IELTS Study Roadmap

✨ Every expert was once a beginner. Your journey starts here! ✨

Your IELTS Journey

From Beginner to Band 9 — A Complete Interactive Guide

Skills to Master

Learning Levels

12+

Weeks Journey

50+

Resources

👂

Listening

📖

Reading

✍️

Writing

🎤

Speaking

🎯

Phase 1: Foundation Building

Weeks 1-4

Build your core English skills and understand the IELTS format.

Progress Foundation

📚

Daily Vocabulary Building

Learn 10-15 new words daily using flashcard apps

🎧

Active Listening Practice

30 mins/day with BBC Learning English podcasts

📝

Grammar Fundamentals

Review tenses, articles, and sentence structures

Cambridge IELTS Books Duolingo BBC Learning

📈

Phase 2: Core Skills

Weeks 5-8

Develop each IELTS skill with targeted practice.

👂

Listening Skills

• Practice with real IELTS audio at 0.75x speed first
• Focus on keywords and signpost words
• Tip: Listen twice - first for gist, then for details

Example: When you hear "however," "nevertheless," or "on the other hand," expect a contrasting idea coming next!

📖

Reading Skills

• Skim passages in 2-3 minutes before answering
• Underline keywords in questions first
• Tip: Don't read every word - scan for information

Example: For True/False/Not Given, if the passage says "Most scientists agree..." and the question states "All scientists believe...", this is FALSE.

IELTS Liz (YouTube) ReadTheory.org

✨

Phase 3: Production Skills

Weeks 9-12

Master Writing and Speaking with structured practice.

✍️

Writing Task 2 Structure

1 Introduction: Paraphrase + Thesis (40-50 words)

2 Body 1: Topic sentence + Example + Explanation

3 Body 2: Counter-argument or additional point

4 Conclusion: Summarize + Final thought

Power phrases: "It is widely believed that...", "This trend can be attributed to...", "A compelling example of this is..."

🎤

Speaking Part 2 Strategy

Use PAST framework:

• Point - State your main topic
• Amplify - Add details and descriptions
• Support - Give examples/reasons
• Think ahead - Conclude naturally

Example: "I'd like to talk about my favorite book... (P) It's a science fiction novel... (A) What makes it special is... (S) I remember when I first read it..."

Write & Improve (Cambridge) ELSA Speak App

🎯

Advanced Vocabulary

Band 6-7 Focus

Move beyond basic vocabulary to achieve higher band scores.

🔤

Academic Word List (AWL)

Master 570 essential academic words

🎭

Collocations & Idioms

Learn natural word combinations: "make progress," "reach a conclusion"

📊

Topic-Specific Vocabulary

Environment, Technology, Education, Health

📌 Vocabulary Upgrade Examples

❌ "very big"

✅ "substantial"

❌ "a lot of"

✅ "numerous"

❌ "important"

✅ "significant/crucial"

❌ "show"

✅ "demonstrate/illustrate"

Anki Flashcards Vocabulary.com

⚡

Speed & Accuracy Training

Time Management

Master time management for each section.

👂

Listening

30 min + 10 transfer

📖

Reading

20 min per passage

✍️

Writing

Task 1: 20 | Task 2: 40

🎤

Speaking

11-14 minutes total

💡 Pro Tip: In Reading, if you can't find an answer in 90 seconds, mark it and move on. Come back if time permits!

📝

Writing Task 1 Mastery

Data Description

Master graphs, charts, maps, and process diagrams.

📊 Line Graph Language

• Rise: increased, grew, rose, climbed, surged

• Fall: decreased, declined, dropped, plummeted

• Stable: remained steady, plateaued, leveled off

🗺️ Map Comparison

"The most striking change is...", "The area has undergone significant transformation...", "A notable development is the addition of..."

IELTS Simon E2Language

🏆

Band 8-9 Strategies

Excellence Level

Fine-tune your skills for top band scores.

🎯

Coherence & Cohesion

Master sophisticated linking: "In light of this...", "This notwithstanding...", "Given the aforementioned..."

🔬

Complex Grammar

Use inversion, cleft sentences, and mixed conditionals naturally

💎

Lexical Resource

Use less common vocabulary with natural precision

✨ Band 9 Sentence Examples

• "Not only does this phenomenon affect..., but it also has far-reaching implications for..."

• "What makes this particularly concerning is the rate at which..."

• "Had the government implemented stricter measures, the outcome might have been markedly different."

🎤

Speaking Part 3 Excellence

Abstract Discussion

Master extended discussion and abstract reasoning.

🗣️ Advanced Response Structure

1 State position: "I firmly believe that..." / "From my perspective..."

2 Elaborate: "The primary reason for this is..."

3 Example: "A case in point would be..."

4 Counter-argument: "Having said that..."

5 Conclude: "On balance, I would say..."

💡 Key: Examiners want to hear you think aloud. Phrases like "Let me think about this...", "That's an interesting question..." buy you thinking time while sounding natural!

🚀

Final Preparation

Test Week

Optimize your performance in the final days.

📅

Week Before Test

• Take 2-3 full practice tests under exam conditions
• Review common mistakes from practice
• Sleep well - at least 8 hours each night
• Reduce study intensity - trust your preparation

🌅

Test Day

• Light breakfast, stay hydrated
• Arrive 30 minutes early
• Bring ID, confirmation, pencils, eraser
• Stay calm - you've prepared for this!

🌟 You've got this! Trust your preparation! 🌟

📚 Essential Resources

🆓 Free Resources

British Council IELTS
IELTS Liz (YouTube)
BBC Learning English
TED Talks (Listening)
Write & Improve (Cambridge)

📱 Apps

ELSA Speak (Pronunciation)
Anki (Flashcards)
Magoosh IELTS
IELTS Prep App (BC)
Grammarly (Writing)

📖 Books

Cambridge IELTS 14-18
Barron's IELTS Superpack
Collins IELTS Grammar
Road to IELTS
Official Cambridge Guide

IELTS Roadmap