Been a week since I got my IELTS result, and tbh, I could hardly take joy in it. It was 7.5 overall, an acceptable band so to say (1), but it was again thanks to the reading n listening score that raised the overall one. For speaking n writing, I just got 6.5 equally. I had hoped for higher bands for those 2 skills with the minimum of 7 but instead failed so hard (2). Honestly, it always happens to me that writing and speaking skill is what helps you stand out in terms of English profiency since the others are generally easy (3). Now I just feel crestfallen constantly, letting the disappointnent eat away at me. For jobs that require English to be prperly executed (4), high level in speaking and writing is a must. It even stands alone as another requirement besides the overall band for many positions. So basically and ironically, my 7.5 is put to no use (5).
OK, let's address this part by part:
(1): "Acceptable"? Do keep in mind, the max you can score in IELTS is 9.0, at which point you are basically on par with native speakers, or even better. 7.5 is not bad at all, especially if this is your first (or second) go at IELTS. And please don't look at the secondary or high school kids as a benchmark, their moms probably had them learn English before they were even born
(2): You didn't really "failed" so to speak, it's just so happens the mind loves to dwell on past mistakes and makes a whole Shakespeare drama out of it, but the next next part might validate some of your concerns.
(3): I agree, this is a common phenomenon among English learners. We're always eager to listen and read, but writing/speaking seems to be a little neglected. Good at absorbing information and filter them out, but not so much at reorganizing and describing them in a different way. I suspect this happens either due to reluctance or simply a lack of opportunities to put these skills to use. After all, we ultilize our mother tongue so much more in daily life, for actual needs.
(4): What professions do you have in mind when you wrote this? As far as I can tell, this won't be a problem unless you're applying for a big multinational company, or a job that requires constant, high-level interaction with foreigners or understanding of foreign material/information in order to complete your assignments.
(5): Again, your mark is decent, and even in a worst case scenario that you couldn't apply for your dream job, you could always a) opt for a less demanding position/employer or b) take another IELTS exam. The test fee is expensive, but the chance's always there. It's not world-ending, and skills can always be honed, much like a knife can.
These are some of my thoughts about your current situation, I hope I have cleared up a few things and given you a different picture of things
), and even a dream for some people. Anyway, score is just score, and English, after all, is just an language, not a bloody test. If you need high IELTS score for personal and professional future improvement, you can always try again and get better result. But if you only want better score just for pride and self-proving, perhaps you should not be so hard on yourself.
The Speaking portion makes IELTS' look like a walk in the park.
