As an IELTS instructor myself, I think it is not necessary for every student to go to an IELTS coaching centre. Yes, if you have serious English language problems, you can go and take classes to improve your English.

But you do not really need separate coaching only for IELTS. You can sit at home, buy books, use online resources, and prepare yourself. So here are some websites that can help you get ready for IELTS.

IELTS Advantage

Anyone who plans to prepare for IELTS or is thinking about sitting for the exam has probably seen their videos on YouTube. A very nice gentleman named Christopher Pell runs this page. What many people do not know is that he also has a website full of useful resources.

I personally like this website for IELTS writing suggestions. Any confusion you might have about the format, structure, or question types will be cleared once you visit this site.

https://www.ieltsadvantage.com

Engnovate

This is one of the largest websites for free IELTS resources. I have talked to many students, and they have all said good things about it. Tahmid Hasan from AUST, who scored band 7, said, “I took the IELTS mock tests on this website anytime during my class breaks and it was so helpful. I saved a lot of money.”

Another student from BUET, who scored 7.5, said, “On this website, all the Cambridge questions can be taken as mock tests and it feels just like a computer-based exam. It really helped me prepare properly.”

I highly recommend this website. From listening to reading to writing, you can take full mock tests with Cambridge questions and proper timing, just like an exam centre. Helpful for very good preparation.

ChatGPT

Some people might think this is a bit sketchy, but I would suggest using it for writing preparation. The key is the prompt. If you use the right prompt, you can practise unlimited IELTS writing tasks. ChatGPT can check your writing, assess it, give you a band score, and explain how you could improve your answer.

If used properly, it can be very helpful for writing practice. Here is a prompt that you can use:

“You are an IELTS examiner. I will write an IELTS Writing Task 1 / Task 2 answer. Please assess my writing based on the official IELTS band descriptors. Give me an estimated band score for task achievement, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. Then explain my mistakes clearly and show me how I could improve my answer to get a higher band score. Do not rewrite my full answer unless I ask.”

ELSA Speak: English Learning

This is an app that is mostly AI-based. You can talk to an AI model and practise your speaking. I would not say this is the best way to prepare for the IELTS speaking test because real interaction is important in the exam to be able to make organic conversation.

However, if you feel your speaking is very weak and you do not have anyone to practise with, this can be useful. You can practise speaking, ask questions, and get your mistakes corrected.

You can focus on grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. Other than this website, another practice method I would suggest is making a list of topics and trying to talk about them for two minutes using a timer. This will force you to make a habit of longer communication in English.

https://elsaspeak.com/en

Official IELTS website

Lastly, I strongly recommend the official IELTS preparation page:

https://ielts.org/take-a-test/preparation-resources

Personally, I learned almost everything I needed to know about IELTS from this website. From test format to rules, question types, and preparation materials, everything is explained clearly. If you want reliable and accurate information, this should be your first stop.

In the end, IELTS preparation does not have to be expensive. With the right resources and discipline, you can prepare well from home and achieve your desired band score.

Best of luck, everyone!

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Sheikh Sidratul Muntaha is an English language teacher at British Standard School. She holds an IELTS Band score of 7.5 and passionately contributes to TBS graduates.