Students have been preparing to take the IELTS test to get access to for further studies at Australian universities and colleges by taking UEC’s IELTS Test Preparation course for more than 20 years!
CRICOS Course Code: 0101702
start date
any Monday
course length
up to 15 weeks
course hours
20hrs/week + 2.5 hours of optional
timetable
day & evening
start date
any Monday
course length
up to 15 weeks
course hours
20hrs/week + 2.5 hours of optional
timetable
day & evening
What is this course about?
Students from around the world want to enroll with universities and colleges in English speaking countries, including Australia. To enroll, they first need to demonstrate their English language level is high enough for their course. For many, taking an exam like IELTS is the fastest, most direct way. The problem is that the IELTS test is challenging! There are four parts are there are many different types of tasks and questions.
The Universal English College IELTS Preparation course gives students an intensive program of study of the IELTS test as well as the English knowledge and skills needed to get the best score possible. The course helps students develop the test taking skills and techniques to get the best score they can in the fastest possible time.
Many UEC students take the IELTS Preparation course together with the UEC Academic English Program to really maximise their chance of success, not just in the IELTS test, but in their future studies.
What will you do each day?
Everyday you will speak English with your classmates in pairs and small groups as well as with the whole class. You’ll do a broad variety of practice activities where you need to communicate.
You’ll read and listen to academic articles and lectures so you’ll improve your reading and listening skills while also building your knowledge of the reading and listening tests and the task types they use and your knowledge of common topics, vocabulary and the styles of reading and listening texts.
Your teacher will help you learn a lot about grammar and a massive amount of vocabulary and make sure you use it all in speaking and writing activities just like the ones you’ll need to do in the actual test. This will help you improve your fluency and accuracy as prepare for the test.
And, of course, you will spend a lot of time working on the test. You will have lessons to break down each test and each of the task types used in that test so you know how they work and how to answer they effectively and efficiently. You’ll
You’ll work hard, but you’ll also laugh, make friends, and build your confidence and skill. Graduates of the IELTS Preparation course at Universal English College consistently tell us they are much more confident and ready for the test and for their future studies.
Entry requirements
score
Intermediate score on UEC Placement test or completion of Pre Intermediate level
student age
over 18 years
CRICOS Provider Code: 00053J
CRICOS Course Code: 0101702
What You Will do Each Week?
Every week you will do different activities, study different topics and learn different things, but you will study at the same times. The table below shows a typical week.
| Lesson and break | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thurs | Fri |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesson 1 | Group Speaking Warm up Listening Task 1: Bookings and appointments Test Skill: listening for specific information | Listening Task: Joining up Test Skill: listening for general understanding and specific information | Writing: Popular Languages Survey’ Test Skill: Summarising information presented in graphs | Reading: Healthy Lifestyles Test Skills: Reading for specific information and detailed understanding Vocabulary Building | Reading Practice Test Test Practice feedback and patterns of error |
| Break | |||||
| Lesson 2 | Reading: ‘Australian Culture and Culture Shock’ Test Skill: Speed and reading for main ideas Test Technique: Understanding reading question clues | Reading: ‘Hybrid Learning’ Test Technique: Time management in the reading test | Grammar: Comparing and contrasting in academic writing Writing: Complex sentences and conjunctions | Vocabulary: Commonly confused words on IELTS exams Speaking: Speaking: | Reading Skills: Tskimming, and speed reading |
| Break | |||||
| Lesson 3 | Speaking Test Practice Test Practice feedback and patterns of error | Speaking: ‘Tourism and Travel’ Test skill: Longer speaking and giving opinions Test Technique: Responding to question clues | Writing: ‘Challenges of Life Abroad’ Test skills: Planning and writing long answer tasks | Writing: Editing and refining Test skills: Self-correction and time management in the writing test | Speaking Test Practice Test Technique: Responding to the examiner’s questions |
How You Will Benefit From This Course
- Develop your knowledge of each part of the test and where your strengths and weaknesses are
- Develop your test taking technique – you’ll learn the tips, tricks, and traps
- Greatly improve your listening and reading for academic contexts and to maximise your score
- Massively increase your vocabulary and grammatical accuracy
- Develop crucial academic skills, including critical thinking, note taking, and planning writing.
