IELTS Study
Planner
IELTS Study Planner is brought to you by the British Council, the world's English teaching experts. It is a
recommended study plan that we hope you follow in the next month to make sure you are ready to take IELTS.
Our plan will guide you to a range of free IELTS study materials and resources, as well as suggest activities you
can do to improve your English skills. It is our hope that the planner will get you acquainted with the test format
and also improve your confidence when writing, speaking, reading and listening in English.
Please note, the IELTS Study Planner is intended to be used as a guideline only. Use the self-check boxes to tick
whether or not you have completed the activities listed. Many of you will have different needs and priorities,
based on factors such as general English language ability and time available to study. Feel free to adapt the
planner to best suit your needs, for example, by spending more time focusing on the skills that you are weaker in,
or practicing a different skill each day.
And remember, for most of you, your IELTS preparation began a long time ago when you first started to learn
English! We hope you enjoy using the Study Planner.
Test takers who understand the format of IELTS are at an advantage.
Become familiar with IELTS by looking at:
https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/take-ielts/prepare/test-format
https://www.chinaielts.org/about_ielts/what_is_ielts.shtml
https://www.ielts.org/about-the-test/test-format
Day
1
Activity
Self-check
Take a practice IELTS test to better understand your current English
level. You can find practice papers at:
https://www.chinaielts.org/guide/sample_questions.shtml
https://www.ielts.org/about-the-test/sample-test-questions
https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/take-ielts/prepare/free-ielts-
practice-tests
ChinaIELTS (for text books and past papers)
Road to IELTS (for a comprehensive online preparation program)
Download the IELTS Prep App onto your phone to give you instant
access to free practice tests and sample questions for the listening,
reading, writing and speaking sections.
To give you an approximate indication of your English level, go to
LearnEnglish and take our free online English test.
Consider purchasing additional IELTS practice materials. For more
information, please go to:
You can now take the IELTS test on a computer! Go to ChinaIELTS for
more information. Take the familiarization test at GELIELTS.
Self-
check
Day
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Activity (Focus: Listening)
What should you do before you hear the test recording? Have a read of
some helpful advice in the ‘Exams’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens.
Watch an English language movie/TV show with subtitles in English.
Remove the subtitles once you start feeling confident.
Try to do some listening where there are no visual clues (e.g.
ChinaPlus
Radio), as this mirrors the listening in the IELTS test.
What should you do during the test recording? Have a read of some
helpful advice in the ‘Exams’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens.
Watch/listen to a sports match (that you are familiar with) with English
commentary.
Listen to some English songs and try to write down the lyrics that you
hear. Use the internet to see if you were correct.
What should you do after you hear the test recording? Have a read of
some helpful advice in the ‘Exams’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens
.
Watch a
TED talk
online, and choose a topic that may appear in IELTS,
i.e. environment, education, health, etc. Try and identify how stress,
intonation, pauses, and repetition are used for emphasis in the talk.
Go to the ‘Skills’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens
, and attempt some of the
free listening activities at your level.
Go online (e.g. download the
British Museum Guide
app) and listen to a
virtual tour of a famous museum or landmark in English.
Watch another
TED talk
online. When you are listening to the talk, pause
the recording and try to predict what will come next.
Go to
IELTS.org
and test yourself with some of the listening samples!
Compare your responses to the correct answers. Where did you earn
most marks? Where did you have misunderstandings?
Listen again to the listening samples. Can you hear the correct answer now?
Go to IELTS.org and learn everything you can about the listening section
(format, timing, task types, how it’s marked).
Go to IELTS.org and look at some of the listening sample questions.
Go to Dialang and find out your English proficiency level in listening.
What are the key listening skills being tested in IELTS? Go to
Voices
Magazine
and read ‘Five essential listening skills for English learners’.
Download the
LearnEnglish Audio and Video
app and practice listening
to different podcasts & videos on a wide range of topics.
Watch an English-language movie/TV show from an English-speaking
country that isn’t the U.K. or U.S.A. Can you full understand the accent?
