Online Course: IELTS Exam Preparation

Designed for students who wish to further their academic career at a UK university. Our IELTS Exam Preparation courses provide you with the knowledge and skills to progress towards higher education.

Who is it for?

The IELTS Exam Preparation course at MC Academy prepares students who wish to study at university for the following courses:

• Pre-Sessional, Foundation, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, PhD.

The course is also suitable for people who want to emigrate to an English-speaking country or do work-related training in an English-speaking country.

Aims of the Course

The IELTS preparation course at MC Academy aims to allow students to:

• Use exam strategies and techniques to achieve the best score possible.
• Take practice exam papers to become familiar with the format of the exam under test conditions.
• Practise and develop overall skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
• Focus on reading, writing, and analytical thinking skills, that are not only the key to success in the IELTS test but are also crucial skills to develop when studying at a UK university.
• Receive constructive feedback to further increase the chances of success.

Course Information

• Course Start: Every Monday
• Level: Pre-Intermediate – Advanced
• Time-Slot: Morning classes available
• Class Size: Class numbers are restricted to 12 students, but at peak times this may increase to 14
• Minimum Age: 16 years old

What is it?

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS), is an international standardised test designed to assess the English-language proficiency of non-native speakers. Over 1.4 million candidates take the test each year to start their academic journeys into international education and employment.

Introduction Level: Students wishing to take this course must be of Pre-Intermediate level (IELTS level 4/4.5)

Foundation Level: Students wishing to take this course must be of Intermediate level (IELTS level 5)

Higher Level: Students wishing to take this course must be of Upper-Intermediate level (IELTS level 5+)

IELTS Workshops

Free IELTS Workshops are available to all students who study an IELTS course at MC Academy.

Our IELTS Workshops include:

• Listening Club, Reading Club, Speaking Club, IELTS Skills, IELTS Practice & Tips, IELTS Exam Motivation

*IELTS Workshops are subject to availability. Not all workshops will be available at the same time.

Our current IELTS workshops are listed below.

IELTS Reading Club

Improve your reading skills by studying various texts and articles. Our IELTS Reading Club encourages students to acknowledge the most important pieces of information from a piece of text, focusing on how this information can be used in preparation for the exam.

IELTS Formal Speaking Practice

Improve your speaking skills by engaging in conversation with a trained IELTS teacher. Our IELTS Formal Speaking Practice is a one-on-one workshop, providing students with crucial personal attention to present their speaking skills. Discuss various topics with a teacher and receive immediate feedback.

IELTS Listening Club

Improve your listening skills by listening to various spoken articles. Our IELTS Listening Club provides students with the skills to understand the context of various conversations, allowing them to pin-point critical pieces of information in preparation for the exam.

IELTS Topics

Students do not need any specialist subject knowledge for the IELTS exam, but it helps to have some general knowledge about the following topics, plus an interest in news and current affairs:

• History and Society
• Health and Fitness
• Urbanisation and Globalisation
• The Environment
• Business and Law
• Language and Linguistics
• Travel and Tourism
• Media and the Arts
• The Natural World
• Architecture and Engineering
• Science and ICT
• Space and the Planets

Taking the IELTS Test

You must take the IELTS test at an official IELTS centre. There are two test centres in Manchester – one is at the University of Manchester Language Centre which is only for the IELTS Academic/General test; the other centre is on Alan Turing Way (near the Etihad football stadium) for students who also have UKVI requirements.

You can find more information including sample tests and application forms for both test centres on the following websites:

University of Manchester Language Centre: www.ulc.manchester.ac.uk/ielts/

British Council: https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/take-ielts/book

You can ask your teachers for advice about when to take your test and try to book it as early as possible. Test centres can become fully booked, especially in June and July, so leaving it to the last minute may mean that you have to travel to another city or even to take it in your home country. There are more than 800 test centres and locations in over 130 countries where you can take the IELTS exam. The following website will help you to find a test centre outside of Manchester: http://www.ielts.org/test_centre_search/search_results.aspx.

IELTS is the International English Language Testing System which is jointly managed by The British Council, IDP: Australia, and The University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL). IELTS is designed to assess the language ability of candidates who want to study or work where English is the language of communication. It is recognised by over 6000 organisations worldwide, including universities, companies, and government agencies.

For more general information on IELTS, please visit www.ielts.org.

For IELTS practice test materials visit takeielts.britishcouncil.org.