Hello 👋 I’m Fiona.

I’m an IELTS Specialist with 30 years of experience, and I help students get ready for the IELTS Test.

The planner for the Academic IELTS Test will help you…
● get organised and feel confident about the test
● practise all 4 skills and learn strategies to get a higher score
● learn the essential vocabulary you’ll need for every part of the test
● stay motivated with daily tasks and tips.
Each day has a link to a free lesson on my website, with extra practice options when you join the Bronze
Membership.
Print the planner and make notes as you go through the lessons.
If you’ve never taken IELTS before, or if you need more time, support and feedback, my Members
Academy Study Programme will take you step by step through all of the lessons you need, with daily
videos, worksheets, model answers, Writing Feedback, Speaking Lessons, a private community and
access to me.
All skills improve with practice, and consistency is key. Do something small each day and you will soon
start to notice improvements in your score.
Let me know if you need anything,
Best wishes

Ⓒ Fiona Wattam IELTS with Fiona |IELTS Test prep made easier
 Week 1

Day Essential Done Practice

1 IELTS Reading Question Types Descriptive texts
(based on facts - Marie Curie)
READING How to improve your Reading
Score Discursive texts
(based on research - The Pyramids)

2 Listening Part 1 Do a practice test:

LISTENING Practise: British Council Practice Test Part 1

Part 1 - spelling names e.g. Jon/John
- confusing sounds e.g. j/g, i/e Synonyms in Part 1
- confusing numbers e.g. 14/40
- distractors e.g. Did you say fourteen? No
forty. Distractors in Part 1
- guessing gaps e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives

3 Task 1 (Overview) Look at a model answer:

WRITING Learn how to: British Council Practice Test Part 1

- paraphrase the introduction
Task 1 - write an overview
- describe changes Model answer
- make comparisons
- choose the right tense
- use the right prepositions and quantifiers

4 IELTS Speaking Tips

Practise ‘Have you ever?’ questions
Practise speaking about your job, studies and
SPEAKING home.
Part 1 Record yourself answering these questions: Do my 28-day Part 1 Speaking Challenge

- Do you work or are you a student?

- Do you live in a house or apartment?

5 Task 2 Overview To what extent do you agree or

disagree?
WRITING 10 steps to master Task 2
Task 2 Learn how to respond to this question.

6
Train your mindset for IELTS

7
BREAK/Review/Test

Ⓒ Fiona Wattam IELTS with Fiona |IELTS Test prep made easier
 Week 2

Day Essential Done Practice

8 Reading Gap fill The history of glass

READING Easter Island Review gap fill and TFNG

Labelling a map
9 How to follow directions on a Parks and open spaces (UK accent)
map Following Directions
LISTENING Branley Castle (Northern accent)
Part 2 Gap Fill and map labelling
Fiddy Farm (UK accent) Complex maps and directions

10 Dynamic Graphs Grammar: Future Tenses

Describing changes over time Making predictions in Task 1
WRITING
Task 1 Grammar: Past Tenses
Past Perfect for Task 1

11 2-minute long-turn tips How to avoid repetition in Part 2

SPEAKING How to practise by yourself at 28-day Part 2 Speaking Challenge

Part 2 home

12 How to write a PEEL paragraph How to write a Task 2 introduction

WRITING How to write a Task 2 conclusion

Task 2
PEEL Paragraph Models

13 Check out these Speaking Practice websites

14 BREAK

Ⓒ Fiona Wattam IELTS with Fiona |IELTS Test prep made easier
 Week 3

Day Essential Done Practice

15 5 matching tasks How to match headings

Easter Island
READING Matching Heading Examples True False Not Given in Part 3
Tea and the Industrial Revolution An ideal city

How to avoid MCQ distractors

16 Signals and Signposts in Part 3 Thor Heyerdahl
How to avoid tense distractors
LISTENING Theatre refurbishment
Part 3 Part 3 expert interviews
Honey Bees (Australian accent)
Academic Language in Part 3
Laki Volcano (UK accent)

17 How to compare and contrast How to describe pie charts

Static charts
WRITING How to tackle a complex bar chart
Task 1

18 Improve your vocabulary Practise

- disagreeing and agreeing
SPEAKING Review the IELTS Key Topics and - making comparisons
Part 3 consider: - making predictions
● What are the issues? How to use conditionals
● What can be done?
● How will it change?

