IELTS guides, sample answers and practice topics

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13 October 20268 min read

IELTS Band 6 vs 6.5 vs 7: What Actually Changes

Concrete differences between IELTS band 6, 6.5 and 7 in Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, plus a focused four-week plan to move up half a band.

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12 October 20268 min read

IELTS Listening: 12 Tips and Common Traps to Avoid

Twelve practical IELTS Listening tips covering spelling, plurals, numbers, distractors, map labelling and the short time you get to read questions before each section.

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12 October 20267 min read

IELTS Matching Headings: A Method That Works

How to match headings to paragraphs in IELTS Reading: read for the main idea, eliminate distractors, and avoid the keyword traps, with a worked three-paragraph example.

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12 October 20267 min read

IELTS Reading True, False, Not Given: A Step-by-Step Method

A clear method for True/False/Not Given questions, the traps that cost marks, and mini examples that show how to tell False from Not Given.

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11 October 20267 min read

Computer-Delivered IELTS: What Changes and What Stays the Same

Thinking about taking IELTS on a computer? Here is what stays the same, what feels different in Writing, Reading and Listening, and how to prepare for the screen.

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11 October 20268 min read

IELTS Writing Task 1 Vocabulary for Graphs, Charts and Processes

Useful verbs, nouns, adverbs and sentence patterns for describing line graphs, bar charts, tables and processes in IELTS Task 1, with more than twelve example sentences.

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10 October 20268 min read

Linking Words for IELTS and How to Use Them Correctly

A practical list of IELTS linking words grouped by function, with correct and incorrect examples, punctuation rules and a warning about overusing connectors.

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10 October 20267 min read

How Is IELTS Scored in Speaking and Writing? Criteria, Weighting and Rounding

The short answer first, then the Speaking and Writing criteria tables, how Task 1 and Task 2 combine and how the overall band is rounded.

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9 October 20268 min read

IELTS Writing Task 2 Band Descriptors: What Each Band Looks Like

A plain-English guide to the four Task 2 criteria for bands 5, 6, 7 and 8, with example sentences that show the difference between each level.

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9 October 20267 min read

IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors Explained in Plain English

The IELTS Speaking test is marked on four criteria. Here is what each one means at bands 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, with short examples you can compare with your own answers.

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2 October 20264 min read

How to Pass IELTS Speaking: A Complete Guide to Parts 1, 2 and 3

The three parts of the Speaking test, the marking criteria and 8 practical tips to help you prepare.

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2 October 20266 min read

IELTS in 30 Days: A Daily Study Plan for Writing and Speaking

A four-week plan, a 90-minute daily schedule and an error log: a practical way to raise your Writing and Speaking scores fast.