This article is part of the Teach IELTS series at IELTS Academic, an online provider of skills training for IELTS and English as a foreign language.

Are you looking for an easier way to calculate IELTS Speaking scores?

The assessment criteria for IELTS Speaking are publicly available, but the official document is not exactly classroom-friendly. Not only is the language filled with jargon, the complexity is so great that explaining it all in class would drastically reduce any speaking practice time available to students.

IELTS Academic has produced a simplified version of the IELTS Speaking scoring rubric that is faithful to the official version but designed to be more accessible for students. This IELTS Speaking Feedback Sheet organises the IELTS Speaking assessment criteria into 12 basic attributes. Try using it as a tool for pair practice in your next IELTS Speaking lesson.

Download this IELTS Speaking Feedback Sheet as a PDF for classroom use.

Fluency and Coherence

Does your partner:

• Avoid silence or hesitation?
• Speak at length on each topic?
• Use words to connect ideas?

Lexical Resource

Does your partner:

• Use a wide range of vocabulary?
• Use idioms and collocation?
• Paraphrase?

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Does your partner:

• Speak in complex sentences?
• Use a variety of grammatical forms?
• Avoid grammatical mistakes?

Pronunciation

Does your partner:

• Pronounce words accurately?
• Join sounds together?
• Vary intonation?

Scoring:  Students can give their partner a score of 0-3 for each skill where 0=Not at all, 1=A little, 2=Sometimes, and 3=Always. Dividing the total by four will produce a rough estimate of the student’s overall IELTS Speaking score.

This article is part of the Teach IELTS series at IELTS Academic, an online provider of skills training for IELTS and English as a foreign language.

The post IELTS Speaking Feedback Sheet appeared first on IELTS Academic.

If you’ve taken IELTS before, you probably noticed a secret language at the bottom of the IELTS Writing answer sheet. What do those mysterious acronyms TA/TR, CC, LR, & GRA mean?

As you might have guessed, they refer to the assessment criteria which decide your IELTS Writing score. This is where the examiner writes in a number for each of the four assessment criteria, which is then divided by four to give your overall score for that task.

So it makes sense to match your writing style to the assessment criteria if you want to improve your IELTS Writing score. Better still, take my IELTS Writing practice test with feedback to find out your score for each of the four criteria (hint: the exam certificate won’t tell you.)

Let’s take a look at the four criteria and how they should influence your writing.

TA/TR = Task Achievement/Task Response

Task Achievement is measured in Task 1, while Task Response is measured in Task 2. In both cases, they refer to how well you answer the question, including:

• Do you write enough words?
• Do you stick to the topic in the question?
• Do you cover all parts of the question?

CC = Coherence and Cohesion

This refers to how well your essay is organised, including:

• Do you write in paragraphs?
• Do you connect sentences and paragraphs with logical links?
• Do you use reference links (‘they’) to connect ideas and avoid repetition?

LR = Lexical Resource

This refers to your use of vocabulary, including:

• Do you use appropriate academic words and collocations? (Academic Writing module only)
• Do you paraphrase to avoid repetition?
• Do you spell words correctly?

GRA = Grammatical Range and Accuracy

This refers to your use of grammar, including:

• Do you use a variety of grammatical forms?
• Do you write in a mixture of short and complex sentences?
• Do you avoid too many grammatical mistakes?

The fastest way to improve your IELTS Writing score is to learn techniques for paragraphing, paraphrasing, and linking, as these skills are less likely to be taught in regular English lessons.

How IELTS Writing scores are calculated

The four individual scores are added together and then divided by four to give an average, which is your overall score for that task. For example: (6+6+7+7) ÷ 4 = 6.5. Numbers are rounded up, which means that (6+7+7+7) ÷ 4 = 6.75, which is rounded up to 7.0.

As there are two tasks of unequal length, your final score in IELTS Writing is not an average of both tasks but is weighted towards Task 2. For example: Task 1: 6.5 + Task 2: 7.0 = Overall 7.0. This is why you should always spend more time writing Task 2.

