A Masterclass in Preparing Students for IELTS
Most IELTS teacher training courses are run by people who teach IELTS. Ours is run by people who make IELTS — a practising IELTS examiner, a published IELTS coursebook writer, and a Cambridge assessment specialist who writes, vets and proofreads the actual Cambridge tests. That is not a combination you’ll find anywhere else.
Every session runs live on Zoom. No recordings, no self-paced modules, no talking to a screen. You work directly with the people who know how the test is built, what examiners look for, and what separates a band 6 from a band 7.
What most courses don’t teach you — and we do
There is a gap at the heart of most IELTS teacher training: nobody tells you how to assess your students. You can leave knowing how to teach the four skills and still have no idea whether your student is ready to sit the exam, why their writing score keeps stalling at 6.0, or how to give feedback that actually moves the needle.
We give that a dedicated module. You will work with the public IELTS band descriptors and learn to apply them to real student performance, both spoken and written. By the end, you will be able to assess accurately, give feedback that means something, and know with confidence when a student is ready.
Whether you have never taught an IELTS lesson or have been teaching exam preparation for years and want to go deeper, this course will change what happens in your classroom. The skills are practical, immediately usable, and sought after by language schools and tutoring programmes worldwide.
This course is offered six times a year as a full six-module, 30-hour programme (15 hours of independent study and 15 hours of guided learning). Modules run on consecutive weeks.
Over six live sessions you will cover
- the IELTS exam, its task types and the skills and sub-skills tested in each of its four papers;
- how to design an IELTS syllabus and plan lessons that build towards the test;
- the methodology of exam preparation — what makes it different from general English teaching;
- practical teaching ideas and how to recognise effective tests and adaptable materials;
- tips, techniques and strategies that will help your students get their desired grades;
- how to teach face-to-face and online IELTS classes;
- how to assess oral and written student performance using the public IELTS band descriptors;
- formal and informal assessment, and how to respond to student performance in speaking and writing;
- how to give actionable feedback that tells students exactly what to work on and why;
- strategies to help students become independent learners who can handle the pressure of test day;
- how to keep students motivated across what is, for many of them, a long and difficult journey.
Once you’ve enrolled, you’ll be sent a pre-course task that you’ll need to complete before the course begins. This will take around 6 hours. You’ll also receive a 60–90 minute pre-session task before each session. Completing all of these will make the course more meaningful and ensure that every minute of live contact time is spent on the things that actually require an expert in the room.
You will finish with a Certificate in Teaching IELTS, the ability to assess your students and give them actionable feedback that drives real progress, a set of ready-to-use teaching ideas, and a much clearer picture of the exam than most people ever get.
Each module runs for 2.5 hours and takes place on different days and times throughout the year, making them accessible to participants joining from around the world.
1. Planning and Teaching IELTS Exam Preparation Courses and Classes
This module gives you a clear framework for designing effective IELTS preparation programmes, from short intensives to extended courses. You will cover needs analysis, Academic vs. General Training choices, syllabus mapping across all four skills, lesson planning, pacing and material selection. By the end, you will be able to build well-structured, student-focused courses that drive consistent progress toward target band scores.
2. Teaching Reading (Academic IELTS)
This module examines the Academic Reading test: three long passages and 40 questions in 60 minutes. You will explore all question types and core strategies including skimming, scanning and reading for detail, alongside practical classroom activities and solutions to common learner challenges.
3. Teaching Listening (Academic and General IELTS)
This module covers the Listening section in both formats: 40 questions across four sections of increasing difficulty. You will review all question types, develop techniques for preparing students effectively, and leave with ready-to-use activities that help learners complete all four sections successfully under exam conditions.
4. Teaching Speaking (Academic and General IELTS)
This module focuses on the Speaking test across all three parts. You will gain practical strategies and activities for Parts 1, 2 and 3, alongside techniques for building learner confidence and delivering effective error correction.
5. Teaching Writing (Academic IELTS)
This module addresses Academic Writing Task 1 and Task 2, within the 150- and 250-word limits respectively. You will explore the demands of each task, develop strategies for teaching structure, coherence and lexical range, and leave with practical activities that help students produce well-organised, band-appropriate responses under timed conditions.
6. Assessing and Evaluating Oral and Written Performance
This module teaches you to assess Speaking and Writing accurately using the official IELTS public band descriptors. You will learn to identify strengths and weaknesses quickly, deliver constructive feedback, conduct mock tests and track progress reliably. The session includes tools for error analysis, self- and peer-assessment, and building individualised improvement plans that lead to measurable gains. This is the module many IELTS teacher training courses leave out — and the one that will make the biggest difference to your students.
