Beginner to Advanced

Academic & General Training

8 weeks, self-paced

English Proficiency: IELTS Academic & General Training

Band 5 to Band 8 in eight structured weeks

Which IELTS test do you need?

Selected: IELTS Academic — saved on this device.

Live AI practice

The four-skill circle with your AI examiner

Move around the circle — listen, speak out loud, read, then write. The AI sets a task at your level, hears you through your microphone, and marks you against the IELTS band descriptors with corrections in your own words. Start anywhere, repeat as often as you like.

Your progressListening: —Speaking: —Reading: —Writing: —Saved on this device

Choose your level and a topic, then start the listening task.

A complete, self-paced IELTS preparation course covering all four tested skills — Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking — for both the Academic and General Training papers, including IELTS on computer and the UKVI versions. Every lesson pairs a written breakdown with a free video lesson you watch right here, plus a practice task you can do the same day.

By the end of this course you can

Explain the format, timing and marking of every IELTS paper, Academic and General Training.
Apply proven question strategies for Listening and Reading under real exam time pressure.
Plan and write Task 1 and Task 2 responses that hit the four Writing band descriptors.
Speak fluently for two minutes on any cue card using a repeatable structure.
Build a personal eight-week study plan and track your band score with mock tests.

The paper at a glance

Listening

4 recordings, 40 questions, ~30 minutes (+10 min transfer on paper).

Reading

3 passages, 40 questions, 60 minutes, no extra transfer time.

Writing

2 tasks, 60 minutes. Task 1 (150 words, 20 min), Task 2 (250 words, 40 min).

Speaking

3 parts, 11–14 minutes, face to face with a certified examiner.

Band	Level	What it means
9	Expert user	Fully operational command; accurate, fluent, complete understanding.
8	Very good user	Occasional unsystematic inaccuracies; handles complex argument well.
7	Good user	Operational command with occasional inaccuracy and misunderstanding.
6	Competent user	Generally effective command despite some inaccuracy in familiar situations.
5	Modest user	Partial command; copes with overall meaning in most situations.
4	Limited user	Basic competence limited to familiar situations.

Week 1

Module 1: Test orientation and band scores

What is actually being measured and how it is scored

The full IELTS format, section by section

IELTS tests four skills in one sitting: Listening, Reading and Writing run back to back with no break, and Speaking is scheduled on the same day or within seven days. Academic and General Training share the same Listening and Speaking papers but differ in Reading and Writing Task 1.

Total test time is 2 hours 45 minutes across the four papers.
Each paper is marked out of 9 in half-band steps, then averaged and rounded to the nearest half band.
There is no pass or fail — institutions set the band they require, usually 6.0 to 7.5.
Results are valid for two years from the test date.

💡 Decide your target band before you study. Every strategy in this course is chosen to lift a specific band descriptor.

Finding the best free video lesson…

How examiners award bands

Listening and Reading are marked by raw score converted to a band. Writing and Speaking are marked by trained examiners against four equally weighted criteria each — this is where most candidates lose or gain a full band.

Writing criteria: Task Achievement/Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
Speaking criteria: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, Pronunciation.
In Reading Academic, roughly 30/40 correct is a Band 7; General Training needs a higher raw score for the same band.
Half bands are awarded on the overall score, so 6.25 rounds up to 6.5 and 6.1 rounds down to 6.0.

💡 Print the public band descriptors and mark your own practice essays against them — self-assessment is the fastest feedback loop you have.

Finding the best free video lesson…

Week 2

Module 2: Listening

40 questions, one play only

The four recordings and the question types

Recording 1 is a everyday conversation, Recording 2 a monologue on a social topic, Recording 3 a discussion in an academic context and Recording 4 a lecture. Questions follow the order of the audio, so if you lose one, jump forward rather than hunting backwards.

Question types: form/note/table completion, multiple choice, matching, map or plan labelling, sentence completion, short answer.
Use the preparation seconds to read ahead and predict the word type needed — number, name, noun, verb.
Watch the word limit: 'NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND A NUMBER' means three items maximum.
Spelling and plurals are marked; a correct answer spelled wrongly scores zero.

💡 Train with the audio once only. Replaying builds a habit the real test will punish.

Finding the best free video lesson…

Distractors, paraphrase and map labelling

IELTS Listening almost never uses the exact words on the question paper. Speakers correct themselves, change their minds and offer alternatives — the answer is usually what is confirmed last.

