I often say, "Perfection isn't stumbled upon — it's deliberately pursued."

My journey to repeatedly achieving Band 9 in IELTS is a living testament to that belief.

I still vividly recall the first time I entered the examination hall. Although I was already a seasoned teacher trainer and examiner for the British Council, sitting on the other side of the table — as a candidate — felt different. The stakes were high, but the ambition was higher. Scoring a Band 9 wasn’t just a goal; it was a personal covenant I made with myself — and 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭, 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.

How did I do it?

It wasn’t just about mastering English — it was about mastering the art of strategy.

𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬

Listening wasn’t a passive task for me — it became an active pursuit.

I didn't just listen; I anticipated. I immersed myself in a symphony of global accents — from the crisp nuances of British speech to the warm cadences of Australian dialogues. Over time, I trained my mind to predict what was coming even before the words hit my ears. Every pause, every intonation carried meaning.

𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐢𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲: Stay one step ahead of the recording. Listen not just with your ears, but with your instincts.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

The Reading section became my intellectual playground.

Instead of chasing after answers, I conditioned myself to think like the very architects who designed the tests. I learned to recognize hidden traps, to read between the lines, and to identify subtle patterns in questions that most would overlook.

Time management? It wasn’t just a skill — it was a weapon.

𝐌𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚: Don’t drown in words; surf them with purpose.

𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

Writing for a Band 9 wasn’t about bombarding essays with fancy words.

It was about clarity wrapped in elegance.

I honed the ability to structure arguments with surgical precision — ensuring that every paragraph connected like pieces of a masterful puzzle. High-level vocabulary was sprinkled thoughtfully, never overshadowing the flow.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲: Elegance lives in simplicity. Write to connect, not to impress.

𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡

Speaking, to me, was never a performance — it was an orchestra of thoughtfulness and fluency.

As an examiner myself, I understood: the best speakers didn’t rush; they resonated.

I embraced natural pauses, used idiomatic expressions like hidden gems, and most importantly, I spoke with conviction. Every conversation was an opportunity to build rapport, not just to answer questions.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭: 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭

If I could pinpoint the true secret behind my repeated Band 9s, it would be 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭.

Every test was an opportunity — not a hurdle. I approached each session with calm, analytical precision. Nervousness had no room; only preparation did.

Language, after all, is not a collection of words — it's the beautiful art of connection.

And mastering IELTS wasn’t about being "lucky on the day" — it was about being unstoppable every day.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬

Today, as the Head of Academic at IELTS Professor, my mission extends beyond my personal achievements. I mentor students not just to chase high scores, but to embody excellence — to understand that mastery is a journey, not a destination.

If you aspire to a Band 9, know this:

You don’t need to be extraordinary.

You just need to be 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝.

And remember — 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅.