Useful Resources for IELTS

We’ve put together a list of some websites that you need to know about if you’re planning to take IELTS in the foreseeable future. It goes without saying that it’s impossible to prepare for this exam without a teacher who’ll help you improve your writing and speaking; nevertheless, there’s a lot of practice that you will need to do on your own. Also, there are things about the exam that you need to know and it will be cheaper and faster to get this information online than from your English tutor.

1. https://www.ielts.org/ This website should be your first stop on your way to IELTS. This is the most reliable source of information provided by the organization that administers this exam. Here you can learn about the different institutions that recognize IELTS, the structure of the exam, where to take it, different types of exams and much more useful information that you need to know even before you start planning your exam preparation adventure.

2. https://www.ielts.org/for-test-takers/sample-test-questions This is the same website, but we just want to make sure you don’t miss this page as here you can find the sample tasks to help you become more familiar with task types. This is a full list of tasks for Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking tests so once you’ve seen them, there won’t be many surprises on the day of the exam. 

3. https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/take-ielts/prepare/free-ielts-practice-tests Here you can find some free practice tests with answers from British Council, one of the two institutions which is allowed to administer this exam. Their website is another reliable source of information so take your time to explore it.

4. Writing Task 1 and Task 2 Band Descriptors (public version) can be found here. These descriptors will have you get a better idea what is expected from you in this part of the exam and what you need to work on. When working on your writing, make sure that your teachers also uses these descriptors when assessing it.

5. Write&Improve. This great online writing trainer has been created for Cambridge Exams such as Cambridge B2 First (FCE), etc.; however, you can still use it to improve your writing for IELTS as it will help you to understand at what level your writing is now and whether you need to use more complex grammar and vocabulary to get a higher band during the exam. When using it, please, make sure you choose the right tasks from the list, e.g., writing a letter or email (for the General Module) or essay (for both modules).

6. IELTS Buddy. Here you can find some sample tasks with model answers and comments for Writing Task 1, which is one of our favorite resources. This shouldn’t prevent you from exploring other resources on this website which you might also find useful.

7. Dictionary of collocations. This fantastic resource can help you improve both your speaking and writing as you’ll be able to check which words work well together and which don’t. When starting to use it, remember that it’s a good idea to look for a noun and then chose the adjective or verb you want to use with it. You really need to check this one out as it will help you to get a higher band for the lexical resource.

8. Speaking band descriptors (public version). We’ve looked at the ones for writing, here’s the one for speaking as well. Have a look at it to see how your speaking is assessed and make of list of what you’d like or really need to improve for your speaking exam.

9. IELTS Official on Youtube. Another great resource where you can find a range of helpful videos starting form videos of speaking tests and the bands the candidates got with examiner comments to videos of how IELTS exams are taken online. You should definitely check it out to know what to expect and feel more confident on the day of the exam.

10.  IELTS Liz. Here you can find a lot of resources and useful tips to help you prepare for the IELTS exam better. You should have a look at some Speaking sample questions as some of them might even appear in your exam and the topics on this website appear in the speaking test on a regular basis.

We really hope that the websites above will help you get the band you want on the test day, but if you still want to feel even more confident, you can take our intensive IELTS preparation course focusing on the strategies you’ll need to pass this exam.