IELTS 7.0: What can you achieve? Is IELTS 7.0 difficult?

1. Is IELTS 7.0 high or low?

IELTS 7.0 is quite a high score on the IELTS scale from 1.0 to 9.0. This score indicates that the test-taker has a very good command of English and can perform complex language tasks, both in academic and work environments.

Achieving this score usually means mastering vocabulary and grammar, being able to communicate fluently and flexibly in handling complex language situations and structures. They can understand subtle arguments and engage in intricate discussions.

2. Is learning IELTS 7.0 difficult?

IELTS 7.0 is a fairly high score on a scale of 9.0. Therefore, to achieve this score, you need to master all four skills: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking, understanding the content rather than just coping.

Achieving IELTS 7.0 is not just a matter of time, but also about language thinking, logical thinking ability, and social knowledge.

Therefore, achieving IELTS 7.0 is relatively difficult if you do not study seriously. However, for those who are determined and patient, this score is not too high, as long as they have a solid English foundation, a reasonable study plan, and a suitable learning method.

3. What can you achieve with IELTS 7.0?

3.1. Pursuing scholarships and studying abroad

Achieving an IELTS score of 7.0 means you have the ability to use English proficiently enough to participate in any university program worldwide. Therefore, with this score, you will have opportunities to receive scholarships and enroll in high-quality university programs.

3.2. Exemption from foreign language exams in high school graduation

For high school students, there is good news that since 2015, the Ministry of Education has exempted foreign language exams for students with IELTS certificates from 4.0 upwards. Therefore, if you focus on preparing for the IELTS and achieve a score of 7.0, you will no longer have to worry about the graduation exam. When you reach the IELTS 7.0 mark, you can convert this score into an English graduation score without having to take the English graduation exam anymore.

3.3. Direct admission to many universities

Typically, the popular admission score for universities ranges from 5.0 to 6.5 IELTS. Therefore, an IELTS score of 7.0 is more than enough to qualify for direct admission to universities both domestically and internationally.

Some popular universities that admit directly with an IELTS score of 7.0 include: National Economics University, Foreign Trade University, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Hoa Sen University in Ho Chi Minh City, and FPT University English Language Department… 

3.4. Job opportunities

IELTS 7.0 is an eagerly awaited score for many young people today. With this score, you can have many excellent job opportunities, especially in large international corporations. Some professions that require IELTS 7.0:

• Nghề biên – phiên dịch.
• Cộng tác viên cho các trang thương mại quốc tế.
• Tham gia các dự án quốc tế.
• Tham gia các tổ chức phi chính phủ.
• Nhân viên phòng hợp tác quốc tế ở các sở ban ngành và ngân hàng.
• Giáo viên tiếng Anh/ Giáo viên chuyên dạy IELTS
• Tiếp viên hàng không.
• Hướng dẫn viên du lịch.
• Chuyên viên tuyển dụng.
• Biên tập viên/ phóng viên.
• Marketing.
• IT.

4. Criteria for achieving IELTS 7.0

To achieve the goal of scoring band 7.0 in the IELTS exam, candidates need to meet the requirements for all four skills: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. An overall score of 7.0 in IELTS for each skill is just the average score required for candidates to achieve a band score of 7 or higher.

Listening: Thí sinh cần đạt 30-32/40 câu hỏi.

Reading:

• IELTS Reading Academic: Yêu cầu đúng 30-32/40 câu.
• IELTS Reading General Training: Cần trả lời đúng 34-35/40 câu.

Writing:

• Thí sinh cần hoàn tất yêu cầu đề bài.
• Bài viết cần có quan điểm rõ ràng, logic và sự thống nhất giữa các phần. Ý chính cần được làm nổi bật và văn phong cần sáng nghĩa, lời văn mạch lạc.
• Biết phát triển các ý bổ trợ cho ý chính, sắp xếp các ý một cách liên kết qua các từ nối hợp lý.
• Sử dụng từ vựng linh hoạt và chính xác, có khả năng sử dụng từ ngữ hiếm hơn với văn phong trôi chảy để thể hiện hiệu quả diễn đạt.
• Có thể xuất hiện lỗi trong việc lựa chọn từ, chính tả và/ hoặc cách ghép từ.

