A Masterclass in Preparing Students for IELTS
Advance your career and take responsibility for your own continuing professional development (CPD) with this unique course. It will not only make you more knowledgeable and employable but will also transform your classroom by providing you with a wealth of great ideas you can incorporate into your own teaching.
The skills you develop on a course as practical as the Certificate in Teaching IELTS are highly sought-after by employers around the world, whether you are a novice tutor preparing to teach your first IELTS lesson or an experienced one looking for new ideas or more in-depth knowledge about the test and the way it is assessed. You will learn about the principles that underpin testing and assessment and about the general methodology of teaching exam preparation courses. You will learn how to design a comprehensive IELTS syllabus and how to plan engaging IELTS lessons. You will receive guidance about formal and informal evaluation and assessment, along with strategies and ways of responding to oral and written student performance. You will be taught how to help your students make progress and successfully pass the test. You will also learn how to manage and support your learners as well as how to keep them motivated and positive throughout their challenging journey.
This course will provide you with
- practical teaching ideas;
- improved employment opportunities;
- an insight into evaluation and assessment;
- skills to recognise effective tests and adaptable materials;
- ideas and resources for continuous post-course development;
- tips, techniques and strategies that will help your students get their desired grades;
- tips on how to give feedback about student performance constructively and effectively;
- a teaching methodology for both face-to-face and online IELTS exam preparation lessons;
- techniques for helping your students become independent learners and responsible test takers;
- an increased understanding of the IELTS exam, its task types and the skills and sub-skills tested in each of its four papers;
- advice on how to keep your students motivated and engaged as well as tips to help them perform under adverse circumstances.
This course is offered six times a year as a full six-module programme. Modules run on consecutive weeks, following the scheduled module order, so that each session builds on the one before.
Each module runs for two 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.
Each module runs for two 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.
A minimum of 6 trainees is required for a module/course to run.
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.
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
