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To know whether you should read the IELTS Reading passage first or the questions first, experiment with both strategies and see what works best for you.
Many students have found it helps to skim through the questions first to get an idea of what to pay attention to in the reading passage. This method may work for you too, but in reality, it depends on a number of factors. These include how well or how quickly you read, the type of questions, how difficult they are, how much time you have, and so on. So, never mind what your teacher recommends, or what your best friend is going to do. Try both ways and see what helps you the most.
Read the IELTS Reading instructions carefully. Don’t try to save time by skipping this part. The instructions give you critical information about how many words the answer should be, what exactly you need to do, and so on. Always read the instructions, even if you have done hundreds of practice tests already!
In many cases, the questions follow the order of the information in the reading passages. This will help you find the required answers quickly.
Spelling matters, so take care while writing in the short answers. You will lose points for incorrect spelling. Take special care when copying words from the text.
Grammar counts too, so make sure you pay attention to this aspect as well.
In sentence completion tasks, focus on the meaning to select the right answer.
Do many practice tests to familiarize yourself with the test format, the types of questions, the level of difficulty and more.
Read widely from a variety of sources to strengthen your general reading skills and enrich your vocabulary.
Look out for key synonyms used in the text or question, to help you identify where to find the answer quickly.
Use only the stated number of words in your answer or you will lose the mark. Hyphenated words count as one word.
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The accents of the speakers on the tape are primarily British. This means you must become accustomed to understanding the nuances of such accents. If you have been watching a lot of American television, (shows such as Friends, for example) it will not really help you. British accents are quite different and it is better to spend time in the months before the test listening to British radio stations and podcasts or watching the BBC, British shows, and movies. This is one of the major difference
between the IELTS exam and the TOEFL, which features more American accents.
Get used to the way letters and numbers are pronounced in British (and
American)English. Sometimes, in the listening section, you are asked to write down the spelling of a name, place, or address. If you make a mistake in the spelling while writing it down, you will get the answer wrong.
The expressions used also tend to be taken from British rather than
American English. This means you may hear unfamiliar idioms, which can confuse you. Speakers may also use British words for common items such as "flat" for
"apartment", "lorry" for "truck", or "advert" for advertisement. Make sure you study the most common differences in British and American vocabulary and listen to as many IELTS exercises as possible before your exam to prepare you for the actual test experience.
Learn to distinguish opinion from fact. In the third and fourth listening passages, you will probably be tested on what one of the speakers thinks or what his / her view is. This may or may not be stated outright, but as an underlying theme in the whole conversation or in the tone of the speakers voice, rather than the words themselves.

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Don't worry if your classmates or friends get higher listening scores than
you. Each one has his or her strengths and weaknesses, just like you. Each one also has his or her own language goals. Just focus on your own needs and don't compare yourself to others.
Follow instructions very carefully. If the instructions state, "Write no more than three words",then you must not write more or you will receive no marks for your answer, even if some of the words you wrote were part of the correct answer.
Similarly, read each instruction carefully. Sometimes, you are asked to circle two answers, sometimes three, and so on. You must read the instruction each time as it may differ from the previous ones. Remember, the ability to follow instructions in
English is a test in itself.
The questions follow the oral text. Remember this - it will make it easier for you to focus on the current question, or to know when you've been left behind, in case the speakers have gone on to providing the answer to the following questions.
Familiarize yourself with charts, graphs, flow-charts, bar charts and pie
charts, etc. These often appear as part of the answer choices in the fourth section.
The more comfortable you are with interpreting the data represented in them, the easier your exam will be.
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Work with a teacher. Write several sample essays and have them corrected by a teacher. You cannot prepare for the writing section of the IELTS alone, as you have no way of receiving feedback on your errors. If you are short on money, at least invest in a teacher or class to prepare for the writing and speaking sections of the IELTS, and then do the listening and reading sections on your own by working with a good preparatory IELTS guidebook.
Read the questions very carefully. Often the question will ask you to do three or four different things, aside from the main question. Jot them down and make sure you address all of them in your answer. The IELTS examiner will be checking for this.
Practice writing tasks within the given time limits. It really doesn't matter if you can write a beautiful answer in two hours. Always recreate the conditions of the exam as closely as possible, when doing any kind of practice exercises.
Plan before you write. Even though you feel under pressure for time, spend the first few minutes planning your writing. Decide what you're going to say and how you'll expand on it. When you know what to write, you can concentrate on how to write it best. Experiment with the great variety of outlining and mind-mapping techniques to help you sketch out a plan quickly.
Write in an organized way. When you've planned in advance, you'll end up with a more organized, logical piece of writing, which will earn you higher marks.
There are many ways to be organized – linear, circular, etc. – but in the end the final product must be cohesive.
Stay on topic. You will be penalized if you stray off topic. This is where the initial few minutes of planning can help you a great deal.
Divide your writing into paragraphs. It is confusing to be faced with a block of writing, with no divisions. You wouldn't expect to read a magazine article or book like this. Always divide your writing into paragraphs.
Write clearly. This is not the time or place to experiment with new vocabulary or idioms. Use simple, clear English to get your ideas across in a powerful way.
Write legibly. Though marks are not granted or taken away for poor or messy writing, the examiner should be able to read what you have written without undue difficulty.
Spell correctly. Yes, this does affect your score so avoid careless mistakes. A careless mistake is when you have spelt the same word in various ways in the same piece of writing or when you misspell a word which is already given in the exam topic