Speaking:

• Để đạt band 7+, thí sinh cần trả lời một cách tự nhiên với chiều dài đáng kể, tránh bị giật dây.
• Có thể có sự ngập ngừng hoặc lặp lại tại một số điểm, tuy nhiên tự điều chỉnh để phù hợp.
• Sử dụng nhiều từ nối, từ vựng và cấu trúc ngôn ngữ linh hoạt.
• Sử dụng idioms và từ vựng ít phổ biến, biết sử dụng cụm từ một cách sáng tạo mặc dù đôi khi không phù hợp.
• Khả năng diễn đạt lại câu (paraphrase) tốt.

5. How long does it take to study for IELTS 7.0?

The question of how long it takes to study for IELTS and what can be achieved with IELTS 7.0 is a concern for most candidates. In reality, the time spent learning English will depend on your current proficiency level and the effort you dedicate to preparing for this exam. Therefore, the study time will vary depending on each individual's ability and the time they invest.

6. The most specific and effective study plan for IELTS 7.0

6.1. Stage 1: Reviewing basic English knowledge

Grammar (Ngữ pháp)

To begin the study process, it's essential to reinforce basic grammar structures, understand sentence constructions, both simple and complex, and learn how to use conjunctions to connect parts of sentences or between sentences... Mastering grammar at this stage will build a stronger foundation for tackling more challenging stages in the learning journey.

Vocabulary (Từ vựng)

Từ vựng is a crucial factor as it affects all 4 skills in IELTS. To build a rich vocabulary, you need to study from various sources and choose an effective learning method to easily remember and use words.

For many people, studying vocabulary by topic and classification in books is an effective way to expand their word bank. Moreover, doing tests after each topic makes it easier to remember words for a longer period during the learning process.

Pronunciation (Phát âm)

Pronunciation significantly impacts two important skills: Listening and Speaking. To have good pronunciation, you need to understand the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and familiarize yourself with native speaker's standard pronunciation, including intonation, linking, and stress.

Therefore, following YouTube channels hosted by native speakers has become a popular learning method. Knowledge of various topics related to the IELTS exam will help you improve pronunciation more easily and effectively.

6.2. Stage 2: Preparing for IELTS aiming for 4.0 – 5.0

This is the stage where you start understanding the requirements of the IELTS exam such as the structure of the exam, its content, and test-taking skills.

Reading (Đọc hiểu)

Scanning and Skimming are two crucial skills you need to combine when doing the Reading section in the IELTS exam.

• “Skimming” (đọc lướt): Kỹ năng đọc nhanh nhằm tìm hiểu ý chính của đoạn văn. Bạn luyện skimming bằng cách đọc tiêu đề, câu đầu và câu cuối của mỗi đoạn văn để nắm bắt nội dung chung mà không cần đọc kỹ từng câu trong đoạn.
• “Scanning” (đọc quét): Kỹ năng đọc nhanh nhằm tìm kiếm các chi tiết cụ thể cần cho việc trả lời câu hỏi. Bạn sẽ dựa vào câu hỏi để tìm các từ khóa trong bài đọc. Hãy tập trung vào danh từ riêng, ngày tháng, số liệu… và đọc một cách nhanh chóng để xác định vị trí của thông tin cần tìm.

Listening (Nghe)

You can choose listening materials in British English to familiarize yourself with the intonation and language style of British people. Nowadays, there are plenty of rich and diverse listening resources available. However, when practicing listening, you should start with easy materials and gradually increase the difficulty. Select short, understandable passages ranging from 1 to 2 minutes to practice listening and analysis.

Avoid trying to translate what you hear into Vietnamese, as this method may not be effective. Instead, repeat the simple English words and sentences that you hear, and practice this daily.

Speaking (Nói)

You will speak directly with a native examiner, so it's essential to practice thoroughly beforehand. This stage doesn't require you to use complex vocabulary or difficult sentence structures.

Prepare well for common topics in IELTS Speaking Part 1 such as hometown, family, hobbies, work, education, entertainment activities, food, sports... to speak fluently and coherently.

If you are self-studying at home, record your speaking and listen back to self-improve. If you have a tutor or English teacher, you can also ask them to correct errors in your pronunciation or ideas in your speech.

Writing (Viết)

Writing is the most challenging skill to test. The writing test consists of two parts:

Writing in the IELTS exam is considered one of the most difficult skills. This writing test consists of two parts:

• IELTS Writing task 1: Tóm tắt và miêu tả dữ liệu từ một biểu đồ, đồ thị hoặc quy trình nào đó. Để hoàn thành này, bạn cần nắm vững các cấu trúc thông thường dùng cho từng loại bài. Thời gian dành cho Task 1 là 20 phút, trong tổng thời gian 60 phút của bài thi.
• IELTS Writing task 2: Viết một bài luận để trả lời một quan điểm, một lập luận hoặc một vấn đề xã hội nào đó. Task 2 chiếm tỷ lệ 2/3 tổng số điểm của bài thi, do đó bạn sẽ cần dành khoảng 40 phút để hoàn thành phần này.

