Free IELTS preparation resources
Free IELTS preparation resources
From this page, you can find some useful free IELTS preparation resources to help you prepare for the IELTS test. However, if you’re really looking to achieve IELTS success, become a member! You will get instant access to the complete IELTS course (Academic or General Training), the 6-level general English course, the IELTS vocabulary course and the 7 downloadable eBooks (with audio files). MASTER Members also get 10 writing tests (Task 1 and Task 2) assessed with comments, corrections and estimated band score, as well as 2 live speaking assessments, one to one with a trained IELTS examiner.
IELTS speaking topic card model answer
Describe a memorable journey you have taken. You should say: Where you went How you traveled Who you went with You should also explain why the journey was memorableA top scoring model answer (Band 9.0): I would like to talk about a memorable journey I took last year...
10 essential words for IELTS at Level C1
Here are the definitions and an example sentence for today's 10 essential words. Elaborate (verb): To add details, explanations, or complexity to something in order to make it more thorough or complete. The chef took great care to elaborate on the dish's ingredients...
Academic Task 1 Band 5.0
IELTS Academic Task 1 writing sample Band 5 Report 2 Band score: approximately 5.0 The answer below would be worth a Band score of 5.0 (based on over 15 years as IELTS examiner). Click the word or words in red to see the correction, and scroll to the bottom of the...
Understanding reference words for IELTS
What’s wrong with this sentence? Some people believe that a university education should be available to everyone as a university education will help with employment. The problem here is that ‘university education’ has been repeated – the sentence would have been...
Differences between Academic & General IELTS
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is an English language proficiency test that assesses the language skills of individuals who wish to study, work, or migrate to an English-speaking country. There are two types of IELTS tests: Academic and...
CBT and PBT IELTS – which is better?
The CBT (Computer-Based Test) and PBT (Paper-Based Test) versions of the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) have several differences. Here are some of the key differences: Test format: The CBT version of the IELTS test is delivered on a computer,...
IELTS reading exercise 8 – Short answer questions
Mountaineering is a challenging and exhilarating outdoor activity that involves climbing up mountains or other steep and rugged terrain. It requires physical and mental strength, endurance, and technical skills to navigate through different kinds of terrain, from rock...
Predicting and anticipating in IELTS
In a previous post we looked at the importance of predicting and anticipating in the IELTS listening test. Practice your skills with these 10 questions by predicting as much as you can. NOTE: there is no audio for this exercise – this is to improve your predicting...
So and Such – grammar for IELTS
‘So’ and ‘such’ are often used incorrectly in English. Both so and such are used to ‘give emphasis’ – this means to show that something is ‘extreme’ or ‘more than’. For example – The concert was so good! It was such a good concert! In both cases, it wasn’t simply a...
Ending a Task 1 Academic report
There are lots of different advice about how to end a Task 1 report, so on this page we have presented some good and bad ideas for the last lines of your Task 1. Keep these facts in mind when considering your report: Somewhere in the report you need to include an...
Facts about the IELTS writing test
Here’s a collection of some of the most common questions we are asked about the IELTS writing test. Note that this page only realtes to the PBT (Paper Based Test), not the CBT (Computer Based Test). Q: Do I write in pen or pencil during the test? Most exam centres now...
Grammar for IELTS Direct & indirect questions
When asking for information in English you can use direct and indirect questions. There are differences in sentence structure and levels of politeness and formality. In English, a basic question can be formed using either an auxiliary verb or a question word. For...
Grammar for IELTS adjective order
Adjective order is important if you are using more than one adjective before a noun. There is often a specific order in which they must be placed. For example: A black leather jacketA leather black jacket Here is a short acronym to help you remember: OSASCOMP opinion...
IELTS reading exercise 8 -TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN
This post is another practice exercise for True, False, Not Given style questions. For the main lesson page on this question type, take a look here: True, False, Not Given in IELTS reading Tā moko The practice of making markings on the human body has long been in...
IELTS grammar conditional sentences
Complete the conditional sentences exercises below to test your knowledge of conditionals. 1st conditional example: If he __________________ (get) the job, he ___________ (be) very happy . If he gets the job, he will be very happy. Conditional sentences...
