Learning English, and then passing your IELTS test, can be a difficult process particularly if you try to do it alone. Various resources are available but choosing the appropriate options can prove challenging.
Where should you start?
If you are in the process of improving your English then IELTS provide a significant number of free resources to help you out, such as the IELTS Support Toolkit. To really improve your skills taking an English language course can be incredibly beneficial. The feedback from a real teacher will likely have a dramatic effect on your development and improve the specific skills required for speaking, reading, listening and writing English. After this then you should progress to an IELTS preparation course to become familiar with the types of tasks required in an IELTs test.
Are you ready? Try an official online practice test
Once you have done all of this then how do you know you are ready to take the IELTS test? That’s where IELTS Progress Check comes in, providing official online practice tests marked by IELTS markers. Exclusively available in Australia at this stage, these practice tests are the closest thing to completing the actual IELTS test.
How is it structured?
IELTS Progress Check is split into the same four sections as the IELTS test (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking) and all four sections must be completed before your practice test will be marked. Each IELTS Progress Check Report shows your indicative bandscore and comes with official feedback to help you prepare for your real test. This feedback will be available within five days of you completing the test. Make sure you prepare thoroughly before taking the Progress Check test as it is not designed to improve your English skills, simply to indicate your readiness for the real test. Learn the style of questions to expect, the time limits you will be given and the differences in each section of the test. Practice in your own time and learn where you need to focus your efforts to pass the test.
What practice tests are available?
There are two scored practice tests available to suit your needs – one IELTS Academic and one IELTS General Training with more coming soon. Each provides a full online practice test, is fully marked with indicative bandscores for each skill, provides official feedback to help you improve and gives hints and tips for each test section. Find out which test is right for you.
Student Feedback – The importance of practice
NAMRATA PATIL FROM INDIA, NOW A PERMANENT RESIDENT OF AUSTRALIA
I was already using English in my daily routine around here in Australia, but I was not as confident in terms of sitting the IELTS test. I enrolled in an IELTS preparation class and got a lot of official IELTS resources including practice tests.
On my first attempt, my score was below the required score by a small margin. I felt disappointed, but at least I knew what I needed to do. I improved my writing skills more because that’s where I was stuck. I did more practice tests before booking my next test. Then I reapplied and got the score I needed!
