English with Jo

1. Download a copy of the Official IELTS Information for Candidates booklet so you know exactly what the test involves.

2. Get familiar with the test format. You can download sample questions from the IELTS site here.

3. IELTS has official practice materials to help you understand the format of the test and the types of questions. There are two volumes of Practice Materials.

4. Some IELTS test centres provide workshops and preparation courses to help you prepare for the test. Contact your local test centre for details.

5. The British Council offers a free 10-hour IELTS preparation course to give you an idea of what the IELTS test is like. You can access the course here.

6. Listen to the radio and watch TV programs and movies from different English-speaking countries and get familiar with a variety of accents.

7. Improve your listening skills by listening to natural English conversations at www.elllo.org.

8. Speak English as much as you can, whenever you have the opportunity.

9. Read English news, books and publications wherever possible.

10. Write letters, emails or notes in English to practice your written skills.

11. Take reading and listening practice tests at home under timed conditions.  You should do many sample papers. There are many possible question types in the reading and listening sections including multiple-choice, sentence completion, gap filling, short-answer questions, form completion, true/false, picture selection and more. However, each sample paper will only contain several different types so you will need to do many practice papers in order to experience all question types.

12. Do sample writing tasks and have them marked and assessed by a Teacher.  It is very important to receive feedback on your writing and to learn what corrections you need to make in order to improve your score.  Contact EnglishwithJo to find out how you can have your writing samples assessed.

13. Take speaking practice classes with a native speaker.  Taking an IELTS preparation course in your home country with a non-native speaker is very useful for learning all about the test and how to approach the different sections. However, speaking practice should always be done with a native speaker because it is closest to what the exam will be like.  Englishwithjo.com offers IELTS speaking classes online over Skype. Click here to contact.

14. Buy IELTS self-study books and materials.

15. Know what to expect on test day. Read more here.