“Grateful I never gave up on my 8.0 IELTS dream” - Trang Nguyen

Trang Nguyen began studying for IELTS in June, but it wasn’t until two months later that she truly settled into an intensive study routine. After more than three months of preparation, she was thrilled to receive an overall 8.0, successfully reaching the goal she had set from the start. Let’s take a look at how Trang studied for the IELTS at home to achieve such an impressive score.

Kick-off: From a humble beginning

At the beginning of her IELTS journey, Trang Nguyen sometimes felt overwhelmed with the pressure of limited time and the uncertainty of taking the test for the first time. ​​To stay motivated, she often read stories of Prep Edu students who had achieved 8.0+, starting from the same level as her they started from scratch. Their journeys gave Trang Nguyen the confidence to aim for her target score. 

During her three months of preparation, Trang Nguyen made a conscious effort to balance her study time across all four skills, so she wouldn’t feel pressured by focusing on just one. “For example, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I studied Listening and Reading, while on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, I focused on Speaking and Writing.” This well-structured self-study routine played a key role in helping her achieve her goal.

Acceleration: Unlocking potential with expert guidance

Listening and Reading were the skills Trang Nguyen felt most confident about. At first, she thought just doing mock tests would be enough, but that changed after watching a Reading lecture in Prep Edu’s Intermediate IELTS course. She shared: “I was really impressed with Ms. Ha Trang! Her teaching was engaging and easy to remember. I applied her tips, and my Reading score jumped from 7.0 to 7.5, then to 8.5!”. For listening, she tried to bring English into daily life by watching YouTube regularly. Almost every day, she spent time listening to English, and after a few months, her Listening score also showed clear improvement.

When it came to writing, Trang remembered Mr. Tung’s lessons the most. With his guidance, she built a solid foundation. “He taught me how to generate ideas and structure paragraphs logically, which boosted my confidence in my writing skill. After each feedback session, I carefully reviewed my weak points and applied the suggestions to my next essays. My score grew from 6.0-6.5 to 8.0, supported by regular practice in the Virtual Writing Room (VWR).”

For speaking, she completed assignments, carefully reviewed her teachers’ feedback, noted down mistakes to avoid them in the future, and practiced regularly with the Virtual Speaking Room (VSR). Both skills were strengthened thanks to the Guided Discovery method. Through it, Trang picked up useful vocabulary from native sources and learned how to apply it effectively in both the Speaking and Writing tests. 

Reaching the goal: Building confidence with Virtual Rooms

In her final preparation stage, Trang Nguyen focused on the Virtual Writing Room (VWR) and Virtual Speaking Room (VSR), which she said were key to building her confidence and improving two tough IELTS skills. 

Trang shared: “I worked through about 20 tests in the VWR. At first, I didn’t expect much because I thought AI grading couldn’t match a real teacher, but I was impressed with how detailed the feedback was, from grammar to vocabulary. Since my vocabulary was quite limited, I often noted down advanced words from newspapers but struggled to use them correctly. Thanks to VWR’s vocabulary suggestions, I was able to expand my word bank and apply words more naturally in context.”

Trang also practiced speaking with the VSR almost every day. After three months, Trang noticed the biggest improvement in her pronunciation. She would listen back to her recordings and carefully review the feedback to note down mistakes and find ways to fix them in future tasks. “As the exam got closer, I started using the test mode more often to get used to the pressure of the real exam. I think all the features of the VSR are great, but I love the pronunciation correction the most.”

Thankful for perseverance

Three months may not be a long time, but for Trang Nguyen, it was filled with unforgettable memories. Looking back on the journey, she silently thanked herself for never giving up and for giving her best, which eventually paid off with an 8.0 IELTS score. She also expressed her gratitude to her teachers and Prep Edu, who had been by her side throughout this time: “I’m grateful to Prep Edu for standing by me through every lesson, every piece of feedback, and the practical suggestions in the teachers’ Action Plans. Thanks to all of this, I feel that I’ve grown so much. With Prep Edu by my side, my IELTS journey felt so much easier.”
—
Prep Edu would like to send a special thanks to Trang Nguyen for trusting us to be your study companion on this IELTS journey. We believe that the knowledge, experiences, and the 8.0 IELTS certificate you achieved after more than three months with Prep Edu will be a valuable asset for your future. Hopefully, Trang’s story will also inspire other learners who are preparing for the IELTS. 
If you are interested in Prep Edu’s IELTS courses or the Virtual Rooms, please contact our Prep Edu fanpage or hotline for support.