Simone Braverman

Simone Braverman is the founder of IELTS-Blog.com and the author of several renowned IELTS preparation books, including Ace the IELTS, Target Band 7, the High Scorer's Choice practice test series, and IELTS Success Formula. Since 2005, Simone has been committed to making IELTS preparation accessible and effective through her books and online resources. Her work has helped 100,000's of students worldwide achieve their target scores and live their dream lives. When Simone isn't working on her next IELTS book, video lesson, or coaching, she enjoys playing the guitar or rollerblading.

IELTS on low budget – free resources

These days there are many kinds of IELTS help available – courses, books, private tutors, etc. The one thing they all have in common is that they cost a lot of money. IELTS preparation can be expensive – but it doesn’t have to be.

The good news is that you can prepare yourself for IELTS and it will cost you almost nothing. All you need is one good IELTS study book and a lot of practice. You see, IELTS is the type of exam where good English doesn’t mean success; even native speakers can fail. Preparing for IELTS doesn’t mean learning English – it mostly means learning all the tricks and traps that IELTS is famous for. Be ready, aware and watching for them, IELTS is one wicked test.

Anyone who wants to get a high band score in IELTS must expect several weeks of daily training. I came across certain books that promise to get you ready in 5 hours. Well, wake up! Have you ever done something meaningful in your life in just 5 hours? Maybe if you’re genius it would work, but regular people like me and you have to study for a month (and then, of course, we ace the test!).

Now after I’ve told you what doesn’t work, let me tell you what does. First, read the IELTS-blog tips and get to know what to expect during the IELTS exam. Second, use the free online IELTS-like tests to practice on – all the links in the right sidebar. This really is a goldmine, because free IELTS tests are hard to find, usually they cost money.

But don’t let that stop you, if you need to practice more – go ahead and buy more IELTS practice tests, it is money well spent. Another suggestion is to make a regular IELTS study plan and follow it religiously. Work every day for at least 3 hours, but don’t forget to take a day off once a week.

Click here for more IELTS preparation tips.

Speaking at a glance

This is the fun part of the test, for many reasons. You get to rest before it, you are a little tired from the 3 previous parts and it makes you more relaxed. The examiners are trained to smile no matter what, so you feel as if you were speaking to your best friend.

The first sub-part of Speaking test is an interview, which means that the examiner asks you questions about yourself, your work, studies, parents, brothers/sisters, pets, etc. This is an easy task to prepare for.

In the second sub-part of Speaking test you receive a card with 3-4 questions. After one minute, that you have to think about something to say, you should give a short speech for one to two minutes, which answers those questions. In the end the examiner might ask you a couple of additional follow-up questions.

In the third sub-part of the test you have a discussion with examiner. The topic is somehow related to the one from section two, but it is about more abstract ideas. You have to express and justify an opinion.
The examiner will record your session on tape. Don’t worry about it; the recording is to test the examiner and not you.

Click here for more Speaking tips

Click here for IELTS Speaking samples – listen to real students answering real IELTS questions.