IELTS preparation tips | top 10 IELTS online free sites
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IELTS preparation tips | top-10 online free sites
Best 10 IELTS preparation online free & paid websites
1. British Council
The first place on our list is the website about IELTS preparation from the British
Council.
It is not surprising, because of the British Council, along with Cambridge English
Language Assessment were the initiators of the creation of the IELTS exam in 1989.
A little later they were joined by the IDP:
IELTS Australia (International Development Program of the Australian Universities
and Colleges), so that other countries (except Great Britain) could participate in the
creation and management of the exam.
On the British Council website, in the section " Prepare", you can find many useful
things:
· IELTS exam requirements, free practical materials, and resources for
training, IELTS online tests,
· IELTS tips on how to behave on the day of the exam,
· IELTS exam preparation books and the link to:
the free online course of preparation for IELTS:
"Understanding IELTS: Techniques for English Language Tests".
Advantages
The information is well structured into sections.
It is official and tested, as it is provided by one of the creators of the test.
There are many IELTS practice tests on all 4 skills. However, speaking and
writing, of course, do not imply any human evaluation.
Disadvantages
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Personally, I did not have enough information about the experience of taking the
exam. And the corresponding section on the site- "Tips from IELTS test
takers"- didn't have enough information.
Secondly, the format of free practice tests is not convenient: you have to download
sheets with tasks for each aspect, as well as files with auditions.
Conclusion
The site contains a huge amount of useful and, most importantly, official information
from one of the creators of the exam, but still, it does not give the opportunity to prepare
for all parts of the exam.
2. Cambridge English
The site itself, cambridgeenglish.org, is a grand resource dedicated to all Cambridge
English Assessment projects from:
Learning English, teaching English and ending with international exams.
The IELTS section is one of many on the site, but it does not prevent it from being
informative.
The most important advantage of Cambridge's IELTS resource is that, all the
information on it is official.
There are 4 main sections on the site:
"Exam format", "Preparation", "Exam dates" and "Results".
➤ The section "Format of the IELTS exam" provides basic information about the
features and pitfalls of the exam.
- must read it for successful preparation for the IELTS.
➤ In the " Preparation" section there are task samples that can be downloaded,
materials on frequently asked questions, links to free online courses on preparation for
IELTS ("Inside IELTS"), already familiar to us from the British Council website and
posted on the MOOC site " Future learn ".
➤ In addition, Cambridge offers reviews on their own books on preparing for the test
with active links for online purchases.
➤ Finally, the site has the opportunity to use Cambridge paid services - from IELTS
speaking practice with their own teachers to
the Vocabulary Builder.
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Advantages
The website provides official information about the format and requirements of
the exam.
There are samples of real tests.
Directly from the site, you can register for the exam in any country in the world.
There are additional paid services with which you can prepare for the exam
(books, simulators and online lessons).
Disadvantages
With this site alone, it is impossible to prepare for various aspects of the test. For
this, you will have to purchase paid Cambridge products.
Since this is only a section of one large Cambridge English site, there is not much
information about the exam here, as on specialized resources about IELTS.
The information is presented in sections, but, in my opinion, in the "Preparation"
section there are too many materials that could be structured in a more
convenient format.
Conclusion
The site is good for reviewing exam requirements, as well as studying reviews and
acquiring Cambridge books in preparation for the IELTS.
You can also pass the sample test - but for this, you must first download all the
materials for testing yourself on the computer.
3. IDP IELTS
The site idpielts.me positions itself as the site of the official testing center of IELTS in
Australia. IDP IELTS is a co-owner of IELTS trademark;
therefore, all information on the site is official.
However, unlike the previous two resources, Australians have pleased with a more
convenient interface.
The structure of the site is similar to www.cambridgeenglish.org.
It also contains sections "Preparation", "Book test", "Results", " Frequently asked
questions".
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In the section on training, there are many articles on the requirements of the exam,
myths and rumors, a bit of advice about examiners, information on masterclasses
and workshops on preparing for the test.
In the "Book a test" section, you can register for the exam, find out what to expect on
the day of the exam, and read the test rules.
In the "Results" section, you can learn about the evaluation criteria, get the test results
online and even request a recount of points.
Positives
User-friendly interface, nice website design.
A large number of useful and most importantly official information from the co-
founder of the test.
On the main page of the site, there is a convenient calendar with all the basic
arrangements for the preparation for IELTS.
IDP organizes a large number of free activities to prepare for the test, in which you
can participate both offline and online.
Minuses
The site does not have access to sample papers.
In general, the materials for the development of skills for the test are practically
not represented on the site.
