What good IELTS study material looks like
Before you download another file, check it against a few simple tests:
- Does it follow the official format? Question types, timing and word limits should match the real IELTS exactly. Out-of-date or homemade questions can teach the wrong habits.
- Does it explain answers? A list of answers tells you what is right. An explanation tells you why, and that is what improves your score.
- Is it the right track? Academic and General Training differ in Reading and Writing. Using the wrong materials wastes weeks.
- Is it current? IELTS has changed over the years, and some older materials circulating in study groups still describe outdated details.
- Does it give honest feedback? For Writing and Speaking, a band estimate with criterion-by-criterion comments is far more useful than a model answer alone.
Study Notes on IELTS Learning
IELTS Learning's Study Notes are strategy chapters for each module, written to be read in short sessions. They cover:
- Listening: predicting answers, spelling and numbers, maps and plans, and following speakers in Parts 3 and 4.
- Reading: skimming and scanning, TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN, Matching Headings and time management.
- Writing: Task 1 overviews, letter tone, Task 2 structure, paragraphing and the four marking criteria.
- Speaking: extending answers, using the cue-card preparation minute and handling Part 3 discussion.
Alongside them, English Improvement covers grammar and vocabulary, and spaced-repetition flashcards help new words stick. If you do your reading on the MRT or a bus along EDSA, notes and flashcards are the best use of that time on your phone.
Free IELTS practice material, no card needed
You can start without paying anything:
- 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 combine.
- Quick Wrap, a last-minute checklist for the days before your test.
- Our weekly IELTS tips blog.
When you want more, Full Access unlocks 15 mock tests, 88 Listening sets, 52 Reading sets, 104 Writing prompts and 186 Speaking prompts for $12 for 2 months.
Using Cambridge IELTS books alongside our tests
Many students in Manila also use the official Cambridge IELTS practice books, which you will find in bookshops and university libraries around the city. They are excellent, and they work well alongside online practice. A sensible way to combine them:
- Use the Cambridge books for paper-style practice, especially if you are taking the paper test.
- Use IELTS Learning's mock tests for computer-style practice and for instant scoring, since our tests follow the same official format.
- Put your mistakes from both in one place. Our Mistake Notebook saves online errors automatically; add a page in a notebook for the ones from books.
- Do not repeat the same test too often. Once you remember the answers, the score stops being useful.
Making your own notes that actually help
Your own notes are often more valuable than any downloaded file. Keep them short:
- A mistakes list grouped by type, such as plurals, NOT GIVEN or Task 1 overviews.
- A personal error log for local usages you want to avoid, such as cope up with or based from.
- A topic vocabulary page for common Speaking and Writing themes: health, technology, environment, work and education.
- Three or four flexible sentence structures for Task 2, not memorised paragraphs.
A weekly study routine for Manila schedules
Here is a routine of about six hours a week. Move the days around to suit your classes or shifts.
- Day 1 (60 minutes): One Study Notes chapter and one Listening set.
- Day 2 (60 minutes): One Reading set, then review mistakes.
- Day 3 (45 minutes): One Task 1 and twenty minutes in English Improvement.
- Day 4 (60 minutes): One Task 2 essay and read the AI feedback.
- Day 5 (30 minutes): Speaking practice with recorded Part 2 and Part 3 answers.
- Weekend block (2 to 3 hours): A full mock test every second week, or a Cambridge test, with careful review.
- Every day (5 minutes): Daily Vocabulary and flashcards.
For students at UP Diliman, Ateneo, De La Salle or UST, the weekend block fits nicely around exams. For nurses and BPO staff, put it on your longest day off.
Begin with the free material
Register free to open the sample mock test and practice sets today. You can also browse our practice tests to see what is included.