Despite his difficult circumstances, a self-taught male student from Nghe An province achieved an IELTS score of 7.5.

Motivation to strive

Although only 17 years old this year, Le Van Hoan has not had a home of his own for over 10 years. Recounting his circumstances, Hoan confided: "My parents separated when I was in first grade. From then until I was in eighth grade, my mother and I rented a small stall in Phu Son commune to live in and run a barbershop. Later, due to difficult circumstances, my mother went to work as a factory worker in the South, leaving me alone in the old stall."

Having been separated from her mother at a young age, Hoan is accustomed to an independent lifestyle. For the past two years, after passing the entrance exam to Tan Ky High School, Hoan moved to a small rented room near the school. She manages her own rent and daily expenses, saving from the meager amount of money her mother sends home each month. For many years now, Hoan hasn't known her father, and she rarely contacts her other relatives.

Le Van Hoan is currently a student in class 12C9 at Tan Ky High School. Photo: MH

Due to difficult circumstances, her mother didn't have the opportunity to receive much education, so from a young age, all of her dreams were entrusted to Hoan. During Hoan's elementary school years, despite the hardships, her mother still made sure Hoan was introduced to English early on. In middle school, it became a favorite subject for Hoan, and she quickly showed a talent for it. In grades 8 and 9, Hoan was awarded the title of outstanding student in English.Englishfrom the school and the district. Although the award wasn't very high at the time, it motivated Hoan to apply to Tan Ky High School and he was accepted with a fairly high score.

Since entering high school, Hoan has decided to pursue a career in the humanities/social sciences (Block D). Therefore, in addition to academic subjects, Hoan dedicates time to studying English. Currently, she is focusing on preparing for the provincial-level gifted student selection exam for 12th graders at her school.

Le Van Hoan (center) and his friends participating in the "Western Nghe An Biosphere Reserve Says No to Plastic Waste" competition. Photo: NTCC

At Tan Ky High School, for many years, Hoan has also been one of the few students who have achieved this.IELTS certificate7.5. This is the result of my participation at the end of August.

Among the scores Hoan achieved, the highest was 8.5 in listening, followed by 8.0 in reading, 7.5 in writing, and 6.5 in speaking. Combined with her consistent academic achievements over many years, these scores provide a favorable foundation for Hoan's university application in the near future. Notably, Hoan self-studied and took the IELTS exam without attending any language center.

Secrets to self-studying and taking the IELTS exam without extra classes.

Hoan started thinking about preparing for the IELTS exam when she entered 11th grade. Initially, when researching the exam, Hoan was quite confused, because her knowledge was limited to what she learned in high school and was mainly grammar-based.

Study sessions with friends helped Hoan improve his listening and speaking skills. Photo: PV

Meanwhile, obtaining an IELTS certificate requires proficiency in all four skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—and demands a fairly extensive general knowledge base. Recounting her first attempt, Hoàn added: "When I started preparing for the IELTS, I found a classmate I was studying with and spoke a passage to them. Honestly, my IELTS skills were terrible at the time, and my friend barely understood what I was saying because my pronunciation and intonation were completely inaccurate."

Despite the hardships in her life, Hoan always remains optimistic and strives to study hard. Photo: MH

Hoan lived alone in his rented room. Due to extremely difficult circumstances, while many of his peers at school were able to attend tutoring centers or online classes thanks to their parents' support, Hoan realized he couldn't keep up. To overcome this limitation, Hoan devised a self-study plan, and this time, he leveraged the advantage of being a male student "living alone."

Sharing about her self-study method, Hoan said: "When I discovered my weaknesses, I started going online and looking for online lectures or YouTube channels that guide me on how to study for the IELTS. Then, to improve my listening skills, I started listening to online lessons. After listening fluently, I would practice speaking according to the instructions."

Hoan's IELTS results are quite impressive.

"Besides learning from online teachers, I also find videos and practice listening to foreign news broadcasts. For the rest, I study with my classmates: usually after each IELTS preparation session at the center, they will study with me. Thanks to that, they correct any mistakes I make. Many of them also share their experiences to help me pronounce words correctly," Hoàn added.

To improve her speaking skills, Hoan says the most important secret is "speaking a lot and speaking every day." Even though she lives alone and has no one to interact with or chat with, she considers it an "advantage." This means that every day in class or at school, whenever there's an event or topic, Hoan mentally outlines the ideas and then expresses them herself, creating contexts for herself to ask and answer questions. Hoan views speaking and using English as a normal daily activity, and some days she uses English more than Vietnamese.

For grammar, Hoan practiced with sample tests on her own and asked her English teacher for additional materials. For anything she didn't understand or didn't know, Hoan would ask her teacher for further explanation.

Throughout her studies, Hoan always received help from her English teacher. Photo: MH

Speaking about his student, Mr. Nguyen Song Quang, an English teacher at Tan Ky High School, added: "Initially, when I taught Hoan, I noticed her because she had a talent for English and tried to nurture her so she could join the school's gifted student team. Later, knowing her circumstances, I often tried my best to help her practice speaking and writing, and I also connected her with many former students of the school who had successfully taken the IELTS exam so she could learn from their experiences."

To successfully study for and take the IELTS exam, Hoan believes that English is a special subject. Therefore, during the learning process, one should not put pressure on oneself but rather "relax" to learn effectively.

During his self-study process, Hoan also found a website that allows students to self-assess their exams and correct vocabulary and grammar errors. Self-study will yield better results if one listens to and learns from friends, teachers, and those who have gone before them.

Learning English will be effective if you don't put pressure on yourself. Photo: MH

In the 12th grade at Tan Ky High School, Hoan is currently the student with the best IELTS score, and his efforts and hard work truly provide motivation for students in disadvantaged and remote areas like Tan Ky district and many other mountainous districts.

With an IELTS score of 7.5, Hoan currently also helps students with their assignments at an IELTS preparation center in Ho Chi Minh City to earn extra income, further improve himself, and gain more practical and meaningful experience.