IELTS Study Plan for 2 Months

Hello!

Today I’m going to share with you my IELTS study plan

to prepare for the IELTS test in two months.

Not only that, I’m actually going to give you a study plan,

if you only have one month to prepare or even just one week.

And believe it or not, I actually have a two day study plan

to help you prepare for IELTS.

Something for everyone.

Let's go and check them out.

Hi, this is Keith from the Keith Speaking Academy, helping you speak better English.

Give better answers and get a higher score on the IELTS speaking test.

So today, I’m looking at study plans to help you prepare for IELTS.

Now, as you may know, my main focus is on IELTS speaking.

But a lot of what I will discuss today can also be applied

to all four skills: speaking, writing, listening and reading.

And of course to both modules, the general IELTS and the academic IELTS modules.

So today, I’ll be looking at the following.

The two key elements of IELTS preparation.

Where you need to focus, how much time you really need to prepare for IELTS

and also what to do then, if you only have two days, one week, one month

or two months or more.

Okay?

And down there, somewhere, there is a link to my website,

where you can download these IELTS study plan pdfs for free.

Now, in an ideal world, right, you would probably have a year to prepare for IELTS.

There'd be no pressure.

You can take your time.

You'll have a teacher giving you strategies and great tips.

You could increase your level of English.

You could learn about the test

and then you could book your test and then pass the test with flying colours.

With flying colours, that means to pass the test very, very well, right?

Now that's the ideal world.

But I know that sometimes, life gets in the way, right?

You have deadlines for university application.

You have family circumstances for immigration.

That mean you need to do IELTS as soon as possible, ASAP.

ASAP, right?

Life takes over.

Which means you know, students like you,

have these limitations and they need to move quickly.

So I am here to help.

So I hope these study plans will help you prepare better for the IELTS test.

So you're not wasting time or wasting money.

So you can get the result that you need to get.

Now, when preparing for IELTS, there are two key things you need to focus on.

The first one is your overall level of English.

The second one is your understanding and knowledge of the test and how

the test works.

For the vast majority of students, right,

the most important thing is actually the first.

It's their overall level of English.

And I would recommend to students to spend probably 70% of their time

focusing on improving their overall level of English

and 30% on exam technique and maybe some exam practice.

Now, unfortunately, most students do the opposite.

They focus on the exam technique, the tips, the format

and not enough on their language skills.

You know for example, asking questions like,

“Well, how long should my answers be in part 1?”

“Which tense should I use in part 2?”

“Can I give personal examples in part 3?”

Now these are important questions, right?

But they're much less important compared to your overall ability to speak English.

That's where you should be focusing.

It's a bit like, right, if you bought a product in a shop

and the wrapping or the packaging, right, is very beautiful.

It's very attractive.

You touch it, it feels lovely.

It looks expensive and nice.

And then you open up.

And if the product itself is low quality, it's no good.

So the wrapping, it's like the tips, the little bits of

the tips and techniques of IELTS, right?

But inside, if your products, your language skills are low quality,

the examiner is not going to buy your products, right?

So focus most of your time and energy on your overall language skills.

Right.

“Okay, thank you Keith! I understand then, there's language level and there's

exam preparation. Okay.

But I still need to know how much time do I need to prepare for IELTS”

Okay.

Great question.

Let's answer it, right?

Of course, it's a bit different for everybody.

But let's say, let's imagine, right?

So there's two things, right?

There's the level of language and the test ability.

Let's imagine your level of language is already at the level you need, right?

You need a Band 7 and your language ability is already Band 7.

Then you will probably need 6 to 8 weeks to prepare for the test.

Understanding the test and doing test practice, right?

I’m talking about all 4 skills.

To understand how the writing works, to do some practice,

the reading, the listening and the same to understand how speaking works

and to do some practice.

6 to 8 weeks by and large, right?

Of course, everybody's a bit different but more or less.

Now, if your language level is not at the level you need,

so you need a Band 7 but your level is actually Band 6.

Then in addition to those 6 to 8 weeks, you will need

a lot of time to get your level, your language ability up a whole Band.

Cambridge assessment who

create the IELTS test gives some very good guidance here, right.

They say that approximately it takes 200 hours of guided learning

to move up one level on the CEFR.

One level on the CEFR like A1 to A2 or B1 to B2 is similar,

very approximately to one level in IELTS.

200 hours, right?

To go from Band 6 to a Band 7, approximately.

So that means, well, let's have a look, right?

If you study 6 hours a week, over 9 months, that will be 216 hours.

