A 30-day IELTS study plan: from 6.5 to 7.0 (2026)

Moving from 6.5 to 7.0 is not language learning, it is an exam skill: recognising the question type, managing time, cutting your own systematic mistakes. That is why a month can be enough, but only with a plan. This one asks for 90 minutes a day plus one full mock section at the weekend; every week has its own goal and its own measurement. Anyone starting from zero should use the long plan; this guide is for people already at 6.0 to 6.5.

The principle: weakest section first

The overall band is the average of four sections, so raising the weakest by 0.5 lifts the total fastest: 7/7/6/7 → 7/7/6.5/7 takes you from 6.75 to 7.0. Week one of the plan exists to find that section; choose it by the numbers, not by feel.

The shape of the daily 90 minutes

The error log is the most important part of the plan: from week two it shows which mistake type keeps recurring, and practice goes there.

Week 1: diagnosis and decision

• Day 1: a full mock, real timing, all four sections. Put the result into the band calculator.
• Day 2: error analysis. Which question type cost you in Listening and Reading? Which of the four criteria is weak in Writing and Speaking?
• Days 3 to 7: targeted practice on the weakest section, one question type a day. Listening has the question types guide, Reading has TFNG and matching headings.
• The week's measurement: the weak section named, the specific mistake type written down.

Weeks 2 and 3: targeted practice

Two weeks in the same rhythm with two different emphases.

Week 2, accuracy: find the right answer without watching the clock. A Reading passage may take 30 minutes; what matters is being able to explain why each mistake is a mistake. In Writing, one Task 2 plan a day (15 minutes) and two full essays a week; the Task 2 strategy and the band descriptors give the criteria. In Speaking, three Part 1 questions and one Part 3 question a day, recorded.

Week 3, time: the same exercises under real timing. Reading 20/20/20, Writing Task 1 in 20 minutes, Task 2 in 40, Speaking Part 2 the full 2 minutes. Scores may dip this week; that is normal, time pressure is being trained.

• The week's measurement: a full section on Saturday, the comparison in the calculator, the category counts in the error log.

Week 4: full mocks and recovery

• Days 22, 25, 28: three full mocks under real timing, in the morning at exam hour. A day of analysis after each, no new material.
• The days between: only revision from the error log and vocabulary; it is too late to learn a new question type.
• Day 29: exam-day rules (guide), the document, the centre address, the route.
• Day 30: rest. Material read the day before the exam does not raise the score; tiredness lowers it.

What works, what does not

• Works: one question type per day; the error log; one full measurement a week; Speaking recorded.
• Does not work: "preparing" for 4 hours a day with no specific goal; doing mocks without analysing them; 40 new words a day; practising Writing by reading model answers (you have to write).
• The biggest trap: practising the strong section because it feels good. The plan puts the weak one first; stick to it.

Next step

This plan rests on one measurement: sitting and analysing a full mock properly. The mock test guide explains how. What each section needs for a 7.0 is in how to get band 7; check your scenarios in the band calculator.