Stuck at IELTS 5.5 for Three Months. The Problem Wasn't Practice.
Practice tests measure wrong answers, but they rarely expose the exact listening bottleneck behind them.
IELTS
10 articles
IELTS Listening 5.9. Again.
For many Chinese learners, a 5.5-5.9 IELTS listening plateau is less about effort and more about an ear that is still lagging behind.
IELTS Listening Is Blocking the Visa. The Gap Is Not Vocabulary.
A lower listening band often reflects undertrained decoding under test conditions, not a simple shortage of English knowledge.
IELTS Listening Is Blocking a Much Bigger Life Decision.
For many Gulf-based learners, a weak listening score can stall migration, study, or licensing plans that affect the whole family.
You Learned One Accent Well. IELTS Does Not Stay in One Accent.
Accent shifts quietly consume processing time when the ear has only been trained deeply on one familiar variety of English.
IELTS Listening Is Blocking the Next Step. Grammar Is Not the Main Issue.
A lower listening band often reflects undertrained real-time recognition, not a lack of formal English knowledge.
Cambridge or IELTS? Listening Is Still Holding the Application Back.
Exam listening often exposes a real-time recognition gap that years of school English may not have trained directly.
IELTS Listening Is Holding the Visa Back. Grammar Is Not the Main Issue.
A weak listening band often reflects undertrained real-time recognition rather than a lack of English knowledge.
IELTS 6.0 Feels Close. It Still Blocks the Next Step.
The 6.0 plateau often reflects an ear that is still undertrained for the way IELTS listening actually sounds under pressure.
Why IELTS Section 4 Breaks First.
Section 4 often exposes the listening bottleneck most clearly because it removes many of the supports earlier sections still provide.