It is not necessary to attend an IELTS Preparation Course before taking the test, but you can prepare using preparation material. The material will give you some idea of your level and familiarise you with the format of the test.

There are 4 different books of preparation material, which can be ordered at our online payment store. Each book is £15 (UK mainland only).

Descriptions of these books are given below.

Official IELTS Practice Material (with CD)

Written by Cambridge English Language Assessment examiners and material writers with many years of experience preparing the IELTS tests, the Official IELTS Practice Materials uses tested materials approved by the IELTS partners: the British Council, Cambridge English Language Assessment and IDP: IELTS Australia.
These practice materials will help you familiarise yourself with each of the tests. You can learn about how each of the tests is assessed and pick up some valuable tips. The book contains:

• Practice tests for listening, speaking, academic reading and writing, general training reading and writing
• Listening, reading and writing answer sheets
• Listening and reading practice test answer keys and listening tapescripts
• Sample candidate writing responses and examiners comments
• Sample candidate speaking tests and examiners comments

The CD has 5 listening tracks for you to practice and three examples of students taking the Speaking test.

Official IELTS Practice Material 2 (with DVD)

Official IELTS Practice Materials 2 is recommended for anyone who wants to improve their IELTS band score or test if their English is at the required level to take IELTS. It is written by Cambridge English Language Assessment examiners and material writers with many years of experience preparing IELTS tests, and uses tested materials approved by the IELTS partners: the British Council, Cambridge English Language Assessment and IDP: IELTS Australia.

• practice tests for Listening, Speaking, Academic Reading and Writing, General Training Reading and Writing
• Listening, Reading and Writing answer sheets
• Listening and Reading practice test answer keys and Listening tapescripts
• sample candidate Writing responses and examiners comments
• sample candidate Speaking tests and examiners comments

The DVD has a full speaking test for you to practice and 3 video examples of students taking the speaking test.

Top Tips for IELTS Academic

Written by IELTS material writers with many years' experience, these candidate revision guides are recommended as part of your revision for the IELTS test. They provide candidates with essential advice ('tips') for each part of the test and include: clear examples and explanations; general tips for each component to help with revision; and sections on how to revise, and what to do on the day of the test. On the CD-ROM is a full IELTS practice test; sample answers for the writing; and a video of a speaking test.

Top Tips for IELTS General Training

Written by IELTS material writers with many years' experience, these candidate revision guides are recommended as part of your revision for the IELTS test. They provide candidates with essential advice ('tips') for each part of the test and include: clear examples and explanations; general tips for each component to help with revision; and sections on how to revise, and what to do on the day of the test. On the CD-ROM is a full IELTS practice test; sample answers for the writing; and a video of a speaking test.

Online Preparation Material

The British Council has now made some preparation material available online. This includes a free practice test, how to prepare for the test and tips and advice for the test day.

You can find this material on the official IELTS website.

British Council IELTS Word Power App

British Council IELTS Word Power is a vocabulary practice app for IELTS test takers. With over 100 questions to test your word power, this app helps to build vocabulary in preparation for the IELTS test. Visit Google Play to download it.

Preparation Courses at Anglia Ruskin University

Anglia Ruskin University has an English as a Foreign Language department which run full-time and part-time preparation courses.

For more information please contact:

The English Language Studies Office
Anglia Ruskin University
East Road
Cambridge
CB1 1PT
Telephone: 0845 271 3333
International: +44 1245 493131
E-mail address: efl@anglia.ac.uk
Web address: www.anglia.ac.uk/efl