IELTS · Learn · 30 October 2026 · 6 min read
A six-week IELTS study plan
A week-by-week six-week IELTS plan: a baseline test, skill-by-skill practice, timed Writing and Speaking work, and full mock tests before you book.
Six weeks is a realistic time to prepare for IELTS if your English is already close to the band you need. It is long enough to learn the format, fix your weakest skill and build stamina for a long test day. It is not long enough to raise your general English by several bands, so be honest with yourself about the gap.
The plan below assumes about an hour a day, six days a week, with a longer session at the weekend. It works for both Academic and General Training. If you are not yet sure which version you need, read IELTS Academic or General Training: which one to take first.
Before you start: a baseline test
On day one, take a full practice test under real conditions: Listening, Reading and Writing in one sitting with no breaks, then a recorded Speaking practice. Our IELTS hub has free practice material in the real format.
Mark Listening and Reading yourself. For Writing and Speaking, compare your answers honestly with the official band descriptors, which our guides to the Writing descriptors and Speaking descriptors explain in plain English.
Write down four estimated bands. The lowest one is where most of your time will go.
The shape of the six weeks
| Week | Focus | Goal by the end of the week |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Format and baseline | You know every part and question type |
| 2 | Listening and Reading techniques | You finish Reading in 60 minutes |
| 3 | Writing Task 2 | You write 250+ words in 40 minutes with a clear plan |
| 4 | Writing Task 1 and Speaking | You can speak for two minutes on any cue card |
| 5 | Weakest skill and mixed practice | Your weakest band has moved up |
| 6 | Full mock tests and rest | Two full tests at or near your target |
Week 1: learn the format
Read one format guide a day and do a short set of questions straight afterwards:
- Day 1: baseline test.
- Day 2: the Listening test. One Listening part.
- Day 3: the Reading guide for your version (Academic or General Training). One passage.
- Day 4: Writing Task 2. Plan, but do not write, three essays.
- Day 5: Writing Task 1 for your version (Academic or General Training letters).
- Day 6: the Speaking test. Record yourself answering five Part 1 questions.
Start a mistakes notebook this week. Every wrong answer and every repeated grammar slip goes in it.
Week 2: Listening and Reading techniques
These two skills improve fastest with technique, so get them moving early.
- Listening (three sessions): one full Listening test per session. Before each part, predict the type of word for every gap. Afterwards, play the recording again with the transcript and find exactly where you lost each mark. Our guide to IELTS Listening traps lists the usual causes.
- Reading (three sessions): one full Reading test per session, strictly timed. Spend extra review time on True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given questions; see how they differ.
Tip: if you run out of time in Reading, the cause is usually reading the whole passage slowly before looking at the questions. Skim for structure in two or three minutes, then read closely only where the questions send you.
Week 3: Writing Task 2
Task 2 carries more weight than Task 1, so it gets a full week.
| Day | Task |
|---|---|
| 1 | Learn one clear essay structure. Plan three essays in 5 minutes each. |
| 2 | Write one essay in 40 minutes. Check it against the four criteria. |
| 3 | Rewrite yesterday's weakest paragraph. Then plan three more essays. |
| 4 | Write one essay in 40 minutes, on a different question type. |
| 5 | Focus on paragraphing and linking: rewrite one essay with clearer topic sentences. |
| 6 | Write one essay in 40 minutes. Count your words. |
Our guide to improving Writing Task 2 covers structure, coherence and vocabulary range in detail.
Week 4: Writing Task 1 and Speaking
Alternate the two skills:
- Writing Task 1 (three sessions): one response in 20 minutes each time. Academic candidates should cover a line graph, a table or chart, and a process or map. General Training candidates should write a formal, a semi-formal and an informal letter.
- Speaking (three sessions): record a full Speaking practice each time. Spend most of the week on Part 2, using the method in how to answer Part 2 cue cards. Listen back and note hesitations, repeated words and grammar slips.
Tip: speak every day this week, even if only for ten minutes. Fluency comes from regular use, not from one long session.
Week 5: your weakest skill
Look at your mistakes notebook and your baseline bands. Give half your time this week to your weakest skill and spread the rest across the other three.
- Weak in Listening: one part a day, with transcript review.
- Weak in Reading: one passage a day, strictly timed at 20 minutes.
- Weak in Writing: one Task 2 every other day, with careful self-review against the criteria.
- Weak in Speaking: a recorded practice every day, mixing all three parts.
At the end of the week, take one full test and compare it with your baseline.
Week 6: full mocks and rest
| Day | Task |
|---|---|
| 1 | Full test: Listening, Reading and Writing in one sitting, then Speaking. |
| 2 | Review every mistake. Update your notebook. |
| 3 | Light practice on your weakest skill only. |
| 4 | Second full test, in the same format you will sit (computer or paper). |
| 5 | Review. Read through your mistakes notebook. |
| 6 | Rest. Check your test-day details. |
Two full tests in this last week build stamina for the real day, when Listening, Reading and Writing run for nearly three hours without a break.
If you have less time
- Four weeks: combine weeks 1 and 2, and weeks 4 and 5.
- Two weeks: take a baseline, then spend one week on your weakest skill and one week on full timed tests with review.
If your scores are not moving
- Check that you are reviewing, not just taking more tests. Our note on practice tests and active recall explains why review does most of the work.
- In Writing and Speaking, ask someone with strong English to read or listen and tell you what is unclear.
- Make sure every practice session uses the real format and real timings. Untimed work feels productive but hides pacing problems.
Before you book
Confirm which version you need, the test format available near you, dates and fees on ielts.org. Rules and results timings can change, so the official site is the final word. Then let your practice scores, not the calendar, tell you when you are ready.