Best IELTS Prep Courses
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If you’re looking to move to an English speaking country to complete accelerate your career or complete a Graduate Course, you’ll need to demonstrate your understanding of the English language through the IELTS assessment.
The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is an online test that is widely used in immigration and education applications for English speaking countries, including the USA, UK, Australia, New Zeland, and Canada.
The exam allows you to demonstrate your confidence and understanding of the English Language, which will be important for integrating not that country and starting your new job or studying. The IELTS exam looks at how well you can read, speak, listen to, and write in the English Language, and the score is sent to employers and schools and used to assess your application.
Getting a good score on the IELTS will put you on the right track to achieving your dreams in a new country. That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide to help you find the best IELTS preparation courses, practice questions, and IELTS test materials. We’ve included courses that give you the full IELTS academic experience from scratch, and also refresher courses for experienced English speakers.
We’ve reviewed each of the online courses available with pros and cons, features included, and the cost of each course to help you find the most suitable for you. Here are our top 5 IELTS courses. Some also offer free IELTS trails to access the best IELTS test content.
Our Top Choice – Magoosh IELTS Preparation Courses
Magoosh comes out top for it’s fantastic IELTS preparation course, which includes a range of learning methods such as video lessons, practice questions, and a full-length practice test.
Flexible Plan – Depending on when you’re taking the IELTS and how much time you have to study, you can purchase a membership ranging from 1 week, 1 month, or up to 6 months. All plans have the same level of resources and support. Magoosh is one of the most affordable online courses and is good value for money with excellent resources. There is also a free IELTS 7 day trial where you can test out the resources.
Expert Resources – Magoosh offers a wide range of resources that have been created and developed by experts to help you learn and get the best score possible. These include over 600 practice questions to complete. There are also text or video explanations for every answer. They also have over 125 video lessons, which are a brilliant way to learn across all areas of the IELTS.
Full-Length Practice Test – Unlike many other providers, Magoosh offers a full-length practice test that you can take before your exam, and practice in test conditions, with exam timings. This will help you to get great exam techniques and an excellent score on the day of the test.
Score Guarantee – The great news if you’ve taken the exam before without preparation materials and haven’t done so well, is that Magoosh offers a score guarantee that your overall band score will go up by 0.5+ point! Magoosh is experienced, and their resources are brilliant, which is why they can be so confident with this guarantee.
Magoosh is our number one choice, as it delivers on all aspects that you’d expect from a self-paced, online IELTS course. With flexible pricing plans, online and mobile interfaces, and self-led study plans, it’s a great way to study hard for your exam.
Best My Test IELTS Preparation Courses
Best My Tests offers a premium choice for IELTS courses with its comprehensive package that includes feedback on your speaking and writing. Live feedback is not often offered, and it’s a great option if you need a confidence boost or validation from an English speaker that you’re doing a good job.
Flexible Plan – Best My Test offer a range of plans from last-minute 1 week cramming to 6 months of premium access, and everything in between. Their packages can come in more costly than others but are very comprehensive and structured.
Feedback and Reviews – Unlike many other courses, this provider is not just a platform with practice questions. They offer real feedback on your speaking and writing from an English Speaking Expert, which really helps to move your skills forward. The 6-month package includes eight writing reviews and twelve speaking reviews, which will be essential to passing the exam with flying colors.
Extensive Resources – This provider has over 1000 practice questions available, so you’ll consistently be pushed and challenged with new content, helping your skills to develop quickly across all areas. They have clear sections for speaking, writing, and reading that are filled with expert answers, feedback, and ask the teacher features.
Practice Tests – Best My Test doesn’t just offer 1 or 2 full-length tests. They have 30 practice tests available for you to take! This means you can practice the IELTS exam over and over, helping you to feel super prepared.
Best My Test comes in at a close second, while it’s more expensive than Magoosh, it certainly delivers on the amount of content and resources it can offer. If you can afford it, make this investment in your education and career.
Kaplan IELTS Preparation
Kaplan is a leading company in the education world, and in collaboration with Cambridge Organisations, they’ve expanded to offer IELTS exam courses too. Kaplan offers two course structures: one self-led and one online live course. Kaplan is good for perfecting your English Skills up from a good starting point.
Course Options – Kaplan offers two course structures, both lasting for six months, and both will give you in-depth learning. The first is an online course where you have access to the full range of resources, and study at your own pace to your own schedule. The second offers all resources with additional live lessons from expert teachers. This gives you the opportunity to speak with IELTS teachers and fellow students while studying.
Extensive Resources – With over 180 video lessons, four full-length practice tests, and the lesson and homework style of learning, you’ll find it easy to study with Kaplan. The resources are structured into a larger plan. This helps you to stay focused and on top of your learning.
Premium Price and Quality – Built with Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment English, Kaplan offers resources that are premium cost and quality. These are suitable for beginner independent users of English to help them improve to be efficient users.
Kaplan is a great IELTS prep program that’s worth investing in if you can. Be sure to use all available resources and stick to the study plans to see an improvement in your score.
Udemy 7+ IELTS Programme
If you’re a good English speaker looking to become amazing, then Udemy’s 7+ program offers resources you’ll need to succeed. Their courses are built on the basis that your English is at a good level, but you may need some tactics and strategies to succeed in this IELTS Exam.
Strategy and Tactics – This course from Keino Campbell offers strategies and tactics that will help you to succeed in all areas of this exam. It’s a great option if you’re an experienced English speaker but are struggling when it comes to questions and gaining points.
Live Video Instructions – If you’re a visual learner and do well from watching lectures and instructional videos, this course could be a great way for you to learn. They have over 30 hours of content across each section of the exam and offer comprehensive answers and explanations. Also, you have access to the monthly discussion sessions to speak with other students.
Lifetime Access – This course from teacher Keino Campbell offers lifetime access to their resources, so if you need to retake the test now or a few years later, you can have the confidence in resources to succeed!
A great option if you’re skilled at English and are looking for an extra push to your score.
IELTS Online
IELTS Online offers 3 levels of courses for fast learning, comprehensive study, and feedback on your skills. This gives you three pricing tiers to choose from too.
Flexible Plan – Choose between basic and comprehensive plans that range over time, cost, and levels of resources. The master plus plan offers feedback from English Teachers and access to resources for 90 days.
Comprehensive Tests – IELTS Online has areas that cover each section of the exam, including reading writing and speaking. The specific modules on the IELTS course help to boost your IELTS prep and improve your overall grade in the exam.
Course Materials – IELTS prep courses cover reading writing and speaking through a range of resources, including audio files, videos, and exam questions. It’s a great combination of resources to help you learn and improve your score.
Online IELTS Preparation courses offer a good level of prep for those wishing to study the IELTS exam, but it’s an expensive option, which is one of the reasons why it’s our number 5.
When looking for a great IELTS Preparation course, there are a number of factors you need to consider, including your price range and the amount of time you have available to prep for the IELTS.
Also, consider the best way for you to learn, which may be self-study, interactive lessons, or connecting online with other IELTS students. Considering these factors and using this guide will help you to find the right IELTS prep course, and get a great score in the exam.
