Your Mindset = Your Score: Why Believing in Yourself Matters for IELTS

Welcome back to IELTS on Fire, the daily five-minute podcast to help you speak smarter, write stronger, and feel more confident every time you use English.

I’m Teacher Phil, and today, we’re talking about something that matters way more than grammar or vocabulary.

We’re talking about your mindset and how it affects your IELTS score.

Let me ask you: Have you ever said,

“My English is bad”…

“I’m not good at speaking”… 

“IELTS is too hard”?

“I’ll never get band 7”!

If you have, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Almost every student I teach says these things at some point.

But here’s the truth: The way you talk to yourself matters. It can help you, or it can hold you back.

Let’s break this down.

When you keep saying “My English is poor,” your brain starts to believe it. And when your brain believes something, it starts looking for proof — Like:

• You make a mistake? “See, I told you my English is bad.”
• Someone speaks fast? “Ugh, I’ll never understand English.”
• You freeze during Speaking Part 2? “I knew I’d fail.”

But that’s not English holding you back, it’s your mindset.

Your brain is like a sponge. If you feed it negative thoughts, it soaks them up. But if you feed it something better, like belief, effort, and progress, it grows.

These thoughts aren’t just unhelpful, they actually shape your progress. 

Here’s a quick bit of science: every time you repeat a negative thought, your brain starts to believe it, and it becomes your “default setting.” It’s like telling yourself the same story over and over until you think it’s true.

And here’s what’s amazing — your brain literally changes when you learn something new. Every time you study English… Every time you speak, even if it’s not perfect… Every time you make a mistake and try again…

You are rewiring your brain. 

You are building fluency, one connection at a time.

Mistakes are not the end, they’re the path to progress.

So what does this have to do with IELTS?

Everything.

Because IELTS is more than just English. It’s a mental test too.

Will you panic when the examiner asks a strange question? 

Will you give up if you can’t understand a word in Listening Part 4? 

Will you stop trying if you get Band 5.5?

Or…

Will you breathe, refocus, and keep going?

See, students who say:

“I can improve.” 

“This may be hard, but I can learn.” 

“I’m not there yet, but I’m on the way.” 

“Every day I practice I’m getting better and better.”

…They don’t give up. They get better.

And better students? They get better scores.

So here’s your quick challenge for today:

Change your inner voice.

Instead of:

“My English is bad”… Say: “I’m still learning, and I’m getting better every day.”

Instead of:

“I always mess up Speaking”… Say: “I’m practicing Speaking, and I’m improving step by step.”

Just by changing the words in your head, you change your confidence. And confident students? 

• Speak better.
• Write better. 
• Perform better.

So start now. Catch your thoughts and choose better ones.

That’s it for today’s episode of IELTS on Fire. Remember, your fluency isn’t born – it’s built. Keep working on your mindset and your language, and you’ll see real results.

Join me tomorrow for another quick boost. Until then, keep practicing — and let’s set your English on fire.