Week 1
Self-check
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Go to IELTS.org and learn everything you can about the writing section
(format, timing, task types).
Go to IELTS.org and look at some of the writing sample questions.
Go to Dialang and find out your English proficiency level in writing.
Day Activity (Focus: Writing)
What are some things you should do before you start writing in a test?
Read about planning time in the ‘Exams’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens
.
Download the
IELTS Word Ready
app to help with your vocabulary
learning for academic writing.
Start writing a blog. You can write about your interests, ideas, wishes,
humour and anything else you think about… in English!
What do you need to consider when you’re writing in a test? Read about
writing time in the ‘Exams’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens.
Download the
LearnEnglish Grammar
app to help with your
grammatical ability for academic writing.
Find a Website containing statistical data (e.g.
Statista
), choose a table,
graph or pie chart and write a short description of it.
Go to the ‘Skills’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens
and attempt some of the
writing activities at your level.
Practice free writing: write about any topic for 5 mins. Do not stop to
read what you are writing, and you’ll notice that your writing will become
more fluent over time.
Send phone messages in English to friends who are learning English.
Go to
IELTS.org
and test yourself with some of the writing samples!
Self-assessment: Look at the band descriptors and check if you have
included everything you need to at your desired level.
Peer-assessment: Ask a friend to evaluate your task answers, using the
band descriptors OR a specific language area you’d like to focus on.
Go to
ChinaIELTS
and download the writing assessment criteria. Pay
attention to the descriptors ONE LEVEL above your current level.
If you are not sure what each of the four assessment criteria means,
watch the short videos at
ChinaIELTS
in the ‘band descriptors’ section.
Read a news story online (e.g. the
Mirror
), and make use of the comments
section where you can write your opinions about the story.
What should you do after you’ve finished writing in a test? Read about
reviewing time in the ‘Exams’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens.
Choose an article in a newspaper and write a persuasive essay about
the topic, using some ideas and content from the original article.
Look back at your old written work. Circle any words/grammatical
structures that are simple/repetitive, and replace with stronger ones.
Week 2
Self-check
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Go to IELTS.org and learn everything you can about the speaking section
(format, timing, task types).
Go to IELTS.org and look at some of the speaking sample questions.
Go to FutureLearn and sign up to ‘Understanding IELTS: Speakingcourse’
(open Mar 16
th
).
Day
Activity (Focus: Speaking)
What communication strategies can you use in the test? Have a look at
some in the ‘Exams’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens.
Download the
IELTS Word Power
app to help with your vocabulary when
speaking.
Start an audio journal: practice speaking on a certain topic for 2 mins
each day and record it with your phone. Listen and evaluate yourself.
How can you become more accurate and fluent when speaking English?
Read some advice in the ‘Exams’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens.
With a friend who is also learning English, choose a topic that interests
you and send each other voice messages in English about it.
Find an international language partner on an established
language-exchange Website like
italki
to help you practice English.
Go to the ‘Skills’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens
and attempt some of the
free speaking activities at your level.
If you cannot find an (online) conversation club/English corner to join in
your university/city, create one yourself today!
Choose a scene from a movie you like and try to copy the actor’s
speech. Pay close attention to their pronunciation and try to copy it.
Go to
IELTS.org
and record your answers to some speaking samples!
Self-assessment: Look at the band descriptors and check if your recorded
answers include everything you need to at your target level.
Peer-assessment: Ask a friend to evaluate your task answers, using the
band descriptors OR a specific language area you’d like to focus on.
Week 3
Go to
ChinaIELTS
and download the speaking assessment criteria. Pay
attention to the descriptors ONE LEVEL above your current level.
If you are not sure what each of the four assessment criteria means,
watch the short videos at
ChinaIELTS
in the ‘band descriptors’ section.
Download the new
IELTS Smart Learning
app, practice speaking Tasks 1
& 2, and receive feedback on your speaking!
Need some tips on how to answer common tasks in a typical speaking
test? Go to ‘Exams’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens
and find out.
