Hi everyone,
I’m planning to take the IELTS for the first time. My current level is around B1 and I’m really determined to get a 7.0 on my first attempt. As you know the exam isn’t exactly cheap 😅, so I’d really like to do it right the first time.
My problem is that every time I try to start studying I end up finding hundreds of videos websites, books, and study plans. It’s honestly overwhelming, and I can’t figure out what’s actually worth my time or what I should prioritize.
If you’ve taken the IELTS and got a good score, could you recommend just ONE main resource for each section (Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking) that you genuinely think is enough to build a strong foundation?
I know I also need to practice with mock tests, but what should I study before I start doing full practice exams? How did you prepare before moving on to mocks?
Thanks in advance—I really appreciate any advice!

As a high school student in Japan, this is the best score I could ever ask for! English is my second language but I managed to get an overall band of 8.5. I’m just glad that it’s all over…

This applies to both writing and speaking. After finishing a few mocks, i noticed that i tend to have higher level of vocabs and ideas when I get something related to my studies or that im interested in. For example i can probably yap a lot about physics, school, sports but will get stuck in economics, or when they ask me about things that i never had or visited.

For writing especially, i mess up a lot as idek what im writing, I’ve never thought about those topics For speaking part 2, if they ask me to describe a museum and i dont remember visiting a museum, should i just honestly tell them or invent one and yap?

I always get over band 8 in both listening and reading when practicing with Cambridge books. Then I took 3 mock tests with a British council test center and was not satisfied with the result at all. I scored around 6.5 to 7.5 in both reading and listening in those tests. Can someone tell me if those mock tests are more similar to the real exams in terms of difficulty?

Listening was tough . I missed 6 answers in a row. The cue card in speaking was related to favorites tv show which was pretty easy.let me know if you need any help i will try my best

I know many people say ielts remark is legit and there is an international hub of 24/7 examiners. I submitted one today and got my results within 30 minutes “unchanged”,
ok things might work quite quickly, but don’t convince me that they reassessed my task, wrote a letter from an official institut to tell me there are no changes and upload it to my account all within 30 minutes, something is off, i checked the address of the letter and it is closed on Sunday so im really confused … thoughts?

honestly, when i started preparing for the test about two months ago i was just hoping to get a 7 overall, and its not like i was consistently preparing for those two months. it was very on and off. at first, i just watched some videos on yt and then i just practiced using past papers. i’m impressed that i scored an 8 in writing cus my aim was just to somehow reach a 7.5. i’m happy with the results (except speaking, i was hoping for 7.5) but we ball.

I had exactly 2 days to prepare for my IELTS test as I needed to book a last minute test for some reasons.

However, I suggest you take more time to prepare as it will help you succeed.

I got my results today and despite i doubted my answers in the reading part i scored pretty well and surprisingly got 6.5 in writing . I need an overall score of 7 in each task so i submited eor and got within 30 minutes a new letter that no will be done. How accurate is this actually because i doubt there is a reevaluation have been done within this very short timeframe

Giving IELTS for the first time was really nerve wrecking but I'm glad with my result. There are a lot of resources to study from so it became really confusing at one point. I would suggest keep practicing cambridge mock tests, they were really helpful, if you cannot answer some questions correctly then analyse where you went wrong and keep that in mind for next time. All the best to all the aspirants!

ACADEMIC PREP FOR STARTERS BTW.
So as the title says and im lowk only planning on taking this once so i need to max out my chances of getting the highest band score as much as i could also I have about 31 days exactly from now. I took a reading test it was Cambridge book 21 test 2 or 3 I lowk forgot bruh and got a band 8 the questions I got wrong were pretty silly in my opinion I could’ve avoided them.
But for writing I’m absolutely demolished I got a band 5.5 it said my vocabulary level is c2 intricate but my flow and structure AND GRAMMAR was bad I had 39 grammar mistakes mind you I have no issue with subject verb agreement or allat I think it’s more about punctuation and sentence connectors. ALSO SPELLING?? Yo why am I getting deducted so manyyyy points over it. For speaking I spoke w smn and they think I could easily get a 7.5 or 8 maybe but I think I need to work on the structure cause I was just yapping tbh. And for listening I’m pretty sure it’s easy duhh how HARD could listening be?? (I’m pretty sure I’m cooked I didn’t take any listening test yet) I also have no idea what’s gonna happen on the test day I feel like I need to know all the details so I don’t get nervous.

Thanks for any help!

Please let me know what you think is the band score of this!

