IELTS Articles | IELTS Learning Tips

The 3 things you need in a great IELTS Writing Task 2 paragraph

Almost every student I work with on IELTS Writing arrives at the first lesson unsure about how to manage this part of the exam. Generally they have researched a lot online about writing, practised a lot by themselves, sometimes submitted writing for correction but are still stuck in the same place. Mostly, they fear the […]

How can I keep motivated in my IELTS?

The very best way to keep motivated is to see progress and the best way to see progress is to practise regularly and keep a log of your progress – it’s amazing to look back and see how far you’ve come. You may not recognise this if you don’t monitor what you are doing. Ironically, many […]

What is the quickest way to get band 7 in IELTS Writing?

IELTS Writing is often the last part of the IELTS test to reach the score that you want. There is a reason for this. In order to write you need good vocabulary, good structure, a knowledge of how to organise thoughts and ideas and finally some ideas and thoughts that you can actually organise and express in […]

3 Secrets to writing a great General Training Task 1

I want to look at the letter which forms task 1 for General Training students. There are things regarding the letter that also need to be taken into account, very important amongst these is the ability to use different tenses and organise a series of events logically and clearly. However, if you follow these three […]

3 Secrets to writing a great IELTS Academic 1

A lot of students focus more on task 2 than task 1 because it carries more marks. This may be true but when you are seeking a high band like 7 or 8 it is the combination of your two tasks that will most likely get you the score. Remember also that the examiner is […]

How to Ace IELTS Speaking

This month we’re having a bit of a speaking-fest. I have noticed that many people ask about speaking and want to practise. This is great because there is no better way to improve your speaking than speaking! Of course the exam is not just about speaking – you need to use your spoken language in different […]

It’s September! The perfect time to focus on your IELTS preparation

September is the month in which all things turn to school and academic study. It is the beginning of the academic year and the time when many of us are thinking about education. Summer is over Children return to school, students to university, the days grow cooler and the nights longer (at least in this part […]

Why ‘crossing your fingers’ is not a good IELTS strategy

I have been speaking to lots of IELTS students over the past two weeks and I have been very surprised by how many of them trust their IELTS result to fate. They go into the exam hoping that this time it will be ‘their turn’ to get their band. As strategies go this is probably […]

How many times will you take the IELTS exam?

I spoke to an IELTS student a few weeks ago and he told me that he had taken the exam 25 times. I was shocked and also very sad because it doesn’t need to be this way. I speak to many students who have taken the exam over and over and not achieved the high band […]

Why YouTube can’t improve IELTS speaking

I want to explain something about speaking and that is that it is an organic, active and necessary human activity which requires more than one person. We all learn to speak from babyhood and it is something that parents support and teach and indeed become anxious about if their child is not speaking when they reach […]