IELTS preparation tips | Top-10 online free sites
Best 10 IELTS Preparation Online Free & Paid Websites
1. British Council website
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 as:
- IELTS exam requirements, free practical materials,
- Resources for training and IELTS online tests,
- IELTS tips on how to behave on the day of the exam,
- IELTS exam preparation books and 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.
- 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.
British Council Website.
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 website
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:
a. Format of the IELTS exam
The section provides basic information about the features and pitfalls of the exam.
– must read it for successful preparation for the IELTS.
b. Preparation section
In the “Preparation” section there are task samples that can be downloaded, materials on frequently asked questions.
In addition to 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 “.
c. Exam dates section
d. IELTS exams Results
Finally, the site has the opportunity to use Cambridge paid services – from IELTS speaking practice with their own teachers to the Vocabulary Builder.
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.
Cambridge English Website.
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 website
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”.
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 master classes
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.
IDP IELTS Website.
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 website
Ielts.org is the official IELTS website, which is co-hosted by the British Council, Cambridge English Assessment and IDP: IELTS Australia.
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.
IELTS.org Website.
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 website
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.
Disadvantages.
- 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.
IELTS Exam Website.
Summary.
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 Essential Website
IELTS Essentials is another resource that IDP leads: IELTS Australia Pty Ltd. From idpielts.me.
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 ofnumerous Sample Tasks.
Positives.
- 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.
Negatives.
- 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.
IELTS Essential Website.
Summing Up.
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 website
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.
Pros.
- 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.
Cons.
- 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.
IELTS Advantage Website.
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 site
This site is nothing more than an online course to prepare for the IELTS called “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 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.
Drawbacks.
- 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.
Road to IELTS Website.
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 website
The resource of the laborer Elizabeth, or as she calls herself Liz, you can devote a 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 analysis 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.
Pros.
- 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.
Cons.
- 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.
Summarization.
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.
We recommend using the materials presented on the site to prepare for the IELTS.
10. Engvid website
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 and lessons 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.
Positives.
- 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.
Negatives.
- 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.
- 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.
Engvid website.
Summation.
It is highly recommended to watch video lessons engvid to all those who prefer to perceive information in video format.