The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS Student's Book with Answers with DVD-ROM Review

As a former IELTS examiner who has seen just how seriously and nervous students get about this test, I feel really quite upset for students who have prepared for the IELTS test with the wrong information.

There is so much wrong IELTS information out there on the internet and so many fake teachers and 'dodgy' IELTS 'how to' videos that it is genuinely difficult to know whether the advice you are reading online is good advice or not!

So, how do you know if the advice you are getting is good quality or not?

Simple, you go straight to the people who write the test. In this case, Cambridge English, they co-own the test with IDP and the British Council and so you are guaranteed to be reading quality advice, strategies and tips.

What's in the book? Well, are here are a couple of photos of the contents page of my own well-used copy:

Take A Look At What Is Inside The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS Student's Book

The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS Student's Book Pros and Cons

100% reliable produced by Cambridge English.
Everything you need for Academic and General test prep (400 pages).
8 official practice tests.
DVD for speaking and listening sections.
Clear advice, tips and explanations throughout.
Full sample answers at the back of the book.
Lots of satisfied student testimonies.

You still have to do the work!
Main focus is not to teach you English but to help you with exam strategy and format.
Some people have reported occasional typos in the answer section although I have never seen this myself!
Generally more expensive than most other IELTS books.

My thoughts on The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS Student's Book

Well, the clearly laid out lessons include lots of useful vocabulary, grammar structures and answer structures for you to follow along with. The book is colourful which helps to maintain interest and there are particularly useful sections on checking and correcting including common mistakes students make with items like tenses and prepositions. The comprehensive sample answers at the back of the book mean that you always know what a high band score answer looks like which is very important.

Here is the link again for what I believe to be the best IELTS book, click here.

The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS Student's Book or

IELTS Superpack (Barron's Test Prep)

The IELTS Superpack from Barron's test Prep is the main competitor and rightly so, many students enjoy their approach and slightly refreshing take on IELTS. However, they are not the owners of IELTS and in fact they write books for lots of different exams so it is hard to imagine they are quite as accurate in their questions and strategies as Cambridge English are. For that reason, I would personally buy The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS Student's Book first.

Check Out Results From Using The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS Student's Book

"I made a good choice and I passed my IELTS with an overall of 8 out of 9 and even got 9 out of 9 in the reading! And I did it all with just this one book. I would recommend this book any day for students..." - An Amazon reviewer

"The perfect companion to guide the student to IELTS success. The most important part of the book which is dealing with the skills will definitely augment the student's abilities to do better during the day of the exam." - Amazon reviewer

"Barron’s books are pretty awesome too, but why not purchase the official guide, especially if it’s this perfect?" - Amazon reviewer

The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS Student's Book Conclusion

When it comes to the IELTS test it pays to be prepared, the IELTS test is expensive to take and even more expensive if you have to resit it! Studying at home with one of these IELTS books consistently over a period of time, say at least a month (preferrably 3 months) before the exam, will give you the best possible chance of getting the band score you need first time. Good luck, I hope you have found these IELTS book reviews useful.

Here is the link again for what I believe to be the best IELTS book, click here.

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Discover how to describe all types of visual data that you may see in this part of the test.

IELTS Listening

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IELTS Writing Task 1 (General)

Discover how to write in the correct format and tone for this part of the test.

IELTS Speaking

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IELTS Writing Task 2

Discover the 5 step process for writing band 7 essays in 40 minutes or less.

IELTS Reading

Here we reveal the best method for completing each part of the reading test.