Create your own vlog (on a topic that interests you) and share with your
friends; encourage them to give feedback on your language.
Watch a recent movie and note down any idiomatic language that you
hear; try and include this language in your everyday spoken English.
Self-check
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
Go to IELTS.org and learn everything you can about the reading section
(format, timing, task types, how it’s marked).
Go to IELTS.org and look at some of the reading sample questions.
Go to FutureLearn and sign up to ‘Understanding IELTS: Readingcourse’
(open Mar 16
th
).
Day
Activity (Focus: Reading)
What should you do before you start reading in a test? Have a look at
some helpful advice in the ‘Exams’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens.
Change your social media, computer settings, phone settings, email
settings to English.
Cook a meal with an English language recipe. You can find some recipes
at
GoodFood.
What should you do while you are reading in a test? Have a look at some
helpful advice in the ‘Exams’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens.
Go online and find an English language magazine, blog, or newspaper
that interests you (but you have never read before) and start reading it.
Read an article from a newspaper (e.g.
ChinaDaily
), and try to write a
short summary of it by identifying the key points. .
Go to the ‘Skills’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens
and attempt some of the
free reading activities at your level.
Start reading a book in English which you have already read in your
native language or has been made into a film which you have seen.
Set up a reading club with friends. One member chooses something for
everyone to read and it’s discussed in the next meeting.
Go to
IELTS.org
and test yourself with some of the reading samples!
Compare your responses to the correct answers. Where did you earn
most marks? Where did you have misunderstandings?
Read the sample text again. Can you find all the correct answers now?
Do you have problems with your reading speed? Go to
Voices Magazine
and read ‘How to help English learners read more quickly’.
Go to
Dialang
and find out your English proficiency level in reading.
Read graded readers (texts which are graded to your level) Visit your
local bookstore to find English stories at different reading levels.
Need some tips on how to answer common task types in a reading test?
Go to ‘Exams’ section of
LearnEnglishTeens
and find out.
When reading a text, start choosing words/phrases that you think are
important and which you want to learn, and store them in a notebook.
Choose one article from a newspaper, and note down the words and
expressions that are used to link the paragraphs/or ideas in the article
Week 4
Self-check
30
31
Take a practice IELTS test under timed conditions.
Compare your responses to the correct answers. Where did you earn most
marks? Where did you have misunderstandings? For speaking & writing, ask
a teacher from your school to evaluate your responses based on the band
descriptors.
Look back at your answers/responses. What would you do differently if you
took the test again? Write a short summary.
Day
Activity
For some last minute test advice, go to
CambridgeEnglish
, download the
IELTS FAQs, and read them carefully.
Go to
ChinaIELTS
and watch some of the ‘Killing IELTS Rumours’ videos.
Review some of the more useful resources in this study planner.
Put the study books down, have a nice meal and get a good night’s rest.
Good luck on your test!
Websites:
IELTS registration website:
Developed by British Council East Asia Assessment Solutions Team. Copyright © March 2020 by British Council. All rights reserved
Week 5
Self-check
https://ielts.neea.cn
IELTS official websites:
https://www.chinaielts.org
https://www.ielts.org
https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org
IELTS familarization test at GELIELTS:
https://cdielts.gelielts.cn
IELTS Smart Learning app:
https://ij.changyan.cn/download-app/home
British Council English learning resources:
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org
https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org
https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine
https://dialangweb.lancaster.ac.uk
https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/ielts
https://www.ted.com/talks
https://www.italki.com
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes
http://chinaplus.cri.cn
https://www.mirror.co.uk
https://www.statista.com/chartoftheday
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn
FutureLearn courses:
“Understanding IELTS: Speaking”
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/
understanding-ielts-speaking?utm_so
urce=BC_CHINA_website&utm_mediu
m=web&utm_campaign=IELTS_Speaki
ng2_Mar20
“Understanding IELTS: Reading”
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/
understanding-ielts-reading?utm_sour
ce=BC_CHINA_website&utm_medium
=web&utm_campaign=IELTS_Reading
2_Mar20
Other English learning resources: