Free IELTS study resources
300+ short, practical vocabulary, grammar, and strategy guides for Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking — not another question bank.
IELTS language bank: Task 1 Bar Charts
Bar charts compare discrete categories rather than track change over time, and that calls for an entirely different toolkit — ranking, multiplier, and grouping language — from the trend verbs a line graph needs. Here's the full range for describing that comparison precisely.
9 min readWritingIELTS language bank: Task 1 Pie Charts
Pie charts describe proportions of a single whole, which calls for share language and zero-sum comparison — an entirely different toolkit from a line graph's movement verbs or a bar chart's ranking language. Here's the full range for describing segments precisely, without simply listing every percentage in turn.
9 min readWritingIELTS language bank: Task 1 Tables
Tables carry the most raw data and the least visual guidance of any Task 1 chart type, so the language needed is less about a single kind of movement and more about referencing specific rows, columns, and figures precisely while selecting only what actually matters.
9 min readWritingIELTS language bank: Task 1 Maps
Maps typically show change between two time points across a physical space, and that calls for spatial and transformation language found nowhere else in Task 1 — location, direction, and the passive constructions for describing what was built, demolished, or replaced.
9 min readWritingIELTS language bank: Task 1 Processes and Diagrams
Process diagrams describe a repeating sequence, not a trend — here's the passive-voice and stage-transition language they specifically require, richly exemplified.
8 min readWritingIELTS language bank: Task 1 Mixed Charts
When a Task 1 prompt combines two chart types, the real test is synthesis — here's how to signpost between charts and find the one comparison that connects them.
8 min readWritingIELTS language bank: Formal Synonyms for Common Words
Beyond a vocabulary list — formal alternatives to the words that quietly cap weaker Task 2 essays, with register notes on when the upgrade helps and when it reads as stiff.
8 min readWritingIELTS language bank: Academic Word List Overview
Not a word dump — a genuine orientation to how the AWL is built, why its sublists matter strategically, and how to practise using its words correctly rather than just inserting them.
8 min readSpeakingIELTS language bank: Idioms Safe to Use in Speaking
A genuinely safe, natural set of idioms for Speaking only — not Writing — grouped by function, with a clear warning about which idiom types backfire.
8 min readWritingIELTS language bank: Common False Friends and Mistranslations
Genuinely documented false friends and direct-translation calques that recur across IELTS candidates — real, specific confusions, not invented examples.
8 min readWritingIELTS language bank: Describing Trends (General)
Distinct from chart vocabulary — idiomatic, hedged language for discussing a societal or economic trend in Task 2 and Speaking Part 3, without borrowing Task 1's data-precise verbs.
8 min readReadingReading: Skimming vs. Scanning, and When to Use Each
Skimming and scanning are opposite tools, not one blurry "read fast" technique. Here's what each is actually for, how they combine with paraphrase recognition, and a sequence for using both on a real passage.
6 min readReadingReading: Time Management Across Three Passages
60 minutes, 40 questions, three passages that get harder as you go. Here's a concrete per-passage budget, how to notice you're falling behind early, and what to actually do about it.
6 min readReadingReading: Recognising Paraphrase
The skill that separates strong Reading scores from weak ones: recognising the same idea in different words. Here's every major paraphrase pattern IELTS uses, with a full worked example for each.
6 min readReadingReading: Dealing with Unfamiliar Vocabulary
Unfamiliar words show up in every passage — here's a fast, repeatable process for deciding which ones actually need solving, and which can be safely skipped.
7 min readReadingReading: Locating Answers Efficiently (Question Order vs. Passage Order)
Most Reading question types follow the passage's order and a few deliberately don't — here's how to search each kind so you never waste time re-scanning ground you've already covered.
7 min readReadingReading: Academic vs. General Training Differences
Same 60 minutes, same 40 questions, genuinely different structure — here's exactly how Academic's three standalone passages differ from GT's three escalating sections, and what that means for your time budget.
8 min readReadingReading: Multiple Choice Elimination Strategy
A systematic, checkable elimination process for Reading Multiple Choice — how to rule out distractors one at a time instead of guessing which option 'feels' right.
8 min readReadingReading: Common Traps and Distractors, Summarised
Five specific trap patterns the passage-writer deliberately builds into Reading questions — recognise them as they happen, not just afterward in review.
8 min readReadingReading: Reviewing a Practice Test Effectively
Finishing a practice test is only half the work — here's a structured way to review your errors so each test actually changes your next result.
8 min read