IELTS Advice: noticing your mistakes

Last week I suggested that mistakes can be stepping stones that help you to improve your English. But you need to notice your mistakes before you can learn from them.

Here are some tips about noticing and learning from mistakes:

• The most obvious strategy is to get someone (e.g. a teacher) to check your written work and correct your mistakes.
• Before your teacher checks your work, did you check it carefully yourself?
• Study your teacher's corrections, and make sure you understand what you did wrong.
• Pay special attention to any repeated mistakes that you make.
• If you have a one-to-one teacher, you could also ask him or her to listen for mistakes that you make when speaking.
• Try recording yourself. Listen to the recording, and transcribe it. Analyse what you said carefully and ask someone to check it.

Comments

[Ajay Sharma]

Hi Simon
I appreciate your advice and efforts to guild IELTS students, but for those who do not have time to attend classes or appoint examiner, in that case how we can find out our mistakes?

[Samuel]

Hi Simon
I got a random ielts question popping up in my mind while watching match today. I remembered reading a post the other day about describing a season in speaking part 2. But it didn't really specify what types of season we are allowed to talk about. So my question is whether I would be deemed as off topic if I describe a football season.

[Roqi]

Hi all,

Thank simon, any website to help me on correct my mistake and website is free?
any person can add website if that is allowed

[Simon]

Hi Ajay,

It isn't easy to notice your own mistakes. You just need to do lots of checking, use a dictionary, and 'steal' phrases that you know are correct (e.g. from my lessons).

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Hi Samuel,

I don't think you would get away with that because the other points on the card (e.g. about the weather) wouldn't really fit.

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Hi Roqi,

I'm afraid I don't know of any free correction services.

[sarah]

Hi Simon,
I tried hard finding my mistake,paid lump sum money to IELTS tutors. In my 8th attempt my tutors were confident that I will score 7 in all modules. on failing,they said that I make mistakes due to time pressure on head and just try to get rid of questions,answering it quickly because of time constraint. Now,how shall I improve in this,I believe most likely,everytime am committing same mistake and consistent low score in reading. What to do?