6 hours a week for 9 months, you could get up one level.

That is probably the realistic situation, right?

You could study more intensely, right?

For example, if you're studying 20 hours a week,

then in 10 weeks, you've covered 200 hours, right?

So theoretically, you could move up

that language level in 200 hours in 10 weeks, right?

On top of that, you need to do your exam preparation, right?

So remember, we're separating language ability

and preparation for the test, exam technique, okay.

That is the realistic situation.

Of course, it depends a bit on you, your learning style, your learning ability,

your background, the environment of English that you're in.

If you can immerse yourself in English or not

and the tools you have available as well.

If we're talking just about IELTS speaking, right,

if you already have the level of language you need, like Band 7,

you could probably just prepare for the test like, the test technique in a week.

You could probably understand the format and prepare for the test in a week.

I would say you'd probably need one week to understand how the speaking test works.

And at least another week of intense practice, right?

For the speaking test.

So your next question is,

“Keith, that's great! How do I know

what my language level, the real level of language ability is?”

Well, I suggest for everybody to begin your preparation with a mock test.

Now this can be a full mock test of the 4 skills

or just a mock test for your speaking skills,

if you're just focused on IELTS speaking.

The mock test can reveal your real language level ability.

The feedback you get, will tell you how much of that is language

and how much is exam technique.

For most people,

exam technique is not the biggest problem, it's language level.

But take a mock test before you start preparing and find out how you can do that.

There are some links below to some services you may want to look at,

that can help you do mock tests.

Great.

Now, let's move on to those study plans.

So let's have a look at these IELTS study plans, right?

Remember, my focus is on IELTS speaking.

So these are IELTS speaking study plans.

You can find links below to each of these plans to download them.

Let's look first of all, at two days, okay?

Now do remember, in two days,

you're not going to improve your level of English very much, if at all.

The same in a week.

You won't make much progress in English.

Over a month, yes, you can make some progress

and two months or more, definitely you can level up your English-speaking ability.

Okay.

And remember, right, I’m a big believer, not in hard work but in fun work, right?

Don't think you have to sit in a room

with a spotlight on your books for hours and hours until you have a headache.

Don't do that, right?

Make it fun.

Make sure you get materials which are fun and engaging.

So you're enjoying your studying, right?

It's fun work.

Study for half an hour, take a break.

Do another half an hour, take a break.

Do another half an hour, right?

Make it fun.

Make it light.

Because that is how you learn better.

Let's begin then with a two day study plan.

So what are you going to do in two days?

I would say, it's kind of a quick immersion, right?

Try and spend at least 3 hours each day

and basically, you're going to be looking at a quick review

of the format of the test.

Understand how part 1, 2 and 3 work.

And also get some tips, templates and strategies

that will be fresh in your head and you can probably use in your test,

in the next few days.

So the whole plan is below.

You can download that.

But just a quick overview,

these are some of the videos I would recommend, right?

And these are videos from my own YouTube channel of course.

Self-promotion.

Ah! Great.

So I would look at

“How to introduce yourself fluently”

“The Band 9 part 1 tips”

I would certainly look at part 2,

“The templates” that I have.

There's an introduction video to templates for part 2

Can be really useful.

Very quick, help you out with your part 2.

And finally, the video about part 3

“News”, is probably the best one to look at

to get up to date on part 3 and how that works.

I think the other important things to do maybe on the final day or the second day

to think about your mindset and to do a practice “Mock Test”

With your mindset, I can recommend the video about nerves and

not getting Nervous in the IELTS speaking test.

To help you get in that mindset about

“I can do this. I believe in myself. My English is good.

I’m going to enjoy this test”

Because all of that will help you relax and perform better.

And I also recommend doing a practice mock test.

Even a recorded test.

You can find them on my website,

where I interview you a recording of me interviews you and you practice answering.

It's really important to get you used to the timing of the test and

the need to respond under pressure, if you like.

So that is what I would recommend for your 2 days.

Now, your study plan for one week.

If you've got a week, okay, it's going to be similar to the two days.

But you can extend it out.

Your main focus is going to be understanding the test

but also doing practice, some test practice, right?

I would say on the first day,

look at the format and the evaluation of the test.

So I recommend the video about “How IELTS speaking is evaluated”

and also going to the IELTS website downloading the Band descriptors

and looking through those, you can look at the explanation on my website

about the Band descriptors and what they mean for you.

So you understand how you're evaluated.

I would then spend the next day looking at part 1.

The day after looking at part 2.

