IELTS

Key Topics to Master:

• Part 1: a conversation between two speakers in an everyday context such as travel arrangements or a booking
• Part 2: a monologue on a social topic such as local facilities
• Part 3: a conversation between two main speakers, often two students with a tutor
• Part 4: a single academic monologue, usually the hardest part with no visual support
• Spelling and grammar count: a correctly heard answer written incorrectly loses the mark
• Word limits such as NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER, where hyphenated words like check-in count as one word

Key Topics to Master:

• True/False/Not Given items, where False contradicts the text and Not Given neither agrees nor contradicts
• Yes/No/Not Given items, which test the writer's views and claims rather than facts
• Matching headings, where there are always more headings than paragraphs and no heading is used twice
• Matching information to lettered paragraphs, where a letter may be reused if the instructions say so
• Summary and sentence completion using words taken directly from the text within a stated word limit
• Technical vocabulary in Academic texts comes with a simple dictionary definition supplied

Key Topics to Master:

• Task achievement (Task 1) and Task response (Task 2), assessed against the stated word minimums
• Coherence and cohesion, covering logical ordering, paragraphing and linking devices
• Lexical resource, covering range plus accuracy and appropriacy of vocabulary
• Grammatical range and accuracy, covering the variety of structures you control
• Academic Task 1 skills: organising and comparing data, describing stages of a process, explaining how something works
• General Training Task 1 letters, where Task achievement means how well the letter achieves its stated purpose
• Penalties for off-topic content, note form, and plagiarised passages copied from another source

Key Topics to Master:

• Part 1 (4 to 5 minutes): identity check then questions on home, family, work, studies or interests
• Part 2 (3 to 4 minutes): a task card, 1 minute of preparation with pencil and paper, then a 2 minute talk followed by one or two follow-up questions
• Part 3 (4 to 5 minutes): abstract discussion linked to the Part 2 topic, analysing and speculating
• Fluency and coherence, defined as speaking at normal speed without excessive hesitation and ordering ideas logically
• Lexical resource, including the ability to paraphrase when you do not know a specific word
• Pronunciation, assessed as whether you can be understood without too much effort rather than as accent

• 1Sit a full timed Academic or General Training paper from the free sample test questions on ielts.org, in one 2 hour 40 minute block
• 2Mark Listening and Reading out of 40 and convert using the ielts.org benchmarks: 23 correct is roughly band 6 in Listening and Academic Reading, 30 is roughly band 7
• 3Confirm in writing which version your target organisation needs, because IELTS Online is Academic only and is not accepted for immigration or professional registration
• 4Read the official IELTS band descriptors for Writing and Speaking and mark your own diagnostic essay against all four criteria
• 5Write down the exact per-skill minimum you need, for example 7.0 reading, listening and speaking plus 6.5 writing for the Nursing and Midwifery Council

• 1Drill Part 1 form and note completion from Cambridge IELTS 17 and 18, checking every answer against the word limit before you score it
• 2Build a spelling list of the categories that recur: dates, addresses, surnames spelled letter by letter, prices and phone numbers
• 3Practise Part 2 monologues where the answers hinge on a map, plan or diagram label
• 4Run one session with British, Australian and North American speakers to normalise all four accent families used in the test
• 5Re-mark a past Listening test counting only answers that were both correct and correctly spelled, to see how many marks spelling alone is costing you

• 1Work through Part 3 conversations where two speakers disagree and the answer is the opinion that finally survives
• 2Drill Part 4 academic monologues, which have no visual support and no break in the middle
• 3Practise predicting the grammatical form of each gap before the recording starts: noun, verb, plural, number
• 4Take three full 40-question Listening tests under timed conditions and target 30 out of 40, the ielts.org benchmark for band 7
• 5Review every wrong answer and label the cause: misheard, distractor, word limit breach, or spelling

• 1Do 40 True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given items and write one sentence of justification for every Not Given you choose
• 2Drill matching headings on three passages, using the rule that there are always more headings than paragraphs
• 3Practise summary completion where the answer must be lifted from the text with no change of wording
• 4Time yourself at 20 minutes per section and stop hard at the buzzer, since Reading gives no extra transfer time
• 5Track your raw score against the ielts.org benchmarks: Academic Reading 30 out of 40 for band 7, General Training Reading 35 out of 40 for band 7

