Best IELTS preparation online: free official material, IDP and British Council resources, paid courses and what they cost

What the test asks of you

ielts.org sets out the format. The test takes 2 hours and 45 minutes:

• Listening: about 30 minutes.
• Reading: 60 minutes.
• Writing: 60 minutes.
• Speaking: 11 to 14 minutes, face to face with an examiner.

Listening and Speaking are the same for IELTS Academic and General Training. Reading and Writing differ, so make sure your practice matches the version your university, employer or visa route asks for.

IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. All three publish preparation material, and their free material is written by the people who write the test. Start there.

If you have not yet decided which English test to sit, IELTS vs TOEFL and PTE vs IELTS compare the options. Check the receiving organisation's own page for which tests and which scores it accepts. Nothing here is immigration advice.

The free official material, and how to use it

Free official material covers most of what you need for Listening and Reading.

• ielts.org has official sample tests with answers, plus links to the official apps, webinars, books and teacher-led courses.
• IDP offers free practice tests for each skill, in paper and computer versions, and familiarisation tests.
• IDP's IELTS Masterclass is a free 90-minute seminar run by an IELTS Expert, online or at a test centre. IDP says it covers test tips and the common mistakes that cost candidates marks.
• The Macquarie University course. IDP says that when you book your test with IDP you get free access to an online course developed by Macquarie University.
• The IELTS by IDP app gives a 14-day free trial of a guided short course developed by E2 Test Prep, per IDP's Masterclass page.
• The British Council also publishes free preparation and runs its own courses. Its site did not load when this page was checked, so visit takeielts.britishcouncil.org directly.

How to use it: sit one full practice test in your first week under timed conditions, to find your weakest skill. Then use the free practice tests for Listening and Reading drills, timed, two or three times a week. Save at least two full tests for the final fortnight.

What free material cannot do is mark your Writing and Speaking. That is the gap the paid courses below fill.

Writing and Speaking: where paying makes sense

The two productive skills are where you need feedback. Reading model answers helps, but you cannot tell whether your own essay is a band 6 or a band 7 without a marker.

There are two kinds of paid feedback:

1. AI grading. Instant scores and comments on every essay and speaking answer you submit. Magoosh IELTS Premium includes unlimited AI speaking and writing grading. The strength is volume: you can practise every day. The limit is that AI marking is the vendor's model of the band descriptors, not an IELTS examiner.
2. Human marking. A teacher marks a set number of essays and speaking tests. E2's Bronze, Silver and Gold packages add teacher assessments and tutorials. The strength is accuracy and specific advice. The limit is the number of marked pieces.

A sensible plan for a band 6.5 or 7 target is lots of AI-marked practice to build fluency, plus a few human-marked pieces to check the AI is not flattering you.

Whatever you use, practise Writing Task 2 more than Task 1. Read the official band descriptors for Writing and Speaking on ielts.org and mark your own work against them before you look at any score.

Magoosh IELTS

Magoosh's IELTS plans page showed two Premium plans on 2 November 2026: one month for $109 and six months for $129, with separate sign-ups for Academic and General Training.

Both plans include up to 10 full-length mock tests, over 120 video lessons, 850 practice questions with explanation videos, unlimited AI speaking grading, unlimited AI writing grading, a score predictor, detailed study schedules, unlimited ask-an-expert questions and a target band score guarantee on Magoosh's terms.

The six-month plan costs little more than one month, so buy six months unless your test is within four weeks. A seven-day free trial is available.

Magoosh suits candidates who need many rounds of writing and speaking feedback and can study daily. Check the guarantee's terms before relying on it.

E2 Test Prep

E2, which also built the guided short course in IDP's app, lists five IELTS packages. On 2 November 2026 its IELTS page showed:

• Express: $69, 90 days. Full course with lessons, practice activities and live classes.
• Express+: $89, 90 days. Adds a mock test with feedback.
• Bronze: $169, 180 days. Adds speaking and writing assessments and a tutorial.
• Silver: $249, 270 days. More assessments and tutorials. E2 marks it most popular.
• Gold: $359, 365 days. E2 calls it a premium package guaranteed to help you reach your target score.

E2 backs Bronze, Silver and Gold with a money-back score guarantee on its terms, and lets you pause a package if your circumstances change. The page showed the IELTS General Training packages by default; check the Academic version if that is your test.

E2's live classes are the reason to choose it over a self-study app. If you study better with a teacher and a timetable, Express at $69 is a low-cost way to get that. If you need marked writing, Bronze is the first package that includes it.

The best IELTS preparation app

Two free apps cover most needs.

• The IELTS by IDP app. Free, from a test owner, with the 14-day E2 course trial. Start here.
• The official IELTS apps linked from ielts.org, for practice on your phone.

An app is good for Listening and Reading drills in short sessions, and for vocabulary. It is weak for Writing, which you should practise on paper or a keyboard, timed, in the format you will sit. If you will take IELTS on computer, type your essays.

Use the app on commutes and breaks, and keep one longer session a week for a full timed test.

A plan for the weeks before your test

Most candidates book with a date in mind. Work back from it.

1. Week 1. One full timed practice test from IDP or ielts.org. Note your band per skill.
2. Weeks 2 to 5. Two or three timed Listening and Reading sets a week from free official material. Daily Writing or Speaking practice with feedback from whichever paid option you chose.
3. Week 6. A second full test. If your Writing or Speaking band has not moved, book a human-marked assessment.
4. Final fortnight. Two more full tests. Attend IDP's free Masterclass if you have not.

If you miss your band in one skill, IDP lists IELTS One Skill Retake for candidates who did not get the score they need. Check that your receiving organisation accepts it first.

If you need IELTS for a nursing or medical registration, when the English test stops a clinician covers the score rules some regulators set. Never pay anyone who offers a score without the test: the PTE proxy test scam and the TOEIC scandal show what happens to candidates caught up in fraud. The IELTS exam page has the band score detail.