19 How to structure your essay 3 IELTS structures for any essay

WRITING How to be more formal

Task 2

20 Check out these extra Writing Resources

21 BREAK

Ⓒ Fiona Wattam IELTS with Fiona |IELTS Test prep made easier
 Week 4

Day Essential Done Practice

22 True False Not Given questions Multiple Choice Questions

How to read faster
How the pyramids were built How to use Practice Tests

23 Listening Skills Guide Gapfill uncountable nouns

The history of soap
LISTENING Macro and Micro Skills Practice
Part 4 100 most common gapfill answers (PDF)

How to keep up with the speaker

Section 4 - Elephant Translocation

24 How to describe a process How to describe a cycle

WRITING Ted-IELTS website How to describe a process

Task 1
How to describe before and after maps

25 How to improve your 5 quick ways to improve your

pronunciation pronunciation
SPEAKING
Pronunciation for the IELTS test - Master difficult sounds e.g. ’th’ or ‘v’
- Learn about word stress e.g. bəˈnɑːnə
- Practise contractions e.g. I’ll, We’re, I’ve
British Council Videos

26 How to correct your mistakes How to ‘hedge’ effectively - a key

academic writing skill
WRITING How to understand feedback
Task 2 How to use linking words

27
Do a 15-minute mock speaking test with a study buddy

28
BREAK

Ⓒ Fiona Wattam IELTS with Fiona |IELTS Test prep made easier
 Extra Tips and Advice

Reading Tips

● The questions always come in the same order as they appear in the text apart from Matching
Headings, Matching Information and Matching People
● Timing is crucial. If you can’t find an answer, MOVE ON. You have about 1.5 mins for each
question
● With gap-fills, copy the words exactly as they are in the text. Check spelling on your answer
sheet.
● Correct answers are usually synonyms or paraphrased versions of sentences in the text: this is
why vocabulary is SO important.
● Skim the text quickly before you start. Focus on:
- Title/subtitle
- First lines of each paragraph
- Capital Letters - people, places, organisations
- Numbers
- Words in italics or ‘inverted commas’

Best Reading Resources for IELTS

Listening Tips

● Wrong spelling loses marks. Check your answer sheet carefully, and double check for plural
forms.
● It’s OK to write short forms of dates – it’s better to write Wed 31 than to mis-spell it and lose the
point
● Always check the word limit e.g. if you are only allowed one word in the gap, keep the one that
fits the gap best
● Try to predict or guess what might come in the gaps – you can often guess answers without
listening!
● Practise the alphabet for Part 1, especially letters which are similar e.g. e/i/y, g/j, b/p
● Underline key words in the time they give you to read through the questions
● Make sure your handwriting is clear – or use capital letters

Best Listening Resources for IELTS

Ⓒ Fiona Wattam IELTS with Fiona |IELTS Test prep made easier
Speaking Tips
● Don’t wait for the examiner to say ‘Why?’ in Part 1 – show the examiner that you can speak
fluently without help.
● Whatever you do, don’t stop talking, especially in Part 2.
● Always use the 1 minute prep to write a brief plan and to jot down some less common phrases
and adjectives you can use.
● In the 1 min prep, write down all PAST Tenses you will need, especially irregular ones.
● Be natural and honest – tell the examiner exactly what’s going through your head. There’s no
right answer in the Speaking Test.
● Don’t be afraid to say negative things – e.g. a film you DIDN’T like. This can help you show a
wider range of vocabulary.

Best Speaking Resources for IELTS

Academic Writing Tips

● Always write a clear OVERVIEW in Task 1. Start the sentence with ‘Overall….’
● Write AT LEAST the minimum number of words in both Task 1 and Task 2.
● Organise Task 2 into clear paragraphs – leave a space between each paragraph.
● Make sure your opinion is clearly stated throughout Task 2
● Finish the Task 2 conclusion with a final thought, recommendation or consequence
● Don’t memorise long chunks, but do memorise short chunks e.g. ‘It’s high time that the
government took action to tackle (global warming)’.
● Read widely on a wide range of issues so that you can argue your viewpoint with plenty of
examples in Part 3.

General tips and mindset advice

● How to train your mindset Part 1 (understanding the test requirements)

● How to train your mindset Part 2 (making a commitment)
● How to train your mindset Part 3 (asking the right questions)
● How to get Band 7
● What to do when you’re stuck at 6.5

Ⓒ Fiona Wattam IELTS with Fiona |IELTS Test prep made easier
What now?
Well done on completing the planner. But this is just the tip of the iceberg!