• 1For Academic candidates, write six Task 1 responses covering line graph, bar chart, pie chart, table, process diagram and map
• 2For General Training candidates, write six letters covering formal complaint, request, apology, application, thank-you and information request
• 3Build a comparison and trend vocabulary bank and use each item once in a real answer rather than a list
• 4Write every response in 20 minutes at 160 to 190 words, since under 150 words is penalised and length steals time from Task 2
• 5Check each answer against the four criteria in the official band descriptors and identify which one is your ceiling

• 1Write one response for each prompt family: opinion, discussion of both views, problem and solution, advantages and disadvantages, and two-part question
• 2Spend the first 5 minutes on a plan that fixes your position and both body paragraph topics before you write a word
• 3Practise 40-minute answers at 260 to 300 words, remembering that Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1
• 4Read the IELTS Writing assessment guidance PDF on ielts.org and mark two of your own essays against Coherence and cohesion
• 5Rewrite the two weakest essays with the same content but a corrected paragraph structure to isolate the effect of organisation on band

• 1Get at least three essays marked by a qualified teacher or a paid marking service and demand a band per criterion, not an overall figure
• 2Attack your most frequent grammar error directly, usually articles, subject-verb agreement or tense consistency
• 3Replace memorised template sentences with topic-specific language, because examiners are trained to discount language that does not answer the prompt
• 4Practise writing legibly at speed if you have booked Writing on Paper, since unclear handwriting costs marks the examiner cannot read
• 5Write four full essays in the final three days at exam speed with no dictionary and no pauses

• 1Record 30 Part 1 answers on home, family, work, studies and interests and cut every answer that runs under two sentences
• 2Practise 15 Part 2 task cards using exactly 1 minute of note-taking and a 2 minute talk timed on a phone
• 3Build a paraphrase drill: name an object, then describe it without using its name, which is the exact skill Lexical resource rewards
• 4Listen back to three recordings and count filled pauses, since Fluency and coherence penalises excessive hesitation
• 5Work on individual sounds that block comprehension rather than on removing your accent, since pronunciation is scored on intelligibility

• 1Practise 20 Part 3 discussion questions that ask you to compare, speculate about the future, and evaluate causes
• 2Train a two-step answer pattern: give a position, then justify it with an example or a consequence
• 3Book two sessions with an IELTS-experienced tutor on italki or Preply and ask for scoring against the four Speaking criteria
• 4Practise asking the examiner to repeat a question, which is allowed and does not cost marks
• 5Rehearse the identity check that opens Part 1 so the first 30 seconds of the recording do not sound rushed

• 1Sit two complete tests in the real sequence with no breaks across the 2 hour 40 minute Listening, Reading and Writing block
• 2Use the free IELTS Online practice experience on ielts.org if you have booked a remote test, so the on-screen timer and notes tool are familiar
• 3Do both mocks on the same interface you will use on test day, since the computer test has no answer sheet transfer step
• 4Score both mocks and check which single skill is holding your overall band down, because the overall band is a straight average
• 5If one skill is at least a full band below the others, plan for One Skill Retake within the 60-day window rather than a full resit

• 1Spend 70 percent of the week on the single skill your mocks show as lowest
• 2Confirm your booking uses the same identification document you will bring, since the wrong ID means you cannot sit the test
• 3If taking IELTS Online, download the Inspera Exam Portal and run the pre-test system checks at least one day before, on a single-screen machine with a webcam, microphone and speakers but no headphones
• 4Prepare a phone or tablet with a working camera for the IELTS Online room scan, then plan to switch it off and put it away
• 5Pack a clear transparent water bottle, since it is the only drink allowed in the test room and no food is permitted

• 1Do one final timed Listening and Reading set 72 hours before the test, then stop full mocks
• 2Review your personal error log rather than starting any new material
• 3Do a 15 minute spoken warm-up in English on the morning of the test
• 4Eat and drink before you arrive, because food is not allowed in the test room and there are no breaks in the 2 hour 40 minute session
• 5Leave watches at home, since they are banned in the test room and every centre room has a wall clock