How do I Choose the Best IELTS® Tutor?

When preparing for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS®) test, students can help get themselves the best chances of success by hiring a qualified tutor. Students desiring to get their money's worth, should evaluate the skill and experience of the tutor, the competitive provisions of the tutoring service, and the overall targeting that the tutor provides for the specific challenges of the IELTS® exam. The IELTS® is a unique English language proficiency test, and doing well means being attentive to the many proprietary aspects of the test; this means that the right tutor can have a significant impact on a student's final score.

To get the best IELTS® tutor, the student should look at the qualifications and practical experience that the individual brings to the table. This should not be the only criteria for selecting the best person for the job, but it is important. Students can ask the tutor or tutoring service about how many times the he or she has taught IELTS® material, whether he or she has actually seen an IELTS® test in its real form, and what other kinds of training skills may prove valuable for focused improvement.

In addition, it’s helpful to look at what some call the "cost for value" of the tutoring service provided. This includes analyzing the quantity of hours of training compared to overall cost, where training hours should be kept as competitively priced as possible. It also means looking at the scope of the curriculum, for example, if a tutoring service will include good, quality IELTS® study books within the given cost. Students should not just choose the cheapest IELTS® tutor, but should look at what they are getting overall in exchange for what they pay; after all having to repeat the test would cost even more time and money.

In asking in-depth questions of an IELTS® tutor before making a selection, a student should be able to find out how well the tutor will target instruction to the test just by asking a few simple questions about the content of the tutoring sessions. The best IELTS® tutor provides a rigid adherence to the four categories of the exam, which are reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Leaving out one of more of these elements will not generally serve students well.

For looking at specifically how instructors or tutors will train for the exam, students can ask about some of the less technical challenges of the IELTS®. For example, the speaking section of the test presents it own problems for some students. With the other areas, students are filling in multiple choice questions, filling in blanks, or writing essays. For the speaking section, they must demonstrate that they can hold a conversation. The quick thinking required to shine on the IELTS® speaking section, combined with the natural intimidation of some test takers, and the challenging nature of this section, means it’s important for trainers not just to train students up for technical mastery, but to boost their confidence and help them develop “soft language” skills in the form of conversational grace and ease of use of vocabulary.