- Become as confident as possible about the test through weekly test practice and feedback.
- Improve your communication skills, study skills, and readiness for your future studies
- Become a more autonomous learner and confident using online learning platforms typical of the best Australian universities and colleges.
When You Can Study?
- You can start the UEC IELTS Preparation course at the start of any week. Just choose the start that suits your future study plans.
- Lessons are held five days a week, in the morning on Monday to Friday. There are no weekend or evening lessons.
- You can enroll in IELTS Preparation course for as little as 2 weeks and a maximum of 50 weeks. If you know the English language level required for your destination course, talk to us and we can help you with how long you should study to have the best chance of getting the score you need.
Who Can Take This Course?
You must be at least 18 years old at the start of a course at UEC
To join the UEC IELTS Preparation course, your English must be at least Intermediate level – the equivalent of an IELTS 4.5 test score. This means it is for students who can speak with some fluency and can manage academic topics. You will need to either complete the UEC placement test, take a UEC General English course, or provide evidence of another test that shows you are at this level.
How is the Course Delivered?
Like all the courses at UEC, the IELTS Preparation course is all delivered via live lessons with up to 18 students and 1 teacher at the UEC campus in the centre of Sydney. The lessons are very interactive – you will talk and learn with your classmates and the teacher in every lesson.
Throughout the COVID19 lockdown and isolation periods, the IELTS Preparation course was operated online through live lessons delivered through Zoom on the same schedule as our normal, on-campus lessons. Since then, UEC has maintained all classes as ‘hybrid lessons’ so students can join the on-campus lessons via Zoom as all of our classrooms have state-of-the-art video-conferencing cameras that allow online and on-campus students to see and hear each other.
Typically, 95% of students come to campus for their lessons. However, sometimes a student studies online because their visa hasn’t arrived yet or because the student has COVID19 and doesn’t want to share it with their classmates even though they are not so sick and can still study.
What Learning Materials are Used in this Course?
The UEC IELTS Preparation course has a core book that is the basis of the learning activities. You will get a copy of the book to use and keep. When you change level, you’ll get a new book for that level too.
It will change from week to week and day to day, but normally about 80% of your lessons will be based on the book. Your teachers will also use other materials from other teaching resources and from the real world and sometimes they’ll design materials specifically to suit the needs of the lessons.
What You’ll Need for this Course?
You will need pens and pencils and note books to take notes in class every day.
All your lessons will utilise online resources so you should have your own laptop or tablet to access these resources. You can take the IELTS Preparation course without your own laptop or tablet, but you will find a laptop or tablet makes it much easier and more effective to learn, especially as you will use the online learning platform in the course.
Assessment
Assessment in the IELTS Preparation course is part of the course because you are preparing for the IELTS exam. As part of the course, you will do weekly practice tests and get feedback on how you are progressing over time.
Teachers also monitor students’ progress in IELTS Preparation course by observing them during lesson activities every day.
Prior Learning
As the IELTS Preparation course is for students who are at an intermediate level or higher, all students must have already done some study to join the course. UEC uses an online test to assess students’ English level before they can book an IELTS Preparation course. If you have already done another test that shows you are at the right level you are welcome to send though those details and the Registrar will review this.
Certification
All students who study at UEC will get a certificate to show what course they studied and for how long and what level of English they achieved at the end of their studies.
Further Study Pathways
Students who successfully complete the IELTS Preparation course can join the UEC Cambridge Exam Preparation course or the Academic English Program. The level achieved by each student in IELTS Preparation course will determine the level of Academic English Program or Cambridge Exam Preparation they can enter.
UEC has been helping its graduates find and start courses at colleges and universities in Australia for more than 30 years. Some of these colleges will allow students to enter their vocational qualification courses with a UEC IELTS Preparation course certificate if the student has shown an appropriate proficiency level.
UEC also has partnerships with more than 50 institutions that recognise UEC’s Academic English Program graduates and accepts them into courses with a UEC Academic English Program certificate instead of requiring the student to take an IELTS exam depending on the final Academic English Program grades achieved. For this reason, many of UEC’s IELTS Preparation graduates also enroll in the Academic English Program. Ask us for details on how and if this is a good option for you.
