IELTS 7.0 Roadmap — no band below 6.5 (for a busy software engineer)

12 months · ~2.5 hrs/day · ~900 hrs | starting point ≈ A2/low-B1 → target ≈ C1 Default: Academic module. General Training differences are flagged with [GT]. Target: overall 7.0, with every band ≥ 6.5. The overall is the average of the four bands rounded to the nearest 0.5. The safe plan is Listening & Reading at 7.5, Writing & Speaking at 6.5 — that averages to exactly 7.0 (7.5+7.5+6.5+6.5 = 28/4), so you hit target even if the productive skills only reach their 6.5 floor and nothing rounds in your favor. Listening and Reading rise fastest and are the most controllable, so make them your buffer. Band → raw score: Listening 7.5 ≈ 32/40, Reading (Academic) 7.5 ≈ 33/40. Aim 34+ for margin.

Reality Check (read this first)

This is aggressive — “very limited” to a clean 7 (no band under 6.5) in a year is a real stretch, and it works only with daily consistency. The enemy is skipped days, not slow days. If you fall behind, the honest move is to push the test date, not lower the bar.
The “no band below 6.5” rule is the hard part. A single weak skill sinks you even if the others are strong. So there is no coasting on any section — your weakest skill, not your average, decides success. Track all four every week and always feed the lagging one.
The band you get is decided mostly by vocabulary size + grammatical accuracy + hours of input, not by “IELTS tricks.” Spend Months 1–6 building the language; spend Months 7–12 aiming it at the exam. Do not start doing full IELTS tests in Month 1 — you’ll just memorize wrong habits.
Your two hardest sections will be Writing and Speaking (productive skills) — and these are exactly where the 6.5 floor bites. Getting Writing from a 6 to a reliable 6.5 is the single biggest project of the year; budget the most feedback there. Listening and Reading rise faster and are more controllable (your engineering reading habit transfers), so push them to 7.5 — they are your buffer against the average, not just a pass.
Advantage you have: you already learn structured technical material daily. Treat English like a system — measurable inputs, feedback loops, spaced repetition.
Book the real test at the start of Month 11. A paid deadline is the single biggest motivator. Take one diagnostic mock in Week 1 so you know your baseline (expect ~4.5–5.5).

Skill & Time Allocation

Skill	Why it matters	Time
Input (listening + reading)	Comprehensible input is the engine of everything — vocabulary, grammar, and ear all grow from it	~35%
Vocabulary (Anki, daily)	Biggest single lever on your band; 6.5–7 ≈ 5,000–6,000 word families active	~20%
Speaking (shadowing + output)	Fluency and pronunciation only grow by talking daily; can’t be crammed	~20%
Writing (sentence → essay)	Slowest skill to move; needs feedback loops, not just practice	~20%
Grammar (targeted, applied)	Studied only to fix errors you actually make — not as a separate hobby	~5%

Grammar is small on purpose. You already have the english grammar in use.md notes — grammar is a reference to fix mistakes, not a subject to grind. Accuracy comes from producing language and correcting it.

Daily Non-Negotiables (every single day, ~55 min)

Anki: 15–20 new cards + all reviews (~20 min) — vocabulary, collocations, and your own error cards. Never skip; a 2-day gap doubles the backlog.
Listening + shadowing, 25–30 min — listen to a short clip, then shadow it (repeat aloud 0.5s behind the speaker, copying rhythm and intonation). This trains the ear and the mouth at once.
One-minute spoken monologue, recorded (~5 min) — speak about anything (your day, a bug you fixed) for 60s, record it, listen back once, note one thing to fix. This kills the fear of speaking.

The remaining ~90 min/day rotates by phase and by the weekly rhythm below.