There is a section "Printed materials" in which you can buy their materials to
prepare for the exam. Also listed is a list of other books and resources for training,
but without references to sources for purchase.
There are no articles on the site describing the real experience of those who passed
the exam.
Conclusion
IDP is an excellent modern resource that can be used as an official, but not the only
source for preparing for the exam.
4. IELTS.org
Ielts.org is the official IELTS website, which is co-hosted by the British Council,
Cambridge English Assessment and IDP: IELTS Australia.
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From the three previous ones, it differs, first of all, in that it contains a large number of
well-structured information.
On the site, you can not only book exam dates, study requirements but also
organizations can learn how to establish IELTS passing score for recruitment,
why it is generally worth accepting IELTS certificates from applicants, data from
various studies, information on the recruitment and training of examiners.
In general, a lot of interesting and official information that cannot be found on the three
previous resources.
In addition, the site has information on how to take the test in the US.
Pros of resource
There is a lot of interesting and inspiring information about the test in
general: there is a video "Why choose IELTS", as well as 3 sections of Australia,
Canada, and the UK, which tell you how to test one of these countries with the
help of the test.
All information is official, as the founders of the resource are the owners of the
rights and trademark IELTS.
Cons of resource
Since this is the official website for IELTS, its creators do not aim to prepare for
the exam, but rather simply to inform about the exam.
Therefore, here you will not find any useful advice on passing the test, no success
story from the students, no examination of the examiner's work.
Conclusion
We recommend that you start preparing for the exam by studying the official
information about it, presented at ielts.org and gradually moving to the practical tasks
on other resources.
5. IELTS-Exam
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Very informative resource about the preparation for IELTS, which is full of practical
tasks on all sections of the exam
- listening, reading, writing and speaking.
It is important that all practical tasks are broken not only in the sections of the exam,
but also in topics.
For example, by selecting the Speaking section, we can choose any topic that may be
asked in Speaking, and there we will be offered a discussion card.
In addition to the tasks themselves, there are also model answers on the site, the
requirements of each section.
Advantages
Information and volume of practical materials for training, which corresponds to
the real tasks of the test.
There are examples of students' answers.
There are even grammatical tests on the site that will allow anyone wishing to
improve the grammar for IELTS.
Cons of resource
Obsolete design and uncomfortable interface of the site, it is simply
uncomfortable to study. This is not surprising, because the site is
maintained since 2006 and, the design has remained unchanged since then.
On the site, there is no information about the founders of the project, and in the
Contact-us section, it is proposed to fill out a form of communication.
Conclusion
In conjunction with the official IELTS resources, this site, despite the sense of antiquity,
can be used to improve writing, reading, listening and speaking skills.
6. IELTS Essentials
IELTS Essentials is another resource that IDP leads: IELTS Australia Pty Ltd. From
idpielts.me.
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It differs in that the first is the site of the official testing center, and IELTS
Essentials is a site that is entirely devoted to preparing for the test.
Although undoubtedly, it also can find all the information presented on the sites above,
learn about requirements, evaluation criteria, find answers to frequently asked
questions and practice skills with the help of numerous Sample Tasks.
Advantages
All the advantages inherent in the resources above are inherent in this resource. It
is informative and relevant.
The authors maintain a blog in which you can learn tips from the examiners.
Minuses
It would be useful if the creators of the resource added an analysis of the real work
of students in terms of speaking and writing.
The authors began to blog with really interesting articles, but there are not many
of them yet.
Conclusion
A good information resource for preparing for IELTS, which can be used during
preparation for the test, but not as a universal tool.
7. IELTS Advantage
The site owner, Christopher Pell, is an Irish man who lived in Asia for a long time.
In addition to maintaining a website where you can find a lot of useful information for
preparing for the test, Christopher also checks the essay, gives private lessons and sells
his own VIP course in his IELTS Academy.
If we talk about free IELTS material, there is plenty of it:
There are articles with tips and secrets on how to pass the IELTS test, and useful
practical materials for the study of all skills.
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Advantages
A large number of informative articles, which Chris himself writes, from parsing
the writing to practical advice on the part of listening.
Here you can find many articles related to the practical experience of those who
passed the exam, which in itself is very valuable for all those who wish to take the
test.
Minuses
The quality of the material. The content presented on the site pleases with its
diversity and quality. But the format of the filing leaves much to be desired.
Many videos are recorded directly to the phone without a tripod, which, in our
opinion, is unacceptable for a resource with an attendance of 465,000 people a
month.