How to find out your IELTS Writing score

Obviously you can take the IELTS test, but your results will take 13 days to arrive and will only show your overall score for each module. You will not be told your scores for each writing task and for each of the assessment criteria.

To get a more detailed breakdown of your IELTS Writing score, take my practice test with feedback. It only takes two days to get results, and it will give you a much better idea of where you need to target your efforts. Is it your vocabulary? Is your paragraphing a mess? Or is your grammar letting you down? Get the answers now»

This article was produced by IELTS Academic, bringing you strategies for success in the IELTS test and supporting your dream of work or study abroad. Search for more articles below or take an online practice test.

The post IELTS Writing Scores: What Are TA/TR, CC, LR & GRA? appeared first on IELTS Academic.

Yesterday we looked at how IELTS Writing scores are calculated. Today it’s the turn of IELTS Speaking scores.

The first thing you may notice is a close resemblance between the codes used for IELTS Writing and IELTS Speaking scores. We’ve met LR and GRA before, haven’t we? FC looks familiar: maybe it’s a cousin of CC. But P? Where did he spring from?

If you’re serious about improving your IELTS Speaking score, you’ll want to match your speaking style to the four assessment criteria. Let’s look at each of them in turn and how they might influence your way of speaking.

However, remember that the IELTS exam certificate will NOT tell you the individual scores for each of the four criteria. Only my IELTS Speaking practice test with feedback will tell you that.

FC = Fluency and Coherence

Fluency and Coherence is similar to Cohesion and Coherence, which we encountered before. In IELTS Speaking, however, it’s a measure of how well you can keep talking and be understood, including:

• Do you avoid silence or hesitation?
• Do you speak at length on each topic?
• Do you use words to connect your ideas?

LR = Lexical Resource

Lexical Resource refers to your use of vocabulary, including:

• Do you use a wide range of vocabulary?
• Do you use idioms and collocation common to spoken English?
• Do you paraphrase to avoid repetition?

GRA = Grammatical Range and Accuracy

This refers to your skill with English grammar, including

• Do you speak in complex sentences?
• Do you use a variety of grammatical forms?
• Do you avoid too many grammatical mistakes?

P = Pronunciation

Pronunciation is naturally part of the IELTS Speaking assessment, including:

• Do you pronounce words accurately?
• Do you join sounds together?
• Do you vary intonation?

There’s no quick fix to improve your English vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation: all of these require hard work and practice over months and years. A more immediate way to improve your IELTS Speaking score is to learn fluency techniques, including spoken English phrases, collocations, and emergency language for use when things go wrong. A good teacher can coach you in speaking techniques for better fluency.

How IELTS Speaking scores are calculated

The examiner gives you a score for each of the criteria based on your performance throughout the test, in particular Parts 2 and 3. There are no individual scores for each part of the speaking test.

The criteria are equally weighted so that each is worth 25% of your IELTS Speaking score. The scores for each criteria are added together and divided by four to give an average, which becomes your overall score. Scores of .25 and .75 are rounded up. For example, 7+7+7+6 = 6.75 is rounded up to 7.0 overall.

How to find out your IELTS Speaking score

Obviously you can take the IELTS test, but your results will take 13 days to arrive and will only show your overall score for each module. You will not find out your scores for the four assessment criteria in IELTS Speaking this way.

To get a more detailed breakdown of your IELTS Speaking score, take my practice test with feedback. It takes only 15 minutes to practice the test on Skype. This is immediately followed by another 15 minutes of coaching, during which we will look together at your scores in the four assessment criteria.

My practice test will give you a much better idea of where you need to target your efforts in order to improve your IELTS Speaking score. Is it your vocabulary? Are you making too many mistakes? Or is your pronunciation letting you down? Get the answers now»

This article was produced by IELTS Academic, bringing you strategies for success in the IELTS test and supporting your dream of work or study abroad. Search for more articles below or take an online practice test.

