How to prepare for IELTS

What is included in the pack?

IELTS Preparation Checklist

IELTS Information for Candidates 2015
IELTS Application Form
Speaking and Writing Assessment Criteria
Band Score Guide
'Examiner-approved IELTS Tips' Booklet
'What to Expect on Test Day?' Booklet
Writing Sample Band 7 (with examiner comments)
Speaking Sample Band 7 (video)

The word actively is important taking initiative in your studies and documenting your progression as your
language improves. Be sure not to let yourself confuse passive study approaches (i.e. half-listening to a BBC podcast
episode while gazing out a bus window) with active study approaches (i.e. listening to a BBC podcast episode more
than once and noting/mimicking/reviewing all new language items you hear).
To arrive at an effective IELTS preparation strategy, complete the following 4 steps and consult the attached
appendixes. The expected completion time for this list is several days:
Step 1 -Establish a thorough understanding of what the IELTS is and how it operates.
Step 2 Develop a feeling for what your current band is for each IELTS skill (L, R, W, S).
Step 3 -Declare a realistic goal for each IELTS skill (L, R, W, S) and a study time-line.
Step 4 -Build a study plan using exercises tailored to your individual needs.
Appendix A Resources that can be used to populate your study plan
Appendix B Detailed example of a three month study plan tailored to a student weak in only IELTS Writing
My advice is to not rush any of this process. Working gradually through these steps is not wasted time. Doing so will
expose you to valuable English patterns that you can adopt and exercise in your own language.
Step 1 Establish a thorough understanding of what the IELTS is and how it operates.
The first thing any candidate should do after deciding to take the IELTS is familiarize themselves with what the
exam is and how it is administered. IELTS.org has a couple of very thorough overviews you can use to learn about
the exam and the task types and question formats used to assess your abilities:
Information for candidates booklet (answers most basic questions about the exam)
http://www.ielts.org/PDF/Information_for_Candidates_booklet.pdf
IELTS.org Frequently Asked Questions http://ielts.org/test_takers_information/test_takers_faqs.aspx
You should also become familiar with what kinds of topics appear on the IELTS. Simones work with IELTSBlog.com (http://www.ielts-blog.com/category/recent-ielts-exams/) is the best record of former exam topics and
questions on the net. Look through this backlog of questions to get a feel for what topics that are trending this year.
Chris Greens topic lists for Speaking Part 1 (http://ieltsyasi.englishlab.net/PAST_PART_ONE_TOPIC_INDEX.htm) and Part 2 and 3 (http://ieltsyasi.englishlab.net/TOPIC_USAGE_2013.htm) are a thorough collection of speaking topics.
In addition to knowing what topics are currently trending in IELTS, you should be familiar with how each section of
the exam is graded. Your Listening and Reading levels are established by converting the number of questions you get

correct on each exam into an IELTS band. To see how this is done, visit: http://ieltsyasi.englishlab.net/BAND_SCORE_CONVERTER.htm
Your writing and speaking are assessed using detailed rubrics. The authoritative powers within IELTS keep these
rubrics strictly confidential but have released public versions which are very similar to the real thing. Be sure to read
through these documents very carefully, as understanding the manner in which you will be assessed allows you to
differentiate effective IELTS writing and speaking from mediocre:
Speaking band descriptors chart (public version)
https://www.ielts.org/PDF/UOBDs_SpeakingFinal.pdf
Writing Task 1 band descriptors chart (public version)
http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/IELTS_task_1_Writing_band_descriptors.pdf
Writing Task 2 band descriptors chart (public version)
http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/IELTS_task_2_Writing_band_descriptors.pdf
To reinforce what you have just read in the above charts, here are a couple of quick video overviews:
Speaking bands explained - Writing bands explained
Step 2 Develop a feeling for what your current band is for each IELTS skill (L, R, W, S).
When you feel you have an understanding of how the IELTS works, your next step is to gauge your current band. For
listening and reading, this can be carried out by engaging one or two mock exams. The British Council publishes a
few sample exams from its website that you can use to carry out this self-assessment:
Listening http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-your-test/free-ielts-practice-tests/listening-practice-test-1
Reading (General) http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-test/practice-tests/reading-practice-test-1-generaltraining
Reading (Academic) http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-test/practice-tests/reading-practice-test-1-academic
Step 3 Declare a realistic goal for each IELTS skill (L, R, W, S) and a study time-line.
Observation 1
Growth speeds for individual skills tend to vary.
Listening and reading abilities typically improve faster than speaking and writing.
One theory for this is that speaking and writing skills are modeled after listening and reading in language
development (i.e. we learn to speak by mimicking what we hear; we learn to write by mimicking what we read).
In addition to this, candidates do not need the input of another individual to receive feedback on their listening and
reading skills. This is seen in action when a candidate carries out a mock exam and checks their performance using
an answer key. Instantly, they are illuminated to any shortcomings in listening and reading ability. This sort of selfassessment is not possible when preparing independently for speaking and writing and may also be behind the lag in
improvement for these skills.
Observation 2
Speaking and writing band growth tends to decelerate.
In other words, a candidate often spends less time getting from band 4 to 5 than they do getting from band 7 to 8.
This may in part be because of a conflict between
(1) the near flawless language requirements of bands 8, 8.5 and 9 and
(2) the failure of the student to correct long-term language habits that are forgivable at the band 7 level but not higher
(i.e. pronunciation issues that cause mild difficulties for the listener, inaccurate grammatical patterns, misused
colloquialisms, lexical awkwardness, etc).