IELTS requires in-depth, sustained, consistent focus and attention, something you can’t often get by
jumping between free websites (where the advice is usually very confusing).

That’s why I created The Members Academy. It’s a Study Programme with everything you need in one
place.

If you've never taken IELTS before, or if you’ve taken it several times and can’t get the score you need,
my courses will support you through every aspect of the test, step by step with daily videos, worksheets,
model answers, interactive exercises, a progress tracker, motivational emails, a private Facebook group
and access to me.

But there are hundreds of IELTS courses online. So what’s different about mine?

My courses are:

● bite-sized (all the key information is packed into short, 10-minute videos)
● step by step (all the courses move from Day 1 - 28 and follow a logical progression)
● clear and easy to follow (colour-coded and relevant)
● interactive (with lots of different types of quizzes to keep you motivated)
● visually appealing and lively (with helpful images and short video clips to help you understand
difficult concepts and to make the information more memorable)
● flexible (you can speed up or slow down the videos, and work at your own pace)
● suitable for different types of learners (you can print off, write on and keep all of the practice
materials)
● supported (I don't just abandon you to work by yourself - I'm here to motivate you with a private
community group)
● reliable and accurate (I've been teaching IELTS at an IELTS Test Centre for 15 years with 5 other
IELTS specialists including active examiners and trainers. I have also been a Test-Day
Administrator and clerical marker for the Reading and Listening Test).

Let me know if you have any questions about the Members Academy or my individual IELTS courses.
Email me here: [email protected].

I’m looking forward to working with you,

Best wishes

Ⓒ Fiona Wattam IELTS with Fiona |IELTS Test prep made easier
 Where to find me

● YouTube/fionawattam
● Podcast
● Facebook@ieltsetc
● Instagram@ieltsfiona
● Twitter@ieltsetc
● Pinterest/ieltsetc
● LinkedIn/fiona-wattam
● Online store

Website: ieltsetc.com

Extra Practice

The Weekly Study Plans below are to help you build your vocabulary and practise your speaking.

Vocabulary
Keep a notebook for the next 4 weeks.

Learn 6-8 key words a day from each topic list - this will help you become more familiar with IELTS topics
in a short space of time.

It is always better to learn vocabulary from their real contexts (Reading and Listening).

Speaking

I’ve listed some common Speaking topics for you to practise by yourself or, ideally, with a Speaking
Buddy.

Many websites publish recent questions - it might help to check them before your test.

Ⓒ Fiona Wattam IELTS with Fiona |IELTS Test prep made easier
 Extra: Week 1

Vocabulary Notes Speaking Part 1 Notes

Day Agriculture
intensive farming Practise speaking about
1 organic food
your job or your studies
GM food
pesticides
biodiversity Do you work or are you a
fertiliser student?
cultivate/harvest/yield
Review quiz here

Day Nature
invasive species Practise speaking about
2 threatened species
your home and hometown
ecosystems
pest/predators/prey
immunity/resistance Do you live in a house or
flora and fauna apartment?
deforestation

Day Wildlife/Animals
animals in captivity (zoos) Practise ‘Have you ever?’
3 carnivore/herbivore
questions
evolution
endangered
to become extinct e.g. Have you ever been to
the food chain a zoo?
habitat loss

Day Pollution
fossil fuels Practise ‘Which do you
4 single-use plastic
prefer?’ questions
non-biodegradable
renewable energy
global warming e.g. a paper or electronic
climate change dictionary
soil erosion

Day Recycling
waste disposal Practise talking about
5 landfill
trends and habits in your
reduce, reuse, recycle
hazardous waste country
to bury waste
incineration
Day Water
marine pollution Practise giving your
6 overfishing
opinion and discussing the
irrigation
reservoir pros and cons e.g. buying
glacier things online vs in a shop
drought
flood
Day Tourism
culture shock Check out my Speaking
7 eco-tourism
Study Links
sustainability
carbon footprint
indigenous people
globalisation
responsible tourism

Ⓒ Fiona Wattam IELTS with Fiona |IELTS Test prep made easier
 Extra: Week 2
Vocabulary Notes Speaking Part 2 Notes
Day Practise speaking for 2 Many websites publish
Housing minutes about these topics. recent questions.
8 construct/construction
demolition Places
Write recent questions
renovation A building
residents/residential A shop here and practise them
citizens/inhabitants A museum before your test.
close-knit community A restaurant/café
affordable housing A tourist attraction Guide to Part 2
A sports centre
Day
Buildings Experiences
9 modern architecture A film/book/play
feats of engineering A concert/sports event
sustainable materials A day out
environmentally-friendly A prize you won
building materials A holiday/difficult journey
preservation Good news you had
historical buildings