The post IELTS Speaking Scores: What Are FC, LR, GRA & P? appeared first on IELTS Academic.

Academic writing is the style of English that we must produce in the IELTS Writing Academic module in order to get a score of Band 6 or above. It’s no use writing in an eighth-grade homework style when the purpose of IELTS Academic is to gain entry to a university or profession.

So, what is academic writing and how can we reproduce that writing style under severe time pressure in IELTS? Read the following features of academic writing style and try to use them in your next IELTS Writing practice test.

Academic writing is linear

Academic writing in English is usually a way for a writer to establish and defend a position. That means the writer’s position should be clear from the beginning, and the points that follow should support that position. When opposing ideas are introduced, they should be refuted. The conclusion follows logically from the body of the essay.

This essay will give two reasons for the lack of progress.

The first reason for the lack of progress is the lack of a political consensus.

The second reason for the lack of progress is the poor state of the economy.

For these two reasons, almost no progress has been made in strengthening workers’ rights.

Academic writing is complex

The assessment criteria of IELTS Writing reward candidates who write in both simple and complex sentences. As a rule, try to make at least 50% of your sentences complex. Use participles (V+ing, V+ed) or relative pronouns (‘which’, ‘that’) to add subordinate clauses, or include special punctuation like the colon (:) or semi-colon (;).

Global temperatures are expected to rise further, threatening the livelihood of millions of people worldwide.

The rise in global temperatures, which began at the start of the industrial revolution, shows no signs of slowing down.

Many reasons have been cited for the rise in global temperatures; however, most climate scientists agree that human activity is the main cause.

Academic writing is clear

Wait a minute: didn’t I just say that academic writing is complex? Now it should be clear? Well, here’s the difference: make your grammar complex but your points clear. State your opinion clearly using recognisable phrases such as ‘I am against’ or ‘It is my view that’. Then link your ideas with discourse markers such as ‘on the other hand’ and ‘furthermore’.

At first glance, the data reveals a clear pattern.

This essay will give three reasons for the long-term decline in violent crime.

In conclusion, I am in favour of stricter punishments for hate speech.

Academic writing gives evidence

Task 1 in IELTS Academic Writing requires you to describe a set of data or a diagram. For every claim you make in your answer, be sure to support it with evidence from the question. The evidence may be in the form of precise numbers, or you could use ‘round numbers’ to make it easier for your reader to understand. Both are fine in IELTS.

According to the diagram, there were fewer than 100 murders committed nationwide last year.

From the data we can also see that the overall rate of crime has almost doubled.

The chart shows that violent crime has decreased significantly as a proportion of all crimes committed, from 18% in 1980 to just 7% in 2015.

Academic writing uses ‘hedging’ where it can’t give evidence

Task 2 in IELTS Academic Writing requires you to state an opinion or discuss an issue, but there is no opportunity to conduct research or gather evidence. Some statements like ‘English is spoken in the United Kingdom’ require no evidence. But when you make claims that others might dispute, use hedging strategies like the ones below.

The majority of the world’s people would like to speak a second language.

English is highly likely to remain the world’s global language.

Chinese could be described as a much more difficult language to learn.

Academic writing is impersonal

While it’s not a mistake to use ‘I’ in academic writing, try not to overuse this precious little word. Your writing should contain some objective arguments and not be simply a description of your personal beliefs. Try using the ‘This Essay’ method to add a more impersonal style to your academic writing.

This essay will examine the issue of identity theft and propose solutions.

The issue of censorship is too broad to be covered in this essay.

The purpose of this essay is to examine both sides of the argument.

Academic writing is formal

Formal writing means that we avoid contractions (‘can’t’), phrasal verbs (‘put up with’), casual words (‘kids’, ‘cops’), exclamation marks (‘!’), question tags (‘isn’t it?’, ‘don’t you think?’), and vague expressions (‘sort of’, ‘a lot of’).

