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IELTS study plan

How is the IELTS overall band worked out? It is the average of the four skill bands, rounded to the nearest half band.

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IELTS study plan

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Questions people ask

How is the IELTS overall band worked out?

It is the average of the four skill bands, rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to .5 and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.

Which IELTS skill should I study first?

The one furthest below your requirement. Many universities and visas set a minimum for every skill, so one low band can block an application even when the overall is high enough.

How long is the IELTS Writing test?

60 minutes for two tasks. Task 1 needs at least 150 words in about 20 minutes and Task 2 at least 250 words in about 40. Task 2 counts twice as much.

How we work this out

What it does

Enter your test date, target band and current bands to get one IELTS task for every study day, starting with the skill that holds you back.

IELTS Academic and General Training, for a test date up to 400 days away and a target from 4.0 to 9.0, with or without a minimum per skill.

Method

  1. Study days are the weekdays you tick, from today (or your start date) to the day before your test.
  2. The plan runs in four stages, which are our planning choices: skill work first, timed sections from four weeks out, a full practice test each week from two weeks out, and a final review week with one full test at least four days before the test.
  3. Skills share the days by need. A skill's weight rises by 2 for every band it sits below your minimum and by 1 for every band below your overall target, within limits. A skill you leave blank starts with a session that finds your level.
  4. Writing and Speaking run as loops: every practice session is followed, the next time that skill comes up, by a rewrite or a new recording of it.
  5. Timings and tasks follow the official format: Listening 4 parts and 40 questions in about 30 minutes, Reading 3 passages and 40 questions in 60 minutes, Writing Task 1 (at least 150 words, about 20 minutes) and Task 2 (at least 250 words, about 40 minutes), Speaking 11 to 14 minutes in 3 parts.
  6. Your current overall band uses the official rounding: the average of the four bands, rounded to the nearest half band, with quarters rounding up.

Sources

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