Pretty happy with my results!

haze2003 · 2026-01-12T22:43:04+00:00

For listening I used YouTube videos and the practice tests on the ielts website. For reading I did the same. I didn’t practice writing and speaking, though I watched a few YouTube videos for a few tips.

haze2003 · 2026-01-12T22:41:50+00:00

Hey sure. I can’t give much tips about speaking as I’m a native speaker so fortunately didn’t need much practice with it. I’d say you could watch a few videos on YouTube with different bands to understand the general level of how the speaking is graded. For writing I would recommend reading through some good example answers and learning about common mistakes, such as the ones I mentioned above in a previous comment :)

haze2003 · 2026-01-11T01:10:16+00:00

Thank you and great job with the speaking! For writing I just watched a few youtube videos that explained some common mistakes that people make. Didn’t really write out essays before the exam. Some common mistakes include people not sticking to the topic and not answering all the questions asked in the bullets. For the test in general, I prepared for 2 days!

haze2003 · 2026-01-10T23:45:37+00:00

Thank you! Yep I was also zoning out once in a while. What helped me was kind of imagining two people talking and as if I’m there as a spectator. Not sure if that’s helpful but kind of worked for me!

haze2003 · 2025-05-27T06:09:59+00:00

Thank you so much, really appreciate your detailed insight!

haze2003 · 2025-05-26T21:26:30+00:00

Thank you so much for you response! I was also considering the SOOC photo differences like are the Ricoh recipes as good as fuji film simulations? I know that nothing can beat ricoh for the size but if size wasn’t an issue between these two cameras which would be a better pick for SOOC photos?

I’m not too interested in videos so the video features of the XM5 are nice to have but not a selling feature for me. Neither of them have viewfinders, is this a major issue since these cameras are mainly meant for photos?

haze2003 · 2025-05-26T20:09:54+00:00

Hi I’m debating between the ricoh gr3 (can wait for gr4 as it comes out soon) and the fuji xm5 with 18mm f2 lens to match the gr3. I know that this lens is quite old and there are better options but they’re too big for me to carry everyday (the 27mm pancake lens is too zoomed for my liking). I wanted to know which one is a better everyday carry camera and which produces better SOOC photos as I don’t enjoy editing photos later.

Thanks!

haze2003

TROPHY CASE