Students that reach the 7 level have typically been studying the English language for years, and thus the development
of deeply ingrained language weaknesses is regularly seen. As these weaknesses are often quite subtle, identifying
and correcting them is a tedious and time-consuming process.
(I have no reference to research that supports the above observation. If anyone knows of published information to
prove/disprove/open discussion upon my experience, please share.)
Observation 3
Overall score typically grows by 0.5 bands every 3 months following a consistent preparation routine (15+
hours of guided study per week).
This observation patterns the experiences of others, as illustrated in the following sources:

The research revealed that around 300 hours of full-time study (18 hours or more a week) is
needed to lift the average candidates overall band score from 5.5 to 6.0. Surprisingly, longer
than 300 hours of full-time study is needed to move from 6.0 to 6.5, or from 6.5 to 7.0.
(Reference:
http://www.chinaielts.org/en/guide/Suggestion_from_English_Experts/20130718/1328.shtml)
The author of this article, David Park, has been published on the IDP Australia website, which adds a bit of weight
the figures he shares regarding IELTS prep time: http://www.idp.co.th/IELTS/A_SpeakingTips.aspx
Another source (Brough was acting director of studies at IDP Australia in 2003 when he shared this; the info is a
little dated, but I would argue these figures still hold true):
According to Brough, moving up even a single band on the IELTS scale takes considerable effort. It varies, but the
main figure Ive heard is 200 or 300 (class) hours. But I think 200 hours refers to studying intensively in a country
where English is spoken. So for students coming in here, its probably more like 300 hours.
(Reference: http://www.bangkokpost.com/education/site2003/cvjn2403.htm)
My conversation with band 8 student, Toby, also reveals a similar timeframe. Toby prepared independently 20+
hours per week for a period of several months. Unfortunately, his bands at the beginning of this study period are not
available for comparison: Tonys interview with Ryan
As Ive mentioned, the above may or may not reflect your study experience, and this should be kept in mind while
compiling a study plan in step 4 of this tutorial.
Step 4 Build a study plan using exercises tailored to your individual needs.
Now that you know your current band, your forecasted band and a very rough idea of how long you will need to
improve, you are ready to put together a comprehensive IELTS study plan.
Targeting weak points while maintaining strengths is an important part of any study strategy. It is also important to
receive assessment periodically to ensure your study strategy is having a positive effect on your abilities.
There are two things you must do as you exercise your study plan. Firstly, you must keep a journal to chronicle any
insightful bits of information you come across as you work (i.e. testing strategies that work for you, weaknesses you
discover, language patterns you want to remember, mock test results, pronunciation tips suggested to you by an
instructor, etc, etc). The second thing you must do, and this is especially true during the times when you are
preparing alone, is hold yourself accountable to your study plan. If you tend to get lazy, arrange a study partner that
can keep you on track. You may also post your study plan to this thread if you feel the publicity would help you
remain motivated.
Below is an example of a week-long plan that could be a part of a healthy IELTS routine that aims to grow overall
band by 0.5 in 3 months (specific lessons and resources you could use to fill each exercise block will be suggested
later in this document). This plan balances preparation time across the four skills; however, you may find advantage
in weighing certain skills more heavily than others. You may also need to add or subtract study hours from this plan;
however, this will, of course, affect the total time it will take you to grow your score. Customizing your IELTS study
plan to your specific situation can accelerate improvement. Please also note how the word actively qualifies each