Teachers have to put up with lots of bad kids.

Teachers have to endure many cases of bad behaviour.

Cops can’t catch all robbers!

Police cannot solve all the crimes that are committed.

So racists should be punished more, shouldn’t they?

In conclusion, I am in favour of stricter punishments for hate speech.

There’s more about formal and informal vocabulary here. To have your academic writing checked by an IELTS professional, see our online IELTS Writing Practice Test with Feedback.

This article was produced by IELTS Academic, bringing you strategies for success in the IELTS test and supporting your dream of work or study abroad. Search for more articles below or take an online practice test.

The post Write IELTS! Your Guide to Academic Writing appeared first on IELTS Academic.

Spoken English is what you hear on TV, in bars and cafes, and when meeting new classmates at university. You hear it everywhere, but are you using it properly in IELTS?

In IELTS Speaking, your score is based on how well you use Spoken English, not Academic English, even if you’re taking the Academic version of the test. Confused? Read on.

The Speaking module of IELTS is the same for Academic and General Training candidates and there are no extra points for sounding like an academic essay. In fact, your score could even go down!

To get a high score in IELTS Speaking, be aware of the common features of Spoken English and apply them in the test. Here’s my list of eight things that make Spoken English unique.

Spoken English begins with greetings

At the beginning of a new conversation, we start with greetings. The actual contents of our greetings are usually meaningless. The true purpose of greetings is to communicate the mood we’re in and announce that we’re available to talk. So, if asked ‘How are you?’ never reply with ‘I’m tired and I think I’ve caught a cold.’ Smile and respond quickly with ‘Great, thanks’ and let the conversation begin!

Spoken English is simple

In speaking, we use a lot of one-syllable words like ‘I’ ‘think’ ‘you’ ‘are’ ‘great’. We don’t say ‘It is my personal belief that you have superior qualities’. One mistake that IELTS Academic candidates make is in trying to pack their speech with academic jargon. It doesn’t make you sound clever: it only increases the work the listener must do to understand you. Keep it simple and use plain language.

Spoken English is interesting

Sometimes we just have to read boring books as part of our studies. But we don’t want to hang around people whose conversation bores us. The most common reasons for boring speech are flat intonation and slow speed. Record yourself speaking on your smartphone or another device. Now listen back to the recording (don’t worry – NOBODY likes doing this!) Be honest: are you an interesting speaker? If not, practice varying your intonation and speed, and try to use more fluency expressions to keep your listener engaged.

Spoken English is cultural

When you read books written by British, American, or Australian authors, you will rarely find any differences in the language, except for a few spellings. But Spoken English is much more dependent on the culture of the speakers. Different groups uses accents, slang and idioms to communicate their shared identity. As an IELTS candidate, you don’t need to worry about accents and you should avoid slang completely. However, using a few common idioms can help to show that you’re familiar with the conventions of Spoken English.

Spoken English involves two people

In any conversation, there is always a speaker and a listener. But how is that different from a reader and a writer? The difference is something called synchronicity. When reading a book, if there’s something we don’t understand, we go back and read it again. The responsibility is on the reader. In speaking, however, the speaker must pay attention to the listener’s cues and be ready to reword it or explain again if something wasn’t clear the first time. The interview format of IELTS Speaking allows you to do this.

Spoken English is where new words are tested and learned

Do you spend many hours of the day cramming your brain with new English vocabulary? Memorisation is useful to a point, but most linguists agree that new words are only truly learned when we use them in speech. Look at the vocabulary that you’ve studied in the last 12 months. How many words have you actually used in conversation? You’ll find that the words you’ve actually used are easier to remember. However, don’t forget my second point, which is that you should not use words that may cause problems for your listener.

Spoken English is about more than just words

In conversation, the listener pays attention to far more than just our words. Our posture, clothing, hairstyle, facial expression, eye contact and voice quality are all important signals that we are friendly, competent, trustworthy, or the opposite! Of course, in IELTS Speaking there are no scores awarded for non-verbal communication or body language. IELTS examiners claim that they completely ignore such factors when scoring a candidate. However, is that really possible to believe?

