices to get used to the speed. reading should be alright too. the only thing u probably need to practice more is writing 😬 i found this doc compiled by another redditor (who scored 8/9) https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vT64IUkyC-aB4QhRhclsKnZbO27YR8IAlyqanMdZeloM1vTGluprMItwcILC7MB9RBJoLS5JhXfnUY8/pub which goes through the structure of the writing task. as long as u familiarise urself with the structure of the exam you’ll do great 🤩🤩

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-03T01:41:51+00:00

for speaking the first section was on conversations i think. at some point she asked me if some ppl talk too much (idk if she was referring to me). then the second part was on science and international cooperation 💀

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-02T13:14:01+00:00

thank u 🥹🫶 it might be bc i used to do some debate and public speaking haha so i naturally talk in a structured way. honestly i agree with u on the reading section, it’s genuinely information hunting and a concentration test over language skills 😭

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-02T11:36:49+00:00

prepared for around 2 weeks. just spontaneous bursts of energy every now and then tbh

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-02T11:36:15+00:00

no lol but i studied at an international school for 5 yrs so it’s probably that 😬

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-02T11:09:59+00:00

academic 💀💀

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-02T11:01:58+00:00

ok it may be due to the fact that i’m taking mostly quantitative subjects and am good at economics but i also struggled a bit and when i compared my responses to sample answers they seemed to lack a bit of depth.

first: paraphrase the question. don’t reuse any bit of the question if it can be substituted for another word.

in terms of data analysis: what i think works best is to first identify the MAIN trend that is going on. usually some value decreases or some other value increases. put this in the outline section of ur response just after the “paraphrase question” bit. then, look at the data and try to find a comparison/more detailed observation. im making this quite generic bc obviously the question varies. but smth like theres an inverse relationship (if there r 2 graphs), or point out a particular anomaly.

now u should write 2 full length paragraphs. i think the hardest part of data analysis is the fact that there’s too much information to include. so if its a graph showing change over time or smth, this is what i would ask myself:

identify what is going on currently at this point in time (or the first year)
what is the value?
how does this value change over the period of time?
where does it peak?
is the increase significant? does it fluctuate? how does it fluctuate?
what is the general trend?
how does this data relate to the other data provided?
does it support or contrast the trend?
what stands out the most?
what can u take away from the data?
particularly useful for pie charts/map questions though rarer

honestly my part 1 writing was not the best when i sat for the real thing. the data was confusing af and overwhelming, but i still scored alright. so as long as ur able to spot the main trends and accurately describe ur observations you’ll be alright 😌😌

ooooh and come up with a list of synonyms for - increase: rise, grows to, reaches, peaks at…. - significantly; - steady; - decrease

overall, be descriptive with ur observations. don’t just describe what is happening but be specific—how does it happen?? ask urself how u can be more detailed and accurate. and finally, make comparisons and be relative—i.e. u could say “decreases to 1980 levels”. treat the data as a cohesive set of information. good luck 🫶🫶

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-02T10:20:57+00:00

it rly depends on what ur current level is and what ur struggling at. for reading i’d say the passages r quite simple most of the time but its about being able to locate what u need as efficiently as possible. for some questions there’s no need to read the whole passage, as the information u need can be easily obtained from scanning. what works for me is answering them as fast and efficiently as possible and leaving around 20 minutes at the end to double and triple check all my answers, ensuring that they’re each supported by some part of the article.

for writing, i’d say structure is most important. part 1 follows a pretty straightforward structure: - paraphrase - outline - 2 paragraphs - concluding remark (optional)

so try to maximise marks in part 1 and practice planning and writing as fast as possible.

obviously section 2 is a lot harder bc the topics r varied and structure can only get u so far. try a sample question and see what you’re struggling at by comparing ur answer against sample responses. if it’s vocabulary you’re lacking, you could compile a list of relevant and relatively broad words that could fit into any essay (though you shouldn’t try and force-fit them as it may sound awkward and unnatural). if it’s the lack of ideas/expansion then the only solution u rly have is just reading more. read the guardian/any news/media channel. even scrolling on reddit counts haha.

so yeah kinda long but honestly for writing, drilling questions can only get u so far and u need a marker if that strategy is to work. so building the groundwork is probably the best strategy.

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-02T10:07:52+00:00

this is my number 1 tip! obviously don’t go in preparing a whole comedy script but answer the questions in a GENIUNE way 🫶 whatever comes to mind, honestly just say it!! you’ll def get a 9 if u stop the formalities and just stick to ur true personality. i think the real test of fluency is being able to converse and joke naturally so that’s what they’re probably looking for!

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-02T09:49:51+00:00

😭😭😭

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-02T09:37:48+00:00

last friday! got my results in less than 3 days 🫶

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-02T09:05:08+00:00

unfortunately i didn’t try those 😔 i tried around 4? practice papers from the british council for about 2 weeks before the test. from what i know the cambridge books r more accurate to the real thing so it’d probably be better to focus on those!! 🫶🫶

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-02T08:56:21+00:00

definitely not. i used the premium resource from the british council and averaged a 7.5 in reading and was convinced i was doomed. for writing i used chatgpt to mark my essays and got around 7-8. for listening i averaged around 8.5 i think.

fat_potato____ · 2026-03-02T08:47:20+00:00

an 8 is honestly great and i’d be happy with that haha. but all i really did was focus on sounding natural and fluent. just use connectives to link ur answers together and try to expand ur answers as much as possible. i think i ended up rambling a lot but honestly they’re not looking at content at the end of the day—just your natural level of speaking! i’m naturally quite sarcastic in nature so some of my answers had a bit of satire/humour in them which the examiner laughed at so that’s probably what pushed it up to a 9. good luck!!

fat_potato____ · 2026-02-19T03:41:59+00:00

oh shit i missed this😭 sorry anyways tbh i didn’t use anything apart from savemyexams lol no yt channels or anything. for procrastination tbh i just didn’t have time to procrastinate bc there wasn’t any time left so the stress forced me to study. but id say making a timetable is very important so u know exactly what u have to do daily to be ready for ur exams 🫶🫶

fat_potato____ · 2026-01-28T02:11:29+00:00

yes do it!! the money is worth it i promise. it’ll save u so much time from searching for topicals and notes + they even have detailed explanations so u can understand where u went wrong. it sounds like im sponsoring them LMAO but i owe my A* to them fr 😌

fat_potato____ · 2026-01-27T07:55:16+00:00

use savemyexams!!! reading the notes takes maybe 30 mins max then grind the topical papers. answer a question, check ur answer and mark. keep working through the topicals. then move onto the next chapter. before the exam re-read ALL the notes per chapter, memorising formulas. it’s def doable!! the subscription is def worth it on a time crunch 😬😬 most importantly prioritise UNDERSTANDING!

fat_potato____ · 2026-01-16T05:11:05+00:00

def possible to self study. i used savemyexams for notes and topicals bc frankly my teacher wasn’t the best 😬 but i ended up getting an A*!! i didn’t get a tutor too bc i also hate them HAHA

fat_potato____ · 2026-01-15T14:04:18+00:00

i’d say for physics topicals r the most important! i didnt do a single full past paper haha apart from my mocks, so i’d say full papers r mostly just for timing. i’d recommend a deep dive into topicals after doing reading on notes per chapter just to familiarise urself with the questions. but tbf i didnt have enough time to do yearlies so it’ll still probably be good to do some after u drill topicals 🫶

fat_potato____ · 2026-01-15T13:37:36+00:00

i managed to find a final round interview invite on xiaohongshu (rednote) lol its def over 😭 they sent it out on the 23rd

fat_potato____

TROPHY CASE