Do you need an extra 0.5 or 1.0 on the IELTS band? Do you need to get 1.5 or even 2.0 points more?
International House Chiang Mai has a proven track record of helping students get into top universities in Thailand and throughout the world.
An average student will improve .5 points on the IELTS scale. But at IH Chiang Mai, we’re anything but average. Our students regularly do better than that!
Our courses will help you prepare for the IELTS, focusing on the areas of the test where you need the most improvement and working with you to help you meet your goals.
The International House Chiang Mai IELTS Preparation courses will give you the knowledge and skills you need in preparation for the IELTS test. The courses provide useful strategies and techniques to help you approach all sections of the test confidently.
If you have not already taken an IELTS test, IH Chiang Mai is happy to give you a free IELTS placement test to assess your IELTS level.
For any student getting a level of less than 4.5 on the IELTS bands, we recommends taking a General English course to bring you up to at least IELTS band 4.5 before focusing specifically on IELTS course materials.
For more information about the IELTS test, please see the exam homepage: https://www.ielts.org/
Study IELTS at International House Chiang Mai
We have three different options for IELTS preparation – For short term courses we normally recommend private 1:1 as this provides the most improvement in the shortest time and it can be scheduled based on your availability. We have 10, 20, and 40 hour courses (or longer if you would like) for 1:1 Preparation. This will consist of an initial interview and placement test to see where you’re at starting out. Then, based on where you need to get to we can determine what is the best course of action: amount of hours, type of study, homework, and any other necessary actions.
Our second and third options are best for longer term students that can study intensively.
- Option 2: The second recommendation is to start with General English classes to raise your overall level. Focusing on raising your level instead of focusing just on IELTS makes your English level increase quicker. Then around 1 month before you are set to take the IELTS exam we would then recommend a private 1:1 class that gives you the specific tools and tips you need to do well on the IELTS. This would be a combination of GE15 or GE25, with private classes after a set amount of weeks.
- Option 3: The third option would be to simultaneously take General English 15 in the morning, and study two hours of private IELTS in the afternoon to raise your overall level while also focusing on the specific skills in the exam. The name of this course is Exam Preparation 25 and is quite a popular course with our students.
FAQs about IELTS
IELTS is the International English Language Testing System. It measures ability to communicate in English across all four language skills – listening, reading, writing and speaking – for people who intend to study or work where English is the language of communication.
Multi-level. You get a score between 1 and 9. Half scores such as 6.5 are possible. Universities often demand an IELTS score of 6 or 7. They may also demand a minimum score in each of the 4 sections.
IELTS is internationally available, internationally recognised, internationally focused and internationally owned. It opens doors for you to more than 6000 educational institutions, faculties, government agencies and professional organisations across 120 countries which recognise IELTS scores as a trusted and valid indicator of ability to communicate in English. In every sense, IELTS is a truly global test which can take you where you want to go. British, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand universities require IELTS scores ranging from 4.5 for foundation courses and some science subjects to 7.5 / 8 for subjects like Law, as proof of applicants having a sufficient level of English to follow courses.
You can choose between the Academic or General Training versions of the test. All candidates do the same Listening and Speaking sections.
- Listening – 4 sections, 40 questions, 30 minutes
- Speaking – interview, 15 minutes
- Reading – different for Academic or General Training – 3 sections, 40 questions, 60 minutes
- Writing – different for Academic or General Training – 2 pieces of writing, 60 minutes
A candidate can repeat the test as often as they wish. There is no limit to the number of times the candidate can take the IELTS test. We can arrange for you to take the exam at one of the IELTS testing centres in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.
Top tips for preparing for the exam:
- If necessary, you can jot down a few notes on the answer sheet. These can be crossed out when you have finished and will not be marked.
- You must respond to each point mentioned in the task. If you leave something out, you will lose marks.
- It is worth reading the task several times to make sure you understand it fully, as you will lose marks in the IELTS if you misinterpret the situation.
- In the listening test, when you transfer your answers to the answer sheet, make sure you follow the same numbering as the questions on the question paper.
- If you use more than three words in the listening test, your answer is most likely incorrect.
- As in the listening test, use no more than three words for your answers on the reading test.
- You do not need to be able to understand all the words in the reading section to be able to answer the question.
- In the writing section you should describe the trends in the graphs, not just describe the information shown.
- In the speaking test do not answer yes or no, even if it is applicable with the questions – be prepared to expand your answer.