Headings questions in IELTS reading
One of the most common – and most difficult – types of question you are likely to face in the IELTS reading test are Headings style questions, where you are required to match a heading (much the same as a title) to a paragraph from the text. Here are some facts about...
13 rules for using articles in IELTS
Articles (a, an, the and Ø) Using articles correctly in English can be very difficult as there are a lot of rules to remember. There are three articles in English ‘a’, ‘an’, ‘the’ and sometimes no article Ø is needed. The indefinite article – A or AN Examples of use...
IELTS vocabulary for law and order
Essential IELTS vocabulary is split into common IELTS topics and subsections in much more detail in our complete online course, so become a member today. On this page, we are focusing on vocabulary used to describe the law – crimes, criminals, the legal system and...
IELTS grammar – parts of speech
In order to improve your result in the IELTS test, both for speaking and writing, it is important to be aware of the ‘parts’ of speech that create sentences in English. It is commonly accepted that there are only 9* different parts of speech from which all sentences,...
Qualifying words in IELTS reading
Qualifying words in IELTS reading By now, you should be familiar with the idea of looking for key words in the question before looking for the answer in both the IELTS reading and listening test. However, a common reason for IELTS candidates to lose points is by not...
Talking about people IELTS (Part 3)
Talking about people in the IELTS speaking test lesson 3 Before starting this lesson, make sure you have completed Lesson 1 and Lesson 2. Talking about people in the IELTS speaking test lesson 3 Learning synonyms is a good way to enrich your English vocabulary, and...
IELTS reading exercise 7 -TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN
Reading practice exercise 7 Brush up on your reading skills with this short text and questions. Note: The text is NOT full the length of a normal IELTS reading test – this is a shortened version for some quick practice! See if you can complete it under 10 minutes....
IELTS speaking test 2 with model answers
IELTS speaking practice test 2 This section of the site is for you to try a complete IELTS speaking test. The timing of each section is automatic and follows the standard IELTS pattern. Ideally, we recommend speaking aloud when answering the questions and recording...
Essential vocabulary for IELTS – the letter ‘C’
Vocabulary for IELTS – words beginning with C We’re back with some more vocabulary for you to test your skills. Read the sentences below and decide which of the words that follow would be best to complete the sentence. NOTE: sometimes more than one answer will...
7 tips to improve IELTS listening
7 tips to improve IELTS listening So you’ve practiced, you’ve listened to the radio, taken practice tests, you’ve even taken the IELTS test – often a number of times – and you’re still not getting the result you’re looking for in the IELTS listening test. What’s going...
Common errors in IELTS writing 1 – ‘Government’
Common errors in IELTS writing 1 - using the word 'government’ Using the correct words in your IELTS test can make the difference between succeeding and having to resit the test, so make sure you’ve got the right word or phrase! In this post, we will look at the use...
Topic sentences in IELTS writing – how to write them
Topic sentences in IELTS writing are very important as they help you write in a clear and logical way. The 'topic sentence' is generally the first sentence of your paragraph, and is used to define what the rest of the paragraph will be discussing. For example: Tighter...
Making notes in Part 2 speaking – 6 useful tips
Here’s an example of a topic card used in Part Two of the IELTS speaking test: Describe your favourite leisure activity. You should say: what it is how often you do it when you first started doing it. You should also say why it is important to you. Using the...
IELTS speaking test tips for the day of your test
So the day has finally arrived – it’s test day! Depending on the test centre you are taking your test in, you might have the speaking on a different day to the other parts of the test or at the beginning or end of the same day. Whenever your speaking assessment is,...
Giving and justifying opinions in the IELTS speaking test
The IELTS speaking test is like most conversations. If you give an opinion, you should justify it, and if possible, offer a reason, solution or speculation. For example: I don’t think people should automatically be entitled to three holidays a year. [END] Saying only...
IELTS speaking model answer 1 – something you enjoyed doing
This section of the site is for model answers on Part Two topic cards. They are all rated at Band 9.0 (the top score). It is good practice to read the model answer aloud, ideally while recording yourself. Then play back the recording, listening closely to your...
