IELTS Preparation Course Online
One-to-one online IELTS preparation with native English teachers who know the exam inside out. You set the target band, we build the lessons around the skills, question types, and timing that will get you there, whether your test is in a few weeks or a few months.
Book a free trial lesson and tell us your target IELTS band.
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What is the IELTS exam?
IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is one of the most widely recognised English tests in the world, accepted by more than 12,000 organisations across around 140 countries, including universities, employers and immigration authorities. Every test measures the same four skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. You get a band score from 0 to 9 for each skill, and an overall band that is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band.
There are two versions of the test. IELTS Academic is for people who want to study at an English-speaking university or gain professional registration, for example doctors and nurses. IELTS General Training is for people who want to migrate to an English-speaking country or train and study below degree level. The Listening and Speaking papers are identical in both versions. Only the Reading and Writing papers are different.
IELTS Academic vs IELTS General Training
| IELTS Academic | IELTS General Training | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | University study, professional registration | Migration, work, training below degree level |
| Listening | Same paper: about 30 minutes, 4 parts, 40 questions, audio played once | |
| Speaking | Same paper: 11 to 14 minutes, face to face with an examiner, 3 parts | |
| Reading | 3 long academic texts | Everyday and workplace texts |
| Writing | Task 1: describe a graph or chart. Task 2: essay | Task 1: write a letter. Task 2: essay |
| Where to take it | Test centre or online | Test centre |
Source: ielts.org test types. Choose the version your university, employer or immigration authority asks for before you book.
The four parts of the IELTS test
The whole test takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes. Listening, Reading and Writing are done one after another on the same day, and Speaking can be on the same day or up to a week before or after. Here is what each part involves, with our teachers’ tips for each one.
Listening is about 30 minutes across four sections, from a chat to an academic talk, and the audio is played only once. See our IELTS listening tips.
Reading gives you 60 minutes for 40 questions across three sections, with no extra transfer time, so pace matters. Read mastering the reading section of IELTS.
Writing is 60 minutes for two tasks: a 150-word report or letter and a 250-word essay. Most people spend 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 on Task 2. Read acing the writing in IELTS.
Speaking is an 11 to 14 minute interview with an examiner in three parts: questions about you, a short talk on a topic, and a discussion. Read getting the score you want on IELTS speaking.
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Why the IELTS Speaking test feels the hardest
Every part of IELTS carries equal weight, but for most students Speaking is the part that causes the most nerves. People worry about grammar mistakes, hesitating, or not understanding the question. Often the low scores come from a misunderstanding: Speaking is not testing your knowledge of the topic, it is testing whether you can express ideas in a clear, logical, coherent way in English.
That is exactly what one-to-one practice fixes. Your teacher helps you build fluency and confidence, widen your vocabulary, and get comfortable answering under exam conditions, so the real interview feels familiar.
What is included in our IELTS preparation course
- An introduction to the test format and the question types, so you know exactly what each examiner is looking for.
- Practice on real IELTS-style tasks for the skills you need most, with feedback after each one.
- Targeted work to raise your general English to the level your band requires.
- Strategy and timing for each section, plus the confidence to walk into the test knowing what to expect.
Learn with teachers who are experts in IELTS
The teachers who prepare our students for IELTS know the requirements well and work on each skill with you. Some of them are IELTS examiners themselves. Jeremy, an online English teacher at Live English, shares a few insights about the exam:
Who is the IELTS preparation course for?
The course suits anyone who has to take IELTS, whether you are a student, a working professional, or someone planning to relocate. We help you reach the band score you need. You can prepare over several months or take an intensive course in the run-up to your test date. All lessons are one to one and built around your goals.
IELTS preparation tips and resources
Want to read more before your first lesson? Start with our interesting facts and myths about IELTS, then our IELTS preparation advice to succeed. Preparing for a different test? See all the English exams our teachers can help with, or test your English level to see where you stand today.
Ready to start? Talk through your target and timeline with a teacher.
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