The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS Student's Book with Answers with DVD-ROM (Cambridge English) 1st Edition

If I could only use one IELTS book to prepare for the IELTS test then this would be it. Why? Well, firstly, it is produced by the co-owners of the IELTS test, Cambridge English, this means it is extremely reliable in terms of the test format and style of questions you are going to be preparing with. This is extremely important as if you take a look at some of the IELTS web-sites out there, there is in fact a lot of misleading and incorrect information going around. Imagine how you would feel on test day if you opened the paper and realised the questions you had been preparing with were not quite the same as the real genuine IELTS questions, this could be the difference between having to resit the test again or not. It is far better to prepare properly with genuine IELTS material.  Click here now.

IELTS 15 General Training Student's Book with Answers with Audio with Resource Bank: Authentic Practice Tests (IELTS Practice Tests) 1st Edition

These books are another favourite of mine. Essentially you get 4 full IELTS papers once more produced by Cambridge the co-owners of the IELTS test. What I like about them is that there is zero 'fluff'. You simply get 4 IELTS papers to practice with and have a go at. There are model answers/sample student answers in the back of these books and these are the main way in which you can gain a clear understanding of what you need to do in order to score well in the IELTS test, as each sample answer is then given a band score with the reason why it achieved that band, great for learning from.

They have also moved to using QR codes so that you can download the audio for the Listening tests, example Speaking test video, answer keys with extra explanations and sample Writing answers, so it is nice to see they are moving with the times! The only real draw back of using these books and the same with any IELTS prep book is that ideally you are still going to need to get feedback from a 'real person' to check how well your English is going and what mistakes you are making, but as far as IELTS books go, this is hard to beat. Be aware that there are separate version for the IELTS General and Academic formats of the test and you will need to purchase the correct version for yourself as the tests are very different in places. Click here for General and click here for Academic.

IELTS Superpack (Barron's Test Prep)

This is one book that I am not that familiar with but my students have had a lot of success with it. It is produced independently from the IELTS organisation by an educationalist who specialises in exam prep, not just IELTS but also the likes of TOEIC, and TOEFL. This could be an advantage in that they are able to see the test with a fresh set of eyes and perhaps provide a new refreshing set of guidance for the exam.

Anyway, this is actually a collection of 4 separate books and also there is a strong online element with downloads for certain sections. It does cover both the General and Academic versions so only one set is needed. Like I said, many of my students scored highly by using this book so the choice is yours. Click here now.

Final words of advice...