What good IELTS study material looks like
Before you buy anything, check that it meets a few basic standards:
- It follows the current test format: four Listening parts and 40 questions, three Reading passages and 40 questions, two Writing tasks, three Speaking parts.
- It is clearly Academic or General Training where the two differ.
- It explains answers, not just lists them. If a Reading key says "C" without telling you why, you learn very little.
- It uses natural English. Some cheap guides are full of outdated vocabulary lists and memorised essay templates that examiners see straight through.
- It is honest. Books that promise "guaranteed band 8 in 15 days" should be left on the shelf.
What should be in your IELTS study notes
Your own notes matter as much as anything you buy. Good notes are short, personal and used often. A useful set might include:
- A one-page strategy sheet per module: timing plan, question-type tips, things you always forget.
- Your error list: words you misspell in Listening, Reading question types you get wrong, grammar points examiners would mark.
- Topic vocabulary: words and collocations for common Task 2 and Speaking topics, such as education, environment, technology and work, each in an example sentence.
- Task 1 language: phrases to describe trends, compare figures, explain a process.
- Speaking material about you: your studies, your work, your city.
Keep it short enough to reread in 20 minutes. If your notes become a textbook, you will not use them.
Our Study Notes and tools
IELTS Learning includes Study Notes, strategy chapters for each module: how to approach Matching Headings, how to plan a Task 2 essay, how to structure a Part 2 cue card answer, how to handle map questions. They are written to be read in short sessions, and they link to practice so you can apply a tip straight away.
Other tools work alongside them:
- Mistake Notebook: every wrong Listening and Reading answer is saved automatically, so your error list writes itself.
- Vocabulary flashcards with spaced repetition, so words come back just before you forget them.
- English Improvement: grammar and vocabulary lessons for students who want to strengthen basics.
- Quick Wrap: a last-minute checklist for the days before the test.
Free IELTS practice material
Several resources are free, with no card required:
- a complete free sample mock test, all four sections;
- free sample Listening and Reading sets on the practice tests page;
- Daily Vocabulary: five new words a day, with examples;
- the Band Score Calculator;
- the Quick Wrap tips;
- the weekly IELTS tips blog.
Many students in Kanpur start with these, then decide whether they need Full Access, which unlocks everything for ₹999 for 2 months.
Using Cambridge IELTS practice books alongside online tests
Many students also use the official Cambridge IELTS practice books, and they are a sensible resource. Here is how to use them well alongside our platform:
- Use Cambridge books for paper-based practice if you are taking the paper test, or for extra full tests once you have used our mocks.
- Use our platform for computer-delivered practice, Mistake Notebook tracking and instant feedback on Writing and Speaking. Our tests follow the same official format.
- Do not repeat the same test if you remember the answers. A second attempt overestimates your level.
- Keep the books' tests for later in your preparation, rather than using them all in the first week.
Study material for Kanpur learners
Kanpur students have some real advantages. University libraries at CSJM University, HBTU and IIT Kanpur hold English journals and magazines that match the style of Academic Reading passages. Researchers can use the scientific articles they already read as practice in skimming for main ideas.
For Hindi-medium learners, a good bilingual dictionary helps in the early stages, but try to switch to an English learner's dictionary within a few weeks, so you learn how words are used, not just what they mean. Write example sentences in English, not translations.
For GT candidates in Kanpur's leather, textile and manufacturing sectors, workplace documents, such as safety notices, supplier emails and product specifications, are good extra reading practice for General Training sections 1 and 2.
A weekly study routine
A routine of around seven hours a week works for many students and working professionals:
- Monday: one Listening set, review mistakes (45 minutes).
- Tuesday: one Reading set, review with explanations (1 hour).
- Wednesday: one Task 2 essay, then read the AI feedback (1 hour).
- Thursday: Speaking prompts and a recorded cue card (30 minutes), then Study Notes (20 minutes).
- Friday: Task 1 report or letter (40 minutes), flashcards (10 minutes).
- Saturday: one Charged or standard set, plus update your own notes (1 hour).
- Sunday: full mock every two to three weeks, or a rest day.
Add Daily Vocabulary every day, in five spare minutes.