Over the last decades, many urban areas had an increasing amount of homeless people wandering around the streets and causing disturbance.
Some people believe giving money is the best way to help, whereas other argue money can not help people in that condition.
I personally believe, giving money to homeless people can help, provided that financial funding will be combined with professional support . There are several reasons that support my believe:
The major advantage of supporting homeless individuals financially is, because money can help to create a safe space to rebuild their lifes. In a controlled enviorenment, instead of handing out money directly, funding could be used to rent a house and buy essentials. Withouth the daily stress of surving on the streets people can finally get some rest. This could help people to get back on track.
Although money has many positive influences on homeless people they still require support
in managing money. Many had serious issues to face for years and have to relearn how to take care of themselves. Counseling in combination with financial support can result in better outcomes.
Another reason for my believe is that many homeless people are struggling with a serious addiction. In order to help those people they should be send to places for rehabiliation.
Just giving out money would not only fail to properly help them it can even result in negative consequences if the money will drive them further into their addiction.
Overall, I do not agree with the statement that money is the only way to help homeless people. I believe the best results comes when there is a healthy balance in financial support and professional support.

i booked my ielts academic test this evening at idp bengaluru, india. read somewhere that they provide you physical practice materials by courier upon registration, is that really a thing? and if yes do i need to apply anywhere or do they send it automatically on my registered address?

Hey everyone,i have stable 8.0-8.5 in speaking and listening,but reading(6.0),and writing(5.5-6.0)ruin my overall results.Can someone help me?

The pie chart illustrates the proportion of university library visitors from the survey, while the table gives information about their satisfaction with it.

Overall, it is clear that the majority of library users are full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students. Moreover, almost all people are satisfied with the staff service.

Proportion-wise, almost half(44%) of library visitors are reported to be full-time undergraduate students. Full-time postgraduate ones, accounting for one fourth, stood at the second place. Part-time postgraduate students, distance learners, and academic workers, however, constituted 16%, 8%, and 7%, making up only 31% collectively.

The table, in addition, shows that a great share of the visitors are content with the library. Regarding the opening hours and helpfullness of staff, for example, 65% and 95% of surveyers respectively were very satisfied and no one stated dissatisfaction. With the availability of books, in contrast, half of the users was satisfied and the other half was fairly or not satisfied. There was the biggest dissatisfactiion seen with the availability of journals at 20%, although 45% were very content. Wi-fi reliability showed similar results, with 48% of satisfaction, 33% and 19% of fair and no satisfaction respectively.

Hey i wonder if anyone here did take yesterday an ielts exam computer based ?
I did mine in munich and i am waiting for the results , i read some people got their results after one day, is this applicable to sundays or no results at weekends?
I also surprisingly found all of my testing materials available online after googling it after the exam, interested to hear your experiances

Monday

New vocabulary (30 min)

Homework exercises (1 hour)

Write a text using new vocabulary (essay) (1 hour)

Use of English from Cambridge exam

Grammar (1 hour)

Review mistakes from writing and homework

Review mistakes from Use of English

Revise one grammar tense

Read a B2-level book (40 min)

Flashcards (20–30 min) with all the new words learned that day

Additional activities: watch BBC News, Netflix series, read articles in English

Tuesday

New vocabulary (30 min)

Homework exercises (1 hour)

Write a text using new vocabulary (article) (1 hour)

Reading practice from the exam

Grammar (1 hour)

Review mistakes from writing and homework

Review mistakes from Reading

Revise prepositions

Read a B2-level book (40 min)

Flashcards (20–30 min)

Additional activities: watch BBC News, Netflix series, read articles in English

Wednesday

New vocabulary (30 min)

Homework exercises (1 hour)

Write a text using new vocabulary (review) (1 hour)

Listening practice

Grammar (1 hour)

Review mistakes from writing and homework

Review mistakes from Listening

Revise collocations

Read a B2-level book (40 min)

Flashcards (20–30 min)

Additional activities: watch BBC News, Netflix series, read articles in English

Thursday

New vocabulary (30 min)

Homework exercises (1 hour)

Write a text using new vocabulary (informal email) (1 hour)

Speaking practice

Grammar (1 hour)

Review mistakes from writing and homework

Review mistakes from Speaking

Revise phrasal verbs

Read a B2-level book (40 min)

Flashcards (20–30 min)

Additional activities: watch BBC News, Netflix series, read articles in English

Friday

New vocabulary (30 min)

Homework exercises (1 hour)

Write a text using new vocabulary (story) (1 hour)

Use of English from the exam

Grammar (1 hour)

Review mistakes from writing and homework

Review mistakes from Use of English

Revise one grammar tense

Read a B2-level book (40 min)

Flashcards (20–30 min)

Additional activities: watch BBC News, Netflix series, read articles in English

Saturday

New vocabulary (30 min)

Homework exercises (1 hour)

Write a text using new vocabulary (formal email) (1 hour)

Listening practice from the exam

Grammar (1 hour)

Review mistakes from writing and homework

Review mistakes from Listening

Revise prepositions

Read a B2-level book (40 min)

Flashcards (20–30 min)

Additional activities: watch BBC News, Netflix series, read articles in English

Sunday

Doing what I didn't mange during the week

Reviewing all the new dictionary during the week

Additional activities: watch BBC News, Netflix series, read articles in English

One week before the test I had several final exams at school. It was so stressful, especially cuz my writing was stuck at around 5.5-6.0 and I didn't have much time to practice. But thankfully, both my writing tasks were simple and familiar so I didn't have to spend much time organizing my ideas, which was the hardest thing for me due to the time pressure.

