Why count down to your test?
Knowing the exact number of weeks you have changes how you prepare. With three months you can build skills steadily; with three weeks the focus moves to exam technique and timed practice. The outline above spreads six phases across the weeks you have, and keeps the last ones — full mock exams and a light final review — even when time is short.
The six phases
- Diagnose — sit one timed test per skill to find your starting point.
- Build core skills — target your weakest question types and topic vocabulary.
- Writing and Speaking structure — plan essays clearly and practise speaking out loud.
- Timed practice — full sections under exam timing, reviewing every mistake.
- Full mock exams — all four skills in one sitting to build stamina.
- Final review — light practice, rest and test-day preparation.
Worked example
Your test is 8 weeks away. The plan gives you a week to diagnose, about two weeks each on core skills and on Writing/Speaking structure, then timed practice, a mock-exam week and a final review week. At one hour a day with one rest day a week, that is roughly 48 hours of focused preparation.
Want a daily plan that adapts to your scores? IELTS Prep Hub builds one around your exam date — and the band score calculator shows how close each practice result is to your target.