Courses for STEP, IELTS, TOEFL and everyday English
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9 min read
لم تحدد مستواك بعد؟ اختبار قصير يفتح لك الشرح بالعربية في الدروس الأولى.
ابدأ اختبار تحديد المستوىOverall band versus a section minimum
Listening 7, Reading 7, Writing 5.5 and Speaking 6.5 average 6.5. This meets an overall 6.5 requirement, but not a requirement of at least 6 in every skill. Raising Reading cannot fix the Writing minimum. Record both the overall target and every section minimum.
This course covers IELTS Academic. Before booking, confirm the required test version, overall band, minimum band in each skill, and accepted delivery format with your receiving institution. General Training has different Reading and Writing tasks.
IELTS reports five numbers: a band for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, and an overall band. The overall band is the average of the other four, rounded. Everything useful about how to prepare follows from those two sentences, and almost nobody works it through.
Each section contributes equally. A half-band gain in any one section adds 0.125 to the unrounded overall average; a full-band gain adds 0.25. A weak section does not carry extra weight. Choose your priority using the section minima your institution requires, recent practice evidence, and the improvement you can realistically achieve.
Studying a familiar section can feel productive, but it may leave a required minimum unmet elsewhere. Maintain all four skills and direct additional time to the gaps your practice results identify.
The average is rounded to the nearest half band: .25 rounds up to .5 and .75 rounds up to the next whole band. For example, 6.25 becomes 6.5, 6.75 becomes 7.0, and 6.125 becomes 6.0. Remember to check section minima as well as the overall band.
One half band, in one section
Listening 6.5, Reading 6.5, Writing 5.5, Speaking 6. The average is 6.125, reported as 6.0. Raise Writing alone from 5.5 to 6, and the average becomes 6.25, reported as 6.5. Nothing else changed. One section, one half band, and a requirement that was missed is now met.
There are two versions. Academic is the one universities require and the one this course teaches. General Training is used for migration and some work registration. Listening and Speaking are the same in both; Reading uses different texts, and Writing Task 1 differs completely, since Academic asks you to describe data and General Training asks for a letter. Confirm which version your institution requires before you prepare for either.
One more number worth knowing now. Within the Writing section, Task 2 counts for two thirds and Task 1 for one third. Two of this course's three writing modules are about Task 2 for that reason.
Try it now
Write down the band your university or employer requires, then your best honest estimate of your current band in each of the four sections. Average them. The gap between that average and the requirement, and which single section would close it fastest, is your study plan.
A few quick questions. You'll see an explanation after each one.
Question 1 of 4
Which section should a candidate prioritise, and why?
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