Modules
CEFR levels, what each one means for your band, and what to do if you are not there yet. With a self-check.
Working out your English level for IELTS before you start is the most useful hour you can spend. IELTS technique is powerful, but it cannot close a large language gap, and time spent on test strategy when the problem is vocabulary is time wasted.
The quickest way to judge it is against the CEFR scale, which runs from A1 to C2 and maps onto IELTS bands reasonably well. If you are more than about one band below your target, work on your English first and come back to technique later.
By level
Each one explains what you can do at that level, the IELTS band it maps to, and what to work on next.
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The scale
Approximate, because the two scales measure slightly different things.
Below IELTS 3.0. You can use basic phrases about yourself and immediate needs. IELTS preparation would not be useful at this stage.
Around IELTS 3.0 to 3.5. You can handle simple, routine exchanges on familiar topics.
Around IELTS 4.0 to 5.0. You can deal with most travel situations and write connected text on familiar subjects. This is the floor for useful IELTS preparation.
Around IELTS 5.5 to 6.5. You can follow complex text and argue a point of view. Most university and migration requirements sit here.
Around IELTS 7.0 to 8.0. You can use English flexibly for academic and professional purposes.
Around IELTS 8.5 to 9.0. You understand almost everything you hear or read and express yourself precisely.
Method
Six things that raise your level rather than your technique.
It is the slowest thing to build and the most common ceiling above Band 6.5. Ten words at a time, each in your own sentence.
Anything: news, blogs, forums. Reading speed and vocabulary both improve from volume, and neither improves from practice tests.
Almost nobody makes every error. Find the three you repeat and work on those rather than on grammar in general.
Fluency comes from producing language under pressure. Reading a model answer aloud builds pronunciation but not fluency.
Half a band takes six to eight weeks of steady work. A full band takes longer, and going from 6.5 to 7.5 takes longer than 5.5 to 6.5.
Once you are within about half a band of your target, test technique becomes the fastest remaining gain.
Practice
Five questions about the relationship between your level and your target.
If your current level is more than about one band below your target, work on your English before your technique.
If you are within half a band, technique is where the fastest gains are.
In between, do both.
1Which CEFR level is roughly IELTS 6.5?
B2. Upper intermediate, roughly IELTS 5.5 to 6.5. This is where most university and migration requirements sit.
2You are at B1 and need 7.0. What should you do first?
Work on your English. That is a gap of roughly two bands, and technique cannot close it. Vocabulary and reading volume come first.
3You are at B2 and need 6.5. What should you do first?
Technique. You are within range, so knowing the question types and finishing in time is now the fastest gain available.
4How long does half a band usually take?
Six to eight weeks of steady work. It is worth knowing before you book a test date.
5Which improves fastest?
Test technique. That is exactly why it should come second: it is quick to learn, so it is worth doing once your English is close enough for it to matter.
Sit one full practice test under time. The result will not be your band, but it will tell you whether you are close to your target or a long way from it.
The complete IELTS course on IELTStestONLINE has video lessons on every question type, many more exercises like this one, and your own support tutor you can ask when an answer does not make sense. Take a look at the complete course
A self-check tells you roughly where you stand. It cannot tell you what an examiner would give your writing.
IELTStestONLINE keeps every score you get in one place, gives you an estimated band as you work, and assesses your writing and speaking against the four criteria so you can see where you stand before test day. See what full membership includes
At least B1 for preparation to be useful. Most university and migration requirements sit at B2, which is roughly IELTS 5.5 to 6.5.
Roughly C1. The two scales do not convert exactly, and a candidate can sit at different levels in different skills.
If you are more than about one band below your target, English first. Within half a band, technique gives the fastest gain.
Longer than half a band, and the higher bands take longer than the lower ones. Six to eight weeks for half a band is a reasonable planning figure.
Rarely. Technique typically takes candidates to around 6.5. Beyond that the limit is usually the range of language you can use accurately.
Full membership
A self-check gives you a rough idea. An examiner assessment gives you the number, and tells you which of the four criteria is actually holding you back.
IELTStestONLINE assesses your writing and speaking against the four IELTS criteria, instantly and as often as you like, using a system built by a former IELTS examiner and examiner trainer. It keeps every score in one place with an estimated band, and it carries no advertising.
See what membership includes