How long will it take? Look at the chart below.

Students generally need an IELTS score of 6.5 before going to study at University or 5.5, if they wish to take a foundation course or a vocational programme.

The English Language Centre Bristol runs specific IELTS preparation classes all the year round, on 4 afternoons a week.

Level	Elementary		Pre-intermediate		Intermediate		Upper intermediate		Advanced
Course length	12 weeks		12 weeks		12 weeks		12 weeks		12 weeks
IELTS score				3.5	4	4.5	5	5.5	6	6.5
Courses	General English						General English (mornings) IELTS preparation (afternoons)
					Vocational courses
					University foundation programme
							University graduate, post-graduate and doctorate programmes

According to the IELTS handbook, the best way to prepare for IELTS is to follow a General English course which covers the 4 skills tested in the exam (reading, writing, speaking and listening) and also the grammar which is the essential basis of all language ability.

Students should not focus on the exam itself until they have reached an upper-intermediate level, when they will have sufficient English to familiarise themselves with the test by following the IELTS preparation classes we run every afternoon.

In the last year, students from ELC Bristol have achieved the required IELTS scores and gone on to study at the following institutions.

The University of Bristol, the University of the West of England, Bath University, Cardiff University, Oxford Brooks University, Manchester University, Sheffield University, Birmingham University, University of Central England, Trinity College and the Cesar Ritz Hotel School.