exercise in the table. This means you should be using your journal to note and review all new parts of language you
encounter as you progress through your studies.
Appendix A Resources that can be used to populate your study plan
The following section is a list of exercises and resources that could be plugged into a study plan like the one above.
The themes you choose for each exercise should be taken predominantly from IELTS exams seen over the past year.
These exercises are just suggestions and do not represent a definitive list of resources that guarantee any IELTS
band.
Listening
Actively listen to podcasts (ideally delivered in accents akin to those on the IELTS) that broadcast several topics per
episode, such as (dont limit yourself to this short list):
BBC Daily Commute (http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/worldupmc)
BBC Learn English Professionals (http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-podcasts-professionals.htm)
University of Oxford podcasts (http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/)
Australia Network Business English (http://australianetwork.com/businessenglish/episodes.htm)
IELTS Podcast (http://www.ieltspodcast.com)
Train for accents by listening to the audio from your favourite English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish or Australian movies.
You can rip audio from film using a free tool like Pazera (http://www.pazera-software.com/products/audio-extractor/)
Engage mock exams:
Mock listening exam-style exercises (http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/ielts-mock-papers)
Ryans Mock Listening Test 1 (http://www.ieltsielts.com/wp-content/pubproducts/IELTS%20Listening%20Mock
%20Test%201.zip)
Ryans Mock Listening Test 2 (http://www.ieltsielts.com/wp-content/pubproducts/IELTS%20Listening%20Mock
%20Test%204.zip)
British Council mock test (http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-your-test/free-ielts-practice-tests/listeningpractice-test-1)
Reading
Actively read academic articles on themes seen in recently IELTS exams. Some publications to get you started:
History Today (http://www.historytoday.com/)
National Geographic (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/)
The Economist (http://www.economist.com)
Engage mock exams:
General reading and writing mock test (http://www.ielts-exam.net/index.php?
option=com_content&task=section&id=19&Itemid=70)
Mock General reading from the British Council website (http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-test/practicetests/reading-practice-test-1-general-training)
Mock Academic reading from the British Council website (http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-test/practicetests/reading-practice-test-1-academic)
Practice your abilities to skim and scan using Tony Buzans work (http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=B2pQAUqWGWw&list=PLC1B42785F27D2232)
Writing
Ryans videos on essay structure (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAE217EDDF7F19843)
Ryans model essay demonstration videos (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL34AF240668EF35F4)
Ryans lexical resource videos (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0AA42FBC1038F73A)
Engage mock writing exams:
Mock General Task 1 and 2 Writing exam with model answer form the British Council
(http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-your-test/free-practice-tests/writing-practice-test-1-ielts-academic)
Mock Academic Task 1 Writing exam with model answer from the British Council
(http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-your-test/free-practice-tests/writing-practice-test-1-ielts-academic)
Mock Academic Task 1 and 2 Writing exam with model answer form the British Council