Weekly Rhythm

Day	Focus (after daily non-negotiables)	~90 min
Mon	Reading — one intensive text: read, mine 10 words + collocations into Anki
Tue	Writing — one focused piece (sentence drills → paragraph → full task by phase)
Wed	Listening — intensive: dictation of a 3–5 min clip, then check transcript
Thu	Speaking — record a Part-2-style monologue; in later phases, live tutor session
Fri	Grammar + error log — review the week’s mistakes, drill the one pattern you got wrong most
Sat	Long input day — 1 graded reader chapter/article + 1 podcast/video, low pressure, high volume
Sun	Review & plan — reread the week’s Anki lapses, self-assess with band descriptor, plan next week

End-State Goals (map to band descriptors)

Listening — target 7.5 (32–34/40, your buffer for the overall)

Understand natural-speed connected speech (British/Aus/US/Canadian accents) without subtitles for a 5-min clip
Take dictation of a 3-min clip with <5% word error rate
Recognise weak forms, linking, and elision (“gonna”, “wanna”, “d’you”) in real time
Consistently score 32+/40 on Cambridge IELTS 15–18 listening tests under timed conditions

Reading (Academic) — target 7.5 (33–34/40, your buffer for the overall)

Read a 900-word article and answer detail questions without re-reading the whole text
Skim for gist in <2 min; scan for a specific fact in <30s
Handle all question types: T/F/NG, matching headings, sentence completion, matching features, MCQ
Finish 3 passages / 40 questions in 60 minutes with 33+ correct
[GT] GT band scale is stricter — Reading 7.5 needs ~36/40; drill for near-perfect accuracy on the easier texts

Writing — target 6.5+ (reliable, not occasional — this is the floor that decides the whole test)

Task 2 (essay): write a clear 4-paragraph 260-word essay in 40 min with a defensible position, topic sentences, and linked ideas
Task 1 [Academic]: describe a graph/table/process/map in 150 words in 20 min — overview + key features, no opinion
Task 1 [GT]: write a 150-word letter (formal/semi-formal/informal) matching the right tone
Use a range of complex sentences (relative clauses, conditionals, passives) with more correct than incorrect
Use topic-appropriate vocabulary and collocations, not memorized “big words” misused
Self-diagnose your own writing against all four criteria before handing it to a tutor/AI

Speaking — target 6.5+ (reliable floor)

Speak for 1–2 min on any Part 2 cue card without long pauses or drying up
Answer Part 3 abstract questions with a reason + example, not one-liners
Be understood easily throughout; correct word stress and clear individual sounds
Self-correct audibly when you make an error (examiners reward this)
Use discourse markers naturally (“the thing is”, “having said that”, “to be honest”)

Vocabulary & Grammar (underpins all four)

~5,000–6,000 word families recognized; ~3,000 usable in speech/writing
Know words as collocations, not isolated (“make a decision”, “heavy rain”, “strong argument”)
Produce complex sentences correctly: conditionals, relative clauses, passive, perfect aspect
Personal error log of your top-20 recurring mistakes, each drilled until gone

The Four Engines (the method behind every phase)

Input — you cannot output language you’ve never absorbed. Listen and read massively at a level where you understand ~90–95% (comprehensible input). Below that it’s noise; at 100% you learn nothing new.
Vocabulary via spaced repetition — Anki daily, learning words in context and as collocations. This is non-negotiable and compounds like interest.
Pronunciation from Day 1 — via shadowing. If you learn a word’s sound wrong, you’ll mishear it forever and mispronounce it in the Speaking test. Fix the ear and mouth early.
Output with feedback — speaking and writing produced daily, then corrected. Practice without correction just fossilizes errors. Feedback = a tutor, a language exchange, or a carefully-prompted AI checker.

Phase 1: Foundation — Rebuild the Base (Months 1–3, ~225 hrs)

Goal: reach solid B1. Fix pronunciation, lock in core grammar, build the first 2,500 high-frequency words, and get 30+ min of daily listening comfortable. No full IELTS tests yet (except the Week-1 diagnostic).

Diagnostic + Setup (Week 1)

Take one full Cambridge IELTS mock (book 15) — record all four band scores as your baseline
Install Anki; add the pre-made NGSL (New General Service List, ~2,800 words) deck
Set Anki to 15 new cards/day; commit to daily reviews forever
Print/bookmark the IELTS band descriptors for Writing and Speaking — you’ll self-grade against them all year
Set up an error log file (english/error-log.md) — every correction goes here

Pronunciation Bootcamp (Weeks 1–4, daily 15 min)

Learn the 44 English phonemes (IPA) — use the BBC Learning English “The Sounds of English” videos (44 short clips)
Drill minimal pairs you can’t hear/say (ship/sheep, bad/bed, rice/lice, three/tree) with an app (English File Pronunciation, or Sounds: Pronunciation App)
Learn word stress rules — every multi-syllable word has one strong syllable (PHOtograph → phoTOgraphy). Mark stress on every new Anki word.
Learn connected speech: linking, weak forms (schwa /ə/), contractions — why “want to” sounds like “wanna”
Start shadowing 5 min/day using clear, slow content (BBC 6 Minute English)
Exit check: you can produce the vowel/consonant sounds that don’t exist in your L1, and you always know where the stress falls on a new word

Core Grammar Repair (Weeks 1–8, Fridays + a bit daily, ~40 hrs)

Use your own english grammar in use.md notes + the English Grammar in Use (Murphy, blue/intermediate) book. One unit at a time.

