Which are the best IELTS preparation books to help you prepare for the IELTS test?
There are so many options to choose from and a lot of different information available – but here’s our pick of the best IELTS books with hints, tips, practice tests and other useful materials to improve your speaking, writing, listening and reading skills and help you achieve the band score you are aiming for.
Don’t forget, as well as IELTS test and IELTS preparation books, there are plenty of quality online resources, particularly here at the IELTS podcast!
Let’s start with the British Council IELTS preparation picks:
How to prepare for IELTS
Available in British Council test centres and selected book stores, this IELTS practice book can be used in class or for home study. It has some great features including a CD-ROM and recording transcript that contains practical preparation exercises to help you study each of the four IELTS skills.
Official IELTS Practice Materials Volume 2
The second volume of the Official IELTS Practice Materials range contains more helpful sample tests. These are designed to help you understand the IELTS test format (this is a crucial part of IELTS preparation) and help you prepare for the types of test questions you may be asked.
Vol. 2 Official IELTS Practice Materials (with DVD)
The book contains IELTS practice tests for Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing (both Academic and General Training); Listening, Reading and Writing answer sheets; Listening and Reading practice test answer keys and Listening tapescripts; sample candidate Writing responses and examiner comments; sample candidate Speaking tests and examiner comments. The DVD contains a Listening test for candidates to practise and film footage of three students taking the Speaking test.
You can purchase official IELTS sample materials from Cambridge University Press (click on the links above), or from an IELTS test centre.
The Official Cambridge IELTS Academic and General Training Practice Test materials.
Practice tests are such an important part of your test preparation and the Cambridge books have a wide range of tasks and question types as well as a lot of sample answers.
Here are some other suggestions:
Ideas for IELTS essay topics.
This has some high-level language and lots of great examples and can be ordered here.
An official IELTS progress test
could also help you monitor your study progress and decide whether you are ready to take your IELTS exam. You can find more information here.
And finally – it’s not exactly a book, but:
Road to IELTS is a useful resource. Road to IELTS is an interactive online course offering mock papers, tutorial videos, and other interactive exercises. You can download free IELTS practise papers, and if you’re registered for the test through the British Council, you can get some free videos and interactive activities.
You can also pay $50 for the full version, which includes a complete online course, over 300 activities, and ten practise tests with model and scored answers, including examiner feedback.
Why we like it:
- It’s interactive and engaging.
- Gives you great practice exams.
- Lots of free features.
Check out this New IELTS Kindle Book