Best Books for IELTS preparation
Undoubtedly, books are one of the major resources that will help to perform better in the IELTS test. Although there are various sources to get the information, nothing can beat the experience of reading and noting down the points simultaneously by underlining the keywords from a book! Here is a list of books that you should consider purchasing and referring to while preparing for your IELTS test.
The books which are listed here will help you to understand the overall format of the test along with some practice papers which mimic the IELTS test in the real scenario. These books can be bought from various online websites or from any local book store. As these are authentic, you can understand the pattern of the IELTS test and practice to attain confidence to attempt the main exam.
1. The Cambridge IELTS practice books:
As the paper for the IELTS test is set by the experts at the Cambridge University, it is mandatory for you to start your preparation by following the set of books released by the Cambridge University Press. Each year, one new edition of this book is released. The IELTS test contains four parts namely the listening test, the reading test, the writing test and the speaking test respectively. You will be able to find all the necessary material including the different question types that can be seen in the IELTS test if you practice these materials. The IELTS test is the purpose-specific. Depending on your need and requirement, you should first determine if you are taking the academic test or the general training test.
From Cambridge IELTS practice book 1 to Cambridge IELTS practice book 10, the same book would cater to the needs of both academic as well as general training students. However, from the book number 11 onwards, the Cambridge University started releasing separate books for academic and general training modules.
You will see that there are four full length practice tests for academic in each of these books. The full length tests include listening, reading, writing as well as speaking. The tests are clearly noticed, as they have a clear heading like listening, reading, writing and speaking. For the listening and reading tests, you will get an opportunity to underline the keywords in order to find the right answers if you get a paperback copy of this book. The answer key along with the audio script for the listening test can be seen at the end of each book. The current version of this book is called Cambridge IELTS 14, which is released in the year 2019.
You may buy these books from online websites such as Amazon. If you want to, you may also buy the books from the local book Stores. The new ones as well as the old and used books are also available. Along with the book, you will also receive a CD which will have the listening test audios in it. There will be for listening test in total. So, you will get to practice all the different question types that you can see in the real IELTS test.
If you are facing a problem with the writing test, you can also get some model answers written by other students along with the comments given by the examiner and the band score that was given by the examiner for that response in a real IELTS scenario. You will not get to read a perfect, band 9 answer. However, you will be able to read answers written by candidates who have already taken the IELTS test, and this will definitely help in preparing and practicing in a better way.
2. The official IELTS practice guide:
This is a must- read for all those candidates who wish to get a high score in the IELTS test. You may find these books online for which you need to type in this keyword as official IELTS practice book. This is available in two volumes, which are known as volume 1 and volume 2 respectively. This book will provide a detailed and clear representation of information as well as give you some exercises for practice. By following these practice materials, it will be easier for you to get an overall idea of the IELTS test pattern.
3. Barron’ s IELTS guide:
This is another useful book in your IELTS preparation whether it is for academic or general training. This book will give you a step-by-step analysis of the IELTS test along with the different question types and sample practice papers for each of the question type in the IELTS test. The best part of this book is that it is suitable for people of all levels and abilities to prepare. The language used is very simple and the answer key is also available for each of the practice test papers that are given. Furthermore, the book also provides a number of mock tests covering the actual test pattern. Solving these tests will definitely be of immense help. There are various editions of this book.
4. IELTS trainer:
This is one more book that has to be on your list of books to refer before taking the IELTS test. This book trains you in the right direction and will help you to understand how to write the exam perfectly in order to get your desired score. This book is mainly aimed at academic test takers. You will get to see 6 full length tests along with answer keys and explanation in this book. Audio CD’s are provided for the listening test. This book is released by the Cambridge University.
5. The Cambridge official guide to the IELTS test:
This is yet another useful book released by the Cambridge University. The difference between the other books and this book is that it is a comprehensive book covering all the aspects related to the IELTS test, particularly for the segments of the reading and writing. This book is a perfect guide to gain good knowledge about the test. You will also get to learn vocabulary and sentence formation with the examples in this book by reading the sample responses.
In addition to these books, you can also get information and practice materials from various online resources like YouTube and apps on your smartphone.
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