How to prepare for IELTS?

You will spend a lot of time preparing for the IELTS test on your own. This means you should work hard and study strategically. But research shows that even when independent learners know which of their language skills are strong and which are weak, they still tend to spend more time on their strong areas. In a 2015 study at the University of Hong Kong, Professor David Gardner found that students ‘ultimately preferred to remain in their comfort zone.’

With limited time available, it is essential that you move out of your comfort zone, and spend your IELTS preparation time where it is going to have the greatest impact. We will look at three key ways you can organise your time to fully prepare for your IELTS test.

Tips and advice for IELTS Writing

Identify you weak areas

For a start, you need to know which are your strong areas and which are your weak areas.

learn all the IELTS Writing tips with the online practice, Road to IELTS

Manage your time

Once you have identified your strong and weak areas, you need to know how much time you have available to spend on IELTS preparation. The final step is to create a revision timetable. Allocate the time available to the four papers: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, giving the most time to your weakest skills. You now know how many hours per day you are spending on each skill.

And don’t forget, there is more to IELTS preparation than just skills-based practice. You need to make sure your revision timetable includes all the admin jobs you need to do on and before your test day, and learning how to manage your stress levels.

Tips and advice for IELTS Writing

Be disciplined

Finally, you need discipline. It’s human nature to spend more time on the areas you are best at and which you enjoy the most. But this will not help you get the band score you need. Particularly if you are short of time (some candidates only have one month to prepare!) you need to be disciplined, move outside your comfort zone, and you will deliver your best possible performance on your IELTS test day.

learn all the IELTS Writing tips with the online practice, Road to IELTS

How to practise with IELTSPractice

Get ready for a great band score in all four papers, with tips and advice for Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing.

Reading

Listening

Speaking

Writing