Lock the tense system cold: present simple vs continuous, past simple vs present perfect, past perfect, future forms — do the Murphy exercises until you get them right without thinking
Articles (a/an/the/zero) — the #1 error for most learners; do targeted drills
Subject–verb agreement, plurals, countable/uncountable + quantifiers (much/many/some/any)
Prepositions of time/place, and dependent prepositions (interested in, good at, depend on)
Question formation and word order (you already have this in your notes — drill until automatic)
Build complex sentences: relative clauses, because/although/while, first & second conditionals
Exit check: you can write 10 sentences about your day using 5 different tenses with correct articles and agreement

Vocabulary Build (Weeks 1–12, daily via Anki, ~35 hrs)

Finish the NGSL 2,800 deck (recognition) — ~2,800 words at 15/day covers the phase
For every word, learn one collocation and its stress — not the bare word
Add a “mine your input” habit: every day, pull 5–10 unknown words from what you read/heard into Anki in the sentence you found them
Exit check: you recognize ~2,500 of the most frequent English words and understand ~90% of graded/B1 material

Massive Input (Weeks 1–12, daily, the core of the phase)

Listening: BBC 6 Minute English, every episode; then graded podcasts (Luke’s English Podcast for beginners, “Culips”, “The English We Speak”). 30 min/day.
Shadowing: pick one 2–3 min segment/week and shadow it until you can match the rhythm
Reading: graded readers (Oxford Bookworms / Penguin Readers) — start at your level (A2–B1) and read whole books for pleasure and volume, not study. 1–2 books/week.
Dictation (Wed): transcribe a 2–3 min clip, then compare to transcript, add every missed word to Anki
Exit check: you can watch BBC 6 Minute English and follow it without the transcript

Output Starts Small (Weeks 5–12, daily)

Daily 1-min recorded monologue (from the non-negotiables) — by Week 12 aim for 2 min without freezing
Weekly: write a 5–7 sentence paragraph about a familiar topic; self-check against the error log
Start a journal in English — 3 sentences/day minimum; it’s low-pressure output volume

Phase 1 Gate

Understand BBC 6 Minute English with no transcript
Write a coherent 100-word paragraph with correct tenses and articles (mostly)
Speak 2 minutes on a familiar topic without drying up
~2,500 word families recognized; Anki habit unbroken for 12 weeks
Re-take a listening test: aim 20+/40 (up from baseline)

Phase 2: Bridge to B2 (Months 4–6, ~225 hrs)

Goal: reach B2. Push vocabulary into the academic range, make complex grammar productive (not just recognized), move from graded to authentic material, and turn output into structured paragraphs. Still mostly skill-building; begin light exposure to IELTS formats at the end.

Vocabulary: Academic + Depth (daily)

Add the Academic Word List (AWL, 570 word families) deck — the vocabulary IELTS Reading/Writing rewards
Add a topic-vocabulary habit: IELTS recycles ~12 themes (environment, education, technology, health, work, crime, urbanisation, globalisation, media, tourism, culture, government). Build a mini-deck per theme with collocations.
Learn words in word families (analyse / analysis / analytical / analyst) — needed for Writing lexical range
Exit check: ~4,000 word families recognized; you can produce topic collocations on the 12 IELTS themes

Grammar Becomes Productive (weekly)

Move to English Grammar in Use (intermediate) harder units: passives, reported speech, all conditionals, relative clauses, -ing vs to-infinitive (you have notes on these already)
Drill until you produce them in writing under time, not just recognize them
Weekly: rewrite one of your old paragraphs using 3 complex structures you were avoiding
Exit check: your writing naturally contains relative clauses, conditionals, and passives — correctly more often than not

Input Goes Authentic (daily)

