Online IELTS preparation courses for Academic and General Training

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. Three organisations own the test jointly: the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. It tests listening, reading, writing and speaking and gives each part a band score, meaning a level on a scale from 0 to 9.

Three large groups accept IELTS. Universities in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA use it for admission. Immigration authorities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK use it for visas. Professional bodies, for example in nursing and medicine, use it to register qualified staff from abroad.

For these organisations IELTS has a practical advantage: they can verify every result online with the test owners. The result appears on the Test Report Form, or TRF, the official results document. Candidates pay the test fee themselves, and the three owners fund the test through these fees.

IELTS comes in two main versions. Listening and Speaking are the same in both, while Reading and Writing differ.

IELTS itself recommends General Training for migration to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK and for training below degree level. For university study, choose Academic.

A third variant applies to many UK visas. The UK government only accepts a SELT, a Secure English Language Test, for these visas. For IELTS this means IELTS for UKVI or IELTS Life Skills. IELTS for UKVI has the same content as Academic or General Training but takes place at approved centres.

IELTS has four parts. You take Listening, Reading and Writing one after the other. Speaking may take place on the same day or on a different day.

In Listening you hear an everyday conversation, a monologue on an everyday topic, a conversation in an academic setting and a short talk. Question types range from multiple choice to labelling plans and maps and completing forms and tables.

In Writing, IELTS recommends about 20 minutes for Task 1 and about 40 minutes for Task 2. Examiners mark both texts on four criteria: task achievement or task response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. Coherence means a logical structure, and cohesion means the language that links sentences together.

Speaking is a conversation with a person. In part one you answer questions about yourself. In part two you speak alone about a topic on a card after a short preparation time. In part three you discuss the topic in more general terms.

Each of the four parts receives a band score from 0 to 9 in half-band steps. IELTS describes band 9 as Expert, band 8 as Very good, band 7 as Good, band 6 as Competent and band 5 as Modest. The overall band is the average of the four part scores, rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band, and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.

In Listening and Reading your score depends on the number of correct answers out of 40. IELTS publishes average values for this, which vary slightly between test versions.

IELTS maps its bands to the CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference with six levels from A1 to C2. Bands 5.5 to 6.5 correspond to B2, bands 7 to 8 to C1, and band 9 roughly to C2.

IELTS takes place at a test centre on computer or on paper. IDP is moving fully to computer delivery in many countries during 2026, in Switzerland for example from 27 June 2026. Tasks and scoring are the same on computer and on paper. With computer-delivered IELTS your result arrives within 1 to 5 days.

IELTS Online is a remote test on your own computer. A supervisor watches you through camera and microphone. Results arrive after 6 to 8 days and can only be sent to institutions electronically. Not every organisation accepts IELTS Online, and for UK visas only IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills count.

The One Skill Retake repeats a single part

With the One Skill Retake you repeat one part, such as Writing, instead of the whole test. According to IDP, this requires a computer-delivered IELTS test, and the retake must happen within 60 days. You receive a new Test Report Form that combines the new score with your three original part scores. Price and availability depend on the country and the test centre.

The IELTS partners recommend using a result as proof for a maximum of two years. They base this on the decline of second-language skills when a language is no longer used. An older Test Report Form should only be accepted if you show that you have maintained or improved your English, for example through a degree taught in English.

The two years are a recommendation and not a fixed rule. Universities and authorities may set their own limits, and some accept older results. In practice, most organisations apply the two-year period.

For the recipients the limit has a clear purpose: they want to know how well you speak English when you start your studies or enter the country. For you this means planning the test date backwards from the application deadline or the visa application.

Test centres in each country set the fee, and prices vary considerably between countries.

The German and Spanish figures come from British Council and test centre listings for 2026, the Mexican figures from test centre listings on ielts.org. In Germany, IELTS for UKVI costs about EUR 308. Always check the amount when you book, because centres adjust their prices.

Paper Test Report Forms go to up to five universities or authorities free of charge. Electronically, you can send results through the IELTS Results Service to as many organisations as you like. Results from IELTS Online can only be sent electronically.

Preparation adds to the cost of the test. A self-paced course often costs under US$100, and one-to-one lessons with feedback on writing and speaking cost roughly US$20 to US$65 per hour, depending on the teacher. These course figures are rough guides based on typical offers.

Study time depends on the gap between your level and your target band. According to IELTS, bands 5.5 to 6.5 correspond to CEFR level B2 and bands 7 to 8 to level C1. The CEFR is the Common European Framework of Reference with six levels. Cambridge English estimates about 200 guided learning hours per CEFR level. Moving from band 6 to band 7 therefore often means moving from B2 to C1.

1 Measure your starting point

Sit a full practice test under timed conditions and note your band in each part.

2 Train your weakest part first

The lowest part score pulls the overall band down the most. Invest most of your hours in that part.

3 Write every week and get feedback

Write at least two texts each for Task 1 and Task 2 per week and have them marked against the four criteria.

4 Practise speaking with recordings

Practise all three parts of Speaking with a teacher or a study partner and listen back to your recordings.

5 Practise in the format of your own test

If you take IELTS on computer, practise on a computer. On paper you transfer your Listening answers to an answer sheet in 10 extra minutes, while on computer you type them in directly.

An online IELTS course should above all improve Writing and Speaking, because examiners mark these parts against fixed criteria. These seven points show whether a course is built for that.

1. The course separates Academic and General Training, especially in Reading and in Writing Task 1.
2. Teachers mark your writing against the four official criteria and give an estimated band.
3. You practise all three parts of Speaking with a person, at least in a few mock interviews.
4. The course offers computer-based practice tests if you take IELTS on computer.
5. The teachers know the band descriptors, ideally with experience in IELTS preparation.
6. You receive a study plan that starts from your weakest part score.
7. The provider states the full price, the number of marked texts and the number of speaking sessions upfront.

Many IELTS points are lost through avoidable mistakes. These six concern Writing and Speaking in particular.

• Many candidates spend too long on Writing Task 1, although Task 2 counts double.
• Some write fewer than 150 or 250 words and lose points for task achievement.
• Some memorise Speaking answers, which examiners recognise as memorised.
• Many ignore spelling in Listening and Reading, although misspelled answers count as wrong.
• Some book the wrong version, such as IELTS Academic instead of IELTS for UKVI for a UK visa.
• Some only practise on paper and then sit the test on computer.