Spoken English is social

Spoken English is how we maintain our relationships with friends and family. But it’s also how we introduce ourselves to strangers and form new relationships. If all your conversations are with people you already know, you may be uncomfortable speaking to a stranger in the IELTS Speaking test. Make sure you overcome any shyness by meeting new people in the weeks before you take the test. This will also give you many opportunities to practice talking about yourself. You can also practice IELTS Speaking with me on Skype by taking my IELTS Speaking Practice Test with Feedback.

This article was produced by IELTS Academic, bringing you strategies for success in the IELTS test and supporting your dream of work or study abroad. Search for more articles below or take an online practice test.

The post Speak IELTS! Your Guide to Spoken English appeared first on IELTS Academic.

IELTS test coming soon? Seriously out of shape? Give yourself an instant IELTS workout with these ten 30-minute exercises.

1. Bench-press these TED talks

Watching TED talks can be great entertainment. However, when watched passively, TED talks don’t always make for good language learning. The solution? Try these four short TED talks, which come with authentic IELTS Listening questions. It should take you around 30 minutes to do all 40 questions, just like the real test.

2. Build your listening stamina

How often do you exercise your ears? The BBC’s 6 Minute English is a great way to build your listening stamina. Each recording discusses a topic of the day and comes with questions to test your comprehension. Try listening to four in a row to develop your powers of concentration.

3. Do some accent training

Are you easily confused by unfamiliar accents? Baffled by Brits? Afraid of Aussies? Here’s an easy way to get familiar with a variety of English accents in just 30 minutes. This post on English accents features ten native speakers with ten different accents reading the same three-minute script.

4. Hit the spelling gym

English is rightly famous for its irregular spellings. As a result, it takes years of hard work to become a true spelling master in English. But in the short term, it pays to learn some of the basic spelling rules and common errors. This article introduces some common spelling mistakes in IELTS.

5. Train your eyes

Your IELTS workout needn’t be strenuous. Wordsearches are a fun way to train your eye to scan for words in a text – an essential skill for IELTS reading. The website Thewordsearch.com features hundreds of wordsearches arranged by topic. Try this one on natural disasters to get started.

6. Exercise those hand muscles: write a letter

How often do you write things by hand? It’s no wonder that many of us are unprepared for the handwritten tasks in IELTS Writing. Get out some paper and a pencil (you do own these items, right?) and practice writing a letter to a friend. Or see these letter-writing topics for inspiration. Writing a letter, of course, is a requirement in IELTS General Training.

7. Obey the data: analyse charts and graphs

Let’s face it, we’re as likely to study charts and graphs in everyday life as we are to write a letter! No wonder that some people are lost in IELTS Writing Task 1. As part of your regular IELTS workout, train your brain to analyse visual data. These tables, charts and graphs from Cliff Notes include some questions to test your understanding.

8. Find an IELTS buddy

Pairing up with an IELTS buddy is a popular way to tackle the test. Not only will your IELTS buddy provide speaking practice opportunities, you can also rely on him or her for emotional support. After all, you’re “in the same boat” (idiom)! If you haven’t found your IELTS buddy, try joining our Google+ community to connect with other users of this site.

9. Get social: talk to strangers

An IELTS buddy is good to have, but you’ll be meeting the IELTS examiner for the first time (unless the examiner is also your IELTS teacher – it happens!) Are you comfortable talking to strangers? If not, put yourself in situations that force you to talk to new people. The objective should be to perfect your self-introduction. Have coffee with a stranger, for example, or attend that big party next weekend. That’s right, we said party!

10. The ultimate IELTS workout: an IELTS Speaking practice test

Sometimes the fastest way to learn is by doing. My online IELTS Speaking practice test takes 30 minutes and gives you a complete test, a breakdown of your score, and some tips for improvement. Looking for immediate results from your IELTS workout? You’ll learn more by practicing with me for 30 minutes than by studying from a textbook for three hours – guaranteed!

