IELTS guides
The IELTS guides on the Fleydo blog explain the test one piece at a time. They cover what IELTS is and whether it is hard, Academic versus General Training, the three parts of the Speaking test, Writing Task 1 and Task 2 structure, vocabulary for Band 7 and above, and how long preparation realistically takes.
They are written for adults and students aged 16 and over who are preparing for a visa, a university place or a job, including candidates who feel stuck at Band 6 and want to understand why.
Fleydo prepares IELTS candidates in one-to-one lessons with native English-speaking teachers who hold Band 8.5 or above, with full mock tests in the real computer-delivered format and detailed feedback. The free IELTS band score calculator works out your overall band from your four skill scores.
IELTS Speaking Topics and Cue Cards with Band 7+ Sample Answers
IELTS speaking topics come from a question pool that changes gradually and is never published, so the smart strategy is to prepare topic clusters, not predicted lists. This guide covers the Part 1 topics candidates report most often, 15 typical cue card themes, two cue cards answered at band 7+, and ten Part 3 question stems.
IELTS Writing Task 2 Topics: Question Types, Band 7 vs 8 Essays
IELTS Writing Task 2 topics come from a small set of recurring themes framed in one of five question types. This guide lists both with a realistic prompt for each, then answers the same question twice, at band 7 and at band 8, and shows criterion by criterion where the extra band comes from.
What Does IELTS Band 6.5 or 7 Mean? CEFR Levels Explained
IELTS band 6.5 means you are a competent user with some good-user features; IELTS 7 means operational command of English, which is why it is the most common threshold for university admission and professional registration. This guide maps every band to a CEFR level, shows what 6.5 and 7 look like in each skill, and explains how the overall band is rounded.
How Long Is IELTS Valid? The Two-Year Rule and Its Exceptions
IELTS results are treated as valid for two years from your test date, but the rule is a recommendation to organisations rather than an expiry stamp. This guide explains what the two-year rule actually means, when results come out, how to time your test around an application deadline and what to do if your result lapses mid-application.
How to Prepare for IELTS at Home: An 8-Week Self-Study Plan
You can prepare for IELTS at home and raise your Listening and Reading bands on your own; Writing and Speaking are where self-study usually stalls. This guide gives you a diagnostic test, a target per skill, an 8-week plan, concrete daily drills and an honest account of what to add if you can afford one or two lessons a week.
IELTS Vocabulary for Band 7 and Above: What Examiners Reward
IELTS vocabulary is scored under Lexical Resource, which rewards precision, collocation and paraphrase rather than rare words. This guide explains what separates band 6, 7 and 8, lists precise collocations for the eight most common topics, and gives you a method for making new vocabulary stick.
What Is IELTS and Is It Hard? A Plain-English Guide for Beginners
IELTS is the International English Language Testing System, a four-part English exam scored from 0 to 9 and used for university admission, professional registration and migration. This guide explains the format, the scoring and, honestly, how hard IELTS is depending on where your English is today.
IELTS Speaking Parts 1, 2 and 3: What the Examiner Asks and How to Answer
The IELTS Speaking test lasts 11–14 minutes and follows the same three-part structure every time. Here is what the examiner asks in each part, what they are listening for, and the same Part 2 cue card answered at band 6 and at band 8.
IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors Explained: Fluency to Pronunciation
IELTS Speaking is scored on four equally weighted criteria, and most candidates practise the wrong one. This guide explains each criterion in plain language, describes what separates band 6, 7 and 8, and gives you one drill per criterion.
IELTS Writing Task 1: Academic Report vs General Training Letter
Writing Task 1 looks completely different in Academic and General Training, but the timing, the minimum word count and the marking criteria are the same. Here is how to structure the Academic report and the General Training letter, with a sample opening for each.
IELTS Writing Task 2: A Band-7 Essay Structure for Every Question
Every IELTS Writing Task 2 question belongs to one of five types, and one essay plan can be adapted to all of them. This guide gives you the plan, explains how examiners apply the four Writing criteria, and walks through a worked outline in 40 minutes.
IELTS Academic vs General Training: Which Test Should You Take?
Academic and General Training share the same Listening and Speaking tests, the same band scale and the same examiners. They differ in Reading and in Writing Task 1. Here is how to tell which one you need and how your preparation should change.
How Long Does It Take to Prepare for IELTS? Realistic Plans from 5.5 to 7.0
Most candidates underestimate how long IELTS preparation takes. Moving one full band typically needs months of sustained work, not weeks. Here are three realistic plans, a weekly structure that works, and the skills to prioritise at each level.
Computer-Delivered IELTS: What Changes Now That Paper Is Being Retired
From mid-2026 the IELTS partners are retiring paper-based testing market by market, with a Writing on Paper option in selected markets. The content and scoring are unchanged, but test day feels different. Here is what to expect and how to prepare.
IELTS One Skill Retake Explained: When It Makes Sense to Resit One Component
The IELTS One Skill Retake lets you resit a single component once, within 60 days of your original test, instead of repeating the whole exam. Here is how it works, how to work out whether one resit can actually change your overall band, and how to prepare a single skill in a short window.
Stuck at IELTS Band 6? The Patterns That Cap Your Score and How to Break Them
Band 6 is the most common IELTS plateau, and it is rarely caused by a lack of English. It is caused by habits that the band descriptors specifically penalise. Here are the patterns that cap candidates at 6, a concrete fix for each one, and a checklist to work out which of them apply to you.
IELTS vs TOEFL iBT vs Cambridge English: Which Exam Should You Take?
IELTS, TOEFL iBT and the Cambridge English exams all test the same four skills but differ in format, scoring, how long results stay valid and how Speaking is assessed. This factual comparison sets the three side by side and gives you a short decision process for choosing.
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