My Ilets Prep For DEC 2025!

Yesterday I checked my IELTS result. Even though it had been months since my A-Levels in 2023, I still felt that same exam anxiety returning.

My heart was racing, and maybe the full moon made my emotions worse.

When the page finally loaded, Overall Band 6.5 stared back at me. For a moment, I just sat there quietly. It was perfect for someone who took zero tuition and was giving IELTS for the first time; it felt like something I had earned on my own terms.

My preparation officially began in September, and honestly, it wasn’t fancy at all. I didn’t enrol in any academy or follow strict schedules asI wanted to save money.

I simply opened YouTube and started learning from Asad Yaqub’s videos, pausing every few minutes to practise the techniques in my own natural English. I wasn’t someone who studied for hours — some days I did well, some days I disappeared completely because my emotions were overwhelming.

Journaling didn’t work for me, long walks weren’t an option, and routines never stick. But I kept returning to my self-practice, little by little.

On the test day, I walked into the centre with a strange mix of calm and nervous energy. It was that feeling where you know you didn’t prepare perfectly, but you also trust yourself enough to try.

The results were unexpected, and I never considered myself a natural in English. For someone like me, an Overall Band 6.5 was enough to meet my university bachelor’s requirement, and that was my primary goal. But what really shocked me was the breakdown.

I scored 6.0 in writing — yes, writing, my “bread and butter.” I write regularly as a content writer, I read books constantly, it’s literally my work, my craft, and yet, the one skill I thought would shine ended up being my lowest score.

On the other hand, speaking and listening surprised me with 7 bands each. It’s ironic because in my entire life, I have rarely spoken English fluently. I never attended college; I studied privately, and for most of my life, my conversations were in Urdu.

I even avoided speaking English at times because I was scared of making mistakes, skipping school debate programs that might have been huge opportunities, just out of fear.

Yet, somehow, in the IELTS speaking test, I managed to perform beyond my expectations, without even practising the “mirror method” that many recommend.

Life has a funny way of flipping expectations.

Reading was somewhere in the middle — I got 6.5, which honestly felt fair. I wasn’t aiming to master every trick or hack; I didn’t go for tuition, I didn’t cram tips and tricks, I just followed Asad Yaqub on YouTube and practised the methods he recommended.

I didn’t overthink the test, and I didn’t panic. I was aware that even a band six is considered competent, and since I had university admissions opening in November,

I had limited time and a sense of urgency pushing me to prepare just enough.

The pressure strangely worked in my favour. I went in focused, confident in the basics I knew, and that was enough to get the score I needed.

The listening test was another story. The examiner was a female, and she seemed… unapproachable, almost like she hadn’t smiled since 2019. It wasn’t the warmest environment, but I reminded myself to stay calm and stick to the skills I had practised.

And somehow, it worked. Despite her stern presence, I completed the test successfully, and I even surprised myself with the 7-band score.

It was a mix of persistence and maybe a little luck.

In the end, the whole experience was a reminder that sometimes, the skills you underestimate surprise you, and the ones you are confident in may let you down.

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