{"id":1709194,"date":"2018-12-17T14:46:35","date_gmt":"2018-12-17T14:46:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.staging.ieltsadvantage.com\/?p=1709194"},"modified":"2021-12-13T22:24:49","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T22:24:49","slug":"ielts-beginners-do-i-need-help-from-a-teacher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ieltsadvantage.com\/2018\/12\/17\/ielts-beginners-do-i-need-help-from-a-teacher\/","title":{"rendered":"IELTS Beginners: Do I Need Help From a\u00a0Teacher?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Designed to answer one of the most frequently asked questions we receive, this article will help you decide whether you need a professional\u2019s help to get the score you need in the IELTS exam.<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Deciding whether you need the help of an IELTS teacher is a difficult but important decision. As the test is so expensive, you don’t want to waste money on a teacher that doesn\u2019t suit your personal requirements. However, you also don\u2019t want to waste money repeating the test many times.<\/p>\n

This article will outline three questions you must ask yourself to help you decide whether you need an IELTS teacher. This will also help you decide which type is right for you.<\/p>\n

Question 1: Am I Confident that I Can Get the Score I\u00a0Need?<\/h4>\n

If you are an IELTS beginner and truly believe you can get a high score in the IELTS exam without the help of a teacher, it is likely that you fall into one of the two categories:<\/p>\n

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  1. You are a fluent English speaker<\/li>\n
  2. You have no idea how difficult the IELTS exam is!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For many IELTS students, the exam is the event that makes them realise just how much work is required to get a high band. Nothing clarifies this more than trying to tackle the exam when unprepared. Obviously, this is an undesirable option for most candidates, as the costs of the exam are so high.<\/p>\n

    The Dunning-Kruger theory shows the mental journey that humans take when learning a new skill. It suggests that people experience a huge amount of confidence in the early stages of their learning, despite having little competence to support it.<\/p>\n

    You can see how the Dunning-Kruger theory can be applied to the IELTS journey in the gif below:<\/h5>\n
    Graph: Dunning-Kruger Effect<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    As you can see, with a gradual increase of knowledge comes a drastic dip in confidence once you realise how much work is required from you. This is also true for candidates with a high level of English as the test requires you to master the exam skills as well as having an appropriate level of English.<\/p>\n

    This mid-stage of \u2018this is impossible\u2019 is the most difficult hurdle for most IELTS pupils to overcome. However, if you invest the time and energy needed to learn IELTS skills and strategies, you will find that both your confidence and competence will improve massively.<\/p>\n

    To learn more about the importance of mindset when taking the IELTS exam, make sure to sign up for our new IELTS Mindset Mini-Course. It\u2019s completely free to join and begins next week \u2014 click here to learn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    One way of improving your confidence is by using free materials from the internet<\/a>. You can compare your work with practice or sample papers, but the process of improvement will be much slower and less effective without a good teacher.<\/p>\n

    And honestly, free websites will never provide the expert feedback you need to identify your mistakes and guide your studies.<\/p>\n

    If you aren\u2019t confident with your IELTS skills, you would benefit massively from the help of a teacher.<\/p>\n

    Question 2: Can I afford to\u00a0not<\/em> hire a tutor?<\/em><\/h4>\n

    The answer to this question will differ from student to student.<\/p>\n

    However, many IELTS pupils choose not to hire a teacher because they think it will save them some money. This is a very reasonable assumption to make, but truthfully, it rarely works out so well.<\/p>\n

    As I have already mentioned, the IELTS exam is expensive to take. Therefore, the cost of taking it and failing multiple times would equal a price far higher than that of a preparation course or tutor.<\/p>\n

    For example, take a look at Crystal\u2019s story below:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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