Day
Cities Imaginary situations
10 urban sprawl A business you’d like to run
infrastructure A country you’d like to visit
facilities/amenities A car you’d like to buy
poor housing A language you’d like to learn
housing shortage A skill you’d like to have
rural deprivation A job you’d like to do
high-rise flats
Day
Development Things you like
11 sustainable A sport/exercise
developing countries A website
the digital divide A song
poverty A skill you can teach someone
reduce inequalities A tradition in your country
economic growth A law or rule
A local business
Day
Civilisation People
12 aboriginal people Someone you admire
indigenous tribes A neighbour
the Maori A celebrity
native Americans/Inuit A family member
adventurers/explorers Someone you met
colonisers/settlers An old person
migration A kind person
Day
Transport A time when you…
13 congestion - travelled by bus
alternative fuels - helped someone
road safety - felt happy
cycle lanes - saw a wild animal
car-share schemes - made a decision
pedestrians
Day
Crime Objects
14 crime prevention A gift you gave/received
deterrents A thing you bought
punishment An important gadget
the justice/legal system A piece of art
the role of prisons A photo
rehabilitation Something you lost

Ⓒ Fiona Wattam IELTS with Fiona |IELTS Test prep made easier
 Extra: Week 3

Vocabulary Notes Speaking Part 3 Language

Question Types
Day Family Giving Opinions
Do you think…? - In my opinion
15 nature/nurture - I believe
genes/genetic e.g. the way people read has - I think
environmental factors changed over time? - If you ask me
identical twins - In my view
bring up/grow up - As far as I’m concerned
to inherit
Day Personality Responding
Should we… - Definitely (not)
16 inherited/innate vs learned - Absolutely (not)
behaviour e.g. ban digital devices in - It depends
biological makeup schools?
innate characteristics
peer influence
Day Gender Conditionals
equality What would happen if…? - That would be a disaster
17 roles/stereotypes - That would have serious
bias/discrimination e.g. schools banned digital consequences
the pay gap devices? - That might be the best
under-representation solution.
equal opportunities
Day Happiness What are the advantages Comparisons
mental health of…
18 well-being …whereas
the rat race e.g. electronic books …by contrast
wealth/possessions compared to paper books? …on the other hand
basic survival needs …compared with
optimistic/pessimistic
Day Health What was different in the Tenses
obese/obesity past?
19 diabetes …we used to
sedentary jobs e.g. Did children used to read …we had to
to subsidise gyms more? …we weren’t allowed to
life-expectancy …but nowadays
the NHS crisis
alternative medicine
Day Free time & time How important is it … Importance
20 life-expectancy e.g. for children to read - It’s absolutely essential.
biological clock - It’s extremely important.
ageing populations How can we … - It’s vital/crucial.
care for the elderly - It plays a significant role
loss of traditional skills e.g. encourage children to (in…)
read more?

Day Finance What will happen in the Predictions

consumerism future?
21 greed … may, might, could
economics e.g. How will education
… likely
cashless society change in the future?
advertising … probably
sponsorship
celebrity endorsement

Ⓒ Fiona Wattam IELTS with Fiona |IELTS Test prep made easier
 Extra: Week 4

Vocabulary Notes
Day Education
public vs private
22 curriculum choices
assessment/evaluation
degrees/qualifications
technology
distance learning
Day Languages
mother tongue
23 language acquisition
linguistics
literacy rates
minority languages
age factors
bilingual benefits
Day The Arts
culture/cultural
24 creation/creative
imagination/imaginative
fiction/fictional
art/artistic
poetry/poetic
music/musical
drama/dramatic
Day Technology
the digital divide
25 a technophobe
artificial intelligence
cyber-crime
digital literacy
labour-saving devices
Day Research
evidence
26 experiment
evaluation
hypothesis/theory
volunteer
respondent
to carry out a survey

Day Inventions
inventor/invention
27 innovation
discovery
to pioneer/a pioneer
a breakthrough

Day The future

28 space tourism
exploration
alternative energy
genetic engineering
bio-tech industry
scientific advances
potential dangers
environmental change

Ⓒ Fiona Wattam IELTS with Fiona |IELTS Test prep made easier