IELTS Preparation

Key Information

Course duration

2 - 10 weeks

Start any Monday

Hours per week

20 hours of face-to-face classroom teaching per week 

Timetable

Monday to Friday
12.45pm to 5.05pm

English Level:

Advanced (CEFR B2+)

                                                                                                                                       CRICOS Course Code: 063645G

IELTS Preparation

If you want to study in Australia or get an Australian visa, you might need to sit an IELTS test. Hawthorn-Melbourne’s IELTS preparation course will give you the skills you need to succeed.

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) assesses the English language proficiency of people who want to study or work where English is the main language. It is recognised by higher education providers, governments and employers all over the world.

IELTS tests the four skills of language learning. You will develop skills in:

  • listening: note-taking, listening for specific information
  • speaking: expressing ideas and opinions, seeking clarification, pronunciation
  • reading: speed reading strategies, understanding graphs and charts, analysing IELTS specimen papers
  • writing: interpreting questions, organising content, grammatical accuracy.

Succeeding in the IELTS test is also about understanding the test structure. We will help you with that too. Throughout your course you will do regular test practice and role plays. You will learn special test strategies to do with the format of the test and time management.

If you sit the IELTS examination, you will be given an overall band score from 1.0 (non-user) to 9.0 (expert user). For most higher education programs, you will need a minimum score between 6.0 and 7.5 to be eligible to apply.

Your learning outcomes

The IELTS Preparation course gives you knowledge and strategies to succeed in the IELTS test.

When you finish this course, you will be familiar with the structure of all aspects of the IELTS test – for either General or Academic modules.

Reading

Develop skills to quickly pinpoint answers in reading exercises.

Writing

Analyse and respond to both parts of the IELTS writing test in an hour.

Listening

Be familiar with question types and strategies for the IELTS listening section.

Speaking

Have the confidence to complete the speaking section of the IELTS test.

Lesson plan

Morning

Independent study in the Independent Learning Centre (ILC)

Afternoon 

Speaking
Practise complex language in conversation; discuss weekly topic

Listening
Practise advanced listening strategies with listening comprehension

Vocabulary and reading
Strategies to increase vocabulary and find information from texts

Writing
Analyse Task 1; practise sentence writing, focus on grammar and complexity


Homework
Reading comprehension; read the newspaper and prepare a discussion topic

Morning

Independent study in the Independent Learning Centre (ILC)

Afternoon

Speaking
Discuss news prepared for homework with the class, focus on sentence structure; review grammar

Listening
Identify main points and speech markers from a spoken text

Writing
Analyse graphs, tables and diagrams and select information for writing; group activity

Reading
Practise skimming and scanning; reading comprehension


Homework
Prepare two minute presentation on given topic

Morning

Independent study in the Independent Learning Centre (ILC)

Afternoon

Speaking
Present your topic prepared for homework and receive feedback on language used; review grammar

Listening
Practise listening comprehension; identify speech markers

Reading
Work on test sections and questions; reading comprehension

Writing
Analyse Task 2; focus on understanding the essay question, developing an outline and writing paragraphs

Homework
Write complex sentences using advanced vocabulary

Morning

Independent study in the Independent Learning Centre (ILC)

Afternoon

Speaking
Practise answering questions in the test; in pairs practise self and peer correction and pronunciation

Listening
Review test sections and tasks; practise listening comprehension

Reading ­and vocabulary
Analyse a text; review strategies for dealing with unknown vocabulary; practise reading

Writing
Practise paragraph development and organising your ideas

Homework
Practise paragraph writing

Morning

Independent study in the Independent Learning Centre (ILC)

Afternoon

Speaking
Discuss the weekly topic in groups; focus on pronunciation, stress and intonation

Listening
Analyse how a speaker conveys meaning with stress and intonation

Writing
Practise outlines and introductions

Computer Lab
Visit useful websites for test preparation; listening and grammar exercises


Homework
Prepare topic from a newspaper for discussion on Monday

Assessment

Assessment tasks will help you track your progress. You will have mid course tests and end of course tests, as well as other assessments throughout the course.

At the start of your course, your teacher will explain the assessment tasks you will need to do. Your assessment tasks will cover the four skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking.

You will receive a report of your results at the end of the course.

Entry level

  • IELTS 5.5 (writing 5.5, no band under 5.0)  or 
  • TOEFL iBTR  46 (writing 18, reading 4, listening 5, speaking 14)  or
  • PTE-Academic  42 (writing 42 with no communicative skill below 36)  or
  • Advanced level in the official Hawthorn-Melbourne Placement Test