It’s mid-summer. And as usual, many students are booking IELTS tutoring sessions with me. This is because summer is an ideal time for IELTS prep. In this article, we’ll discuss how you can take advantage of IELTS summer prep options.
IELTS Summer Prep: Summer camps in the English-speaking world
Tonnes of summer camps are available specifically for IELTS prep. In the summer, you can attend IELTS camps in English-speaking countries. major UK universities like the Oxford Royal Academy offer summer IELTS preparation programmes, as do private organisations such as ITS Education. Similar university-run and privately-sponsored IELTS summer programmes can be found in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.
One of the best things about these overseas summer camps is that the courses can often be completed without a student visa. It’s often possible — and perfectly legal — to attend overseas IELTS camps on a tourist visa, or through participation in a visa waiver programme. (The United States has visa waiver agreements with a particularly large list of countries.)
IELTS “intensives” in your home country: A good summer option
If you are from a non-English speaking country, your homeland likely has many English academies, including ones that offer exam prep. And most academies will offer a type of IELTS study called “intensive.” In IELTS intensives, much like in summer camps, you’ll be given a chance to take classes all day long for weeks at a time.
Unlike regular summer camps, intensives are usually offered year round. However, intensives become even more popular in the summer. During the summer season, students don’t have school and workplaces are more likely to allow for holidays. Because of this, many English academies offer special discounts on summer intensives. (The British Council is particularly keen on offering summer discounts to younger IELTS scholars in nations around the world.)
Seek out IELTS tutoring in the summer, when you have more time
IELTS tutoring is also a great option during the summer, partly for the reasons mentioned above (no school and chances to go on holiday from work). Additionally, more English tutors are usually available in the summer; professional teachers often turn to tutoring to make a little extra cash during their summer break.
Summer tutoring is especially helpful for university students who hope to study abroad in the coming school year. I’ve worked with many uni students who study for the IELTS in the summer, sit their exam during fall semester, and then enroll for a programme of study abroad in the spring.
Leave a Reply