(http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-your-test/free-practice-tests/writing-practice-test-1-ielts-academic)
Post your writing to The IELTS Network to receive feedback (http://ieltsnetwork.com/viewforum.php?
f=5&sid=dbf60cdd4e4d4d7f9449ce5519b8942a) Work with Ryan direct through email by purchase one of his
courses
Speaking
Find a speaking partner at The IELTS Network (http://www.ieltsnetwork.com/viewforum.php?f=11)
Find a speaking partner in the comments section of this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF4rUQCME1E)
Practice speaking at lengths longer than 2 minutes in response to sample cue cards.
Post your speaking MP3 to The IELTS Network to receive feedback (http://ieltsnetwork.com/viewforum.php?f=4)
Review model tests:
Model Speaking test with sample answers published by the British Council
(http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-your-test/free-practice-tests/speaking-practice-test-1/speaking-part-1)
Ryans model speaking answer
Testing Strategies
Listen to IELTSCast to hear successful candidates explain how they scored well (http://www.ieltscast.com)
IELTS-Simons daily lessons reveal several skills when engaging the exam (http://www.ielts-simon.com)
Appendix B Detailed example of a three month study plan tailored to a student weak in only IELTS Writing
If engaged actively, the following approach would likely improve a students IELTS Writing score by at least half a
band:
Weeks 1 2
-Watch all of the videos in my playlist on Task 1 and 2 structure and write several Task 1 and 2 responses on your
own time using the questions provided in the writing examples on this site. Compare your responses to my example
responses and note differences in lexical resource, example usage, grammatical structures and cohesive phrases.
Commit correct usage of these elements to memory and actively try to reproduce them in your own writing. Consider
committing entire model band 9 essays to memory and producing/adapting their linguistic elements to your own
writing.
-Post a writing example to ieltsnetwork.com to feedback from other IELTS enthusiasts. (I provide feedback there
from time to time, too.)
-Do not concern yourself with training to write under IELTS time constraint yet. At this point, focus entirely on
improving the quality of your writing.
Weeks 3-4
-Establish a habit of writing at least one complete Task 1 or 2 response every day under exam-like conditions.
-Watch my videos on analyzing IELTS writing questions and the Task 1 and 2 writing process. Try to include the
phrasing you see in your own writing.
-Watch my videos on building lexical and grammatical skills and enhancing coherence. Regularly review your
personal dictionary of words, phrases and cohesive devices and actively push yourself to use these resources in your
writing.
Weeks 5-6
-Continue with your daily writing routine. At this point, your confidence should be increasing and you should see
significant improvement in your writing when compared to the month prior.
-Have an IELTS Writing coach (either me or someone else you know to be versed in the exam) gauge your writing
performance. In addition to commenting on overall structure, cohesiveness and lexical resource, be sure this person
does a thorough grammatical cleanup of your writing. When you receive this information, pay very close attention to
the mistakes you have made. Note exactly what your weaknesses are (awkwardness? plurals? articles? parallelism?
fitting examples? ). Actively work to stop making these mistakes in your practice essays.
Weeks 7-8
-Maintain your daily writing routine and continue to experiment with new wording structures and vocabulary.

-At this time, you should start being strict with yourself about timing. Do not allow more than 18 minutes to perform
Task 1 and 36 minutes to perform Task 2 (the remaining minutes in each allotted to review).
-Have your writing periodically evaluated by an IELTS Writing coach to ensure you are on the right track.
Weeks 9-10
-Maintain your daily writing routine. You should now be concluding what writing structures you feel confident
using. Experimentation is still encouraged at this point, but you should definitely start to narrow what writing
patterns you can exercise with grammatical accuracy.
-With your IELTS coach, start to form a strategy for the exam. Your goal is to score well in all four breadths of the
writing mark (Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resources and Grammar). Much of your
performance in these four areas hinges on grammar, so be sure to choose a writing strategy that plays to this, even if
this means cutting back the length of your sentences. An essay that employs short sentences but is grammatically
accurate and completely coherent will score better than an essay employing incoherent and grammatically inaccurate
complex sentences.
Weeks 11-12
-These final two weeks are all about polishing your exam strategy. You should no longer be experimenting with new
writing forms. Instead, work to fortify the skills you have practiced over the past 2.5 months.
-Pinpoint your exact weaknesses (elicit the help of your IELTS coach) and aim to write in a manner that minimizes
exposure to these areas. You want to present your best face to your examiner. The ultimate goal here is to maximize
your score.
In the days before the exam
-In the few days before the exam, you should have a well prepared strategy regarding how you are going to tackle
Tasks 1 and 2. Practice only this strategy during this period. Do not experiment with new writing forms (your
experimentation period is over). NEVER attempt new writing patterns on your exam. Remember Sun Tzus advice:
Every battle is won before it is ever fought.
-The night before your exam should be a relaxing one. Reflect on the progress youve made and remind yourself of
how confident this makes you feel. On exam dayGo and kill your IELTS! (And two weeks later send me a nice
email describing your beautiful band score.)
British Council IELTS experts answer your questions about the administration and content of the IELTS test

Q: What is the weighting of the four papers?

