Resources
Free IELTS resources
The resources I recommend to my own students. All free, all worth your time - and none of them a substitute for regular practice.
Official IELTS
Start here. These come from the organisations that run the test.
IELTS.org ↗
The official IELTS site: test format, scoring, and the public band descriptors examiners mark Writing and Speaking against.
British Council free practice tests ↗
Free official practice tests for Academic and General Training - the best way to get used to the timing.
IDP IELTS ↗
Official preparation articles, videos and test booking from IDP, one of the IELTS partners.
Free study sites
Well-established sites with free lessons, model answers and tips.
YouTube channels
Good for listening practice and picking up natural, accurate English.
Vocabulary & pronunciation tools
Quick tools worth bookmarking.
Extra practice between sessions
AI chat tools such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini are a genuinely useful way to get more speaking and writing practice. For Speaking, use the app's voice mode so you actually talk rather than type. Copy one of these to get started:
Act as an IELTS Speaking examiner. Ask me Part 1 questions one at a time about my home town and my work or studies. After six questions, give me feedback on fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
Give me an IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card. Wait while I prepare for one minute, then let me speak for two minutes. Afterwards, tell me what I could have developed further.
Here is an IELTS Writing Task 2 question and my essay. Assess it against the four official Writing criteria and list my three biggest weaknesses. Don't rewrite the essay for me.
A word of caution: treat any band score an AI gives you as a rough guess, not an official result - they can be generous, and they can be wrong. Use AI for volume of practice, and a qualified teacher for accurate feedback on what's holding your score back.
Want structured, expert feedback?
Free resources get you practice. Coaching tells you exactly what to fix.