How can I create my study plan?
Especially when just getting started, a lot of students find themselves overwhelmed with the amount of work ahead of them and, as a result, they realize quickly enough that they need to have a plan for their studies because if they don't, their studies will lack focus and suffer. Worst yet, they could feel stuck before even getting started.
As such, it's important to settle on a study plan as early as possible in your IELTS journey. Here are some tips for how you should create your study plan:
- Focus on the part of the test you are weakest in (Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking). If you haven't taken the IELTS test before or you don't know your weakest area, start with Writing. Most students take longest to increase their Writing scores.
- Consider how much time per day you'll be able to comfortably and reliably dedicate to your studies. Make a note of this, as well as WHAT times each day you'll study. This will help you stick to your plan. We'll call this your timetable.
- Unless you can dedicate all your time to your studies, you should try to avoid planning to study more than 1 or 2 skills per day. When students try to do too much at once, they end up lacking focus and getting easily distracted.
- Create your weekly schedule of WHEN you're going to study, and WHAT you're going to be focusing on at that time. However, be realistic; if you know for a fact that your mind turns to jelly after 3-4 hours of study, don't plan to do any more than that. Rome wasn't built in a day, and everyone needs a break every now and then.
- Now, once you have your timetable, use the VIP Study Plan to guide you and ensure that you follow the optimum process for the study of each skill.
Then, of course, the challenge of sticking to your plan begins. Do your best to stick to your plan, but also, don't beat yourself up if you depart from your plan on occasion; instead, just accept that you needed a break, or really needed to get something else done at that time, and resume your studies as soon as you can.
We have also created study planners that will help you manage your time effectively.
You can find the Study Planners with the Welcome video in the Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking courses.
You can also download them here:
Listening Academy Study Planner
Academic Writing Academy Study Planner
General Training Writing Academy Study Planner
Speaking Academy Study Planner
Use the Study Planners to help you organise your time.