And the day after looking at part 3.

And then on day 5, actually on day 4, you could also download

“The 10 mistakes to avoid in IELTS speaking" book.

Because being aware of what you do and what you shouldn't do

is also very important, right?

On day 5 then,

I suggest you bring it all together, part 1, part 2, part 3

and look at lots of model answers, right?

I can recommend if you're short on time of course,

in part 1, the model answer on “Sleep” is really good with some tips.

Part 2, the model answer on a “Water sport”

and when it comes to part 3, have a look at the video on “News”

because that is another very common topic and a lot of the tips and strategies

will be useful for you there.

So on day 5, you're putting it all together, right?

And day 6, again, if it's your last day, look at your mindset,

get ready, get ready for the test psychologically.

You know, you're gonna enjoy the test and also relax.

I would suggest you know, possibly the last day,

watching a film in English, listening to a podcast,

something that puts you in a good mood.

The test is demanding.

So you know, don't burn the midnight oil the day before the test.

Don't stay up until the early hours.

No, no, no, relax.

Take it easy.

You're not going to change anything the night before

but you can change your mindset and your physical body to be relaxed.

And that way, you're going to perform better and get a higher score.

Let's move on.

Great.

So we've looked at like a two-day plan, a one-week plan.

Let's look now at preparing for IELTS speaking in a month.

Now, this is good.

Because you can move on now.

Not only looking at test technique but also developing your language.

Now to be honest, I’m going to be very honest with you.

My preference here would always be take a course, if you can, right?

Why?

Because with a course, you get guided learning.

Remember Cambridge assessment talked about

guided learning, 200 hours of guided learning?

Guided means there's a teacher guiding you.

Because otherwise, many students get lost.

They spend hours looking for the right book, the right video.

They're on YouTube.

They're scrolling.

They waste a lot of time.

A course gives you guided learning.

It gives you development of both language skills

and exam technique and tips, right?

Both which you need.

And finally a course is going to be organized and systematic, right?

Which is really important because you know you're not going to waste time

and waste money looking for the right stuff, losing your focus,

trying to find the materials and organize them yourself, right?

I mean you can do that.

But you do risk losing a lot of time and money.

That kind of bit-by-bit piecemeal approach is not great.

It's much better to have a holistic approach and a course does that for you.

Now, I’m not going to beat about the bush.

I do have a course but you can choose any course out there, right?

You don't have to choose mine.

Of course, I do have one

“IELTS speaking success. Get a Band 7+”

if that's right for you.

It doesn't matter, right?

The important thing is choose a course which is right for you.

Make sure it's high quality, it's engaging and it's fun.

So that you enjoy your learning and so IELTS is not a headache for you, right?

Now then, that's my first choice, is to do a course.

But I understand not everybody is able to buy a course, right?

Not all students are in a position to do that.

I’m a strong believer in equality of education,

educational opportunities, right?

Of course, everybody's different.

But everybody should have the same opportunity to access quality education

and unfortunately that doesn't happen but we can try and help with that.

I mean that's why I spent a large part of my career

in educational projects around the world

is looking to give people educational opportunities and equal access.

So, if you can't take a course right now, that's fine.

That's why I’ve got the study plan.

So this study plan for the month and for the two months, right?

Can help you organize in a more holistic way, the materials that you need.

So this is really the reason that I’m doing it.

So everybody can access quality education.

Let's look at the details.

So you've got four weeks in a month, right?

Is that right? Yeah.

4 weeks in a month.

In the first week, I would look at test format and part 1 of the test.

In the second week, focus on part 2.

In the third week focus on part 3

and then in the fourth week review and review and review,

bringing it together and a bit of work on the mindset as well, right?

I would say a strong focus would be getting familiar with the topics.

The common topics and subtopics of IELTS.

Subtopics are important because if for example in part 3,

when we talk about let's say technology,

there are lots of subtopics they could talk about.

Maybe it's artificial intelligence, robotics, computers, all sorts of things.

So get familiar with topics and subtopics

rather than focusing always on the questions, right?

Topics give you flexibility.

Focusing on questions, make you a bit rigid and not very flexible.

For a Band 7 you need flexibility, right?

I would focus a lot on talking on the topics and

practicing speaking and recording yourself.

As you're practicing and then listening back and seeing how you can improve.

So you're on that continual cycle

of study, record, improve, improve all the time, okay?

Do some recorded mock tests.

Again on my website, there are a lot you can do there for free,

where you're putting yourself in the position of the exam

under exam conditions and getting used to being tested.