A: The overall band is the average of the four individual band scores (Reading, Listening, Writing and
Speaking) they all have equal weighting.
Q: How does IELTS compare to other exams and what is unique about IELTS?
A: IELTS is designed to assess English language skills at all levels - you cannot fail an IELTS test, as it is
not designed to test at a particular level . Test takers receive IELTS scores based on each for the four skills
on a scale of 1 9, as well as an overall band score. You can score whole (e.g. 5.0, 6.0, 7.0) or half (e.g.
5.5., 6.5, 7.5) bands in each part of the test.
The test is pen and paper-based and the Speaking component is face-to-face with a certified Examiner.
IELTS does not test one particular version of English, such as British or American it is a test of
international English, reflecting the variety of sources that learners have access to and the range of English
varieties to which they are exposed.
Q: What are the differences between IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training? Which should I
recommend to my students?
IELTS Academic is designed for test takers who want to study at university at undergraduate or

postgraduate level, or who want to join a professional organisation in an English-speaking country. IELTS
General Training is for test takers who want to train or study at a lower level than a degree, work or do
work-related training in an English-speaking country or emigrate to an English-speaking country.
Neither version of the test is easier or more difficult than the other your students should decide which
version to take based on their individual aims. If an IELTS test is required by an organisation, immigration
authority, professional body or academic institution, they will state explicitly which of the two they require
and at what band level (each skill and overall). Always advise your students to first enquire exactly what it
is required, then they can start preparing for one or the other. If they simply wish to test their English at an
international standard, they should choose the version more suitable to their previous experience - if they
are students, IELTS Academic would be more appropriate. Its really up to you and them to decide.
Q: Can my students register to take the test with any IELTS test centre in any country?
A: Yes, any student can register with any IELTS test centre worldwide.
Q: Is IELTS getting more difficult?
A: Our partners at Cambridge English Language Assessment have a rigorous process for designing IELTS
test items that ensures the level of difficulty is consistent IELTS is not getting harder or easier.
Q: Are there quotas for each IELTS band score?
A: There are no quotas for any IELTS band scores each candidate is assessed purely on their individual
performance in the test.
Q: Are all of your examiners native speakers of English?
A: IELTS does not discriminate between native and non-native English speakers, for either test takers or
Examiners. All our Examiners undergo a rigorous process of application, interview, training, certification
and monitoring, and need to be expert users of English with a fully operational command of the language.
Q: How can I become an IELTS examiner? Will I then still be able to teach IELTS to my students?
A: Please check with your local British Council office. Each local office recruits and trains their examiners
based on local needs and following the global standards. After becoming an examiner you will still be able
to teach IELTS, but you will not be able to give IELTS bands to any of your students work, examine your
own students or use the fact that you are an examiner as a promotional message to attract IELTS students.
Q: How sure can my students be that their level of English is objectively reflected after being interviewed
by one of your examiners? Will the assessment not differ from one examiner to another?
A: There is a system in place to make sure all candidates are assessed in an objective way, regardless of
which examiner does this. Firstly, all the IELTS examiners are selected, trained, certified and monitored
following the same standards and have to retrain and re-certify every two years. Secondly, they all follow
the same criteria when marking writing papers or when interviewing for speaking, and all candidates are
evaluated against these criteria, not compared with each other or against the examiners subjective criteria.
Thirdly, the examiners activity is regularly monitored to ensure they are rating to standard in both speaking
and writing.

Q: How can I become a better IELTS teacher?