Listening: graduate to natural-speed content — TED Talks (with then without subtitles), BBC News, All Ears English / IELTS Energy podcasts, YouTube channels in your field (English is a bonus: engineering talks)
Add accent variety deliberately: British, American, Australian, Canadian — the test uses all
Reading: graduate from graded readers to authentic B1–B2 material — BBC News, Simple Wikipedia → Wikipedia, Aeon, The Conversation, popular-science articles. Also read tech articles you’d read anyway, but mine vocabulary from them.
Keep intensive dictation weekly; word-error-rate should be falling
Exit check: you follow a TED talk without subtitles and get the main points + most details

Speaking Ramps Up (daily + weekly)

Continue daily recorded monologues, now 2–3 min on abstract topics (opinions, not just facts)
Begin weekly live speaking — get a tutor on iTalki / Preply (cheap, ~1×/week) or a free language-exchange partner (Tandem/HelloTalk). Nothing replaces real conversation.
Learn fluency fillers & discourse markers so you stop pausing silently (“well”, “I mean”, “the thing is”, “as far as I know”)
Shadow to fix pronunciation of your top mispronounced words (from tutor feedback)
Exit check: you hold a 10-min conversation with a tutor on an everyday topic without breaking down

Writing Becomes Structured (weekly)

Learn paragraph architecture: topic sentence → explanation → example → link. Write one every week.
Learn cohesion: linking words (however, moreover, in contrast, as a result) used correctly and sparingly — overuse is penalized
Introduce the IELTS Writing Task 2 essay shape (intro → 2 body paragraphs → conclusion) but only after paragraphs are solid — practice 1 short essay/week
Get every piece corrected (tutor or a well-prompted AI: ask it to grade against the four IELTS criteria and list specific errors, not rewrite for you)
Move every correction into the error log and Anki
Exit check: you write a clear, linked 200-word opinion paragraph-set that a tutor rates ~6

Phase 2 Gate

Follow authentic natural-speed audio (TED/news) without subtitles
~4,000 word families; producing academic collocations on IELTS themes
Hold a 10-minute conversation with a tutor
Write a coherent 200-word structured argument, corrected and logged
Listening mock 24+/40; Reading mock 22+/40

Phase 3: IELTS Skills — Aim the Language at the Exam (Months 7–9, ~225 hrs)

Goal: learn every IELTS task type and strategy, and start scoring near target on individual sections. Now you know enough English to make “IELTS technique” actually pay off.

Listening Strategy (weekly intensive + daily input)

Learn each section’s shape: S1 (social, form-filling), S2 (monologue, map/labels), S3 (academic discussion, 2–4 speakers), S4 (lecture, note completion)
Master question types: form/note/table completion, multiple choice, matching, map/plan labeling, sentence completion
Train the “read ahead + predict” skill: use the pre-audio time to predict answer type (number? name? noun?)
Drill spelling + numbers — you lose easy marks on misspelled correct answers; British spelling
Watch for distractors (the speaker says a wrong option then corrects it) — the exam’s favorite trap
Do 2 section-drills + 1 full listening test/week from Cambridge IELTS 15–18
Exit check: consistent 28+/40

Reading Strategy (weekly)

Writing Task 1 (weekly)

[Academic] Learn all chart types: line, bar, pie, table, process diagram, map, multiple/mixed charts
- Structure: intro (paraphrase the prompt) → overview (2–3 biggest trends, no numbers) → 2 detail paragraphs with data
- Learn describing-change language: rose/fell/plateaued/surged, sharp/gradual, doubled/halved; and comparison language
- The overview paragraph is mandatory — missing it caps you at band 5
[GT] Learn the 3 letter registers (formal/semi-formal/informal), the standard openings/closings, and the 3 bullet points must all be covered
Write 2 Task 1s/week, corrected against band descriptors, timed at 20 min
Exit check: Task 1 rated ~6.5 by tutor; written in 20 min

Writing Task 2 (weekly — the highest-value skill)

Speaking — All Three Parts (weekly tutor + daily drills)

