Official IELTS Practice Materials: IELTS Skills Building Book Series

It is truly difficult to conquer IELTS without Official IELTS Practice Materials. Specifically designed for learners from Beginner to Advanced levels, this book helps cover necessary knowledge and skills training for all four test components. Join PREP to learn more about the values this series provides to help achieve your desired IELTS score!

I. Introduction to Official IELTS Practice Materials

1. General information

The Official IELTS Practice Materials consists of two volumes researched and compiled by Cambridge ESOL examiners, the British Council, and IELTS Australia examiners, and experts with extensive knowledge and many years of experience with IELTS exams in all aspects from question types, structures to testing methods.

The set of books is a reliable and authoritative collection that teachers and students can use for IELTS practice. It provides detailed information about the exam format, scoring standards, and some useful tips.

The Official IELTS Practice Materials consists of two main volumes, providing comprehensive knowledge and learning methods for all four skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. In addition, anyone from basic to advanced level who wants to prepare for the IELTS exam can practice with both of these volumes.

2. Main parts of the book

The Official IELTS Practice Materials is divided into two volumes, including Official IELTS Practice Materials Volume 1 and Official IELTS Practice Materials Volume 2. Students will be able to practice and test themselves on two mock exams with structures and question types similar to the real exam. Specifically, the Official IELTS Practice Materials 2 PDF will have an additional booklet section at the end of the book.

The book will include the following main sections:

• Section 1: Introduction to the IELTS exam structure, things to prepare before, during, and after the exam.
• Section 2: IELTS Practice Tests section. This includes the Listening Test, Speaking Test, and the Writing and Reading tests which are divided into Academic and General sections so students can freely choose the part they just learned or want to reference.
• Section 3: Scoring criteria and methods for each skill and question type.
• Section 4: Answers to Reading and Listening tests (Transcripts), sample writings for Writing and Speaking parts for students to understand the structure and language, followed by examiner comments and explanations for the scores.

2.1. Official IELTS Practice Materials Volume 1

Practice questions for all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing are included in Volume 1. In addition, the answers to each question and examiner comments for each test are also included in this book.

The Official IELTS Practice Materials 1 PDF also includes an audio version, which comes with a CD for listening practice. Students who purchase the physical copy can utilize the audio recordings to practice their listening skills and follow suggestions tailored for the IELTS exam's listening section.

2.2. Official IELTS Practice Materials Volume 2

Official IELTS Practice Material 2 PDF provides more practice questions for each skill, as well as tips and solutions from examiners.

A CD of audio recordings and video of three student speaking tests is also included in the set to help candidates understand the exam format, common types of questions, and how to prepare before the exam. When students download the PDF version, they will be able to freely access the Official IELTS Practice Materials 2 Audio files.

3. Targeted learner

This book is suitable for those who want to improve their IELTS band score but do not know the specific training process or exam format. We can divide people into different English levels who will use the book in different ways:

• Basic Users: For individuals at levels A1-A2, who possess basic vocabulary to discuss personal topics and simple situations using straightforward grammatical structures, the Official IELTS Practice Materials Volume 1 would serve as an ideal resource. It can provide substantial support and guidance for friends navigating this band level.
• Independent and Proficient Users: For students at levels B1 to C2, who have gained a certain level of flexibility in all 4 skills, as well as grammar and vocabulary competency marked by certainty, richness, and diversity, Official IELTS Practice Materials Volume 2 will be a wonderful source to review more advanced question types and understand the examiners' scoring process.

II. The pros & cons of the Official IELTS Practice Materials book

1. Pros

The commendable points of Official IELTS Practice Materials that make us want to use the book immediately include:

• The book comes with realistic audio for practicing Listening and Speaking, along with objective comments from examiners.
• It is compiled by reputable examiners who have many years of working in the IELTS education testing organization, so it is close to the real exam.
• Detailed online lectures, explaining learning methods and effectively correcting mistakes.

2. Cons

In addition to the praiseworthy points, the book still needs more improvement to increase quality, such as:

• Lacking practice questions.
• Only listing answers at the end, without detailed explanations for the Reading and Listening sections.
• Not specifically guiding small tips when taking Reading, Writing, and Listening exams.

III. How to use Official IELTS Practice Materials Effectively

Let's now dig into effective strategies for utilizing the book to its fullest potential. Simply practicing test papers without proper guidance can lead to confusion and a feeling of being overwhelmed. Allow prepedu.com to provide you with valuable insights:

• As this book follows the standardized test structure and format, the guidance provided focuses only on the exam and practice tests. Therefore, before using this book, you should first prepare and focus your practice on individual skills. Then you can read and do the practice tests within this book. It serves as a preparation step, familiarizing yourself with the exam format before the actual test date.

• That means you should integrate your learning with books that focus more deeply on individual skills like Improve Your IELTS Reading Skills, Improve Your Listening Skills, etc. before attempting the two practice tests included in this book. Then you can take a test based on your current IELTS level to determine your starting point and choose suitable materials and tests.
• Allocate time similar to the actual exam to test yourself on the practice tests and prepare mentally, avoiding the feeling of being lost during the exam.
• Carefully check the answers and understand the reasons for incorrect answers, and which answers are correct.
• As the tests are equivalent to Cambridge IELTS, you should use this book as a supplementary method to solidify your knowledge.

IV. Download the full set of Official IELTS Practice Materials PDF 

No need to search elsewhere. If you're interested in acquiring the Official IELTS Practice Materials 1+2 set, you can download it here completely free of charge:

OFFICIAL IELTS PRACTICE MATERIALS DOWNLOAD VOL 1 + 2 (PDF + AUDIO)

V. Crack the IELTS Exam With Confidence 

IELTS is not so challenging if we know how to apply effective learning methods. The test formats and learning pathways presented in the Official IELTS Practice Materials Volume 1+2 set will help students quickly improve their band scores. If you want guaranteed improvement in IELTS, don’t miss these game-changing courses:

• IELTS online course: Master Every Section of IELTS