Study Material for IELTS

IELTS Study Materials for the General Training Module

The Two Modules of the IELTS

The Academic and General Training modules are the two versions that the test is available in. You need to take the Academic module if you are planning to study at the undergraduate level or higher, in an English speaking country. The General Training version on the other hand, is usually required for study below the undergraduate level; or if you are planning to get work experience or undergo training in an English speaking country.

The Listening and Speaking tests are the same for both modules but the Reading and Writing tests are different. These two tests require a higher level of English if you are taking the Academic module. In the General Training module for instance, the Writing test tasks may be done in a more personal style as compared to the Academic module, in which the tasks must be done in a formal style. Similarly, in the General Training Reading test, the topcs are of the type you can expect in regular everyday and work-related scenarios. This is in contrast to the topics given in the Academic Reading test, which are usually on academic matters. Since the Listening and Speaking tests are the same, you can expect the questions to be at a reasonable level of difficulty and hence you need to prepare accordingly. The following is a review of the free study material that you can avail of to help you prepare for the General Training module:

Review of Free Study Materials for IELTS

1. LearnIELTS

This company offers material on the different sections of the test and also  helpful hints, practice tests and exercises. You need to register and log in to this site before you can download any of the free study material. You can download the preparation books by Cambridge and Oxford Universities. The material also focuses on the Listening and Speaking tests of the IELTS, which you will need if you are taking the General Training module. It offers free practice tests also to help you gain confidence in attempting the actual test. The material covers a large portion of what you need to study for the test and you can get it all from one place. The link is http://www.learnielts.com/ielts-free-material.htm.

2. IELTS-Worldwide

This company also offers a good choice of free study materials. Its selection of material on grammar is especially extensive. The subjects range from nouns and pronouns to other topics on English grammar. You do not need all of it if you are planning to take the General Training module but you can strengthen the foundations of grammar with the help of this material. The link is http://www.ielts-worldwide.com/free-study-material-on-ielts.htm.

3. IELTSHelpNow

This company offers free material that you can use for each test of the General Training module. For the General Training Writing test, there are separate tutorials for the first and second tasks. The company also offers free practice  tests that you can use to increase your confidence while taking the actual test. The link that you can use to access this is http://www.ieltshelpnow.com/free_ielts_lessons.html.

You can get free but invaluable help from a teacher or a friend who is proficient in English. You can hold conversations in English with them, on such topics as you can expect in the test. Ask them to correct any mistakes you make and take their criticism with a positive spirit. With all this free aid available; you should be able to prepare well for the test. You can take the help of this material and focus on those aspects of the test that are more difficult for you. If you use a planned approach to prepare, there is no reason for you not to score well in the test.