and all you have to do is copy it correctly. That's not okay. Watch for this when you're practicing and resolve to overcome it.
Although grammar is not tested directly on the IELTS, it is tested indirectly in the speaking and writing sections of the exam. You can gain or lose points based on your command of English grammar. It would help to undertake a general review of English grammar while preparing for the IELTS. Alternatively, you could take a diagnostic grammar test so you can find out exactly which areas you need to concentrate on. Any good review should include the following grammatical areas:
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Verb tenses
Subject-verb agreement
Modals
Gerunds and infinitives
Conjunctions
Relative clauses
Conditional sentences
Word Order
Prepositions
Articles
Phrasal verbs
Singular and Plural Nouns
Pronouns
There are a number of excellent English grammar books on the market and each teacher has his or her favourites. Nevertheless, a few of the most popular are:
Many students are nervous and concerned about their pronunciation skills when speaking
English in general, and when appearing for an oral exam in particular. However, when appearing for the IELTS, rather than worrying about your accent, you need to simply focus on speaking as clearly as you can and minimizing any obvious
pronunciation errors.
You also must remember to speak up, because sometimes when students are nervous, they mumble, thinking they can hide their mistakes. This is not true. Sorry, bub! On the contrary, what will help is if you speak clearly and confidently, so that more of what you are saying can be heard, first and foremost, and then understood.
Remember that everyone who speaks English has an accent – even in America, Canada,
South Africa, England, Australia, or New Zealand. What you need to correct are the obvious mistakes that may be made by people who share your linguistic background. In particular, you need to focus on those mistakes which result in words that may be misunderstood, such as "lice" instead of "rice" or "jello" instead of "yellow".
There are a number of effective pronunciation packages - including books, CDs, and software - that help you improve your accent

Being able to use a rich vocabulary is a major advantage in the IELTS and will certainly help you get a higher score. It will also be beneficial in your academic, personal and professional life. For example, if you wish to pursue higher education at university, research has shown that you may need up to 10,000 words.
There are a number of ways in which you can improve your vocabulary. Whichever method you adopt, you'll want to create a vocabulary notebook in which you write down new words and sample sentences.
DIRECT OR INDIRECT METHODS
Your strategy may be direct or indirect. The choice depends on your current vocabulary level. If you need major improvement, you should set up a study schedule which includes a specific time in which you work on learning new words and expressions. You could select one of the many excellent vocabulary enrichment books available today, or one specifically designed for the IELTS, which covers a number of different subject areas. You could work for as little as 10 minutes a day to as much as one hour a day. No matter how much you do, working steadily and daily will produce impressive results.
The second way is to adopt indirect strategies to enrich your vocabulary. This includes reading newspapers, magazines, textbooks, brochures, and fiction or non-fiction books. It includes watching and listening to news broadcasts, interviews, songs, documentaries, movies, audio books, and discussions. Not only should you write down the new words and their meanings, but also use the new words in your own written or oral sentences.
VOCABULARY RESOURCES
With such a wide selection of vocabulary improvement materials available, you can select the system you feel most comfortable with and enjoy the most. Identify the best vocabulary books for your needs at the local library, though friends, teachers, or online.
If you have an auditory learning style, choose tapes and CDs. It takes time to build up your vocabulary so find a program which appeals to you and you'll stick with..
IELTS VOCABULARY
Along with general ESL vocabulary materials, there are general and specific IELTS vocabulary programs. General IELTS preparation materials address all the skill areas covered in the exam, and include vocabulary sections as well. An example of such a book is IELTS Masterclass by Simon Haines. On the other hand, specific IELTS vocabulary
books are devoted exclusively to vocabulary enrichment. Examples are Check Your
English Vocabulary for IELTS by Rawdon Wyatt and Cambridge Vocabulary for IELTS
(with Audio CD) .
VOCABULARY BY EMAIL
There are also various companies, such as Meriam Webster Online and Wordsmith , which can send a word a day to your e-mail address, or even your cellphone, for free.
VOCABULARY GAMES
Many ESL websites offer a wide variety of vocabulary building games at all levels and for various purposes.