IELTS Academic & General Training

Go from Band 5 to Band 7+ in 8 weeks

Better IELTS gives you real exam practice and AI writing feedback for all four skills — Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking.

  • UK / Canada / Australia visa
  • University admission
  • Professional registration
  • Permanent residency

No credit card required · Cancel anytime

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Your Band Score Journey

Last 3 months
Listening
5.57+1.5
Reading
5.56.5+1.0
Writing
56.5+1.5
Speaking
5.57+1.5

Common band targets

Band 6.5

Most UK visas

Band 7.0

Top universities

Band 7.5

Medical & legal

Band 8.0

Academic research

Today's recommended task

Writing Task 2 — Argument Essay

40 min · AI feedback included

+1.5bands

Average improvement

among students who complete 8 weeks

40questions

Per skill section

matching the real IELTS exam format

165minutes

Full mock test

Listening · Reading · Writing · Speaking

140+countries

Accept IELTS scores

for visas, study and immigration

How Better IELTS works

Most IELTS failures come from practising the wrong things. Our structured system fixes that.

Step 01

Diagnose your weaknesses

A 20-minute test identifies exactly which question types are costing you bands.

e.g. "You drop 4+ marks on TFNG questions and Task 2 Task Response"

Step 02

Follow a personalised plan

Your plan targets weak areas first with band-appropriate practice — not generic exercises.

7-day rolling plan, adjusts as you improve

Step 03

Practice with real exam format

Every exercise mirrors the real exam format. Writing gets AI feedback scored against all four marking criteria.

40+ Reading tests · 20+ Listening tests · AI Writing feedback

Step 04

Sit a full mock test

A full 165-minute mock test shows your predicted band per skill and where you stand before the real exam.

Listening · Reading · Writing · Speaking — all in one session

Master all four IELTS skills

IELTS tests Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking separately. Each skill has its own format, timing, and scoring rules. Here's exactly what you'll face.

Reading

60 min · 40 questions
  • True / False / Not Given
  • Matching headings & features
  • Multiple choice (MCQ)
  • Fill in the blanks
  • Short answer questions

Exam tip

Learn to skim for gist and scan for detail — most candidates run out of time because they read every word.

Passage 3 is always the hardest — practise it first.

Listening

40 min · 40 questions
  • Section 1: Social conversation
  • Section 2: Monologue (non-academic)
  • Section 3: Academic discussion
  • Section 4: Academic lecture
  • Note & form completion

Exam tip

Read the questions before each section starts — you get 30–45 seconds to preview them.

Section 4 has no break. It's the hardest.

Writing

60 min · 2 tasks
AI feedback
  • Task 1 (20 min, 150 words min): Describe a chart, graph, process, or map
  • Task 2 (40 min, 250 words min): Opinion, discussion, or problem-solution essay
  • Marked on: Task Achievement
  • Marked on: Coherence & Cohesion
  • Marked on: Lexical Resource + Grammar

Exam tip

Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1 — always start with Task 2 to protect your time.

AI feedback on all 4 marking criteria included.

Speaking

11–14 min · 3 parts
  • Part 1 (4–5 min): Familiar topics — family, work, hobbies
  • Part 2 (3–4 min): Cue card — 1 min prep, 2 min long turn
  • Part 3 (4–5 min): Abstract discussion, opinions, speculation
  • Marked on: Fluency & Coherence
  • Marked on: Pronunciation + Lexical Range + Grammar

Exam tip

The examiner is not testing your opinions — they're testing your English. Disagree confidently.

Record yourself on every practice session.

What does your band score mean?

IELTS is scored from 1 to 9 in half-band increments. Your overall score is the average of all four skills, rounded to the nearest 0.5.

Different institutions set different requirements. A UK study visa typically needs 6.0–6.5, while a top medical school may require 7.5 in every skill.

Find your target band
9Band

Expert User

Full operational command. Appropriate, accurate, fluent.

8Band

Very Good User

Fully operational command. Occasional inaccuracies.

  • Academic research roles
  • Senior academic entry
7.5Band

Good User+

Target tier

Good command in most situations.

  • Medical / nursing registration
  • Legal professions
7Band

Good User

Target tier

Operational command with occasional inaccuracies.

  • Top universities (Oxford, Cambridge, LSE)
  • Australian skilled visa
6.5Band

Competent User+

Generally effective command despite inaccuracies.

  • Most UK study visas
  • Canadian Express Entry
  • RCUK universities
6Band

Competent User

Generally effective command with noticeable errors.

  • UK Skilled Worker visa
  • New Zealand residence
5.5Band

Modest User

Partial command of the language.

Real students, real results

Thousands of IELTS candidates have achieved their target band with Better IELTS. Here are some of their stories.

I had been stuck at Band 6 for two attempts. Better IELTS helped me identify exactly where I was losing marks in writing. I scored 7.5 on my third attempt — I couldn't believe it!
Priya Sharma

Priya Sharma

India · Writing Task 2 Masterclass

Band

67.5

The reading strategies transformed my approach completely. I went from rushing through passages to feeling calm and methodical. My score jumped from 5.5 to 7.0 in two months.
Carlos Mendez

Carlos Mendez

Colombia · IELTS Reading Mastery

Band

5.57

The mock tests are incredibly realistic. After doing five full mocks on this platform, the actual exam felt like just another practice session. Band 8 for reading!
Mei-Ling Zhang

Mei-Ling Zhang

China · Full Mock Test Centre

Band

6.58

The vocabulary module is exceptional. Learning words in context with example sentences made them actually stick. My lexical resource score went from 5.5 to 7.5.
Ahmed Al-Rashid

Ahmed Al-Rashid

UAE · IELTS Vocabulary Builder

Band

67.5

Speaking was my biggest fear. The Part 2 technique I learned here — structuring the cue card with a simple framework — completely transformed my confidence in the exam room.
Natasha Ivanova

Natasha Ivanova

Russia · IELTS Speaking Confidence

Band

67

Already at Band 7, I wasn't sure how much more improvement was possible. The advanced grammar course and detailed feedback on my writing helped me hit 8.5. Absolutely incredible.
James Okonkwo

James Okonkwo

Nigeria · Grammar for Band 7+

Band

78.5

Don't leave it too late

Your visa deadline won't wait.
Start preparing today.

Whether you need Band 6.5 for a UK visa or Band 7.5 for medical registration, every week you delay is a week of preparation you'll miss.

  • IELTS test dates book up 6–8 weeks in advance
  • Most visa applications need results within 2 years

Free plan · No credit card · Cancel anytime

Recent student results

Amara K.

UK Nursing Registration

5.57

9 weeks

Wei L.

University of Melbourne

67.5

11 weeks

Tariq M.

Academic research program

6.58

8 weeks