This article is brought to you by IELTS Academic, your online resource for IELTS practice questions, model answers and study tips. To see all currently available IELTS Writing or Speaking practice tests, visit our store.

The post IELTS in 30 Minutes! Your Daily IELTS Workout appeared first on IELTS Academic.

More than two million IELTS tests are taken each year and the average candidate’s score is around 6.0. The score needed to enter a university course is typically 6.5 to 7.5.

But some candidates went beyond the call of duty and achieved IELTS 8.0 or 8.5. How did they do it? We asked, and here’s what they said.

Kanako from Japan, IELTS 8.0

I took the test five times and my highest overall score was 8.0 (9 9 7 7). The reason why I took the test so many times is because I got 6.0 or 6.5 for Writing at the first four attempts but I needed to get 7.0. In the end it almost drove me crazy but I did it. I probably did more than twenty Writing practice tests but it was worth it. I asked for feedback from different people including some friends who are native speakers and professional writing coaches such as this website. The range of feedback was surprising! Sometimes it was: Well done this looks fine to me! But I tried to listen more carefully for the criticism. The most important thing I learned was how to organise the essay into four clear paragraphs because I believe that structure is the first thing the examiner notices. I’m sure that was the key to getting 7.0.

Anna from Russia, IELTS 8.5

My overall score was 8.5 with 9 for Reading and Listening, 8.5 for Speaking and 7.5 for Writing. For Speaking: just keep talking! Whatever! As long as it is grammatically correct, the examiner doesn’t really want to know the details of your biography or what you truly think of the topic. They want to hear you speak. I was asked about public buildings. Yeah, right, I can’t sleep without thinking about public buildings. I recite poems about public buildings every day and sometimes at night. NOT! So I just launched an endless speech inventing things but trying to stick to the subject and connect all the ideas that came to mind to the public buildings, bless them It worked. Dont try to use texts you learned by heart. You must sound as natural as possible. For this, read out loud, talk to yourself (yes, ignore haters:)), watch movies and don’t be afraid! And under no circumstances say “I don’t know” and then stop. Say instead: Hmm, I have never given it a thought, but this is an interesting idea. I would say… and blah-blah-blah!

Pie from Thailand, IELTS 8.5

I took the test a few years back and the score was 8.5 with a 9 in both Reading and Listening. I personally relied on neither tricks nor techniques at the time. With that said, I realized later that I should have, especially for the speaking and writing sections. I believe the key for those two parts is to make sure you don’t steer away from the given topic and the best way to do so is to answer positively if and when you can. By that I mean if asked whether you agree or disagree, try not to go with the latter and when asked to describe something, for example your favorite toy, don’t say that you don’t/didn’t have one.

Liz from Romania, IELTS 8.5

I finally scored 9 9 8 8 for my IELTS exam and now I’m waiting for my visa to be processed. The help I got from IELTS Academic with my Writing tasks and Speaking practice was great. What was the secret? Practice practice practice! I took many full tests at home, I timed myself, sat down and did Listening, Reading and Writing without moving, just like at the real exam. I also learnt special language requested in different topics in the Speaking exam. The Writing practice tests I took with IELTS Academic helped me to realise what I was doing wrong, and made a big difference for my overall score. I remember reading my first essays, then comparing them to my latest. Huge improvement. I also created the best conditions for myself before the exam, I slept as good as I could one week before, tried to keep calm and don’t exhaust myself, and really, the last time I took it I KNEW that I had done my very best and that it was hard to go any higher. A newcomer should take into consideration EVERY variable he/she can and not leave anything to chance.

So there’s your answer: there’s no single way to crush IELTS and achieve a Band 8 score. The candidates above all put in different amounts of effort, for sure.