Performing well in both parts requires regular practice, getting familiar with different writing structures, and knowing how to organize ideas logically and coherently.

6.3. Stage 3: Practicing IELTS targeting 5.0 – 6.0

This stage involves reviewing all types of tasks in the exam and getting acquainted with a complete IELTS test.

Listening and Reading

To hone your skills for the Listening and Reading sections, it's advisable to use the Cambridge IELTS series consisting of 18 books (updated until 2023). This series includes practice exercises similar to real exam questions.

However, to ensure effectiveness, choose the latest editions to work with, as older editions may not fully reflect the format and content of current test questions.

After completing exercises, you can use the Transcript section to listen again and compare with answers in the Answer Keys at the back of the book. This helps improve listening comprehension and understanding of exam structure.

Writing

Once familiar with how to approach chart types in Task 1, it's time to focus on Task 2. Task 2 requires writing an essay, with common types such as Opinion, Discussion, Advantages and Disadvantages, Problem and Solution...

To write a good essay, practice developing ideas and connecting them. Expand your vocabulary in common Task 2 topics and practice writing daily following the three-part structure of an essay will help you develop writing skills more effectively.

Speaking

At this stage, focus on preparing for IELTS Speaking part 2 and IELTS Speaking part 3 in the Speaking test. Questions in these parts will revolve around major topics such as describing a person, an object, an event, or an activity of oneself.

During preparation, aim to spend about 1 to 2 minutes for part 2, similar to the actual test duration. Then, concentrate on speaking clearly and presenting your speech fluently and coherently.

Since this is the speaking test, try to use idioms, fixed expressions naturally to enrich your speech and achieve higher scores.

6.4. Stage 4: Preparation for IELTS targeting 7.0

Listening

At this stage, it is crucial to focus on practicing numerous listening exercises and try listening to longer and more challenging English videos, such as those related to academic topics. During this process, do not worry about catching every single word; instead, focus on identifying the main ideas and listening for emphasized words.

Additionally, try listening to English news, watching TED TALK speeches, or even your favorite movies without subtitles to enhance your listening skills. This will help you get accustomed to the actual speed and intonation of spoken English.

Reading

Similar to Listening, to further improve reading skills, you should read a lot of lengthy and challenging academic texts to practice Skimming & Scanning techniques effectively.

Reference materials can include reputable foreign newspapers or books like Advantage IELTS Reading Skills, IELTS Reading Recent Actual Tests...

Writing

During the writing process, ensure that your essay is tightly organized and logical, avoiding digressions. You should use academic vocabulary and employ more diverse and complex grammar structures to meet the requirements for a score of 7.0. Therefore, you need to express your ideas clearly, coherently, and profoundly.

Once you have mastered writing skills, practice writing both parts of the test within 60 minutes to familiarize yourself with the time pressure in the exam room.

Speaking

For each Speaking test, you can structure your answer logically with the following steps:

• A (Answer): Đưa ra câu trả lời trực tiếp cho câu hỏi
• R (Reason): Đưa ra lý do cho câu trả lời
• E (Example): Lấy ví dụ cụ thể để bảo vệ quan điểm
• A (Alternatives): Trình bày ý kiến phản bác lại câu hỏi

7. Effective self-study IELTS 7.0 course materials

In addition to following the learning path, you should also explore the following book sets:

• Trọn bộ Collins – Get ready For IELTS
• Trọn bộ Complete for IELTS
• Bộ luyện thi Cambridge IELTS

In particular, depending on your goals and study path for each skill, you may refer to the following books:

• Sách Listening: Collins – Listening for IELTS, Basic IELTS Listening
• Sách Writing: IELTS Writing Task 1 Simon, IELTS Writing Task 2 Simon
• Sách Reading: Collins – Reading for IELTS,
• Sách Speaking: 31 High-Scoring Formulas to Answer The IELTS speaking, Speaking Tips and samples
• Sách luyện đề: Cambridge IELTS hoặc IELTS Practice Plus

Mytour introduces you to the free IELTS practice test program currently running at Mytour, where you can assess your proficiency in all four skills. Find out more!