In our previous post, we offered 6 Free TOEFL Practice Resources that you can find online to help you prepare IF you have already taken the SAT. In case you have decided to take the IELTS instead (good idea because it’s easier than the TOEFL for most people and test dates are more widely available in Dubai), we have 6 free IELTS practice resources you should use.
How to Prepare for the IELTS
Our advice for TOEFL prep also applies here, but with a few changes:
Don’t take a complete prep course.
Many schools and churches around Dubai are offering free (or cheap) IELTS prep courses. Don’t do them! Once you agree to do the course, now you have to sit through the tedious lectures, do the homework, and labor through poorly administered practice tests. If you already took the SAT, taking a free or low-cost course is a waste of your time! You should either be preparing for SAT Subject Tests or studying to ensure that your grades from 11th and 12th boost your profile to colleges. You should not be over studying for tests that you can do well on with minimal effort.
Take a free IELTS practice test.
You have two goals for taking the practice test: 1) Get familiar with the format of the exam and 2) Pinpoint your weaknesses. If you scored higher than 7 on the practice test, you’re done! (Have a parent or friend grade the essay and do the speaking interview with you.) Register for the IELTS and take the test as soon as possible. If you scored between a 6 and 7 on the practice test, note the sections you scored less than 7 on and do at least 3 more practice tests focused on these sections. Be sure to track your score for each test to be sure that your score is increasing each time. If you score less than a 6 on the practice test, see below…
Study for a couple of weekends if necessary.
If you scored less than an 6 on the IELTS practice test but more than a 450 on the reading section of the SAT, you probably just need a bit more familiarity with the exam (but still not a full prep course!). We recommend you call us so we can focus your efforts and make sure your preparation is done quickly and efficiently. We offer 4 hours of IELTS prep for only AED 800 that you can complete in only 2 sessions! We’ll assess your strengths, weaknesses, and determine how to you’re current test taking strategies are working against you. You’ll have extensive practice with an American tutor so that you’re prepared for the accents on test day. Whatsapp us for more info.
Free IELTS Practice to Start Prepping with Now
Here are a few resources available on the web to get your IELTS preparation started:
IELTS Official Test Takers Test Sample
This test is an awesome resource for your IELTS prep because it: a) is from the official makers of the test, b) is full length, c) includes actual listening audio (a lot of online resources don’t), and d) includes the actual IELTS style forms you use (this is very important because this is a written test!). You should use this test as your diagnostic to assess what your score would be on the real IELTS. You need the Academic module for university admission so use the following sections IN THIS ORDER:
Listening
Academic reading
Academic writing
Speaking
British Council’s Road to IELTS Test Drive
One of the administrator’s of the IELTS, British Council, has developed a great online tool to give you more computer based IELTS practice. While this tool is awesome for the listening audio and sample answers to different test sections, we highly recommend that you print the test answer sheets (listening answer sheet, reading answer sheet, and writing answer sheets Task 1-use the same one for Task 2 since the website is down) and you use them in addition to putting the answers into the computer. You want to ensure that you are prepared to WRITE ON PAPER come test day. If you register for the IELTS through the British Council, you get FREE access to their Last Minute prep, which has even more IELTS activities and exercises.
Exam English free IELTS practice
This site has a wealth of practice for your IELTS prep (just ignore the ads). One the right side of the page you should see a menu for IELTS practice tests. Click those links and you’ll find:
2 full length listening tests and 1 extra listening section
5 full length academic reading tests
1 full length academic writing test
3 speaking practice tests
These tests aren’t official and the format is a little bizarre, but they are great practice if you need free prep.
Hong Kong Polytechnic IELTS Prep
This is a weird little site from Hong Kong Polytechnic University that turns out to offer some pretty solid IELTS practice. Click the links off the main site for lots of practice with decent audio and some answer examples that the university has produced on its own. A great resource if you’ve finished all the material from IELTS, British Council, and Exam English.
IELTS-Blog
A decent collection of IELTS study materials. For exam prep, scroll to the bottom of the page and look for menus on the right side. Otherwise, you might get lost in the sea of ads!
IELTS for Free
Yet another decent online resource for IELTS prep. Check each test to make sure there is no overlap in tests you’ve done before.
Need help preparing for the IELTS?
We offer 4 hours of IELTS prep for only AED 800 that you can complete in only 2 sessions! Free IELTS practice resources are great, especially if you use them with expert guidance. Get oriented to the test and score a band 7.0 or higher the FIRST TIME! Whatsapp us for more info!