Interestingly, all four candidates achieved the highest possible score of Band 9 in Listening and Reading, which suggests they already had an excellent understanding of English before taking the test. But they all found Writing and Speaking a bit trickier, as these sections are based on a more subjective assessment of skills.

For Writing and Speaking, the basic guide to success appears to be: (1) Get expert feedback on your Writing tasks and analyse what factors help to improve your score. (2) Maintain a positive outlook in Speaking and say as much as you can.

The post How We Crushed IELTS! Secrets of an 8.5 Score appeared first on IELTS Academic.

Udemy is an online video platform that allows teachers to upload courses on any subject. Unsurprisingly, it’s a great place to look for IELTS courses. But first, what are the advantages of an online IELTS course versus a good textbook or language school? Well, it gives you:

• Lecture-style instruction. Because not everyone learns well from books.
• Flexibility. Study at your own pace and review as many times as you like.
• Choice. Access to the world’s best teachers, not just those who live locally.

What’s more, Udemy runs regular flash sales, so you can snap up several courses at a steep discount for later review. But with no restrictions on who can upload a course, how do you know if you’re choosing the right online IELTS course for you?

Luckily, there a few things to help you decide. There’s a ratings system, as you’d expect. However, as well as the rating, consider the number of enrollments and reviews. An average rating of 4/5 from 50 students is always going to be better than a 5/5 rating from one student (especially if that one ‘student’ is the teacher’s mother!)

Pay careful attention to the volume of material you’re getting too, as Udemy courses can vary from one hour up to 50 hours or more. If it’s an IELTS Writing course, does it come with sample answers you can download? If it’s an IELTS Listening course, what is the quality of the audio?

Finally, use Udemy’s preview function to check out the quality of the teacher’s presentation. Are they an engaging speaker? What accent do they speak with? Is the sound quality OK?

Our Top-Rated IELTS Courses at Udemy

So, here they are. We’ve ranked the best IELTS courses at Udemy, factoring in the number of enrolled students, number of reviews, average rating, course length and quality. To ensure you get the best results, we’ve only included courses that have at least 50 reviews and an average rating of at least 4.0 stars.

We focus here on courses that provide applicable skills and strategies, especially in IELTS Writing & Speaking. Courses that offer only general guidance about the test format and question types were eliminated, as this information is freely available elsewhere.

Mastering IELTS Writing: Task 1

Mastering IELTS Writing: Task 2

These are two of the top-rated IELTS courses at Udemy, and it’s not hard to see why. They each offer around five hours of video and, unlike most textbooks, are structured around the IELTS scoring criteria. The instructor walks you through model answers, pointing out the exact words and phrases that contribute to a higher score. You’ll get complete preparation for both tasks, though Task 1 doesn’t include the General Training module.

Best for: Anyone hoping to improve their score in the IELTS Academic Writing module. Preview the Task 1 or Task 2 course.

Advanced IELTS Writing Process by Melbourne English

We’ve featured this Udemy course before at IELTS Academic. It’s certainly one of the best for sharpening your essay-writing skills in order to achieve a score of 7 or above. This course is structured around different essay types such as Discursive and Problem-Solution. It also includes an eight-step method that you can apply to any question. This short course focuses only on Task 2, so it’s applicable to both Academic and General Training modules.

Best for: IELTS candidates looking for advanced essay-writing techniques. Preview this course.

IELTS Speaking Masterclass

The ideal course if you want to watch examples of how to apply IELTS speaking strategies in practice. Most of the strategies are designed to help you achieve IELTS 7 or higher. Video quality is good and it features a variety of model students. At just two hours in length, this course doesn’t waste your time and gets straight to the test tips.

Best for: IELTS test-takers looking for quick and practical speaking tips. Preview this course.

Mastering IELTS Speaking: The Express Course

This is a lecture-style course in which an instructor guides you through each type of question in IELTS Speaking, helping you to understand exactly what you need to do in order to score highly. It offers more depth and insight than the course above, though at the same time it is lighter on model answers. The instructor clearly knows his subject and gives you examiner-level insights into the scoring criteria. Highly recommended.

