What Are The Key Features I Should Look For In The Best IELTS Coaching Near Me?

Over the years, the demand for IELTS coaching services in India has increased significantly. As a result, if you search for institutes that can help you ace this exam, you’ll be bombarded with a million options. But all of these are not reliable. Most of the institutes are not equipped to provide candidates with the best guidance or preparatory materials that are essential for the IELTS preparation.

Hence, when you search, “Where can I find the best IELTS coaching near me?” don’t choose any service without conducting thorough research into the features that they offer. The best institutes have a lot to offer. Let’s go through some of the key features that you should never compromise on when choosing a coaching service.

 

1. Reasonable charges

IELTS coaching service charges are usually on the higher end, which discourages many candidates from opting for professional training. But if you check the fees for IELTS exam in India on AbroAdvice, you’ll notice that the charges are more than INR 16,000. So, if you don’t get a high score band on your first try, you’ll have to pay that amount again and again as many times as needed until you can secure at least a 6.5 or 7 overall score.

So, opting for a good coaching service ends up costing you less in the long term. However, many of these services charge unreasonable amounts. The prices usually depend on the following factors –

• The mode of coaching (online/offline)
• Duration of the course

For example, the Flexible Courses offered by the British Council begin from INR 13,500 and can go up to INR 33,200, depending on the total duration. As you can see, the range is quite wide. So, before choosing any service, compare a few options and figure out the average charges for a particular duration. If you are looking for SOP writer online visit AbroAdvice.com.

2. Expert trainers

If you want to prepare for the exam properly, you need guidance from qualified experts. These professionals must be familiar with the exam pattern and be able to provide you with helpful tips that can come in handy during the actual test. However, you can’t get the same type of guidance from anyone else. Due to the lack of qualified experts, many coaching services hire English scholars to train candidates. But if these professionals aren’t familiar with the IELTS exam pattern or syllabus, they won’t be able to help you out much.

So, before booking any coaching service, check out the expert profiles. Go through the details and make a note of the following –

• The number of years they have been training candidates
• The number of successful candidates & score details

This should give you a better idea of the experts’ capabilities. It is imperative that you receive training from someone who knows the exam like the back of their hands. If possible, get in touch with some candidates pursuing the course and ask their opinions about the coaches.

3. Online classes

All good IELTS coaching services have adopted online sessions to provide more flexibility to candidates. A few years ago, traditional classes were the only options available. However, this resulted in candidates missing multiple sessions due to their schedules. That’s why you can now choose the option that fits your needs the best.

Offline classes are best for candidates who live close to the coaching institute and have free time during the scheduled sessions. Offline classes are usually held during weekends to accommodate more people. However, it’s best to choose a service that offers online sessions as well. After all, you never know when a schedule might pop out of nowhere.

Online classes provide more flexibility. You can choose the timings of your session if you opt for one-on-one private coaching. There are options to take online sessions in batches as well. Even if you can’t attend one session, there are options to receive live recordings of the class and attend a session covering the same topic with another batch.

4. Doubt-clearing sessions

Any coaching service you hire should offer dedicated doubt-clearing sessions for candidates. After solving a few practice tests, you might notice a pattern of mistakes that keep repeating. If you do not understand where you’re going wrong, you won’t be able to rectify the mistake. Hence, the coaching services should assess these tests thoroughly and provide private doubt-clearing sessions so the candidates don’t make the same error twice.

There are advantages and disadvantages to making this a group activity. While you might not get an expert dedicated to tackling all your problems in a group doubt-clearing session, you can discover more types of errors that other candidates make. Once you become familiar with the common types of mistakes, you can avoid them during the exam.

5. Preparatory kit

Before selecting any IELTS coaching service, check if they provide preparatory kits. Usually, these kits contain –

• Sample test papers
• Helpful notes
• Study materials

If you search for IELTS preparation materials, you’ll notice that there is a lack of good sources. You’ll find some practice papers from the official IELTS IDP website. However, those are not enough. In addition to the notes that you gather from the coaching sessions, you can review the preparatory kit materials to practice on your own time.

The tests are created by professionals who have in-depth knowledge of the IELTS exam pattern and the complexity level of each question. Thus, the sample papers they provide maintain the same standard that you would expect from the IELTS. Additionally, you can access helpful notes like vocabulary lists, common grammatical errors list and how to avoid them, etc. Revising these will ensure you avoid making errors that can affect your overall grades.

6. Frequent tests

The best way to figure out whether you are prepared enough to take on the IELTS is to appear for tests. Most coaching services conduct exams following the same pattern as the IELTS. This includes using a similar exam portal and maintaining sectional timings to simulate the actual test environment.

After you appear for a few tests, you can figure out which sections you’re doing well in and which areas you need to improve. Once you have this information, it is easier to make changes to your study pattern. For example, if you notice that you’re thriving in the Writing and Speaking sections of the test but you need to work on the Listening and Reading sections, you’ll focus on those areas more.

7. Personalized coaching

Coaching services aren’t similar to classrooms. Usually, the teacher-to-student ratio in schools is so skewed that the teachers are unable to focus on individual problems. This shouldn’t be the case for coaching services. That’s why it is crucial for you to check the teacher-to-student ratio before signing up for any sessions.

The ideal ratio should be 1:10. A single coach should be able to provide personalized assistance to ten students without encountering any issues. If you opt for sessions where there is an overwhelming number of students, the expert won’t be able to focus on your problem.

8. Level options

Every candidate who signs up for a coaching session doesn’t have the same level of expertise in English. This usually depends on their exposure to the language, educational qualifications, place of education, and other details. If you’re at the beginner level, joining a batch where the majority of students have advanced skills won’t be beneficial to you. So, make sure that the service you choose offers beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses to cater to all students.

In summary,

There are many points you have to keep in mind before choosing an IELTS coaching service. From the frequency of practice tests to the availability of qualified experts – you can’t miss anything. Keep the points highlighted here as your checklist. While searching for a reliable service might take some time, don’t compromise on the quality. After all, you need to best guidance to ace your exam.