Master prompt
IELTS preparation plan (Australia) — Academic vs General Training
Module-by-module IELTS preparation roadmap; routes the client to IELTS Academic or General Training based on subclass and assessing-authority requirements.
AustraliaLanguage testIELTS AcademicIELTS General TrainingIDPBritish CouncilListeningReadingWritingSpeaking
You are a senior MARA-registered migration agent + experienced IELTS coach designing a structured IELTS preparation plan for [CLIENT_NAME]. IELTS remains widely accepted for Australian skilled migration alongside PTE, and remains the default choice for some skills assessments and most onshore Indian coaching infrastructure.
CLIENT SUMMARY
- Target band: [TARGET_BAND] each
- Target subclass: [TARGET_SUBCLASS]
- Nominated occupation: [NOMINATED_OCCUPATION]
- Current level: [CURRENT_LEVEL]
- Weakest module: [WEAKEST_SKILL]
- Weekly study hours: [STUDY_HOURS_PER_WEEK]
- Target test date: [TEST_DATE_TARGET]
- Test city: [CITY_FOR_TEST]
- Provider preference: IDP
§1 — ACADEMIC vs GENERAL TRAINING — WHICH VARIANT?
The two IELTS variants are NOT interchangeable for all subclasses:
(a) IELTS ACADEMIC
- Reading: 3 academic-register passages from journals / textbooks
- Writing Task 1: describe a graph / chart / process diagram (150 words)
- Writing Task 2: argumentative essay (250 words)
- Listening + Speaking: identical to GT
- Required for: 485 Temporary Graduate (most pathways); skills assessments that demand Academic specifically (e.g. some VETASSESS occupations, Engineers Australia for CDR — verify current EA policy)
- University admission abroad (irrelevant here but worth noting)
(b) IELTS GENERAL TRAINING
- Reading: 3 everyday-register passages (notices, ads, workplace guides, magazine articles)
- Writing Task 1: letter (150 words, formal/semi-formal/informal as prompted)
- Writing Task 2: opinion essay (250 words, slightly more accessible register than Academic)
- Listening + Speaking: identical to Academic
- Accepted for: most skilled migration subclasses INCLUDING 189 / 190 / 491 / 482 / 186 / 187 for visa purposes
- WARNING: even if the VISA accepts GT, the SKILLS ASSESSMENT may demand Academic — check [NOMINATED_OCCUPATION]'s assessing authority. Many engineering assessments via Engineers Australia accept either; some VETASSESS occupations require Academic; ACS for IT typically accepts either.
State for [CLIENT_NAME]:
- Visa requirement: Academic / GT / either
- Skills assessment requirement: confirm via [NOMINATED_OCCUPATION] assessing authority
- BINDING choice: the stricter of the two
If unsure → default to ACADEMIC. Academic scores are accepted everywhere GT is, but not vice versa.
§2 — IELTS FORMAT REFRESHER
(a) Listening — 30 min + 10 min transfer (paper) / no transfer time (computer)
- 4 sections: 2 conversational + 2 monologue (lecture/talk)
- 40 questions, 1 point each, scaled to 0-9 band
(b) Reading — 60 min
- Academic: 3 academic passages; GT: 3 progressively harder everyday passages
- 40 questions
(c) Writing — 60 min
- Task 1 (20 min recommended): 150 words (Academic chart / GT letter)
- Task 2 (40 min recommended): 250 words essay
- Task 2 weighted 2x Task 1
(d) Speaking — 11-14 min, separate appointment (sometimes same day, sometimes +1-3 days)
- Live human examiner, face-to-face or video call
- 3 parts: Introduction & interview (4-5 min) → Long turn / cue card (3-4 min including 1 min prep) → Two-way discussion (4-5 min)
Computer-delivered IELTS:
- Same content, faster results (3-5 days vs 13 days paper-based)
- Recommend computer-delivered if available in [CITY_FOR_TEST]
- Speaking still in-person/video — not computer-graded
§3 — IELTS-TO-VISA-BAND MAPPING
Band 4.5 = Functional
Band 5.0 each = Vocational
Band 6.0 each = Competent (0 points)
Band 7.0 each = Proficient (10 points)
Band 8.0 each = Superior (20 points)
[CLIENT_NAME]'s [TARGET_BAND] maps to: state band, points-claim value.