Each module runs for 2.5 hours and takes place on different days and times throughout the year, making them accessible to participants joining from around the world.
7. Teaching IELTS through Games (Academic and General IELTS)
This module shows you how to use games and game-based activities to make IELTS preparation more engaging without sacrificing exam focus. You will explore a range of ready-to-use activities covering all four skills, suitable for both Academic and General Training learners. By the end, you will have a practical toolkit of activities that maintain motivation and reinforce test technique in a more dynamic classroom environment.
8. Teaching Academic Vocabulary (Academic IELTS)
This module addresses one of the most consistent challenges in Academic IELTS: building the range and precision of vocabulary that higher band scores require. You will explore approaches to teaching the Academic Word List, collocations, word families and vocabulary in context, alongside strategies for helping students actively use new language rather than simply recognise it.
9. Planning, Creating and Conducting IELTS Mock Exams (Academic and General IELTS)
This module takes you through the full process of designing, administering and debriefing IELTS mock exams. You will cover how to source and adapt materials, replicate authentic exam conditions, manage timing across all four skills and use mock results diagnostically to identify gaps and adjust your teaching plan.
10. Teaching Report Writing (Academic IELTS)
This module focuses on Writing Task 1, where candidates must describe or summarise visual data in at least 150 words. You will explore the full range of Task 1 formats, including charts, graphs, tables, diagrams and maps, and develop strategies for teaching accurate data description and the language of change and comparison.
11. Teaching Essay Writing (Academic IELTS)
This module focuses on Writing Task 2, where candidates produce an essay of at least 250 words. You will develop strategies for teaching essay planning, thesis statements, paragraph structure, argument development, reasoning and coherence, with practical activities students can apply directly in timed conditions.
12. Teaching Linkers and Cohesive Devices for IELTS Writing (Academic IELTS)
This module examines how cohesion and coherence are assessed in IELTS Writing and how to teach them effectively. You will explore the range of linking language, referencing devices and discourse markers that raise band scores and leave with practical activities that help students use cohesive devices accurately and naturally rather than mechanically.
13. Teaching Letter Writing (General IELTS)
This module covers General Training Writing Task 1, where candidates write a letter of at least 150 words in a formal, semi-formal or informal register. You will explore all three letter types, develop strategies for teaching purpose, tone, register and structure, and leave with activities that help students respond accurately to the full range of task prompts they may encounter.
14. Teaching Essay Writing (General IELTS)
This module focuses on General Training Writing Task 2, which shares its essay format with the Academic paper but draws on more personal and everyday contexts. You will develop strategies for teaching argument structure, register, idea development and coherence, with a focus on the specific demands and common pitfalls of the General Training task.
Classes are kept intentionally small, with a maximum of 18 participants and a minimum of 6. This ensures every trainee gets meaningful access to the trainers and the kind of direct interaction that makes a live course worth taking.
ELTeach reserves the right to cancel a course/module if there are insufficient students (minimum 6) registered on a module/course. In this case, an alternative module/course will be offered or a full refund will be given.
A Certificate in Teaching IELTS is awarded upon successful completion of all six core modules. Each add-on module (modules 7–14) receives its own certificate of completion. Participants who complete the full core course plus any five add-on modules will be awarded a Diploma in Teaching IELTS.
Anyone who completes all six modules will receive 10% off any of our other courses, including CELTA and DELTA.
General Refund and Cancellation Policy
- Courses cancelled more than 30 days prior to the start of the course will receive a full refund minus the non-refundable deposit of £100.
- Courses cancelled between 21 and 14 days prior to the start of the course will be charged 45% of the course fee.
- Courses cancelled less than 14 days prior to the start of the course will not be eligible for a refund.
Cancellations must be received by us in writing (by post or email) within these timescales. No refund of fees will be made after the start of the course.
ELTeach reserves the right to cancel a course if there are insufficient students (minimum 6) registered on a module/course. In this case, an alternative module/course will be offered or a full refund will be given.
ELTeach is a very safe and caring environment for studying. To safeguard the health and safety of trainees, students and staff, we reserve the right to expel any trainee or student (e.g., in case of gross misconduct). In the event of such expulsion, no refund of fees will be made by ELTeach.
Language requirement: B2
