What good IELTS study material looks like
Before you photocopy another set of "important topics", check it against these points:
- It follows the current test format: 40 Listening questions in four parts, three Reading passages in 60 minutes, Writing Task 1 and Task 2, and a three-part Speaking test.
- It matches your track. Academic and General Training differ in Reading and in Writing Task 1.
- It explains answers, not just lists them. Knowing that the answer is NOT GIVEN is less useful than knowing why it is not FALSE.
- It teaches strategy, not memorised essays or "guaranteed" Speaking answers.
- It is written in correct, current English. Some older notes passed around are full of errors and phrases examiners now see as clichés.
Our Study Notes
IELTS Learning's Study Notes are strategy chapters for each module. They cover how each question type works, how to manage time, how Writing and Speaking are marked on four criteria, and the common errors that cost marks. They are short enough to read on your phone between classes and are designed to be used alongside practice, not instead of it.
Other study material on the platform includes:
- English Improvement lessons for grammar and vocabulary, useful if articles, tenses or prepositions keep costing you marks.
- Spaced-repetition flashcards, which bring back words just before you would forget them.
- Mistake Notebook, where your wrong answers from practice and mocks are saved automatically.
- A personal study plan based on your track and target.
Free IELTS practice material
You can use all of these without paying or adding a card:
- A complete free sample mock test with all four sections.
- Free sample Listening and Reading practice sets.
- Daily Vocabulary: five new words a day.
- The Band Score Calculator, to see how module scores make an overall band.
- Quick Wrap, a last-minute checklist for the days before your test.
- Weekly tips on our blog.
Using Cambridge IELTS practice books alongside our tests
Many students also use the official Cambridge IELTS practice books, and they are a sensible part of any plan. Our tests follow the same official format, so the two fit together well:
- Save the official books for timed full tests later in your preparation, so you can measure progress against real past material.
- Use our sets for daily, targeted practice on the question types you find hard, with explanations and automatic scoring.
- Practise on screen with our computer-style mocks if you are taking the computer-delivered test, since the books are on paper.
- Review every mistake from both in one place: add book errors to your own notes, and let the Mistake Notebook collect errors from our tests.
Study material for Ludhiana life
Students across the city prepare in very different settings. A PAU hostel, a joint-family home in Model Town, a flat above a shop near Ghumar Mandi and a nurses' hostel all come with different noise, time and internet. Pick material that fits:
- On the move: Study Notes and flashcards on your phone during a bus ride or while waiting at the bank.
- At home: full mocks and Writing practice on a laptop when the house is quietest.
- Offline moments: if your connection is patchy, keep a small paper notebook of misspelt words and grammar fixes to read when you cannot get online.
- In a group: if friends from college are also preparing, share vocabulary lists and test each other on Speaking questions, but each do your own timed practice.
A weekly study routine
A routine you can keep is better than an ambitious one you abandon. This one suits a student or working person with about an hour on weekdays and more time at weekends:
- Monday: one Study Notes chapter on Reading, then one timed Reading passage.
- Tuesday: one Listening part with headphones; review spelling errors.
- Wednesday: one Writing Task 2 essay in 40 minutes; read the feedback.
- Thursday: Speaking practice: three Part 1 questions and one cue card with the timer.
- Friday: grammar lesson on your weakest point; flashcards.
- Saturday: a full mock test, or a Cambridge book test in the later weeks.
- Sunday: review the week's Mistake Notebook and rewrite one essay paragraph.
Add the five Daily Vocabulary words every day; it takes two minutes.
Full Access unlocks everything at ₹999 for 2 months, one payment. Or start with the free material: sign up free.