Listen for signposts: actually, sorry, I meant, on second thoughts — the correction is the answer.
Synonyms are the whole game: 'set up' becomes 'establish', 'cheap' becomes 'affordable'.
For maps, orient yourself first: find the entrance, north arrow and the labelled landmarks before the audio starts.
Transfer answers cleanly — on paper you get 10 minutes; on computer you type directly, so leave 2 minutes to check spelling.

💡 Do one 'dictation minute' daily: play any English podcast and write exactly what you hear for 60 seconds.

Finding the best free video lesson…

Weeks 3–4

Module 3: Reading

40 questions in 60 minutes, no transfer time

Skimming, scanning and time budgeting

Most candidates fail Reading on time, not comprehension. Budget 20 minutes per Academic passage, and in General Training move faster through Section 1 to bank time for the long final passage.

Skim the passage in 2–3 minutes for topic sentences before reading a single question.
Scan for names, dates, numbers and capitalised words — they are the fastest anchors.
Never leave a blank; there is no negative marking, so guess before the clock runs out.
Answer the question types that follow passage order first, then the global ones like headings.

💡 Practise with a visible timer from day one. Untimed reading practice inflates your score and hides your real weakness.

Finding the best free video lesson…

True / False / Not Given and matching headings

These two question types produce the most lost marks. True/False/Not Given is about the writer's claims, Yes/No/Not Given about the writer's views — and 'Not Given' means the text simply does not say, not that it feels unlikely.

False = the text contradicts the statement. Not Given = the text is silent on it.
Watch qualifiers: all, only, always, never — one absolute word can flip True to False.
For headings, read the first and last sentence of each paragraph, then match the main idea, not a repeated word.
Eliminate headings as you use them and leave the hardest paragraph until last.

💡 After each practice set, write one sentence explaining why each wrong answer was wrong. Error logs move bands faster than volume.

Finding the best free video lesson…

Weeks 5–6

Module 4: Writing

Task 1 and Task 2 in 60 minutes

Task 1 Academic: charts, maps and processes

Task 1 Academic asks you to summarise visual information in at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. You describe and compare — you never explain causes or give opinions.

Structure: introduction (paraphrase the prompt), overview (2 key trends), two body paragraphs of detail with data.
The overview is compulsory — without it you cannot exceed Band 5 for Task Achievement.
Use varied trend language: rose sharply, plateaued, fluctuated, declined steadily, peaked at.
For processes use sequencing and passive voice: the mixture is then heated, following this stage…

💡 Write your overview second, immediately after the introduction — candidates who leave it to the end run out of time.

Finding the best free video lesson…

Task 1 General Training: the three letter types

General Training Task 1 is a 150-word letter in one of three registers: formal, semi-formal or informal. The register decision drives your greeting, contractions and sign-off.

Formal (unknown recipient): Dear Sir or Madam … Yours faithfully. No contractions.
Semi-formal (named but professional): Dear Mr Patel … Yours sincerely.
Informal (friend): Dear Sam … Best wishes. Contractions and idiom are welcome.
Cover all three bullet points in the prompt — one missing bullet caps Task Achievement.

💡 Memorise one opening and closing line per register so you spend your 20 minutes on content, not on formatting.

Finding the best free video lesson…

Task 2: the essay that carries two thirds of your mark

Task 2 is worth twice Task 1 and takes 40 minutes for at least 250 words. Five essay types recur: opinion, discussion, advantages/disadvantages, problem/solution and two-part question. Identify the type before you plan.

Spend 5 minutes planning, 30 writing, 5 checking. The plan prevents the drift that kills coherence.
Four-paragraph shape: introduction with a clear position, two developed body paragraphs, conclusion that restates the position.
Each body paragraph: topic sentence, explanation, specific example, link back to the question.
Answer the exact question asked. A brilliant essay on the wrong task caps you at Band 5 for Task Response.

💡 Build a bank of 10 flexible examples (education, technology, health, environment) you can adapt to almost any prompt.

Finding the best free video lesson…

Lexical resource and grammatical range without the fluff

Examiners reward precise, natural vocabulary and a mix of sentence forms — not memorised 'high-level' phrases dropped in awkwardly. Overwriting is a common reason strong candidates stall at 6.5.

Use topic-specific collocation: 'renewable energy sources', 'academic attainment', 'public expenditure'.
Mix simple, compound and complex sentences; a run of long clauses hurts clarity.
Accuracy matters more than ambition: a Band 7 needs frequent error-free sentences.
Avoid learned templates like 'In this globalised era of modernisation' — examiners discount memorised language.