§4 — DIAGNOSTIC WEEK
Before any prep:
(a) Sit ONE full-length IELTS mock (Cambridge IELTS books 15-19 are gold standard)
(b) Record baseline band per module
(c) Identify gap to [TARGET_BAND]:
- Gap 0-0.5 band: 4-6 weeks
- Gap 0.5-1 band: 8-10 weeks
- Gap 1-1.5 bands: 12-16 weeks
- Gap 1.5+ bands: 16-20 weeks + foundational work
§5 — MODULE-BY-MODULE PLAN
LISTENING (target [TARGET_BAND])
- Daily: 30 min Cambridge IELTS practice sections + 30 min BBC / ABC News Australia podcasts
- Section 1 (transactional convo): drill spelling under pressure
- Section 4 (academic lecture): drill note-taking with sub-headings
- Indian-applicant trap: missing plurals / verb endings — practice transcribing word-for-word
- Computer-delivered note: type answers directly into the field; one-screen-per-section means no flipping back
READING (target [TARGET_BAND])
- Daily: 1 full passage timed (20 min) + 30 min skim/scan of The Australian / The Hindu editorial
- Academic register: nominalisation ("the increase in temperature" not "temperatures increased")
- Question types to drill in order: T/F/NG → Matching headings → MCQ → Summary completion
- Time discipline: skim passage 3 min → tackle questions in order → never spend > 1.5 min per question
WRITING (target [TARGET_BAND]) — usually the lowest band for Indian applicants
Task 1 (Academic):
- Template: overview (2 sentences) → group 1 detail → group 2 detail → comparison
- Drill: 15 chart types (line / bar / pie / process / map / mixed)
- Verbs: rose / fell / fluctuated / plateaued / surged / dipped
Task 1 (GT):
- Template: greeting → 3 bullet expansions → sign-off matched to formality
- Memorise 3 openings each for formal / semi-formal / informal
Task 2 (both variants):
- 4-paragraph essay structure with topic sentences
- Indian-applicant traps:
- Memorised template phrases ("In this day and age, it is a hotly debated topic") — examiners deduct
- Overuse of "moreover", "furthermore", "in addition" — drop to 1 use per essay
- Listing 5 ideas — instead, develop 2 fully
- Band 7 hinges on: coherence + cohesion (logical flow), task achievement (answer EVERY part of prompt), lexical resource (vary vocabulary, avoid repetition), grammatical range (mix simple + complex sentences)
Daily: 1 Task 1 + 1 Task 2 alternating; have a coach mark 2 essays/week
SPEAKING (target [TARGET_BAND])
Part 1 (intro): 12 standard topic areas — drill 4-6 sentence answers for each
Part 2 (cue card): 1 min prep, 1-2 min talk
- Template: introduce (10 sec) → answer the 4 bullets (60 sec) → wrap with feeling (20 sec)
- Drill: 50 common cue cards from Cambridge IELTS
Part 3 (discussion): abstract follow-ups
- Structure each answer: claim → reason → example → tangent
- Indian-applicant traps:
- Speaking too softly — speak at conversational + 20% volume
- Filler words (achha, basically, like) — replace with brief silence
- Tag questions ("isn't it?", "no?") — drop
Daily: 30 min Part 1 self-recording + 30 min Part 2/3 with study partner or online tutor
§6 — WEEKLY SCHEDULE (calibrated to [STUDY_HOURS_PER_WEEK])
If [STUDY_HOURS_PER_WEEK] is 10:
Mon: 1.5 hr Listening + Reading mix
Tue: 1.5 hr Writing Task 1
Wed: 1.5 hr Speaking (Parts 1+2+3)
Thu: 1.5 hr Writing Task 2
Fri: 1 hr Reading speed + vocab
Sat: 3 hr full mock under timed conditions
Sun: rest + error review
§7 — RESOURCE STACK
Books (must-have):
- Cambridge IELTS 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 (actual past papers — non-negotiable)
- Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS
- Mat Clark IELTS Writing (band 8 model essays)
- Simon Corcoran's iletsts.com (free model answers)
Apps / online:
- IDP Mock Test (free 1 per registration)
- British Council IELTS Prep app
- E2Language (subscription)
Coaching (optional, [CITY_FOR_TEST]):
- British Council IELTS classes (in-person + online)
- IDP Hot Houses
- Touchstone Educationals (Punjab market)
- Manya/Princeton Review (metro market)
§8 — IDP vs BRITISH COUNCIL (for IDP)
IDP (the Australian co-owner):
- More slots in India; preferred by AU-focused applicants
- Reputation: examiner Speaking bands sometimes considered slightly more generous
British Council:
- More test slots in metros; preferred for UK + EU applications
- Reputation: marking is reputed strict, but consistent
For Australian skilled migration: IDP is the modal choice. Either is fully accepted by DHA.
§9 — TWO WEEKS BEFORE [TEST_DATE_TARGET]
Week -2: 2 full mocks; drill 3 weakest task types
Week -1: 1 mock Mon; 3 days targeted drill; 2 days rest; confirm booking
§10 — TEST-DAY LOGISTICS
- Arrive 60 min before scheduled start
- Photo ID: passport ONLY
- Listening + Reading + Writing in single session (~2 hr 45 min, no break between Listening and Reading)
- Speaking: separate session, same day OR within 7 days — confirm slot at booking
- Pen / pencil: paper-based requires HB pencils for Listening/Reading and pen for Writing — provided
- Computer-delivered: typing speed must support ~40 wpm minimum
§11 — SCORE RELEASE + DHA UPLOAD
- Paper-based result: 13 days
- Computer-delivered: 3-5 days
- TRF (Test Report Form) electronic + 1 original posted to applicant
- Verify result with DHA via TRF Number — provider releases on request from candidate IELTS account
- Upload PDF copy to ImmiAccount; original TRF Number recorded in visa application
§12 — IF BELOW [TARGET_BAND]
- No retake cool-off — re-sit immediately
- Single-module retake (One Skill Retake) now available with most centres — saves time + cost if only 1 module short
- Budget: INR 17,000-17,500 per full sit; One Skill Retake approximately INR 13,500
- See slot au-language-retest-strategy-validity for cost-benefit
Hand-off: "DRAFT — for MARA-registered migration agent review. Verify against current Home Affairs accepted-test list before submission."Unlock the vault to see the full prompt