Part 1 (4–5 min, familiar topics): give a reason + a small detail, never one-word answers. Prepare the common topics (work, hometown, hobbies, food, weather).
Part 2 (cue card, 1-min prep, 1–2 min talk): learn a flexible structure (what/when/where → detail → why it matters → feeling). Practice from a big bank of cue cards.
Part 3 (abstract discussion): answer with opinion → reason → example → (concession); learn to speculate and compare
Build paraphrase + idiomatic range (band 7 needs “less common” vocabulary used naturally)
Drill fluency — the goal is speaking without long pauses, even if imperfect; self-correction is fine and rewarded
Do a weekly mock speaking test with your tutor scoring you on the 4 criteria
Record and re-listen to find recurring pronunciation/grammar errors → Anki
Exit check: tutor rates you ~6.5 across all three parts

Phase 3 Gate

Listening 30+/40, Reading 30+/40 consistently (heading for the 32–34 band-7.5 buffer)
Task 1 and Task 2 both rated at least 6.5, written under time — 6.5 must be the floor, not the ceiling
Speaking rated at least 6.5 by tutor across all parts
No section lagging below 6.5 — if one is, it owns most of Phase 4’s time
You can name the strategy for every question type without notes

Phase 4: Exam Mastery — Timing, Mocks, Weakness Killing (Months 10–12, ~225 hrs)

Goal: convert skill into exam-day performance. Full timed mocks, ruthless weakness targeting, stamina, and test-day logistics. Book the real test for late Month 11 / Month 12.

Full Mock Test Cycle (weekly)

Do 1 full timed mock/week (Listening + Reading + Writing back-to-back, then Speaking with tutor) from Cambridge IELTS 16–19 (newest books = closest to current test)
Simulate real conditions: no pausing audio, no dictionary, strict timing, handwritten if paper-based (or on-screen if computer-delivered — decide your format now and practice it)
After each mock: error autopsy — categorize every lost mark by cause, and the next week’s drills target the top category
Build stamina — the test is ~2h40m of Listening+Reading+Writing with no breaks; the last essay is where tired candidates lose the band

Weakness Targeting (data-driven, weekly)

Keep a mock scorecard table: date, L / R / W / S bands, top error category — watch the trend line
Whichever section is furthest from target gets 60% of the rotating time that week
Common late-stage fixes:
- Reading: still slow → drill scanning + skip-and-return; still missing T/F/NG → dedicated NG drills
- Listening: still misspelling → spelling drills; missing S3/S4 → academic-lecture note practice
- Writing: stuck at 6 → almost always task response (not answering fully) or repetitive grammar — get 5 essays expert-graded to find the ceiling
- Speaking: stuck at 6 → usually fluency (too many pauses) or narrow vocabulary — more talking, more idiom

Writing/Speaking Polish (weekly, with feedback)

Get at least 5 essays professionally graded (a real IELTS examiner service, or an experienced iTalki teacher) — AI is fine for volume but can’t reliably band-score you at the 6/7 boundary
Assemble a personal bank of flexible phrases for cohesion, opinion, and paraphrase — internalized, not memorized templates (examiners penalize obvious templates)
Speaking: 2 full mock interviews/week; eliminate your top-3 recurring errors
Refine pronunciation on the words you actually stumble on under pressure

Test-Day Readiness (Month 12)

Do your final 3 mocks under exact real conditions (same time of day as your test slot)
Memorize the timing plan per section (e.g., Reading: 20/20/20 min per passage; Writing: 20 min Task 1, 40 min Task 2, spend the extra on Task 2 which is worth double)
Know the logistics: ID, arrival time, computer vs paper interface, Speaking may be a different day/video call
Learn to not panic on a hard listening section — miss one, move on; don’t lose the next three
Sleep, don’t cram the day before

Phase 4 / Exam Gate

3 consecutive full mocks at overall 7.0 with no band below 6.5 — the full success condition, not just a good average
Listening & Reading landing 7.5 (32–34/40) to carry the average — the L7.5·R7.5·W6.5·S6.5 = 7.0 plan
Writing consistently ≥6.5 from an independent grader (not self-assessed) — this is the make-or-break floor
Speaking consistently ≥6.5 from a tutor
No single mock section under 6.5 in your last three attempts
Timing is automatic; you finish every section with margin
Booked and sat the real test

Vocabulary System (the compounding engine)

This is 20% of your time but drives your whole band. Treat Anki like your daily standup — non-negotiable.

