My IELTS exam 6 months ago I tried my first IELTS listening and reading at home and got 4.5 for each part. I’d never written anything in English and had only occasional conversations in this language during my holidays, so writing and speaking were even worse. In my case, I needed at least 7 for each component of General IELTS so I started learning English intensely, maybe 6 hours a day. Fortunately, I managed to get the desired score at the first try (S7.5, L7, R7, W7). I didn’t attend any special courses, lessons with IELTS examiners or trial exams. I studied English on my own and had extremely useful lessons with my italki teachers. After 5 months of laborious studying, I got really fed up with English and felt that I wouldn’t be able to sit this exam several times. So I tried to focus only on my first attempt. Speaking: I got my highest point in this part although it'd been my weakest skill at the beginning. I knew that, so I had at least six lessons a week with my italki teachers for 4 months. I think it’s my teachers who contributed the most to this result. Reading, Listening: I studied them on my own. I thought they were my strongest skills because I usually got 8/8.5 for listening and 8.5/9 for general reading at home. However, the real exam showed another picture. I think I lacked real exam experience – if I sat another IELTS I would perform better (I was worried a lot during the exam). Writing: I wrote 25 essays and 15 letters, but I’d never done them under real exam conditions. The last several essays I managed to write in about 40 minutes and thought I was ready. However, on the exam I spent 27 minutes on a letter! I nearly failed, I forgot about any planning and just wrote an essay without thinking. I even didn’t have time to check it - I finished my conclusion just in time! It’s a miracle I’ve got 7 for writing! However, my homemade essays were not so bad – my teachers gave me 8 for them. I think, as it was with speaking, my writing had significantly improved by my italki teachers. I really got to know tons of useful rules and features. Conclusion It was the biggest challenge in my life. It took me six months of arduous studying; sometimes I really hated all that English stuff and thought to give up. But now I'm really happy and relieved. Finally, I would recommend my teachers to everyone. I thank them and italki from my heart.