The Best Free IELTS Websites and Tools: What I Actually Used

IELTS · Speaking & Study Tips中文版　Updated 2026/11/09

In this post: The free websites and tools I found most useful for IELTS practice tests, writing, vocabulary, grammar and speaking, and how I used each one.

There are thousands of IELTS websites and resources online, so how do you choose the ones that suit you best? After working with many private tutors and cram schools, I tried a lot of the sites my teachers recommended. Below are the resources I found most useful during my preparation. I hope they help your preparation go more smoothly.

1. Practice tests and question banks: the best choice for real exam practice

IELTSBro (雅思哥)

Link: https://www.ieltsbro.com/

Why I recommend it: IELTSBro is a Chinese-language IELTS platform that is hugely popular with Chinese-speaking candidates. It has predictions for the current season’s Speaking questions (in my experience they were very accurate!) and the complete Cambridge IELTS series. I strongly recommend downloading the IELTSBro desktop software. Its Reading and Listening test interface looks extremely similar to the real computer-delivered IELTS, so practising with it helps you get used to the pace of the exam early. It also covers almost all the official Cambridge practice tests, so you can practise them there directly (and you will not need to buy the printed books). I suggest finishing every book from Cambridge 15 onwards before you sit the exam. If you have time, you can do the books before 15 as well, but the question types have changed since then, so the older books are less useful.

IELTS Online Tests

Link: https://ieltsonlinetests.com/

Why I recommend it: This site has a huge number of Reading and Listening practice tests. It is a good place to keep drilling once you have finished the Cambridge tests on IELTSBro. The difficulty and consistency are a little different from the real tests, but the variety is great, and it is more than good enough as a tool for building reading speed and sharpening your listening. (I would still finish the Cambridge tests on IELTSBro first and only come here if you need more practice.)

2. Writing resources: a high-scoring structure and model essays

My personal lesson for writing is this: choose one structure and stick to it strictly. It is best not to mix too many people’s writing logic, or your thinking can get tangled under exam pressure and your essay loses its core coherence. So you do not need many resources. Once you have chosen a structure, follow it strictly. I recommend using the IELTS Answers structure for Task 2 and following Simon’s approach for Task 1. Use the other websites to learn more advanced vocabulary for paraphrasing and a wider range of sentence patterns.

IELTS Answers (by a former IELTS examiner)

Link: https://www.ieltsanswers.com/

Why I recommend it: The structure on this site, written by a former examiner, is very solid and logically clear. In the end I practised with this structure, and it got me a 7 in Writing.

IELTS Simon (former examiner Simon)

Link: https://ielts-simon.study/

Why I recommend it: Simon’s teaching is very well known. He stresses “using simple words to express deep logic”. Besides the tips for each skill on his site, his model essays are a must-read.

Download: You can also read Simon’s model essays directly. The Google Drive links below let you download them:

• Task 1 (44 pages): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b1a4H7d-8_FVG2_72jSYhp3wtuR4s-KE/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=114023583793898413232&rtpof=true&sd=true
• Task 2 (38 pages): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1THjzBRAJzMKE2AivMCmNRQKqI6JRet6s/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=114023583793898413232&rtpof=true&sd=true

IELTS Essay Bank

Link: https://www.ieltsessaybank.com/

Why I recommend it: There are probably hundreds of IELTS model essay websites. Of the ones I read, this one had the most consistent quality (it was also recommended by one of my tutors, who is an examiner). If you want to read model essays on many different topics, this site has collected a lot of articles worth studying. It is ideal for learning paraphrasing vocabulary and a wider variety of sentence patterns. For structure, though, I still suggest following IELTS Answers or Simon above (whichever structure you choose, pick just one). Use everything else to improve your grammar and the precision of your vocabulary.

3. Vocabulary and a feel for natural English

Google Books Ngram Viewer

Link: https://books.google.com/ngrams/

What it does: This is the ultimate checking tool when you write. When you are unsure which of two words or phrases (for example, fast pace vs quick pace) is more natural or more common, type both in and it uses a huge body of published books to show you which one appears more often. This helps you avoid literal translations from your first language and unnatural collocations.

Thesaurus.com

Link: https://www.thesaurus.com/

What it does: One big key to a high IELTS score is paraphrasing. In Writing and Speaking, repeating the same word makes your vocabulary look limited. This site lets you look up synonyms for any word and colour-codes them by how close they are in meaning, so you can swap in a more advanced or more precise word accurately.

4. Grammar: fixing your blind spots in writing

Grammar-Monster

Link: https://www.grammar-monster.com/

Why I recommend it: If you often struggle with where to put commas or how to tell affect from effect when you write, or if clause structure confuses you, this site will save you.

• Visual explanations: Instead of long textbook-style explanations, it uses lots of lists, diagrams and comparison tables to explain grammar.
• Easily confused words: The site has a section dedicated to “Easily Confused Words”, which really helps with precision in IELTS Writing (Lexical Resource).
• Quick search: Its search function is powerful. Whenever you are unsure about a grammar point, a quick search brings up a very conversational, easy-to-understand explanation.

5. Speaking and natural expressions: phrasal verbs and idioms

Engoo Vocabulary (Phrasal Verbs & Idioms)

Link: https://engoo.com/app/materials/vocabulary/9uTJSsYPEeixthfMCuukyg

Why I recommend it: If you want to break through 7 in IELTS Speaking, one key factor is whether you can use phrasal verbs and idioms naturally.

• Systematic learning: This page sorts common phrasal verbs and idioms into categories, which saves you from searching aimlessly on your own.
• Detailed examples: Every word or phrase comes with a clear explanation and practical example sentences. You can memorise these examples and adapt them into your own Speaking material.
• Wide range of topics: The content covers all kinds of everyday situations, so you can sound more like a native speaker in the Speaking test instead of relying only on simple words.

Final thoughts

It is not about having lots of resources but about getting the most out of the ones you use. I suggest starting with IELTSBro to get familiar with the question types, choosing one writing structure and learning it by heart, and then using a few vocabulary sites to improve your word choice and grammatical accuracy. I hope you all beat the exam and get the score you want!

Further reading: test centres (in Taipei)

• BC Taipei Merica: a test centre I do not recommend (in Chinese)
• IDP Taipei office: a computer-delivered test centre I recommend (in Chinese)
• BC Taipei Xinyi Farmers’ Association Building: a computer-delivered test centre I recommend (in Chinese)
• Will your score be cancelled if your fingerprint does not scan? My admin nightmare at the BC Merica test centre (in Chinese)

Further reading: re-marks and sub-scores

• A successful re-mark in two hours, even for a one-skill retake: my IDP re-mark experience (timeline, how to apply, results) (in Chinese)
• Three re-marks in a row, all unsuccessful: what a former examiner told me (in Chinese)
• A little-known service: how to look up your IELTS sub-scores (in Chinese)