How you prepare depends on how much time you have. Below are three practical plans: one week, one month and three months. Each uses the free resources on this site, including our practice sets for each skill, our lessons and our full practice test. Adjust the plans to your level and target band, and remember that no plan can guarantee a particular score.
Before you start: find your level
Whatever your timeline, begin by taking our full practice test in one sitting. Note your estimated band for each skill. This shows where to focus, and it gives you a baseline to measure progress against.
The 1-week plan (final revision)
This plan is for students whose test is very close or who are already near their target. The goal is familiarity and confidence, not learning new English.
- Day 1: Take the full practice test. Mark Listening and Reading. Write down your three biggest problems (for example, spelling in Listening or time in Reading).
- Day 2: Listening. Complete two practice sets. Review every mistake: was it spelling, a missed word limit, or lost concentration?
- Day 3: Reading. Complete two practice sets with strict timing (20 minutes per passage). Practise skimming for main ideas before answering.
- Day 4: Writing. Write one Task 1 in 20 minutes and one Task 2 in 40 minutes. Check both against our band descriptor guide.
- Day 5: Speaking. Answer Part 1 questions aloud, then record three Part 2 topic cards with one minute of preparation each. Listen back and note weaknesses.
- Day 6: Take the full practice test again, in the same order as the real test with no breaks between Listening, Reading and Writing.
- Day 7: Light review only. Reread your notes on common mistakes, check your test-day documents and sleep early.
The 1-month plan (steady improvement)
This plan suits students who need to raise their score by about half a band to a band.
Week 1: Understand the test
- Take the full practice test and record your scores.
- Work through our lessons on each question type in Listening and Reading.
- Read our guides on how scores are calculated and on the Writing and Speaking band descriptors.
- Do one Listening and one Reading practice set every day.
Week 2: Build skills
- Alternate Listening and Reading practice sets daily, reviewing every error.
- Writing: study the model answers, then write two Task 2 essays and one Task 1 report this week.
- Speaking: practise Part 1 topics daily for ten minutes; record one Part 2 answer every day.
- Start a vocabulary notebook organised by topic (education, environment, technology, health).
Week 3: Focus on weaknesses
- Spend most of your time on your weakest skill.
- If Writing is weakest, write an essay every other day and rewrite one using feedback from the descriptors.
- If Speaking is weakest, practise with a friend and ask them to give you unexpected Part 3 questions.
- Take a timed Reading test on one day and a timed Listening test on another.
Week 4: Test conditions
- Take the full practice test at the start of the week and again near the end.
- Compare scores with Week 1.
- Reduce new learning; focus on timing and accuracy.
- In the last two days, rest, review notes and prepare your documents.
The 3-month plan (building real English)
This plan suits students who need to improve by a band or more. Real progress needs daily English exposure, not just test practice.
Month 1: Foundations
- Weeks 1–2: Take the full practice test. Work through all lessons. Build grammar accuracy: tenses, articles, subject-verb agreement and complex sentences.
- Weeks 3–4: Read English articles daily (news, science, education) and listen to English podcasts or talks. Do three practice sets per week in Listening and Reading. Write one short paragraph a day.
Month 2: Skill development
- Weeks 5–6: Complete practice sets for every question type. Write two Task 2 essays and one Task 1 report each week. Compare them with our Band 6, 7 and 8 model answers.
- Weeks 7–8: Speaking practice four times a week, recording answers across all three parts. Expand your topic vocabulary. Take the full practice test at the end of Month 2.
Month 3: Test readiness
- Weeks 9–10: Target your weakest skill intensively. Practise full Writing papers in 60 minutes. Practise Reading with strict timing.
- Week 11: Take the full practice test twice under real conditions. Analyse patterns in your mistakes.
- Week 12: Light practice, rest and test-day preparation.
Tips for any plan
- Review is where learning happens. One practice set reviewed carefully is worth more than three done quickly.
- Track your scores in a notebook or spreadsheet.
- Practise under time pressure regularly.
- Speak English aloud every day, even for five minutes.
Quick tip
Put your plan on a calendar and treat each session like an appointment. Consistency matters more than long sessions: forty-five focused minutes every day usually beats one exhausting weekend.