Volume: 15–20 new cards/day × ~300 days ≈ 4,500–6,000 items. That is the difference between a 5 and a 7.
Card design: front = word in a real sentence with a blank; back = meaning + collocation + stress mark + example. Never learn a bare word→translation pair.
Learn collocations, not words: native-like word choice (“commit a crime”, “heavy traffic”, “make progress”, “a strong argument”) is exactly what “Lexical Resource” band 7 rewards.
Mine your input: the best words are the ones you meet in your own reading/listening — they come with context and stick.
Word families: learn all forms (economy / economic / economical / economically) — needed to avoid repetition in Writing.
Decks in order: NGSL 2,800 (Phase 1) → AWL 570 (Phase 2) → IELTS-topic collocation decks (Phase 2–3) → your personal error/mining deck (all phases).
Active recall: once a week, try to use 10 recent words in written sentences — recognition ≠ production.

Pronunciation Guide (start Day 1, never stop)

You can’t hear a sound you can’t produce, and you can’t produce a sound you can’t hear — so train both together via shadowing. Fixing this early prevents a fossilized accent that caps Speaking.

44 phonemes (IPA): learn the full chart; focus on sounds absent from your first language.
Minimal pairs: drill the contrasts you personally confuse until you can both hear and say them.
Word stress: every new word gets its stressed syllable marked in Anki. Wrong stress makes correct words unintelligible.
Sentence stress & rhythm: English is stress-timed — content words are stressed, function words reduced to schwa. This is what makes you sound fluent.
Connected speech: linking (“an_apple”), weak forms (“was” → /wəz/), elision, assimilation (“gonna”, “d’you”). Understanding this is half of Listening.
Intonation: rising for yes/no questions and lists, falling for statements and Wh-questions.
Shadowing method: (1) listen to a short clip, (2) read the transcript aloud with it, (3) shadow 0.5s behind copying rhythm, (4) record yourself, (5) compare. 15–20 min/day is transformative over a year.

Writing Task Bank

Task 2 essay types & flexible plans

Type	Prompt signal	Body plan
Opinion	”To what extent do you agree/disagree”	State position → 2 paragraphs supporting it (or 1 support + 1 concession)
Discussion	”Discuss both views and give your opinion”	Para 1 = view A, Para 2 = view B, make your opinion clear throughout + conclusion
Problem–Solution	”What problems… what solutions”	Para 1 = problems (with effects), Para 2 = solutions (with how they work)
Advantages–Disadvantages	”Do the advantages outweigh…”	Para 1 = advantages, Para 2 = disadvantages, weigh them and conclude
Two-part question	Two direct questions	One paragraph answering each, both fully developed

Every body paragraph: topic sentence → explain the idea → concrete example → link back to the question.
Intro: paraphrase the prompt + state your position/roadmap. Conclusion: restate position, no new ideas.
The four scored criteria (equal weight): Task Response · Coherence & Cohesion · Lexical Resource · Grammatical Range & Accuracy.

Task 1 [Academic] language kit

Trend verbs: rise/increase/climb/surge, fall/decline/drop/plummet, level off/plateau/remain stable, fluctuate, peak at, dip to.
Degree: sharply/dramatically/steeply vs gradually/slightly/marginally.
Structure: paraphrase prompt → overview (biggest trends, no data) → 2 detail paragraphs. Overview is mandatory.

Band Descriptor Bank — “What examiners reward / what fails”

Answer these about your own writing and speaking. This is the equivalent of the interview depth bank: know exactly why marks are won and lost.

Writing — why a 6 stays a 6

Task Response — the most common ceiling. A 6 often “addresses the task” but doesn’t fully answer it, or has a position that isn’t clear/consistent, or ideas that are stated but not developed (no explanation/example). A 7 answers every part, holds a clear position, and develops each idea. Fix: plan for 5 min, one idea per paragraph, always explain and exemplify.
Coherence & Cohesion. A 6 either underuses linking (choppy) or overuses it (mechanical “Firstly/Secondly/Moreover” on every sentence — this is penalized). A 7 has logical flow and referencing (this/such/these) with linking used naturally. Fix: one clear topic sentence per paragraph; vary and reduce connectors.
Lexical Resource. A 6 repeats common words and misuses “big” words. A 7 uses less common vocabulary and collocations appropriately, with only occasional errors. Fix: topic collocations, not thesaurus-dumping.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy. A 6 writes mostly simple sentences, or complex ones with frequent errors. A 7 has a range of complex structures and more error-free sentences than not. Fix: deliberately deploy relative clauses, conditionals, passives — correctly.

