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How to get Band 7 in IELTS when you’re stuck at 6.5

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Stuck at the same level? Here’s why

If it feels like you’re not making progress with your English, don’t worry – it’s completely normal. There’s even a word for it: the plateau. (It’s also a great word for Task 1 graphs!)

The IELTS test can make this feeling worse because it’s hard to measure steady progress. Your score might go up or down even when you’re working hard.

So if you’re feeling stuck, here are 5 common reasons – and what you can do about them.

The 5 main reasons why you’re stuck.

Do you recognise any of these issues? 

  1. Your active skills are weaker than your passive ones.
  2. You’re fluent, but your grammar is too simple
  3. You use the same basic vocabulary again and again
  4. Your language is too formal or unnatural
  5. You keep making the same mistakes

1. Your active skills are weaker than your passive ones

You probably understand more than you can say or write.

Listening and reading are easier than speaking and writing.

To fix this, you need to turn passive knowledge into active use.

For example:

  • After a listening test, don’t just check your answers.

  • Read the tapescript, say it out loud, record yourself, and compare.

  • Notice useful grammar and vocabulary.

  • Learn common collocations and patterns.

  • Use the new language again and again, until it becomes natural.

The more you actively use what you already know, the stronger your speaking and writing will get.

2. You’re fluent, but your grammar is too simple

You can speak without hesitation, but you’re not showing off the complex grammar the examiner is looking for.

For example:

  • Maybe she forgot (Band 5–6)

  • She must have forgotten (Band 7–8)

The second one is better – it’s more precise and advanced.

Start noticing how native speakers express things.
Then practise those structures until you can use them automatically.

Check out some of my posts about making your language more complex.

IELTS complex sentences

3. You use the same basic vocabulary again and again

This is one of the biggest reasons why learners get stuck.

To break through:

  • Learn less common but useful words that appear in IELTS.

  • Don’t just memorise lists. Learn how the word is used.

  • Study collocations, synonyms, word families and register.

  • Use tools like Quizlet or YouGlish to practise and review.

You’ll move up faster when you use richer, more precise language.

4. Your language is too formal

🧑‍💼 You might be using perfect grammar and vocabulary, but it still sounds strange.

Why?

Because it doesn’t sound natural. It sounds written, not spoken.

For example:

  • “My hometown is located in the southern part of my country” sounds unnatural

  • “I live in the south of France’ sounds like spoken English.

Make sure you’re learning real English, not just textbook phrases.

Listen, repeat, and copy the way people really speak.

5. You keep making the same mistakes

🪨 This is called fossilised language – habits that are hard to break.

You probably don’t even notice your errors, especially if you’ve been learning without much feedback.

To improve:

  • Record yourself speaking and listen back.

  • Ask someone to check your writing or speaking.

  • Focus on your problem areas, one at a time.

  • Work with a tutor if you can – even a few sessions can make a big difference.

What else can help?

Set small goals
Do 10 minutes of focused learning each day. My 28-day challenges are designed to help with this.

Use real IELTS material
Practice with real test questions and focus on relevant language, not just random content.

Try something new
Take a short course in English, not about English. Learn something interesting and expand your vocabulary at the same time.

Focus on one weakness at a time
Don’t try to fix everything at once. If you always make mistakes with articles or conditionals, spend time mastering that area.

Find a speaking partner
It doesn’t have to be a native speaker. Find someone at a similar level and practise together. Use IELTS questions to keep it focused.

Final Thoughts

Everyone’s busy. That’s normal.

But if you really want to improve, you need to go all in – at least for a short time.

Put other things on pause and focus fully on reaching the next level.

Just one hour of focused, smart practice every day – using the tips above – can make a big difference.

Be consistent, stay motivated, and you’ll break through the plateau.

Further reading

Richards (2008) refers to O’Keeffe et al. (2007) who suggest a few solutions:

To help you remember words more easily, Richards cites Gairns and Redman (1986) who say

‘..it is much easier to recall a list of words that are grouped or organized in a meaningful way, as compared with trying to recall a set of words that are simply organized alphabetically.’

My Quizlets organise the key vocabulary in this way, and help you see new words on a regular basis.

Learning collocations (words which go with other words, like ‘heavily polluted’) is another simple way of building fluency and complexity.

Collocations enrich your language output and you will save time trying to think of a better way of saying things!

‘Knowledge of collocations is vital for effective language use, and a sentence that is grammatically correct will look or sound awkward if collocational preferences are not used.’ (Richards 2008)

Check out my other FREE lessons about how to get a higher IELTS score:

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