I’ve talked about mindset for IELTS in 2 other blogs:
- How to train your mindset for IELTS (Mindset Part 1)
- How to stop making excuses and start making progress (Mindset Part 2)
In this blog, you’ll learn how to ask better questions so that you can get better help.
In the Members Academy, we work on the skills you need to become an independent learner.
Learners who are self-motivated and who manage their own learning are the ones who tend to make the fastest progress.
Good teachers are trained to ‘elicit’ (they help the students find their own answers, so the student is active) rather than ‘explain’ (the student is passive).
So here’s how you can start asking the right questions to improve your IELTS score (scroll down for examples and the podcast version).
1. Questions about quality versus quantity
Look at some common questions students ask me. What do you notice about them?
- How long does it take to get Band 7?
- How often do I need to practise?
- How many words do I need to learn for Band 7?
- How long are the videos?
- How much is the discount?
These are questions about quantity, and the answers will not be helpful to your IELTS preparation.
Q1: It depends.
Q2: It depends.
Q3: It depends
Q4: It depends.
Q5: A discount does not make the course any better – it will just make you value it less, so you are less likely to learn from it.
Action point
Try to stop thinking in terms of numbers. Focus on developing your language skills, no matter how long that takes, how often you practise, how long the videos are or how much it costs.
2. Questions that aren’t questions
- “I need ur help”.
- “I have doubts about reading”.
- “I have problems with writing”.
It’s difficult to answer these messages, because they’re not questions. I tend to respond with more questions:
- What kind of help do you need?
- What is your question please?
- Could you be more specific?
I very rarely get a response. I guess that the people who ask this type of question are looking for a very quick fix.
Action point
If you need help with IELTS, the simple question you have to ask yourself is: “What kind of help do I want?”
Then the choice is simple:
- Free help (on the internet)
- Paid help (buy a course/join a class/hire a tutor)
You need to decide what help you want and how much time/money you are willing to invest.
3. Baby Bird Syndrome
We all love free stuff, and we’ve all been ‘conditioned’ to expect things for free on the Internet.
Many online course providers give away a lot of free stuff in the hope that you will see the value in what they do and at some point pay for their services.
Unfortunately, this encourages the “Is it free?” question rather than “Is it good?” or “Is it what I need?”.
We are often disappointed to discover that this person is now asking us for money, after giving away so much for free.
So we look elsewhere and keep finding more free stuff to download.
This has a terrible effect on your mindset for IELTS preparation. It keeps you stuck in a cycle of repeating the same mistakes and never progressing beyond the superficial ‘free level’.
Action point
‘Baby bird syndrome’ is hard habit to break. It’s like expecting your parents to always provide for you, even when you are grown up and earning a salary.
When you break out of that mentality and commit to something, you will free up time and mental energy that you can devote to making progress.
4. Vague or obvious questions
- How can I read faster?
- How can I improve my writing?
- How to learn different sentence structures in a fast way?
- Are your model answers good enough to learn from them?
- Do you think I can get Band 9?
Ask a simple question, get a simple answer.
If you can answer a question with a simple answer, or if you can guess the answer, it means you can probably answer the question yourself.
For example
- How can I read faster?
Answer: Read more. Understand more.
- How can I improve my writing?
Answer: Write more. Join a writing class.
- How to learn different sentence structures in a fast way?
Answer: Study grammar. Practise regularly.
- Are your model answers good enough to learn from them?
Answer: Yes.
- Do you think I can get Band 9?
Answer: I don’t know you.
5. “Is it ok?” questions
When students first join the Members Academy, they often post their writing in the private community and say “Is this sentence ok?”.
It’s a natural thing to do when we’re learning – we look for feedback and correction.
But as a long-term learning strategy, it doesn’t work, and I strongly discourage my learners from doing it.
Instead, learn how to ask SMARTER questions.
How to ask SMART questions
Ask a better question, get a better answer.
What is a “SMART” question?
- S = Specific (Why, What, Why, When, Where?)
- M = Measurable (How much? How many?)
- A = Achievable/Answerable (Is there an accurate/reliable answer?)
- R = Relevant (Is the question useful and relevant to your goal?)
- T = Timely (Can the question be answered in the time available?)
SMART question example
In our Members Monthly Meet-Up, Stefano asked this question.
Stefano wrote:
I was doing the lesson about “How to make a request in a letter of complaint” in the General Training Writing Course, and I have a problem with this statement:
“Could you please arrange for the microwave to be collected from my house?”
Why do I need to say “Could you please arrange for…”?
Can I just say:
“The microwave will be collected from my house.” (future passive)
This is a SMART question.
- It is very specific – Stefano gave the background context (a formal request)
- It is measurable – he provided 2 options, so we can compare them and work out the correct answer.
- It is answerable – you can probably see the answer yourself when you compare the options.
- It is relevant – the language is very common in GT Writing and real life
- It is timely – the answer will not take 3 months to develop (unlike most IELTS skills).
So what is the answer to Stefano’s SMART question?
Do you need to say “Could you please arrange for [the microwave to be collected from my house]”?
Yes, you do need to say “Could you please arrange for…”. This is a REQUEST, so it needs a request structure.
Other options
- Can you collect my microwave? ~Band 5+
- I would like you to collect my microwave. ~Band 6+
- I would like my microwave to be collected. ~Band 7+
- I would be grateful if you could arrange for my microwave to be collected ~Band 8+
When we discussed Stefano’s question in the group, I didn’t need to explain the answer – I was able to elicit it from the students by comparing the 2 options.
“The microwave will be collected from my house” is a fact, not a request, so it is not appropriate for this type of letter.
It is much better for you to work out the answers yourself – you will process the answers at a much deeper level and you are more likely to benefit from this in the long-term.
How to ask SMARTER questions
In order to make your questions smartER, you need to:
- E = evaluate
- R = revise
The whole purpose of asking questions is to learn from them (not to get a quick correction that you will easily forget).
In this example, we learnt that
- requests have different levels of complexity and formality
- you need to choose the right structure for the right context
- more formal requests tend to be more complex
Do you need motivation, high-quality materials, a roadmap, feedback, guidance and an IELTS specialist teacher?
Join the Members Academy today.
Get instant access to all courses, challenges, boot camps, live classes, interactive and engaging classes, 1:1 support, and a friendly tight-knit community of like-minded learners to get you to Band 7+.
Learn more about SMART goals for students (Purdue Universisty blog)
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