International English Language Testing System aka IELTS, is designed to assess the language ability of candidates in countries where English is the primary language of communication. To achieve the dream of working or studying abroad in the UK, Australia and other countries, we need to clear this examination. To be able to clear the IELTS, it is important to prepare for the exam, which is an expensive ordeal.
Coaching for IELTS is a good option but just going to one doesn’t guarantee success in the examination. To improve your chances, you need to supplement your preparation by maximizing the plethora of internet’s free resources to get an edge over other aspirants. There is a vast amount of free material available on the internet to prepare for IELTS. Since the material is so enormous aspirants tend to get confused easily. Hence, we have combined some tools and resources that can help you achieve that punch in your preparations for IELTS and are totally free!
A general idea of IELTS
IELTS exam’s main motto is to check whether your English is strong enough to thrive in countries where English is the official language. The test boils down to four essential skills:
These are the four areas that IELTS tests the aspirants in. The test will have the above-mentioned sections and there will be an allotted time frame to complete them. Each section is delicate on its own and needs to be tackled individually. Also, there are two levels of difficulty – 1) General, where testing is based on common knowledge of English, and 2) Academic, which is on the higher side of difficulty.
To accomplish this, we have curated a list of tools you can utilize in your preparation to maximize the potential of the internet’s free resources for IELTS Preparation
Free Online Resources for IELTS Preparation
First on our list is “Youtube”. This social platform has become an inseparable part of day to day life of every Netizen. Just to give an estimate, there is about four hundred thousand TeraByte of data stored on Youtube and almost 24 TB of data is uploaded every day. On one hand, it is a great news that we have such a plethora of content, but on the other hand, the same volume tends to pose a problem. Since the content is user-generated and there is no quality control, some content might not be at par and even wrong sometimes.
To counter this, we have compiled a few great channels categorized section wise, which are quality assured and will definitely take your preparation a step ahead of others.
IELTS OFFICIAL
This is the official portal of IELTS and has the best in the class material. If followed from start to the end, one can score a band 9 in IELTS Academics. It consists of material for all four sections of the test viz listening, reading, writing, speaking.
Known For: The channel consists of huge collection of practice tests which is the most essential component of IELTS preparation
IDP IELTS
This platform acts as a prep buddy as the channel providers guide you at each and every step of your IELTS preparation. They have samples and support material for real time IELTS tests that will give you better insight into the exam. Also, it is very useful to understand the computer interface and helps the aspirant understand how things will work logistically on D-day.
Known For: The channel focuses on speaking skills of IELTS aspirants.
Emma’s English for IELTS
Emma is a TSOL certified trainer and specialises in English training for the young kids and adults. This channel helps build a firm foundation for the exam and improve the overall quality of your English.
Known For: This is an extremely good channel for practicing vocabulary, listening skills and comprehension skills.
IELTS LITZ
This is a very trusted channel where you can watch all content related to the IELTS preparation. The current subscribers for the channel are 5 Lakh+.
Known For: The channel focuses on essay and quality of writing tasks.
IELTS PODCAST
To specifically enhance your reading and writing skills this is the best bet you can have.
This is also the most comprehensive channel to prepare for the IELTS exam and has the most content compared to any other websites.
Known For: Good collection of Sample Questions for IELTS & General Preparation Tips for IELTS. The channels cover almost every aspect of IELTS test.
This is a golden platform to clear all doubts. Usually, the majority of fee charged in a coaching institute is for doubt clearance. The reason is simple. Every issue that students face is unique and it takes an expert to solve them. But this process has been simplified by Quora as the person can directly ask experts or previous test takers about his doubts. Also, millions of people have already asked every possible question and it is highly likely that someone else has had your problem before you. This makes it even more comfortable as the answers are right there already.
In the preparation of IELTS, just reading Quora answers might not cut it because you will never know what mistakes you’re making. That makes feedback a very crucial aspect of IELTS preparation. What you can do is follow a topic for which you are preparing, check out the experts in the field and directly post questions to them. This way one need not go to anyone and the problem is sorted in the best way possible.
Best IELTS Preparation Topics on Quora
Group | Followers | Category | Discussion Topics |
International Language Testing System | 104.8K | Doubt Clearance | Exam Related Doubts, D-DAy Doubts |
IELTS Preparation | 18.2K | Strategies | Preparation Tips,Tips & Tricks |
IELTS Tips | 7.7k | Strategies | How to improve IELTS Score |
IELTS Study Resources | 3.1K | Exam Resources | Sample Questions, Video Tutorials |
Top viewed writers on Quora
Name | Answer Views | Writer Description |
Gill Bullen | 13.1M (In top writer of 2018) | International Student Advisor |
Ravi Patel | 1M | Master Of Engineering From University of Windsor |
Ellen Gwendolyn | 48k | IELTS Essay Corrector |
A mobile phone is what we all have access to, and we are very comfortable and attached to our handsets, aren’t we? This handy piece of device can play a crucial role in your IELTS preparation because there are several apps which supplement the preparations for IELTS exam that you can use on the go.
IELTS Skills – Free
IELTS Skills is an app that will help you prepare for the IELTS by covering all 4 sections – Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. The app provides sample exams, practice materials and interactive tasks. It contains materials from the best-selling IELTS books of Sam McCarter. You can also test yourself and see your score via an interactive ‘Can Do’ statement section.
IELTS Word power
This is an app by British Council for test takers to enrich their vocabulary. This app assists you in building your vocabulary for the IELTS test, to locate your closest British Council test centre and to learn more about IELTS.
IELTS ESSAY
It contains 200 essays on different topics that will help you to improve your English vocabulary. It also helps you understand what kind and style of language you are supposed to use in the writing section of the exam.
There are a lot of experts which have already cleared the exam and are ready to help with others with their experience with knowledgeable blogs. With these IELTS Expert Blogs update you about the recent syllabus, preparation strategy, tricks and tips and answer most of your doubts regarding the exam. Also, one can raise questions in the comments and personally mail them for a better response.
One can optimise the internet and extract a lot out of it but internet resources cannot replace coaching altogether because of the need to solve personal queries. Coaching becomes important as a lot of counselling is needed in the preparation of IELTS. Think of internet material as a supplement; it still needs the main course to reach its fulfilment. Coaching classes for IELTS are hard to find, so here is the curated list of Best Coaching classes for IELTS Exam with reviews, student experiences etc, which one must be aware of before joining a coaching class. This can take you a notch higher in your preparation curve and help you ace the IELTS exam with flying colours.
We hope this list of resources is very helpful in your IELTS preparation. Best of luck for the exam!