Short IELTS preparation guide PDF: the whole exam on 18 pages — Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking and a study plan, free download

2026-10-19 · 4 min read

We put everything you need to prepare for IELTS Academic into one handbook. One topic, one page: the exam format, every section, the question types, the Writing and Speaking criteria, grammar and a plan. You can read it in an evening, print it and keep it next to you while you practise.

Download the handbook

PDF, 18 pages, free, no sign-up. Pick the language you read most easily. The English examples and exam terms are the same in every version.

English (PDF) Русский (PDF) Oʻzbekcha (PDF)

What is inside: 18 pages by section

Each page is a condensed version of one of our articles. Want more detail? The link in the table takes you to the full article with examples.

Page	Topic	What you learn
2	How the exam works	the four sections, how long each takes, how the band is calculated
3	Preparing on your own	where to start, a study week, what not to save money on
4	Listening	the four parts, every question type, how many correct answers you need for 6.5 and 7
5–6	Reading	three texts in 60 minutes, True / False / Not Given, Matching Headings and the other types
7–14	Writing	the criteria, Task 1 (graphs, overview, trends, grammar), Task 2 (a band 7 essay), linking words, the AREA method
15	Speaking	the three parts, the criteria, how to give longer answers
16–18	Grammar and vocabulary	the articles a/an and the, learning words on your commute with no internet

IELTS Writing prep: why it gets 8 pages

Writing is where most people lose marks. A Listening or Reading answer is either right or wrong, but an essay is marked on four criteria, and each one can pull the band down in its own way. So the handbook takes Writing step by step:

Task 1 — how to describe a graph, table, process or map in 20 minutes; how to write the overview (without it the first criterion almost never goes above 5–6); words for trends and which tenses to use.
Task 2 — five question types, a four-paragraph plan, a model introduction and conclusion, a three-pass check.
Linking words and the AREA method — how to connect ideas without piling up however, and how to build a paragraph: idea → explanation → example.

Each part in detail: IELTS Writing Task 1: how to describe graphs, tables, processes and maps, a band 7 sample and where to practise with feedback and IELTS Writing Task 2: how to write a band 7 essay, structure, samples and essay checking against the criteria.

A simple plan: the handbook in 4 weeks

Week	Pages	What to do
1	2–4	Read how the exam works. Take one full practice test to see your level. Start Listening.
2	5–6	Reading: one question type a day until it stops feeling scary.
3	7–14	Writing: two Task 1 and two Task 2 answers using the page templates, each checked against the criteria.
4	15–18	Speaking out loud every day, articles and vocabulary. At the end, a second full test to compare with the first.

More than a month before the exam? Stretch the plan, but keep one full test a week. How to prepare without a course: IELTS self-study plan: how to prepare on your own from scratch on a small budget.

What the handbook does not have

Ready answers to real exam tasks — nobody can honestly give you those.
Official materials: we wrote everything in our own words. We are not affiliated with IELTS, British Council or IDP.
Practice. The handbook explains the rules; you still need tasks in the exam format — for example in our free simulator, which looks like computer-delivered IELTS.

Questions

Is it for Academic or General Training? Academic. Listening and Speaking are the same in General Training, so those pages work for you too.

Can I print and share it? Yes, for your own preparation and with friends.

Will the handbook be updated? Yes: when a new article with a cheat sheet comes out, it goes into the handbook too. Download it from this page — the link always gives the latest version.

Download the handbook (PDF, English)