Gary
Bonar

This page contains all the information and links you will need to prepare yourself for the IELTS exam. If something is not clear or you find a broken link please let me know.

For the ITI "L. Cobianchi" students this page shows the material covered in each lesson. If you miss a lesson make sure you check this page to catch up.

IELTS is the International English Language Testing System. It measures ability to communicate in English across all four language skills – listening, reading, writing and speaking – for people who intend to study or work where English is the language of communication. IELTS is recognised by universities in many countries, including Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA and the UK, for course admission.

For information about the test in Italian see this page.

For official information in English about the test see this page. For more detailed information you can download the 22 page official handbook here (English 1.5MB PDF).

If you are familiar with the Common European Framework or the Cambridge English Tests then this tables shows the corresponding levels.

This page gives you important advice about the LISTENING section.

This page of Tips for Students has some very important advice about the READING section.

This page gives you important advice about the WRITING section.

This page gives you important information about the SPEAKING test and here is a list of what you should and shouldn't do.

Cambridge publish a series of authentic practice tests. The latest is Cambridge IELTS 6

This page has some sample questions from each section of the exam.

Many of the sites listed below in the Useful Web Sites section have sample questions.

IELTS Specific Sites

This Australian web site is an excellent resource to help you prepare for the exam. It has study guides and videos. I suggest you download the series guides (series 1 series 2) and follow the episodes in sequence. If you have problems watching the streaming videos then this site has links to download them.

This IELTS web site of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University has some excellent practice material. The site seems to work best in Internet Explorer.

This IELTS Blog has a large amount of sample questions and answers.

General Sites

This British Council web site has some useful listening activities. Download the script first and try to answer the questions while you listen.

It may seem obvious but you must know the sounds of the alphabet in English, especially the vowel sounds (a e i o u). To refresh your memory go to this page.

If you are in front of a computer most of the day and you are able to listen to the radio then try one of the English language stations available through this site. Remember that it is not important that you understand everything, but you must listen to English everyday so that you become more accustomed to the rhythms and intonations of the language. The more you listen the easier it will be for you to improve your speaking ability.

More information coming soon!