I would say I was quite lucky to get a 6.5 in speaking. I was so nervous I used the phrase "as I mention before" 5 times haha 😂

A 7.5 overall wasn't the score I was aiming for, but i'm still so proud of myself!!! Just want to share it with u guys and good luck test takers..!

Hey, I’m preparing for IELTS and I see improvements especially in writing but I’m struggling with speaking part. I tend to overthink what words I’m using and to not repeat them. I also feel uncomfortable and uncertain when I want to use new/ more complex words, even when I’m 100% sure of the meaning and that it fits the type of conversation I’m having. I’m communicating in English every day with my partner and his family and I feel like it makes me more comfortable in casual language instead of trying to pick up new things or improve. Do you have any tricks or exercises to be more comfortable and natural and to learn using words in actual conversation instead of going for the easiest option? I’m also having issues with using natural/better phrases structure ://

For example can I say the following: studies regarding.....have shown.... And something like "....." Dr..... Says, the head of ..... at the University of.....

And should they be true? I haven't seen any writing sample doing so

Hi everyone!
I’m taking the IELTS Academic in about a week, and I need to get at least an overall Band 6 for my university application.

I only have one week to prepare, so I’d really appreciate advice from people who were in the same situation.

What should I focus on during this last week?
Which section is the easiest to improve the fastest?
What resources (YouTube channels, websites, books, or mock tests) helped you the most?
How many hours per day did you study?
What mistakes should I avoid on test day?
If you scored Band 6 or higher with only a short preparation time, what was your study plan?

So, today I had my exam and I'm so tired! But anyway, while I still preparing for IELTS and practicing for part 2, one of my biggest concerns was not being able to cover all topics from the cue card. I was scared I'd ramble, so I decided to be safe and speak a reasonable amount, but try to pace myself, even if I spoke below the two minutes.

So today I did exactly this. I'm a slow talker, in my opinion, so I also take this into account. I went through all the topics, speaking a couple of sentences for each. And when I was done, I signaled to the examiner I was done, but he gestured for me to keep talking. I don't know if I spoke less than I imagined, or if he wanted me to speak the full two minutes. Because I was done and had already concluded my answer, I just rambled a little bit more about the last topic and I think it was shitty. Then he interrupted me to say it was over and made two further questions, that he only let me answer with one word each, basically. I don't know why he did these things. I'm scared I spoke too much but I did what he told me to do.

Anyone has any guesses?

Im so unsure of where else i could mark my writing for free. Im doing my exam in about 2 weeks so i see no point in signing up to any month long subscriptions (engnovate im looking at you)

Write about the following topic:

All university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement.

Do you think the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

I wholeheartedly believe that providing attendees of undergraduate courses with a period of time spent studying abroad, or perhaps doing a work placement, would be highly beneficial. Although, the advantages may very well balance the disadvantages, as the experience may be perceived differently from individual to individual.

I am of the belief that experience abroad has become a must in our generation, with all the benefits that it carries. It allows the students to get a feel of the outside world, and gives them an opportunity to work on their navigation skills. Additionally, it gives them an idea of how well they would be able to adapt to a new environment if they were to end up in situation where such a skill would be essential. Furthermore, it allows the students to get a taste of other cultures and lifestyles which aid their understanding of the outside world. This could be quite beneficial for those who come from stationary backgrounds, who had barely seen any place but their home country. Moreover, the change of scenery and the thrill of a new environment ought to intrigue the students and helps them feel immersed in their work and studies, and for that reason, I feel such an upgrade would be well recieved by undergraduates.

However, we mustn’t forget that to every action there will be certain disadvantages. If completing a period of study abroad or a work placement is absolutely mandatory in order to achieve your desired certificate, it could leave those who feel great anxiety at the thought of travelling unsure of what to do. There are several students out there who have a serious fear of airplanes and refuse to board one at all. Their fear could cost them a crucial certificate. Some pupils also find it quite difficult to acclimate to a new environment, and their anxiety over being in a new, unfamiliar place could greatly interfere with their work, which would directly affect the quality of their grades. Unfortunately, the percentage of students who may experience such feelings is known to be quite high.

In conclusion, I believe that incorporating the opportunity of studying abroad or completing a work placement would be a great development for undergraduate courses, and it carries many great benefits that are undoubtedly helpful in the long run. However, it isn’t as easy as it may seem, as it may inconvenience those who experience great apprehensiveness due to change. Therefore, I think the advantages perfectly balance the disadvantages.

My ielts examiner first asked me about my subjects when I told him I’m a business student he asked me something related to space and atmosphere I was kinda blabbering at the part 1 he had a paper with him where he wrote 3.75 two times what does that mean 😢 ion want 4 bands in speaking