Master List of IELTS Exam Prep Resources
If you’re preparing to take your IELTS exam soon, this master list of IELTS exam resources will help you practice to make the score you need.
IELTS Practice Exams
These practice exams will help you prepare for the types of questions you will see on the IELTS exam. The number one way to prepare for the IELTS is to take old exams and practice the exact skills you will need.
Need to Prepare for an IELTS exam? Check out our IELTS Writing Course.
IELTS Practice Listening Exams
One of the most difficult sections for students taking the IELTS is often the Listening section. The Listening section can be very difficult because you only get to hear the audio snippets once and it’s sometimes hard to understand the voices. By using the link below, you can practice old IELTS Listening exams on YouTube. Click the link below and do all the practice tests you can find. Most of the videos will have the answer sheets on the screen and then will provide the answers at the end.
At the least, it will help you get prepared for the format of the listening section.
IELTS Writing Exam
When it comes to the IELTS writing exam, it’s crucial that you understand the format and structure of how you are supposed to write your academic essay. Once you understand how your essay is supposed to look format-wise, then you need to practice writing in that style until it feels comfortable and natural to you. Use these resources to help in these areas.
Use this link to understand the structure of the IELTS Writing Task One: https://www.ieltsadvantage.com/writing-task-1/
Use this link to learn about Task Two: https://www.ieltsadvantage.com/2015/03/03/ielts-writing-task-2-essay-structures/
This link shows and explains the different types of questions you might encounter in the IELTS Writing Task Two: https://magoosh.com/ielts/ielts-writing-task-2-complete-guide/
After you’ve read and understood those articles about how to structure your writing, check out these links that show some example essays from previous students:
Now it’s time for you to move on and start writing your own essays. Check out these links for IELTS Writing Essay topics that you can use to write your own essays for practice.
There are many more, all you have to do is Google “IELTS Writing Exam Topics.”
Are you struggling with the writing section of the IELTS?
We can help. View our IELTS writing course here.
IELTS Reading Exam
The IELTS Reading Exam is the trickiest part of the exam for many students. Mostly this is because of the time it takes them to get through the text and then go back in and answer the questions. In order to get the skills you need to do well on this section, you need to practice reading for information.
One of the things I do with all of my IELTS classes is have them read one academic text each week for homework. Then when they come back to class the next week they have to give a verbal summary of the article in class. What this does is force them to read their articles for information and process it so they will be able to remember the information when they summarize it.
You need to find something to help you do the same thing. If you’re studying by yourself, I recommend finding academic texts that you’re interested in and reading one every few days. Then summarize those texts in a written format, one paragraph or less is fine.
Another thing you can do is take a blank sheet of paper and draw a line down one-third of the page. You should now have one-third of the page to the left and two-thirds of the page to the right. You can then use this page to summarize a text you are reading. You write the main idea of each paragraph in the left section and any important supporting details in the right section of the page. This once again allows you to practice reading texts for information.
Once you’re skilled at reading texts for information, you can then begin to skim texts more quickly and remember more information from them. This will allow you to answer the reading questions faster and more accurately.
Here’s some helpful advice from the British Council on how to perform well on the IELTS reading section:
Make sure to practice on those practice exams from above, taking practice tests is the #1 way to prepare for any exam.
IELTS Speaking Exam
The speaking exam is all about practicing beforehand. You want to make sure you’re comfortable with all of the types of questions you may hear. You’ll also want to be comfortable using the type of vocabulary you’ll be required to use. Also, make sure you’re brushed up on your tenses. The first few questions on the IELTS exam are designed to get you to move through the tenses. Use them correctly and you’ll rack up points early on, use them incorrectly and you’re putting yourself in a hole.
Here are some links that contain practice speaking topics for the IELTS exam:
Hopefully, these IELTS resources and links will be more than enough to help you on your journey to passing the IELTS! If you need more practice or one on one lessons, contact me here about IELTS Prep lessons and other English courses.
Best Textbooks for IELTS Exam Prep
You can also check out these amazing books that have helped many of my students:
The first is a book full of actual Academic IELTS exams from 2012. It includes Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking tests. It’s definitely the best way to prepare for your exam.
The second book is a prep book from Cambridge that helps you develop the skills and learn the vocabulary you need to pass the exam. It also includes audio CDs that will help you practice for the listening section.
Good luck with your IELTS exam! For our master list of Cambridge CAE Exam prep resources check here.
Lucas Weaver
Lucas Weaver is the founder of IELTSwritingchecker.com and the Weaver School. He's taught IELTS students from over 35 countries for the past 9 years.
He's passionate about using the latest learnings in neuroscience and education to create the best language learning experience possible for our students, so they can quickly build effective language learning habits that will last for years.
Lucas is a graduate of Texas A&M University and after 7 years of living in the Netherlands he is currently traveling through Southeast Asia while learning their languages along the way.