2. Be consistent
The question is: what is consistency? It may not be what you think it is! I've written a separate blog post on staying consistent in learning English. Read it here.
3. Be realistic
If you think that you'll be able to significantly improve your IELTS score one month after taking the exam for the first time, I'm sorry to say, but this will most likely not be possible. You'll need good few weeks if not months to have realistic chances of achieving it. To find out how I can help you with it, click here.
If your English is currently at an intermediate level, getting it to advanced will take longer than 3 months or 8, 16 or even 24 English lessons with your English teacher.
Being realistic with your goals will help you stay motivated. For example: 'In the next 4 weeks, I'll be confidently using the present perfect tense to talk about my life experiences and what I've done recently.' Realistic? Hell yes!
4. Have a deadlineOne of my awesome private IELTS students, Luciana from Brazil, told me a few weeks ago that she's finding it hard to stay focused on preparing for her IELTS exam. She said she was thinking of booking the exam to help her combat that. We talked through it, prepared a plan of action and Luciana now has her IELTS exam booked (it's in less than 4 weeks' time!). This has definitely been a motivation kick for her. If you, like Luciana, find having a deadline motivating, you may want to book yours too.
And if you don't need to take IELTS, you can still give yourself a deadline and share it with somebody who will keep you accountable to it (a friend, your English teacher etc.)
5. Find existing habits to support your English learning
Why not? It will be hard at first, but trust me. The more you do it, the better it will be!
6. Reward yourself
Have you achieved something you're proud of? Amazing! Make sure to celebrate it. Why not treat yourself to your favourite piece of cake (I always do this!!), buy a book you've always wanted to read, go on a long walk in nature you never have time for, have a coffee with a friend (or on your own!), go to the cinema to see a film you've wanted to see for a long time... When you reward yourself for completing tasks and achieving goals (big or small!), your body will be flooded with happy hormones that will make you feel good and will help you stay motivated for longer.
How are you with creating your English learning habits? Have you already got them? If not, what do you think is stopping you from creating them? Let me know. I'd love to hear from you!
Remember to sign up to my newsletter (here) to receive more tips like this from me :)
Paulina x
The question is: what is consistency? It may not be what you think it is! I've written a separate blog post on staying consistent in learning English. Read it here.
3. Be realistic
If you think that you'll be able to significantly improve your IELTS score one month after taking the exam for the first time, I'm sorry to say, but this will most likely not be possible. You'll need good few weeks if not months to have realistic chances of achieving it. To find out how I can help you with it, click here.
If your English is currently at an intermediate level, getting it to advanced will take longer than 3 months or 8, 16 or even 24 English lessons with your English teacher.
Being realistic with your goals will help you stay motivated. For example: 'In the next 4 weeks, I'll be confidently using the present perfect tense to talk about my life experiences and what I've done recently.' Realistic? Hell yes!
4. Have a deadlineOne of my awesome private IELTS students, Luciana from Brazil, told me a few weeks ago that she's finding it hard to stay focused on preparing for her IELTS exam. She said she was thinking of booking the exam to help her combat that. We talked through it, prepared a plan of action and Luciana now has her IELTS exam booked (it's in less than 4 weeks' time!). This has definitely been a motivation kick for her. If you, like Luciana, find having a deadline motivating, you may want to book yours too.
And if you don't need to take IELTS, you can still give yourself a deadline and share it with somebody who will keep you accountable to it (a friend, your English teacher etc.)
5. Find existing habits to support your English learning
- Do you like cooking or baking? Why not start using recipes in English?
- Do you like reading books? Why not sign up to a book club?
- Do you like exercising? Why not follow English fitness pages on Instagram or even go to a group fitness class (if they are run in English!)
- Do you like Depeche Mode (one of my private English students, Yeni from Mexico, is their huge fan!) or any other music band? Why not read some articles to find out more about them in English!
- Do you like knowing what's happening in the world? Why not check the latest news on English websites such as BBC?
Why not? It will be hard at first, but trust me. The more you do it, the better it will be!
6. Reward yourself
Have you achieved something you're proud of? Amazing! Make sure to celebrate it. Why not treat yourself to your favourite piece of cake (I always do this!!), buy a book you've always wanted to read, go on a long walk in nature you never have time for, have a coffee with a friend (or on your own!), go to the cinema to see a film you've wanted to see for a long time... When you reward yourself for completing tasks and achieving goals (big or small!), your body will be flooded with happy hormones that will make you feel good and will help you stay motivated for longer.
How are you with creating your English learning habits? Have you already got them? If not, what do you think is stopping you from creating them? Let me know. I'd love to hear from you!
Remember to sign up to my newsletter (here) to receive more tips like this from me :)
Paulina x
Paulina Skladanowska
Loughborough, United Kingdom
Loughborough, United Kingdom
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