What good study material looks like
Many students in Baroda collect material from everywhere: photocopied bundles passed around hostels, PDFs from WhatsApp groups, old notes from a friend who took the test a few years ago. Some of it is useful. Some of it is out of date or simply wrong.
Before you rely on any IELTS study material, check:
- Is it in the current official format? Old materials may show question types or timings that have changed, or ignore the computer-delivered test.
- Is it split by track? Academic and General Training Reading and Writing Task 1 are different.
- Does it explain answers? An answer key alone shows what is right; an explanation shows why.
- Is the English correct? Unfortunately, some circulated notes are full of errors, including the "model essays".
- Does it link strategy to practice? Reading about Matching Headings is useless unless you then do Matching Headings questions.
Our Study Notes and tools
IELTS Learning's Study Notes are strategy chapters for each module: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Each chapter explains what the examiner is looking for, the common traps and a step-by-step method, written for Indian students in clear, plain English.
They sit alongside the other tools on the platform:
- Mistake Notebook: every wrong answer from practice and mocks is saved automatically, so your own errors become a personal revision list.
- English Improvement: grammar and vocabulary lessons for students who need to strengthen the basics.
- Spaced-repetition flashcards: words come back just before you are likely to forget them.
- Personal study plan: a schedule built around your test date.
- Quick Wrap: a last-minute checklist for the final days before the test.
Free IELTS practice material
You can start without paying anything. These are free with no card:
- A complete sample mock test with all four sections, on the practice tests page.
- Sample Listening and Reading practice sets with explanations.
- Daily Vocabulary: five new words a day, with examples.
- The Band Score Calculator to see how module scores become an overall band.
- The Quick Wrap tips for the last days.
- Our weekly IELTS tips blog.
Full Access, at ₹999 for 2 months with one payment, unlocks everything else, including all Study Notes and 15 full mocks.
Using Cambridge IELTS books alongside our tests
Many students also use the official Cambridge IELTS practice books, and they are a good resource: they contain past-style tests prepared by the test makers. Our tests follow the same official format, so the two work well together.
A sensible way to combine them:
- Use our platform for daily practice by question type, with instant scoring and explanations.
- Use a Cambridge test as a paper mock every couple of weeks if you are sitting the paper-based test, or to get a second view of your level.
- Use our computer-style mocks if you are sitting the computer-delivered test, so you get used to the screen tools.
- Log mistakes from both in the same place. Our Mistake Notebook collects platform errors automatically; add notes on Cambridge mistakes by question type.
Do not burn through every Cambridge test in your first two weeks. Save some for the final month, when you want unseen material to measure progress.
Studying in Vadodara: when and where
Vadodara's routine shapes good study habits. A few practical ideas from student life here:
- Early mornings are your friend from March to June, before the heat makes concentration difficult.
- Libraries such as the university reading rooms at MSU are good for Reading and Writing practice, away from family noise. Save Speaking and Listening for home with headphones.
- Commutes by bus or as a pillion rider are not for study, but auto rides or waiting time can be used for flashcards.
- Festival weeks such as Navratri and Diwali are for light revision, not new material.
A weekly IELTS study routine
This routine takes about an hour on weekdays and a bit more at weekends:
- Monday: one Study Notes chapter, then one practice set on that topic.
- Tuesday: Listening set, then review the Mistake Notebook.
- Wednesday: Writing Task 2, timed, with feedback.
- Thursday: Reading set and vocabulary flashcards.
- Friday: Speaking prompts for Parts 1 to 3, recorded.
- Saturday: full mock test, or a Cambridge test on paper.
- Sunday: rest, plus Daily Vocabulary and the week's blog post.
Pick up your free IELTS study notes and sample materials by signing up today.