Approved exam book supplementary exercise

Supplements serve one schedule

*The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS* (Cambridge University Press & Assessment) already contains full practice tests; a supplementary exercise works only when it feeds the same timetable rather than adding a second one. Choose the skill that lost most marks last mock and give it twenty minutes before the next full run.

The error ledger

Keep one page per skill. Each wrong answer gets a cause, not just a corrected option: did not know the item, misread the question, ran out of time, or chose a distractor that looked true. Four causes, four fixes. An answer corrected without a recorded cause is very likely to be missed again in the next test.

Distractors reward second looks

Exam distractors are written from real learner errors: near-synonyms that shift scope, numbers that appear once but answer nothing, paraphrases of half the passage. Train the second look: for every chosen answer, name why the other three fail. Reasoning out loud converts luck into method.

Timed repetition

Redo the failed set under the original time limit three days later, without notes. Partial credit still counts in speaking and writing, so repeat those sections aloud with a timer rather than rereading model answers.

Exercise: run a twenty-minute repair session

Take five recent errors, write cause and fix for each, then redo the set under time. Log the result in the ledger.

Worked example

Take one exam task type, such as a short reading or speaking prompt. Complete it under time, then review against the mark scheme. Identify one strategy to improve, such as scanning for keywords or planning before speaking. Repeat with a new task and compare scores.

Common pitfalls

• Practicing without timing.
• Ignoring the mark scheme.
• Repeating the same mistakes.
• Studying content instead of strategy.

Practice

Complete two tasks this week, one timed and one untimed. Compare performance and note where timing changed the result. Adjust strategy accordingly.

Checklist

• Task type identified.
• Timed practice completed.
• Mark scheme consulted.
• One strategy improved.
• Progress recorded.

Mini-exercise

Choose one exam task. Complete it in the allotted time, score it, and write one strategy change for next time.

Related lessons

Drill with IELTS listening note-taking practice and IELTS reading strategy practice.

Source

Original LinguaPro exercises prepared as a supplement to *The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS* Student's Book with Answers (Cambridge University Press & Assessment). No test content from the book is reproduced; the ledger and repair session are original.