A: This is the main aim of this portal - to help you to better help your students. In addition, local British
Council offices run IELTS teacher training programmes contact your nearest office to see what is
available. If a group of teachers from your school or from your region are keen to brush up their IELTS
teaching skills, your British Council office may well be able to help.
Q: How can I help my students if they did not get the score they needed?
A: The IELTS assessment criteria give a detailed summary of what students need to do to achieve
particular band scores in each skill. You can also buy the IELTS Scores Explained DVD, which is available
from most British Council offices, and you can take part in training courses organised by the British
Council locally.
Q: What books can I use to prepare my students for IELTS?
A: We cannot recommend any particular book because we want to be impartial, but all large international
publishers, as well as regional ones, have a variety of good IELTS books on offer. Take a look at several
and see which one(s) suit your needs best. You should consider how long your course is, how much time
your students have until their test date and the balance your students need between improving their general
English (always the best way of improving their IELTS score) and learning about the exam itself. You can
also get in touch with the local British Council and see what resources they have available.
Q: How long will it take my students to improve their IELTS score by, say, one band?
A: Students often ask this question, but there is no one-size-fits-all answer every student is different. It
will depend on, among other things, their initial English level, how many hours a week they study, where
they are studying, their individual motivation and whether they have taken IELTS before. The bottom line,
as always, is that the more study they put in, the better they will do!
Q: Can students with different levels of English participate in the same IELTS preparation course?
A: In principle, yes the techniques and question types they will be studying will be the same regardless of
their level. However, like any language class, if the range of levels in your class is wide, you will have to
work hard to ensure the lower-level students can keep up while the more advanced ones are kept motivated.
Q: How easy is it to prepare my students for IELTS?
A: The best way for students to get a good mark in IELTS is for them to improve their general English
ability, so in that respect, you are already an expert in IELTS preparation! You will also need to familiarise
yourself with the different question types in the different parts of the exam so you can help your students to
do the same. Try taking a practice IELTS test yourself theres no better way to understand what your
students will need to know.
Q: Can I see my students test papers or listen to their speaking interviews to assess what they need to
improve?
A: It is not possible to have access to any test materials there are confidentiality aspects that differentiate
IELTS from other exams and no live papers are publicly available.
Q: Should I give band scores to my students work?
A: The IELTS assessment criteria are publicly available, but we do not recommend that you give definitive

band scores to your students. Students will usually put a great deal of trust in their teacher, and if you give
them band scores that are not reflected in their eventual IELTS test results, you may well build up
unrealistic expectations and, ultimately, disappointment for your students . Focus instead on recommending
ways that your students can improve in the different skills that is a much more useful way to help them to
improve their language ability and, therefore, their test results.
Q: I have a new student who asked for advice because he has scored 6.5 twice in Academic Writing, but he
needs a 7.0 for entry to the course he has chosen. What do you suggest?
A: You can help your student by using the IELTS Writing assessment criteria. These can provide guidance
on how to:
Task 1
summarize and describe as appropriate;
find the key points (the purpose of the graph, what the diagram shows exactly, the years involved
etc.); give information about the most striking differences in the diagrams (the
biggest/smallest/most significant change etc.); give an overview of all the information;
add data from the diagram to support their statements;
write at least 150 words.
Task 2:
answer all parts of the question (it usually says something like "Discuss both these points and give
your opinion");
give a clear opinion if one is required;
write at least 250 words.
For both tasks:
use as wide a range of vocabulary and grammatical structures as possible both range and accuracy
are assessed;
write in clear paragraphs with a distinct topic for each paragraph;
Include a short clear conclusion.
Q: Some of my students have a strong local accent. Will that affect their IELTS Speaking result?
A: An accent in itself will not affect the Speaking score we all have an accent, after all! What is important
is that your students can be easily understood clarity of pronunciation is what matters.
Q: What is the weighting of the four speaking test assessment criteria?
A: The overall band is the average of the four individual assessment criteria scores (Fluency & Coherence,
Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range & Accuracy, and Pronunciation) they all have equal weighting.
Q: What is the weighting of the four writing test assessment criteria?
A: The overall band is the average of the four individual assessment criteria scores (Task
Achievement/Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range & Accuracy)
they all have equal weighting.

Q: Can my students use their own personal experience in their Writing answers?
A: Yes - Writing Task 2 asks test takers to include relevant examples from their own knowledge or
experience. Some of your students may have been trained not to do this in academic writing, so may need
some practice in doing this for the IELTS test.
Q: Does it matter if my students write their answers in upper case (capitals) rather than lower case?
A: No as long as their writing is legible.
Q: I understand that the Reading texts, as well as some of the Writing questions, are based on different
subject areas (arts, economics, geography, science, etc.). If my students are not specialists in these areas,
will they be at a disadvantage?
A: IELTS does not test subject knowledge, so your students do not need specialist knowledge of any of
these areas. Although the Reading texts will be based on a specific topic, it is reading skills that are being
tested, and a knowledge of technical vocabulary is not required it is, in fact, perfectly possible to have the
right answer to a question without understanding exactly what it means! With the Writing test, it is
important that your students know how to structure suitable answers to the different possible question
types, but again no specialist knowledge is needed.