That night, Nina placed the Barron’s book next to her bed, the CD still inside the laptop. She wasn’t the same person who’d bought it three months ago—scared, unsure, scoring 5.5 in practice. Now she felt something new: readiness.
Nina’s pen moved quickly. Name: Mrs. J. Hargreaves. Date: 14th March. Preferred seat: aisle. She’d learned the tricks from the book’s strategy pages: predict the word type before you listen, don’t leave any blanks, watch for paraphrasing. By the end of Section 4—a dense lecture on urban beekeeping—she’d filled all 40 answer spaces. Barrons IELTS -Book and Audio CD-
Next, the Reading. The Barron’s book had taught her to skim, scan, and not panic at words like “photosynthesis” or “neoclassical economics.” She finished the three passages (a history of the bicycle, a psychology experiment on delayed gratification, an article on desert architecture) in 55 minutes. True, False, Not Given —she smiled. Those were no longer her enemy. That night, Nina placed the Barron’s book next
“Let’s talk about where you live. Do you live in a house or an apartment?” Nina’s pen moved quickly
“Let’s move to Part 2. Describe a gift you gave to someone recently.”
She checked the answer key. 36 out of 40. Her best yet.
Nina stared at the thick, glossy cover of her Barron’s IELTS book. The familiar logo, the promise of “ 6 full-length Academic tests, Audio CD included, Strategies for all sections ”—it had been her companion for three months.