If you need help creating the best IELTS study plan for yourself, here are some tips to help you build a plan that fits your needs and gets you ready for IELTS Test Day!
How long do you need to study before taking the IELTS?
The IELTS organization estimates that it takes about 3 months for a test-taker to increase their band score by one point.
So, to determine how long you need to study before taking the test, you need to know two things:
- What band score do you need or want to get?
- What band score would you get if you took the test today?
For example, if you want to get an overall band score of 7.0 but the practice test you just took resulted in an overall score of 5.0, it will likely take you at least 6 months to build your English skills up to the level where you could get a overall band score of 7.0.
How can you evaluate your likely current IELTS score?
If you haven’t taken an official IELTS test recently, and if you don’t have access to practice IELTS textbooks, you can go to www.ielts.org to take a practice IELTS Listening & Reading test online. You can also see a sample Writing and Speaking test there, but you will not be able to have your Writing or Speaking responses evaluated.
If you decide to use a practice test from a test preparation book, the best practice tests are published by Cambridge University Press.
IELTS Writing scores are usually lower than other scores
Also, know that test-takers usually get around one band score lower in Writing than in other sections. So, if you are unable to get a knowledgeable IELTS instructor to evaluate your writing, you can use your Listening and Reading score from a practice test to determine what you will likely get in the Writing test.
For example, if you got a Listening 6.5 and a Reading 5.5, they average to about a 6.0 band score. Thus, if you took the test today, you would probably get a Writing band score somewhere between 4.5 and 5.5.
How can you determine your likely IELTS Speaking score?
The Speaking IELTS test is harder to evaluate, because often your speaking ability is greatly determined by your individual situation.
- Are you living in an English-speaking country?
- What is your personal comfort in talking with others?
- How confident are you in taking chances with your English?
Keep in mind, unless you have a very knowledgeable IELTS instructor evaluate your speaking it will be difficult to know what IELTS Speaking score you might get. Even a good English teacher may not be able to determine what score you might get in the IELTS Speaking test. This is because they aren’t trained to know what the IELTS is looking for in speaking responses.
You can purchase an IELTS Progress Check at www.ielts.org, which is an official, online practice test. You can take either a timed or untimed IELTS Progress Check test and get a band score for all four parts of the IELTS test. They have practice test for both the IELTS Academic and General tests. This is much cheaper than the real test, so it is a good way to determine where you are right now!
Create a Weekly IELTS Study Plan
Create a simple weekly schedule for what you should do each day to help build your English and IELTS skills. This weekly schedule should include spending some time on each part of the IELTS (listening, reading, writing, and speaking).
You should spend equal amounts of time studying 1) specific strategies and techniques for the IELTS and 2) building your English knowledge and ability.
The amount of time you spend each day will depend on your situation. For example, if you are working full-time, if you take care of children, or if you are a full-time student, you may only be able to study for 1 or 2 hours.
It is best that you spend at most 4 hours a day preparing for the IELTS. This is true even if you have more time to do so. The reason you should not spend more than 4 hours a day studying is that you need to give your brain time to process what it has been doing.
Studying too much will slow down your learning
If you study too much, your brain will not be able to make the most of what it is learning. Your mind will be ‘spinning around’ with ‘too much information’ and you will not be able to use what you are learning very effectively.
If you do have extra time and want to work on your English, read an interesting book, listen to your favorite music, or watch a movie. Relax, and enjoy English!
Study for 2 hours, then take a break
Don’t spend more than 2 hours studying without taking a long break. During the break, go for a walk, exercise, listen to music, or do some physical chores around the house to get your mind off of the IELTS. Afterward, you can continue studying with more energy and focus.
What to do when you study for the IELTS
Below are recommended activities you can use to build the best IELTS study plan for IELTS preparation. You can do all or some of these activities, depending on how much free time you have. We recommend you do a little bit of all four parts (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking) of the IELTS each week, along with increasing your vocabulary and grammar knowledge.
How long should you study ‘test strategies’?
You should spend at least 1 or 2 months focused on studying test strategies and test advice. This will help you understand the test better and master what you should be doing for each part of the test.
After you have studied test strategies (with IELTS Online, on the PELA Blog, at another test-preparation website, or with a test-preparation book), you should start doing practice quizzes and short tests for each part of the IELTS.
