How to Prepare for IELTS: A Study Plan by Paper

To prepare for IELTS, begin with the band your institution, employer or regulator requires in each paper, sit one official practice test under timed conditions to see how far your scores sit from that target, and then divide weekly study between Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking according to the gap. The overall band is the average of the four paper scores rounded to the nearest half band, so each paper counts equally towards the result.

The plan below follows how each paper is marked, with Listening and Reading scored out of 40 and converted to bands, whilst Writing and Speaking are judged by examiners against four published criteria each. Study time therefore goes first to the paper furthest below its target, and the final weeks move from building skills to timed, whole-paper practice. How long this takes depends on your starting point, which the practice test reveals.

What do you need to know before you start preparing?

You need the required band for each paper, the test type and the version your receiving body accepts, because those three facts decide what you practise. Academic is for study at university level or professional registration, General Training is for migration or for training and study below degree level, and IELTS for UKVI is accepted by UK Visas and Immigration as proof of English for routes such as Skilled Worker, Student and Health and Care Worker. Ask the institution, employer, regulator or Home Office route for the minimum overall band and for any minimum in individual papers.

Listening and Speaking are the same in Academic and General Training, whilst Reading and Writing differ, so work on the first two carries across if you change type. Academic can be taken at a test centre or online, and the online version holds Speaking by video call with an IELTS examiner. IELTS Online is not accepted for immigration or professional registration, so confirm that the version you plan to book is the one your receiving body names before you build a plan around it.

How do you find your gap with a practice test?

Sit a full official practice test in one sitting, with the real timings, to turn your target band into a measured gap for each paper. Use the official sample questions for your test type and allow about 30 minutes for Listening with the recording played once only, 60 minutes for Reading, and 60 minutes for Writing, with about 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 on Task 2. Speaking lasts 11 to 14 minutes and is best recorded with a timer.

Mark Listening and Reading out of 40. The official scoring page gives approximate raw marks of 23 for Band 6, 30 for Band 7 and 35 for Band 8 in Listening and Academic Reading, with slight variation between test versions, and General Training Reading needs more correct answers for the same band. Mark Writing and Speaking against the published band descriptors, ideally with a teacher. Record one band per paper, then rank the papers from furthest below target to closest.

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How long does IELTS preparation take?

Preparation time depends on your starting point, and the official guidance gives no single figure for everyone. It says there is no simple answer because many factors affect how quickly someone improves, and it cites two studies in which students on courses took on average three months to improve by up to half a band. The largest gains came from learners who started below Band 5.5, studied more than 23 hours a week and were highly motivated.

One example given is a student who studied around 60 hours a week for three months and improved by 1.0. These figures describe groups of course students, so they show a range of outcomes for those groups. A practice result close to target, a near test date or a wide gap each change the plan, which is why the gap measured in your practice test sets your timetable.

What does a weekly study plan by paper look like?

A weekly plan gives every paper at least one session and puts the most hours into the paper furthest below target, with each session tied to a task type so that the work matches what is marked. Start the week with the weakest paper whilst concentration is highest, and finish it by redoing one earlier error from each paper.

• Listening: two sessions on the four parts of ten questions each, hearing each recording once, then reading the transcript for every missed answer. Cover multiple choice, matching, plan, map and diagram labelling, form, note, table and flow chart completion, sentence completion and short answers, across British, Australian, New Zealand and North American accents.
• Reading: two sessions on the three sections, which share 60 minutes. Practise the eleven Academic question types, such as True/False/Not given, Yes/No/Not given, matching headings and summary completion, setting a time limit per question and moving on when stuck.
• Writing: two timed responses a week, Task 1 of at least 150 words in about 20 minutes and Task 2 of at least 250 words in about 40. Task 2 contributes twice as much to the Writing score, so it takes the larger share of practice.
• Speaking: three short recorded sessions covering Part 1 (4 to 5 minutes of familiar topics), Part 2 (one minute to prepare, then a long turn) and Part 3 (a broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic).

How do you use official materials and the band descriptors?

Official materials are the free sample questions with answers for Academic, General Training and IELTS for UKVI Life Skills, the IELTS Trial Test, the official apps and the official preparation books. Begin with the sample questions because they match the real task types, then add practice from the British Council, IDP and Cambridge preparation pages once the papers have been attempted at least once.

The public band descriptors for Writing and Speaking are published as PDFs, each with a four-page summary of key assessment criteria. Writing is scored on Task achievement (Task 1) or Task response (Task 2), Coherence and cohesion, Lexical resource, and Grammatical range and accuracy. Speaking is scored on Fluency and coherence, Lexical resource, Grammatical range and accuracy, and Pronunciation. Turn each criterion into a checklist and tick it against your own answers.

The official comparison of Band 6 and Band 7 gives a useful target. Band 6 writers generally arrange relevant ideas coherently, whilst Band 7 writers present structured arguments with evidence and greater control, and Band 7 speakers develop arguments and use a broader vocabulary.

How do you get feedback on writing and speaking?

Feedback on Writing and Speaking comes from a qualified teacher or a trusted friend who marks your work against the published descriptors, because the online scores and the official Test Report Form carry no additional feedback. Ask the marker for a band on each criterion separately, since a single overall comment hides which criterion is holding the score back.

For Writing, hand over two timed responses, rewrite the weakest paragraph using the comments, and then write a fresh response on a different prompt to check the change holds. For Speaking, record a full Part 2 answer with a timer, play it back, and check hesitation, range of vocabulary, grammatical accuracy and whether your pronunciation can be understood without effort.

What should you do in the final fortnight and on test day?

The final fortnight is for whole-paper practice under test timings, with earlier marked work used to decide which criteria to revise. A workable pattern is one complete practice test early in the first week, targeted repair of the lowest-scoring paper, a second complete test in the second week, and light review of vocabulary, task types and timings in the last days.

Test-day readiness starts with knowing your test type, version, identification and rules before the morning. At a test centre, arrive early, leave phones and smartwatches at check-in and bring identification. For IELTS Online, use a Windows or macOS computer with one screen, a webcam, a microphone and speakers, keep headphones off, have your passport ready and run the Inspera Exam Portal system checks at least one day beforehand.

Related guides

• What is IELTS? Format, versions and scoring
• IELTS Listening test format
• Official IELTS practice tests
• IELTS on computer, on paper or online
• IELTS for UKVI
• IELTS Life Skills A1, A2 and B1
• IELTS test fee in the UK

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