How much studying do I need to do?
Many students like to ask the question, “When can I get a grade 7.0?” or similar questions. It really is impossible for your teacher to say unless he knows you very well. Even then the answer given would be more like a guesstimate. People learn at different speeds, and the amount of homework they are prepared to do also varies from person to person. However, an approximate guide suggested by Cambridge ESOL is shown below. Someone requiring an overall grade of 6.0, for example, should expect to study between 500 and 600 hours if starting with no knowledge of English. Somebody hoping to improve from a grade 5.0 to grade 6.0 would need about 100 hours of studying.
Hours of Studying | IELTS grade |
1000 – 1200 hours | 7.5+ |
700 – 800 hours | 6.5 – 7.0 |
500 – 600 hours | 5.0 – 5.5 – 6.0 |
350 – 400 hours | 3.5 – 4.0 – 4.5 |
180 – 200 hours | 3.0 |
90 – 100 hours | 1.0 – 2.0 |
Get some ebooks to help you get your IELTS band score more quickly!