IELTS Preparation: Best IELTS Books

Preparing for the IELTS exam involves a lot of hard work, determination, the willingness to learn and of course, preparatory books. These books provide an understanding of the exam pattern and will help you face the examination fully prepared.

There are plenty of study materials available for IELTS preparation and it is quite difficult to choose the right one amidst so many choices. So here is a list of some of the best IELTS preparation books, in no specific order of importance. Use these books to help in improving your IELTS exam scores.

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Reviews of the top IELTS Preparation Books

The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS

This book covers both the Academic test as well as the General test. Apart from the questions and answers, it also gives an analysis of the common mistakes made by IELTS aspirants, on the basis of answers from students who took the IELTS examination, videos of their speaking test, etc. The book also contains step-by-step instructions and useful tips for each section.

Official IELTS Practice Materials

The IELTS prep guides, released by the British Council, contains a series of tests with their respective answers. These sample questions will help you acquaint yourself with the test pattern and the type of questions asked in IELTS. These books have different volumes and each volume includes a CD/DVD for listening test practice. British Council being the official partner for the IELTS, the questions asked in the examination are prepared by them.

These guides are also beneficial for teachers who prepare their students for the IELTS exam as they can gain an insight into the evaluation process.

Cambridge English: IELTS 11 Academic with Answers

This is the most recent publication of the Cambridge English IELTS Academic series. The previous editions are numbered as 10,9,8  and so on. This current edition, the 11 series, contains the latest set of practice tests along with their answers. Since this is prepared by the Cambridge English Language Assessment, you can be assured of their authentic standards.

It contains four tests for the academic test. The 11 series has four sections dedicated to listening sections, three for reading and two sets of test papers that include the assessment of scores by examiners. However, the CD for the listening test has to be bought separately.

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Barron’s IELTS Superpack

This is a comprehensive study material that includes a detailed explanation of each section and essential tips and techniques to understand the subject matter thoroughly.

The Superpack edition includes practice tests, with two audio CDs for the listening section, a manual of essential words and an MP3 CD containing strategies and tips. The list of essential words given in the manual is utilized in the practice tests and exercises. This helps in building a strong vocabulary.

This book will help you build your confidence as you work your way up, from easy questions to difficult questions. All the different helpful material collected from Barron’s IELTS is put together in this Superpack.

Though the audio CDs for listening tests are in American English, you could end up with an examiner who speaks British English, Australian English, Canadian English, and the like.

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Road to IELTS

This online prep guide, prepared by the British Council has mock papers, tutorial videos, and interactive exercises. This course is available in three versions, test drive, last minute and full version.

The test drive version is available for free and it gives an idea of the IELTS exam. The last-minute version is only made accessible for free to those who register with the British Council for the IELTS exam. Practice sessions worth 30 hours are included in this version.

The full version costs $49.99 (around INR 3,300) and it includes a complete online course with more than 300 interactive activities and nine practice tests. There are tutorial videos taught by experts from the British Council. The software will also give an evaluation of your scores based on the practice tests.

Also Check IELTS Eligibility Criteria

Target Band 7: IELTS Academic Module: How to Maximize Your Score

This book has been recommended by many as it talks about time management, avoiding common mistakes and it includes several tips and strategies for answering questions with ease.

The author of Simone Braverman has written the book from the perspective of the test takers as she herself has given the IELTS examination. She has also added a few pointers on how to analyze the test before appearing for the examination.

The above-mentioned resources are for both academic and general training and it has practice materials for all the sections, contained in one book. There are preparatory books dedicated to specific sections as well. A study material based on the writing section will contain a vocabulary list and handy tips on effective writing that will get the attention of the examiners. You will get a deeper understanding of the finer nuances of writing and structuring your sentences in response to questions asked.

Similarly, there will be dedicated preparatory books for IELTS reading and speaking sections as well.

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