Talking about special occasions in the IELTS speaking test
It is common in the IELTS speaking test to be asked to talk about special days or celebrations, so here are some model answers that will give you a guideline for a good result. The list below is based on special days or celebrations in New Zealand, but this is where...
Talking about hobbies in the IELTS speaking test
In the IELTS speaking test, the examiner could ask you to talk about your hobbies. Here’s a bad example of a response to a question about hobbies: Examiner: What sports do you like?Candidate: Football. The main problem with the example above is that it is too short....
IELTS reading exercise 6 – TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN
Read the text below and answer the TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN questions that follow. After checking your answers, you should also look at the vocabulary section for this text at the bottom of the page. Speed levels: 20 minutes or more = TOO SLOW! 15 minutes = not bad 10...
IELTS reading exercise 5 – Classifying questions
Classifying questions are similar to matching questions – the questions are in statement format, and you need to decide which of a limited number of options each statement relates to. Here’s a very simple example: Classify the following statement as relating to: A....
IELTS reading exercise 4 – Classifying questions
Read the text below and answer the CLASSIFYING questions that follow. After checking your answers, you should also look at the vocabulary section for this text at the bottom of the page. Speed levels: 25 minutes or more = TOO SLOW! 18 minutes = not bad 12 minutes =...
IELTS reading exercise 3 – Text completion questions
This is a text completion exercise. Before you begin, we recommend you take a look at the Text completion information page. Read the text below and complete the questions that follow. NO MEAN FEAT Every now and again, amid the doom and gloom of war, violence and...
IELTS reading exercise 2 – Headings questions
We recommend you read this page about headings style questions before beginning this practice. A brief history of the Olympics Most people have heard of the Olympics, a sporting event held every four years, where people from around the world congregate in one place to...
IELTS READING EXERCISE 1 – text completion
This is a text completion exercise. Before you begin, we recommend you take a look at the Text completion information page. The home office A Can you feel your anxiety and stress levels increasing every time you get caught in a traffic jam? Do you find it difficult to...
IELTS reading text completion questions
Text completion questions in IELTS are one of the most common question types. You need to be able to complete either a sentence or a short summary of the text, using either words from the text or words provided in a box. There are two different types of instruction...
4 rules for Reported speech in English
The 4 rules for Reported speech in English. Reported speech, also called indirect speech, is what happens when we are telling someone about what another person said. Here is an example of direct and reported speech: Direct speech: I don’t like this party.Reported or...
IELTS reading parallel expressions
One of the skills that you will be tested on in the IELTS test is the ability to identify parallel expressions – that is, two sentences that have the same meaning but are written using a different structure, vocabulary or grammar. This is especially important with...
Can I ask the examiner to repeat the question?
Can I ask the examiner to repeat the question in the IELTS speaking test?One of our enrolled members asked a very good question a few days ago - do I lose points in the IELTS speaking test if I ask the examiner to repeat a question? The simple answer is no - you won't...
5 tips to improve your IELTS reading
5 tips to improve your IELTS reading Are you taking practice test after practice, but not seeing your score improve? Stuck on the same level with your reading for ages? You’re not alone – this is a very common problem, especially when you are studying on your own...
C2 words for IELTS – Group 2
Conundrum - a confusing and difficult problem or questionExamples: Solving this math problem was a conundrum that took me hours to figure out. The mystery of the missing keys was a conundrum that baffled the detectives. The ethical conundrum of cloning is still being...
C2 words for IELTS – Group 1
30 words for IELTS Band 8.0+ - use this list to improve your IELTS vocabulary and get a better score. Each word below has a definition and an example sentence. Capricious: changing one's mind quickly and oftenExample: The boss's capricious mood swings made it...
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ACADEMIC MODULE
MASTER MEMBERSHIP
MASTER Membership includes everything in the SPEED membership, as well as 10 writing tests assessed with comments and corrections AND 2 live speaking assessments one to one with your support tutor (a trained IELTS examiner) via Skype or Whatsapp.
6 MONTHS ACCESS
…or click here to learn more