This course is designed to prepare candidates for the Cambridge IELTS (International English Language Testing System) examination. IELTS is recognised as an entrance requirement by British, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian universities and for secondary, vocational and training programmes.

The course is a highly intensive programme, focusing on all of the main skills that are required in the IELTS exam, including:

• Writing
• Reading
• Vocabulary
• Listening
• Speaking

As part of the course, you will do regular examination practice to get you used to working under examination conditions. You will also concentrate on developing good examination techniques.

Throughout the course, you will be set homework exercises, with particular emphasis on reading and writing. You will receive feedback, correction and advice.

A full online practice IELTS exam is included in the course.  Some of this will be used on the course, but it can also be used by course participants in their own time to prepare for the exam.

By the end of the course you will be able to:

• achieve the best possible mark in your exam
• approach the four different components of the Cambridge IELTS exam (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking) with greater confidence
• handle the language more effectively and with greater confidence
• understand what you hear and what you read more easily
• speak and write more accurately
• speak more fluently
• use a wider range of vocabulary in your written and spoken English
• understand the areas you need to work on the most

The examination consists of the following four components and types of questions and tasks:

• Listening – you will practise listening to a variety of different texts (monologues and dialogues) connected with social needs, as well as situations related to educational and training contexts. You will practise a variety of question types, such as: multiple choice, short answer questions, matching, sentence completion, labelling a diagram, classification and notes/summary/diagram/flow-chart/table completion.
• Reading – you will practise reading a variety of different texts, taken from magazines, newspapers, books and journals. You will practise answering a variety of question types, including: multiple-choice, matching, classification and identification of views/information.
• Writing – you will practise interpreting a table or diagram and presenting the information in your own words. You will also practise writing about the solution to a problem, presenting and justifying opinions, evaluating or comparing/contrasting evidence. You will look at task realisation (what is expected in terms of register, organisation, style and content).
• Speaking – You will practise all three parts of the exam, which are designed to test your ability to communicate effectively in English. You will practise: answering general questions; speaking extensively on a particular topic; discussing more abstract issues and topics.