My IELTS journey started exactly 26 years ago. Early in my career, I trained with an Australian IELTS examiner named Darren and a New Zealand examiner named Juliette. Over the years, I've seen the test, the preparation industry, and student expectations evolve dramatically. Yet despite all these changes, the biggest reasons people struggle with IELTS have remained remarkably consistent. Here are four mistakes I continue to see year after year. Mistake #1: Overestimating IELTS