The site has many paid services and there is a clear division into paid and free
content. If you use only free materials, you are unlikely to prepare for all parts of
the exam. If you want to take the VIP course, it will cost you around $ 500.
Conclusion
This site with an uncomplicated design will be a great help in preparation for the IELTS.
There are a lot of practically valuable advice and recommendations from an experienced
expert;
however, you will have to pay for access to many of them.
8. Road to IELTS
This site is nothing more than an online course to prepare for the IELTS "Road to
IELTS".
The authors of the course and, accordingly, the site
- the "British Council" known to us and
"Clarity English" - is a private English online school from the UK with offices around the
world.
The course is positioned as an official course from the British Council. Of course, the
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Road to IELTS rate is charged (the cost varies from $ 50 to $ 100).
➤ How can this resource be useful to us?
In addition to descriptions and all manner of course advertising and course reviews
from students, we have, for example, such a useful tool as the IELTS score
calculator, with which you can calculate your approximate score, knowing your
achievements for each part of the exam.
In addition, the authors of the site blog " blog.ieltspractice.com", in which they spread
interesting articles from the test examiners.
Advantages
The course to which the site is devoted, in itself is not bad. We used it ourselves
during the preparation for the test.
We recommend reading the blog - here you can find many interesting articles with
practical tips.
Disadvantages
This is not a full-fledged site dedicated to preparing for the exam, but a visiting
card for the course on IELTS preparation from the British Council. Therefore,
there are not so many free materials to prepare for the test.
The second drawback comes from the first, from the point of view of the
availability of free useful materials; this site loses noticeably against the
background of many other sites in preparation for the test. Although in general,
the authors did not set such a goal.
Conclusion
From the point of view of usefulness, the Road to IELTS course deserves close
attention.
However, the materials of the resource ieltspractice.com lose against the others, as they
are very few on the site.
9. IELTS Liz
The resource of the laborer Elizabeth, or as she calls herself Liz, you can devote a
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separate article.
She is an expert on IELTS and leads a very informative resource ieltsliz.com, where you
will find many useful tips, the latest job options, essay analyzes and much more.
The site is positioned as a Free IELTS preparation website.
The site has an uncomplicated but convenient structure
- Here there is a section with information about the exam, materials for each of the
aspects of the test, a block with vocabulary for IELTS.
The resource captures the frequency of content updates and the relevance of the
information.
And the fact that Liz - the only author of this huge resource - a storehouse of usefulness
for the successful delivery of IELTS.
Positives
A variety of content on all aspects of the exam, which is presented in different
formats - video, text, error analysis and examples of real work of students.
There are a lot of practically applicable tips and recommendations, without
knowing it, it is impossible to pass IELTS on a high score.
In addition, Liz constantly updates the articles, and if the requirements of the
exam change, she always indicates this in her past publications.
Drawbacks
In addition to preparing valuable free content, of course, Liz also provides paid
services: she has an essay audit service.
But, unfortunately, recently, this service has become inaccessible. Apparently, Liz
alone cannot cope with the burden of wanting to give her essay for verification.
Conclusion
Despite everything, Elizabeth daily does a great job and makes her resource really
interesting for users. Not in vain the attendance of her site exceeds 30 million people a
month.
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We recommend using the materials presented on the site to prepare for the IELTS.
10. engVid
The site Engvid is known to many as a wonderful and inexhaustible resource with
interesting teaching videos in English.
What is just not there - in their videos, 11 experienced and charismatic English teachers
talk about how to improve spoken language, which words to use in an
essay, how to improve reading skills and much more.
There is also a whole section devoted to IELTS:
Lessons are devoted to all aspects of the IELTS.
Sample topics for IELTS video lessons on Engvid:
how to describe the diagrams in the writing part, how to paraphrase the questions in the
essay, the IELTS Academic vocabulary, tips for the speaking part, how not to fill up the
reading and so on.
Download all Cambridge books 1-13
Pros
A large number of high quality, and most importantly, useful video lessons from
experts in the IELTS.
Submission of the material: the video is not boring at all!
The variety of topics covered in the video tutorials.
Word lists: I recommend paying attention to them.
Cons
The format of the resource. Rather, it is not a minus, but a feature: almost all
lessons are built in video format, which is not always convenient for the perception
of information.
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Do not get carried away watching only one video on engvid - this is unlikely to
greatly bring you closer to the ideal band. You need to practice as much as
possible, but, unfortunately, just in this, this resource is not your assistant.
Conclusion
It is highly recommended to watch video lessons engvid to all those who prefer to
perceive information in video format.
Read also: 10 most useful materials for IELTS preparation
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