IELTS guides for band 6, 7 and 8
Practical, specific guides for candidates who already have a working score and want the next half band.
Band targets
- How to get band 8 in IELTS: A practical plan to move from band 7 to band 8: what changes in each skill, what to practise every week, and how to measure progress.
- IELTS band 6 to 7: what actually changes: The concrete changes that move a band 6 answer to band 7 in Speaking and Writing, with before-and-after examples for each criterion.
- IELTS band 7 vs band 8: Side-by-side behaviours per criterion, with short Speaking and Writing examples of band 7 and band 8 phrasing.
- What is a band 8 in IELTS?: What band 8 means compared with bands 7 and 9, how the overall score is calculated, and what to do if one skill is lower.
Speaking
- IELTS Speaking band descriptors, explained: The four Speaking criteria in plain English, with what band 6, 7 and 8 sound like for each, plus a self-check method.
- IELTS Speaking Part 2: how to speak for two minutes: A one-minute preparation method, a simple structure and ways to keep going when you run out of ideas.
- IELTS Speaking band 7 tips: Six fixes that move a band 6 speaker to band 7: fluency, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, extending answers and repair.
- 7 mistakes that keep you at band 6.5 in Speaking: Seven common Speaking habits that cap the score at 6.5, what they sound like and how to fix each one.
Writing
- IELTS Writing band descriptors, explained: The four Writing criteria for Task 1 and Task 2, with examples of band 6, 7 and 8 and the usual reasons candidates are held at 6.5.
- IELTS Writing band 7 tips: A checklist for band 7 Writing: overview, clear position, paragraph control, natural cohesion, precise vocabulary and proofreading.
- IELTS Task 2 introductions and conclusions that score 8: Introduction and conclusion patterns for opinion, discussion and problem-solution essays, with weak and strong examples.
Study plans
- 30-day IELTS study plan: band 7 to band 8: A week-by-week plan with 60 to 90 minute daily sessions for all four skills, error review and weekly mini-tests.
Model answers on this site are original, written to the band 8 descriptors by IELTS A. They are not official IELTS material and do not guarantee a score. IELTS A is not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council, IDP or Cambridge.