Pete J

The links I posted above are now out of date. The information can now be found here and here. Pete

Hi Sam, I've just posted some time-saving tips for the IELTS Reading test here, and you can find some tips for the IELTS Listening test here. Good luck, Pete

Just an update on this, it now says on the Department of Immigration website that other English language tests are also accepted: IELTS, OET, TOEFL iBT, PTE and CAE. How can I prove I have proficient English? How can I prove I have superior English? Pete

Hi At the moment it says on the Department of Immigration website that only IELTS and OET are accepted. It says... You can receive 10 points for ‘proficient’ English and 20 points for ‘superior’ English. You must provide evidence of: [*=1] Proficient English: a score of 7 on each of the four components of speaking, reading, listening and writing in an IELTS test, or a score of B on each of the four components of an OET [*=1] Superior English: a score of 8 on each of the four components of speaking, reading, listening and writing in an IELTS test, or a score of A on each of the four components of an OET. You can do a search for IELTS test centres here if the one nearest you is fully booked for the next test. Good luck, Pete

Check out my free IELTS course at www.freeieltscourse.com. The course contains IELTS Writing Task 2 lessons and sample answers that are useful for IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training candidates. Pete

Hi If you want to do some IELTS practice tests as part of your IELTS preparation, the Cambridge series of practice tests are good ones to use; all of the tests in this series are official practice tests produced by Cambridge ESOL Examinations. It's better to use those in Cambridge IELTS 6, 7 or 8 as they are the most recent; in terms of test format and the types of questions included, they are the tests most like the one you'll get when you take it for real. You could also try the tests in the Official IELTS Practice Materials Volumes 1 and 2, which you can buy from your local IELTS testing centre or order from the official IELTS website. Good luck, Pete

Hi If you want to do some IELTS practice tests as part of your IELTS preparation, the Cambridge series of practice tests are good ones to use; all of the tests in this series are official practice tests produced by Cambridge ESOL Examinations. It's better to use those in Cambridge IELTS 6, 7 or 8 as they are the most recent; in terms of test format and the types of questions included, they are the tests most like the one you'll get when you take it for real. You could also try the tests in the Official IELTS Practice Materials Volumes 1 and 2, which you can buy from your local IELTS testing centre or order from the official IELTS website. Best wishes, Pete

That sounds like a great idea. Good luck with your test, Pete

Hi Here's a strategy you can use if you find yourself looking at an IELTS Writing Task 2 with no idea what to write about. You can think about the topic from different perspectives, e.g. economic, environmental, social, cultural, psychological or philosophical. For example, if the essay task is asking you about why more people are travelling these days and what the benefits of travelling are, you could talk about how cheap it is to travel overseas nowadays (an economic perspective) and the benefit of getting to experience different cultures (a cultural perspective). The Task 2 topic is from the book Cambridge IELTS 8 by the way. Hope that helps, Pete