Best for: Anyone who needs in-depth advice to improve their IELTS Speaking score. Preview this course.

IELTS Vocabulary: Learn 300 Essential Words for IELTS

Video might seem an unusual medium for vocabulary study, but there are many people who learn more easily by listening (aural learners) than from a textbook or app. This eight-hour course is well designed and narrated, and it’s fast-paced so that you never get bored. Most academic subject areas are covered, and you can download all the words for reference. Again, this course is rated highly by a large number of students.

Best for: Aural learners struggling to expand their vocabulary. Preview this course.

IELTS Band 7+ Complete Prep Course

This course has the second highest number of ratings on Udemy, though the title may be a bit misleading. It’s not really a course designed for advanced learners. What it offers instead is a complete introduction to the Academic modules of IELTS. It comes with a massive 23 hours of video and plenty of downloadable resources. However, most of the lectures are voiceover-only and the pace can be slow at times.

Best for: IELTS candidates who want to take their time to understand every aspect of the test. Preview this course.

So, there it is. Hope this article saves you some time and effort in locating the best online IELTS course at Udemy. Or, if you prefer to study one-to-one with a private tutor, don’t forget we offer individual IELTS Writing and Speaking practice tests right here.

The post Ranked! The Best Online IELTS Courses at Udemy appeared first on IELTS Academic.

It’s been a great year for IELTS Academic with the launch of online lessons and more than 30,000 fans reached on Facebook. We’re now helping more than 100,000 people every month achieve the IELTS score they need to study or work in another country.

In case you discovered IELTS Academic recently, here are the top ten most viewed posts published during 2015. Did you miss any?

Number 1

IELTS Writing Task 2: Discuss Both Views Essay with Sample Answer

You all wanted to know the secret of high-scoring IELTS Writing answers. This Task 2 answer discussed the controversial issue of free trade.

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Number 2

IELTS Writing Task 1: Natural Process Diagram with Sample Answer

Process diagrams seem to cause panic and distress in IELTS candidates. Hence the need to seek comfort in model answers like this one.

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Number 3

IELTS Writing Task 1: Map Diagram with Sample Answer

Note how the top three is composed entirely of IELTS Writing model answers. We can certainly see a pattern emerging here!

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Number 4

Do You Make These 8 Common Mistakes in IELTS?

Do you ever get the feeling that you’re doing something wrong? No, I don’t mean that thing! I mean in IELTS!

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Number 5

Do You Know This IELTS Vocabulary?

This post was a fun way to measure how much vocabulary you actually know. Were you a word wizard or is it time to learn up?

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Number 6

IELTS Speaking Practice Test 5: Money

It seems like money is never far from your mind. Especially when someone is asking you all these tough questions about it.

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Number 7

IELTS Writing Task 2: Two-part Question with Sample Answer

Did you know that the United Nations celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2015? You would have known if you’d read this Task 2 model answer.

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Number 8

Write Amazing IELTS Essays Like This IELTS Teacher

In September, I introduced you to an instructor with a great method for teaching IELTS Writing. His course is still available on Udemy.

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Number 9

IELTS Speaking Tips: How to Achieve 7.0

I know many of you are struggling to get from Band 6 to Band 7 in IELTS Speaking. This post offered five ways to hack the assessment criteria.

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Number 10

What’s the Best IELTS Course for Beginners?

The tenth most popular post in 2015 introduced a process to follow if you’re completely new to IELTS, and a link to a great beginner course.

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Final Message

Well, that ends a great year! You may have noticed other new content on this website, including four new pages of IELTS tips and two IELTS practice tests. You can access all of this content from the top menu.

There is much more to come in 2016, including more IELTS vocabulary and more IELTS Reading practice. Good luck to everyone taking IELTS next year!

The post Top 10 Posts on IELTS Academic in 2015 appeared first on IELTS Academic.