IELTS study activities when Test Day is in 3 to 6 months
1 Hour: Use the 3×3 Method with a TED or TED-Ed video
- Focus on the two or three videos from one TED-Ed blog posts each week.
1 Hour: Work on an IELTS Online Module
- If you’ve joined IELTS Online, you want to watch the modules as soon as possible and do the activities for each. You can register for IELTS Online month-by-month!
30 minutes: Read 1 or 2 PELA blog posts on IELTS Preparation
- Do any activities connected to them, or use them to guide you in your studies.
30 minutes: Dictation Practice using Google Docs or Microsoft Word
- Both Google Docs and Microsoft Word have a ‘dictation’ function, where you can practice speaking to see if your English pronunciation is understandable. Choose a TED-Ed video and read the transcript to your computer to see if you can reproduce the transcript with your voice!
30 minutes: Study words at PELA’s Quizlet Classroom
- Join PELA’s IELTS Online Quizlet Classroom and focus on one Word Set each week.
- Revisit Word sets from previous weeks and do Quizlet activities or crosswords from PELA’s Vocabulary Blog Posts.
When IELTS Test Day is in 2 or 3 months
- Continue building English skills (listening, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar) with the non-IELTS specific activities listed above.
Start doing short practice tests and quizzes for each section of the IELTS test. You can one of these each day OR every other day.
- For IELTS Listening practice, answer questions for two IELTS Conversations (Listening Sections 1 or 3) or two IELTS Presentations (Listening Sections 2 or 4). Listen to the audio two times before checking your answers. Use the 3×3 Method with the transcripts to build vocabulary and listening ability.
- For IELTS Reading practice, do one UNTIMED passage then review all answers You should review both questions you got correct and ones you got wrong. See if you can find other clues you may have missed. Afterwards, visit TED.com and search for presentations about the passage topic. Alternatively, visit TheConversation.org and search for articles about passage topic. Build your knowledge of the topic!
- For IELTS Writing practice, write one UNTIMED Task 1 or Task 2 response. Write a first draft and then see what you can do to improve it. Copy your response into Microsoft Word and using its “Editor” function to check your response for grammar or vocabulary mistakes.
- For IELTS Speaking practice, record yourself on your phone answering questions for one section of the IELTS Speaking test using Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Analyze your responses and re-record them until you feel like you have made some improvements. Then spend 20 minutes writing about the topics of the questions, thinking of even more ideas you could use. Create a list of possible vocabulary to use for the topics of those questions.
When IELTS Test Day is in 4 weeks
- Start to do TIMED practice for one section of the IELTS (Listening, Reading, or Writing) every other day.
- Continue building English skills (listening, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar) with the non-IELTS specific activities listed above.
- Review vocabulary you’ve already studied.
When IELTS Test Day is in 2 weeks
- Start to do combined TIMED Listening and Reading sections in one sitting (no breaks!) every 2 or 3 days.
- Continue building English skills (listening, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar) with the non-IELTS specific activities listed above.
- Review vocabulary you’ve already studied.
- Review previous tests to remind yourself of past errors in Listening and Reading tests.
- Review essays and speaking responses you’ve already written.
- Read sample essays for phrases, collocations, and transition words.
When IELTS Test Day is in 1 week
- Only do combined TIMED Listening, Reading, and Writing sections in one sitting (no breaks!) every other day.
When Test Day is in 2 days
- Do NOT study anything new!
- Review previous IELTS Listening and Reading tests you have taken.
- Review your responses to previous Writing tests.
- Remind yourself of answers you gave in previous Speaking test practice activities.
Summary
So, if you are planning to take the IELTS, you need to begin preparing for it! Create the best IELTS study plan for yourself, a plan that focuses on your specific weaknesses and strengths. Try to study every day, but give yourself a lot of breaks to help your brain process what you are learning. Use a variety of techniques and activities to build your English skills and knowledge, so that when Test Day arrives you are ready for whatever the IELTS asks you to do.
More IELTS exam tips!
Want to know how to start IELTS preparation at home? Learn the best way to prepare IELTS Writing questions with the Portland English Language Academy. You can learn many IELTS preparation tips for how to improve your IELTS score with PELA Online’s Academic IELTS Preparation course, with Modules to help you with listening, reading, writing, and speaking test questions.
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