IELTS Preparation Courses

Preparation courses work through all four papers: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, with teachers who know the marking criteria and the timing pressure that trips people up in the real exam. Most courses build in regular mock tests, so you know where you stand before the real one. You choose between Academic IELTS, for university entry, and General Training, for work or migration visas, and schools will help you pick the right one if you’re not sure.

What the price depends on

We currently list 83 IELTS courses across 28 UK schools, priced from £55 to £1,425 a week. Most standard group courses sit between about £185 and £325 a week, with the top of the range made up of one-to-one and combined programmes (IELTS plus general English, for example) rather than standard classes. Price mainly comes down to hours of dedicated exam practice per week, class size, and whether the course is a standalone IELTS course or bundled with general English.

Duration and start dates

Most IELTS preparation runs from 2 to 12 weeks, which fits how most people use it: a focused block before a specific test date. Combined courses that pair IELTS with general English can run longer. Many schools run rolling starts, so you can time your course to land a few weeks before your exam slot rather than waiting for a fixed term.

Comparing courses

Look at hours of IELTS-specific teaching per week (this is different from total class hours if the course is combined with general English), class size, and whether mock tests and one-to-one feedback sessions are included. A course with fewer contact hours but a lower headline price is not necessarily cheaper once you count what’s actually included. British Council accreditation is worth checking too, since it’s a reasonable proxy for teaching quality.

The courses listed below come straight from each school’s own price list, with no commission on top, so you can compare them properly before enquiring.