Speaking — why a 6 stays a 6

Fluency & Coherence. A 6 has noticeable pausing/self-correction that interrupts flow. A 7 speaks at length with only occasional hesitation and uses discourse markers. Fix: the goal is keep talking — fillers and self-correction beat silence.
Lexical Resource. A 6 has enough words but limited flexibility. A 7 paraphrases, uses idiomatic language and less common items. Fix: learn topic collocations and 2–3 idioms per theme, used naturally.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy. Same as writing — range of structures, more accuracy. Fix: use complex sentences aloud in daily monologues until automatic.
Pronunciation. A 6 is understandable but with lapses; L1 accent affects clarity. A 7 is easy to understand throughout with good stress/intonation. Fix: word stress + connected speech from the pronunciation bootcamp; accent is fine, unclear sounds are not.

Listening — where marks leak

Spelling/number errors on otherwise-correct answers — British spelling, careful with numbers/dates.
Distractors — the speaker mentions a wrong option, then corrects it; the last thing said is usually the answer.
Losing your place after one hard question and missing the next three. Fix: if you miss one, let it go instantly.

Reading — where marks leak

True/False/Not Given confusion — Not Given means the text neither states nor contradicts it; False means it contradicts. Don’t use outside knowledge.
Word-limit violations — “no more than two words” and you write three = zero, even if right.
Running out of time on passage 3 because passage 1 was over-read. Fix: hard 20-min cap per passage.

Resource Index

Core tools

Anki (spaced repetition) — daily, forever
Cambridge IELTS 15–19 (official past-paper books) — the only source for realistic practice tests
IELTS official band descriptors (Writing + Speaking) — your rubric all year
iTalki / Preply — cheap 1-on-1 tutor for speaking + writing feedback (essential Phase 2 onward)
Tandem / HelloTalk — free language-exchange partners

Listening & pronunciation

BBC Learning English — 6 Minute English, The Sounds of English (44 phonemes)
TED / TED-Ed, BBC News, podcasts (Luke’s English Podcast, All Ears English, Culips)
English File Pronunciation app / “Sounds: Pronunciation App”

Reading

Graded readers: Oxford Bookworms, Penguin Readers (Phase 1)
The Conversation, Aeon, BBC, Simple Wikipedia → Wikipedia, popular science (Phase 2+)

Grammar & vocabulary

English Grammar in Use — Murphy (intermediate/blue) + your own english grammar in use.md
NGSL deck (2,800) → AWL deck (570) → IELTS-topic collocation decks
Collins/Cambridge Vocabulary for IELTS (Phase 3)

Writing & speaking practice banks

IELTS Liz / IELTS Simon (free model answers and task-type breakdowns — Simon is ex-examiner)
Cue-card banks (recent Part 2 topics) — practice a fresh one weekly
A professional essay-grading service for the final 5+ essays (Phase 4)

One-Screen Summary

Phase	Months	Focus	Exit signal
1 Foundation	1–3	Pronunciation, core grammar, NGSL 2,800, massive graded input	Follow 6 Minute English; 2-min monologue; ~2,500 words
2 Bridge to B2	4–6	AWL + topic vocab, productive complex grammar, authentic input, tutor speaking, structured writing	Follow TED w/o subs; 10-min convo; 200-word argument; ~4,000 words
3 IELTS Skills	7–9	Every task type + strategy; sections near target	L/R 32+/40 (band 7.5); Task 1&2 ≥6.5; Speaking ≥6.5
4 Exam Mastery	10–12	Full timed mocks, weakness killing, stamina, test day	3 mocks at overall 7.0, no band <6.5; test booked and sat

The whole plan in one line: build the language for six months (input + vocab + pronunciation + output-with-feedback, every day), then aim it at the exam for six months (task types + timed mocks + relentless weakness targeting) — and never skip the daily Anki + listening + speaking.

The scoring rule that governs everything: overall 7.0 = average rounded to nearest 0.5, and no band may drop below 6.5. The safe formula is L7.5 · R7.5 · W6.5 · S6.5 = exactly 7.0 — make Listening and Reading (the controllable ones) your buffer, and never let Writing or Speaking slip under 6.5.

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