💡 Rewrite one of your own past essays each week, changing only the vocabulary. It trains range without new content load.

Finding the best free video lesson…

Week 7

Module 5: Speaking

Three parts, 11–14 minutes, face to face

Part 1 and Part 3: short answers and abstract discussion

Part 1 covers familiar topics — home, work, study, hobbies — for 4–5 minutes. Part 3 takes the Part 2 topic into abstract, societal discussion for another 4–5 minutes and is where higher bands are won.

In Part 1 answer in two to three sentences: direct answer, reason, small detail. Never one word.
In Part 3 argue: state a view, justify it, consider the other side, conclude.
Use discourse markers naturally: to be honest, that said, having said that, in the long run.
It is fine to ask for repetition — it does not cost marks in Speaking.

💡 Record yourself answering five Part 1 questions daily and listen back for hesitation and repetition.

Finding the best free video lesson…

Part 2: the two-minute cue card

You get a card, one minute to prepare with notes, then must speak for one to two minutes uninterrupted. The examiner marks fluency, so stopping at 45 seconds costs you badly.

Use the four bullet points as your structure and give roughly 30 seconds to each.
Note keywords only, not sentences — reading aloud sounds rehearsed and flattens pronunciation marks.
Add a feeling and a reflection at the end: why it mattered, what you'd do differently.
If you run dry, describe the setting, the people or a comparison to something similar.

💡 Practise the 'anything card' drill: pick a random object and speak about it for two minutes without stopping.

Finding the best free video lesson…

Pronunciation, fluency and confidence

Pronunciation is 25% of your Speaking band and it is not about losing your accent. Examiners assess how easily you can be understood: stress, rhythm, intonation and clear individual sounds.

Stress the content words and reduce the function words — that is what makes English sound natural.
Use intonation to signal contrast and emphasis rather than speaking on one flat note.
Slow down slightly: speed is not fluency; fluency is speaking without unnatural pauses.
Self-correct once and move on — repeated self-correction damages fluency more than the original error.

💡 Shadow a 60-second clip of a native speaker daily: play, pause, repeat in the same rhythm and stress.

Finding the best free video lesson…

Week 8

Module 6: Mock tests and test day

Turning practice into a booked band

Building your eight-week study plan

A band improvement of 0.5 to 1.0 typically needs six to ten weeks of consistent daily work. Structure beats volume: short daily blocks plus one full timed mock each week.

Daily: 20 minutes Listening, 20 minutes Reading, one Writing task every other day, 10 minutes speaking aloud.
Weekly: one full mock under exam conditions, then a written error log.
Use official practice materials from IELTS.org, British Council and IDP for authentic question style.
Re-test your baseline every fortnight so you can see the trend rather than guess at it.

💡 Book your test date before you feel ready. A fixed date is the single strongest driver of consistent study.

Finding the best free video lesson…

Test day logistics and common mistakes

Bring the identity document you registered with — it is checked at entry and again before Speaking. Arrive early, expect security screening and a photograph, and know how your test version is delivered.

Paper test: pencil for Listening and Reading, pen or pencil for Writing. Computer test: everything typed on screen.
You may not take anything to your desk except ID and a bottle of water with the label removed.
Word counts under the minimum are penalised — practise recognising 150 and 250 words in your own handwriting.
If you finish Reading early, re-check spelling and plurals; those are the cheapest marks in the test.

💡 Do your final mock at the same time of day as your booked test slot so your concentration peak matches.

Finding the best free video lesson…

Mastery check

1. In IELTS Reading, what does 'Not Given' mean?

2. How long should you spend on Writing Task 2, and what is the minimum length?

3. Which element is compulsory in Academic Writing Task 1?

4. How long must you speak for in Speaking Part 2?

5. Which statement about IELTS scoring is correct?

Official practice material

Use authentic papers from the test owners for every mock you sit.

IELTS.org official practice tests

Free full-length Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking papers from the test owners.

British Council — Take IELTS preparation

Free practice materials, sample answers and the official band descriptors.

IDP IELTS free practice

Sample tests for both Academic and General Training, plus computer-delivered demos.

IELTS band descriptors (public version)

Exactly how examiners award Writing and Speaking bands, criterion by criterion.

Practice today

Sit one timed Listening section, write a 250-word Task 2 essay to a 40-minute clock, and record yourself speaking for two minutes on the cue card “Describe a skill you would like to learn”. Log every error you make — that log is your study plan for tomorrow.

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