So more or less, that would be the approach.

I think a really important thing, right, is don't compare yourself with others.

It's very tempting to go on YouTube or Facebook

and look at some mock tests of other students at Band 7 and Band 8 and you go,

“Oh! I’m better than that.

Well, that's not a Band 8. I can do much better than that”

And you compare yourself.

Don't do that.

It doesn't help you.

Compare yourself today with you yesterday, right?

Compare yourself with you making progress day by day.

Don't compare to other people.

It doesn't help you.

Doesn't help you mentally and actually, it's not accurate.

Even examiners don't compare other candidates.

They always look at the candidate and the Band descriptors.

So compare yourself to yourself.

Let's move on.

Now, last but not least is the study plan for two months, right?

And this is great.

Because in two months, again, you can really level up your English

as well as focusing on exam technique.

As I mentioned before, my number one choice here would be to follow a course,

for the reasons I explained before.

Okay.

But if you follow a study plan, again, you can download it below.

This is what it would look like for two months.

The first month would be the same as the one-month study plan, right?

The same kind of thing.

And then the second month,

each day I would choose a topic one of the common IELTS speaking topics

and focus on that topic, right?

Learn the language you need, do the practice you need on one topic each day.

So basically, it's a topic-based approach.

Now there are lots of websites out there with

different materials for different topics.

I do live lessons every week.

And on the website, there's an archive of at least 30 live lessons

you can download the notes, watch the video.

Each day focus on a topic, look at the notes and practice, right?

That is a really good way to build up your skills over the two months.

In addition, I would--

as general advice, I would say think about the learning cycle, right?

Because and this is important, right?

Study something does not equal “I know it”

So when you study something you're,

“Right, I know that”

No, you don't.

Learning is not a linear progression like, going up the stairs.

Learning is more like an up and down and up and down and up and down

a bit like the Dow Jones index.

It doesn't go in a straight line.

So you need to go around in circles and there are many

theories of learning and language learning.

There's experiential, social cognition, connectivism, social constructivism

and they all have different approaches.

But basically, this idea of a cycle is really important.

So as you're studying, think about the learning cycle and

I will share with you my very simplified

learning cycle for learning English, right?

So it starts with here.

You see or hear the language or a word in context.

Then you repeat it and you notice how to use it and then you try it out.

Speak it out.

Make sentences.

And then you review.

And you review it, I think a really good way is to test yourself.

Or by listening to it in different context,

you get feedback, and you notice that,

“Oh! I made a mistake”

And you can see how to do it correctly.

So as you're studying a different topic, day by day,

remember this learning cycle and use that as the core of your learning.

Wow!

I think I’ve just given you one of my biggest secrets there,

the learning cycle of language learning.

That can really help you I hope.

Excellent!

And a final thing I would recommend is to join a community.

Get onto one of those Facebook groups, if you like.

Join other people, other students who are preparing for IELTS,

where you can share your happiness, your joy, your headaches, your frustration.

But just sharing and motivating each other is a really good idea.

So go and join a community as well.

Right.

I think that's it.

So just as a final word, I would say, you know, do remember, right?

There is no best way to prepare for IELTS.

Every person learns in a different way.

Some people are very talented at languages.

Some people, they don't need a teacher or a tutor, they can do a 100% self-study.

Other students, they need a teacher.

They need a guide.

They need more support and that is absolutely fine.

So just know yourself.

Know what you need and then choose that path.

Whether it's taking a course, having a one-on-one teacher

or following a study plan.

It's absolutely fine.

Just remember you know, spend time with the language.

Some students ask me you know,

“Is it enough to watch your YouTube videos, for me to get a Band 8?”

there is never enough, right?

In life, we never have enough.

Food, money, free time, there's never enough.

About language learning, the more time you can spend with the language,

the better you will be, right?

It's as simple as that.

Spend time with the language.

Notice things.

Practice and review and you will be just fine.

I’m sure you're going to be fine whichever path you take.

Because I think like me, you believe that English learning you know, it takes time.

You need to be patient.

You need to study in a clever way, right?

Fun study.

And it's going to open up a whole new world.

It's not just about IELTS, it's about beyond IELTS.

It's about bigger things than that.

Great.

So that's it.

I’m going to finish up here.

Please remember to subscribe, turn on the notifications.

Do leave me a comment.

You know, let me know which study plan you're going to take

or which course you're going to study.

Share with us your path.

I’d really like to find out and hear from you.

Great.

Thank you very much for watching!

Take care now.

Bye-bye!