As an English teacher, the first place I normally look for IELTS material is in traditional textbooks. However, there is a wealth of information on blogs about the IELTS exam and I would say a few of the blogs are much better than most textbooks.
Students are also starting to shun traditional books in favour of online resources. All of the sites on this list have been recommended by students and it holds true that students who put in the extra work at home seem to do better than those that rely solely on lessons.
Blogs also offer students a great way of engaging with each other and the teachers actually writing the posts. Students can comment on posts with their own ideas and answers in a way that was never before possible.
IELTS Simon
This would appear to be the student’s favourite. It’s packed full of hints and tips. Simon posts very regularly and all his posts are short and easy to understand. He also provides lots of practice activities for people preparing at home.
Simon was formally an IELTS examiner, so all of his advice can be trusted and students love to get the ‘inside’ information.
IELTS Buddy
This is where you should go if you want sample answers. There is a myriad of different sample answers for all areas of the exam, especially writing. Students can use this resource by trying the questions themselves and then compare their answers.
DC IELTS
This is the most in-depth website on IELTS. Each post feels like a lesson and a student could easily prepare for the test with this site alone.
His posts on grammar, functional language and vocabulary are particularly good. There is also a teachers’ resource page.
IELTS Liz
If you like videos, check out this site. Liz has loads of great videos that tackle the most common IELTS problems and questions. They are simple to follow and Liz presents them in a really friendly way.
IELTS Advantage
I am being a bit biased here but I think this site deserves an honourable mention. We are working hard to make this a great site for IELTS students and if you have any recommendations or feedback we would love to hear from you.
