GeneralGuide
IELTS Preparation Books and Materials
Start with the free official tests. If you want a book, the test owners name a study guide, practice-test books and a course. Pick by what you need and by your test.
Books the IELTS organisations list
Three organisations run IELTS: the British Council, IDP and Cambridge English. Two of them name books on the pages we read: Cambridge English and IDP. The tables below cover those books.
ielts.org links the British Council, IDP and Cambridge English for preparation resources source: ielts.org.
The British Council's preparation page has courses, videos, live preparation sessions and IELTS Ready source: British Council. We found no books on that page.
Cambridge English
| Title | Type | For which test | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS | study guide with practice tests | not stated | builds language skills and explains how to tackle each part of the test; eight complete practice tests |
| IELTS 21 Academic | practice tests | Academic | authentic practice tests |
| IELTS 21 General Training | practice tests | General Training | authentic practice tests |
| Mindset for IELTS | course in four levels | not stated | print and online content on the skills and strategies for test day |
IELTS Test & Train is digital self-study material in the Cambridge English Shop source: Cambridge English.
IDP
| Title | Type | For which test | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official IELTS Practice Materials 2 (with DVD) | preparation book with practice tests | Academic, General Training and the IELTS for UKVI version of each | the test format, question types, practice tests, how each section is scored and strategies; a DVD video of three students taking Speaking and Listening |
| Workbook for IELTS Life Skills A1 | practice tests | IELTS Life Skills A1 only, a different test for the UK Family Visa | four practice tests with an answer key, sample Speaking answers and advice for candidates |
In October 2022, you could buy Official IELTS Practice Materials 2 from Cambridge.org or from your nearest IELTS test centre source: IDP.
Check the official page before you buy
The Cambridge English page names different titles from the IDP article. Titles change, so open each organisation's page before you buy.
How to choose
No owner page we read ranks the books or says which to buy first. This is how we would choose.
- Use the free official material first. The owners' free practice tests are in How to prepare for IELTS.
- To learn the question types and the skills behind them, use a study guide or a course.
- To practise whole tests, use a practice-test title.
- Match the version to your test. IELTS 21 comes as an Academic title and a General Training title source: Cambridge English. Academic or General Training explains the difference.
Plan your hours before you buy. The study planner and how long to prepare help.
We do not link to free PDF copies of these books.
The book descriptions come from Cambridge English's IELTS preparation page and IDP's Official IELTS Preparation Books article. The other facts come from ielts.org's preparation resources and the British Council's preparation resources pages. The IDP article is dated 18 October 2022. The Cambridge English, ielts.org and British Council pages show no date. All were last checked on 15 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which Cambridge English title should I start with?
The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS is a study guide. Mindset for IELTS is a course. IELTS 21 is a set of practice tests source: Cambridge English.
That depends on what you need. Try the free official sample tests before you buy. To learn the skills, start with the guide or the course. To practise whole tests, start with IELTS 21 in the version for your test.
Are there free official tests as well as the books?
Yes. Cambridge English has free paper-based sample tests to download, and it links to free sample questions on the IELTS website source: Cambridge English. How to prepare for IELTS covers the rest of the free material.
- Written by
- Compass IELTS Editorial Team, the team behind the Compass IELTS band score tools and practice tests
- Published
- Sources
- Words in a quote box, and sentences just before a source link such as ielts.org, come from the test owners. Everything else is our explanation. Facts about the test come from official sources, linked where we use them. Read our editorial policy.
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