How to Effectively Use AI to Prepare for IELTS

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is turning entire industries on its head, so there’s no surprise that it is quickly becoming a major force in language learning and test preparation. In fact, a recent study by the Digital Education Council found that 86% of students worldwide surveyed use AI for their studies, with 54% using it weekly.

You may have started preparing for IELTS with the help of some AI tools, or considered how it could be used to stretch your own performance. The last thing you want is to use AI without understanding its limitations and let it take up valuable preparation time as your primary source of truth.

If you're serious about using AI for your preparation, this article will guide you on how to use AI tools as a way to improve your general skills in English and test taking for IELTS. 

In the lead-up to any important test, there are many ways you could work towards your goal, with sufficient preparation and even a streak of innovation.

One of those ways is using AI as a study aid. Some examples that may benefit your overall IELTS preparation are finding out your strengths and weaknesses in any of the four skills being tested, or by getting AI suggestions to express yourself creatively.

Here's a breakdown of how you could use AI in a way that’s relevant to IELTS preparation.

Listening 

To train your skills in this area, you will need extensive listening practice material as each recording will be played only once during the test. For authentic IELTS Listening practice tests, start with official IELTS Prepare resources from IDP and get used to the question types that may appear in the test.

AI could help you develop general listening comprehension skills. Some AI speaking programs provide simulated audio that covers the accents you may come across in IELTS Listening, such as American and British.

Get podcast suggestions from AI, based on social topics, or related to education, lectures or training. IELTS Listening recordings typically cover these themes. Podcasts also generally involve conversations between two or more speakers, can hone your concentration and show you how they paraphrase a talking point in different ways.

Reading 

Similar to IELTS Listening, you’ll need to understand the different Reading question types, which apply to both Academic and General Training tests.

Treat AI like your personalised learning assistant. Add your own long-form passages to a Large Language Model (LLM) tool and use it to summarise key ideas and define unfamiliar words. You can also try prompts to rewrite whole passages and see how they are paraphrased.

To widen your scope of IELTS Reading preparation, you could also use AI to recommend different sources of texts in varying levels of difficulty and topics, across books, online publications, news outlets, journals.

Writing

You may face challenges during the IELTS Writing preparation phase, especially if you are self-studying and need more support on how to improve your writing skill.

There are advanced AI writing platforms which can correct grammar, offer stylistic improvements and evaluate tone and register for academic writing (Task 2) or formal correspondence (General Training Task 1). Or ask AI for a counter view on answering a question.

However, be aware that AI-generated information might “hallucinate” or make up facts, even overlook errors. Refrain from using LLM tools to grade your IELTS essays, as it will not match up to how human examiners will mark your Writing test, according to official band descriptors.

Speaking

AI for speaking practice is rapidly becoming one of the most powerful uses of this technology. There are AI tools which offer pronunciation and fluency feedback by providing an objective assessment of your vocal output. Or try a session with an advanced chatbot with your IELTS Speaking practice questions.

This could be a way of helping to reduce your nerves and improve confidence in speaking before the actual test, although you should note that IELTS Speaking is scored live with a real, human examiner.

During the test, an examiner will assess based on official IELTS Speaking score criteria and respond accordingly based on his or her real-time assessment of your skills. A computer would not be able to analyse your performance to the fullest accuracy, or spot subtle meanings.  

Refining your IELTS study plan with the help of AI can offer some advantages:

• Personalised feedback: Analyse your performance with AI-enabled feedback. For example, you could use AI to brainstorm, point out the use of overly simple vocabulary or suggest areas for improvement. 

• Instant corrections: AI could be useful for spotting grammatical errors and giving feedback on your initial essays for clarity and language structure. You could follow up with essay revisions for an analytical view on the changes. 

• Adaptive learning: LLMs can adjust the difficulty and build on previous content already presented, based on past prompts. You could use AI as a way to get better, overall feedback and gather information (remember to verify with trusted sources).

Here are a few ways you could prepare for IELTS with the help of AI:

• Establish a daily practice routine: Use AI scheduling tools to help you remain consistent. Aim for short, focused sessions (e.g. 30 minutes of pronunciation practice, 45 minutes of essay writing) rather than long, infrequent marathons.

• Track progress objectively: Some AI tools have analytical software that look at data such as your pronunciation accuracy, reading time or speaking fluency. This objective data could highlight your progress and areas needing attention.

• Mix AI with human feedback: Do not rely exclusively on AI; this can narrow the depth of the feedback you receive. To practice IELTS Speaking which involves a human examiner, talk to a qualified speaking coach or a friend you can trust, someone who can relate to complex ideas and structure or help work on your conversational style.

While AI could be helpful for your IELTS preparation, improper usage can hinder your progress, so beware of:

• Over-reliance: If you let AI correct your writing in real-time, you stop learning from the mistakes yourself and start relying on instant gratification to clear your doubts. This could cause improper time management for the test. 

• Inaccurate advice: IELTS Writing and Speaking tests have their own official marking criteria. Some AI tools may focus on grammar or pronunciation, but miss nuances of clarity, style or coherence. Always verify against official IELTS band descriptors. 

• Lack of examiner-style feedback: AI often struggles to provide feedback grounded in human impression factors of speaking and writing tests, like how persuasive or natural your tone sounds. Supplement AI practice with human coaching to assess these subjective criteria. 

The central question in IELTS preparation today is not whether to use AI, but how to balance it with human expertise. This matters because the IELTS is a high-stakes test with specific human-marked criteria.

AI could be useful when looking at grammar choices or giving different perspectives when reviewing an essay. However, getting detailed feedback is the key to improving your language skills, but AI's automated assessments can also turn out to be unhelpfully short.

Human examiners also assess criteria that AI struggles with, such as nuanced register, logical flow of thought, and the natural rhythm of speech.  

Complementing official IELTS materials from IDP IELTS and expert coaching with the immediacy and analytical power of AI could help you achieve your ideal IELTS band score. More resources include:

• IELTS by IDP Prep app: Download this official resource for practice questions, expert tips and guidance right on your phone for accessible IELTS preparation. 

• Webinars: IDP IELTS frequently runs masterclasses on test strategies, highlighting important skills and common challenges for the test. 

• IELTS experts: Access to certified IELTS experts for preparation, tips and feedback ensures you receive the highest quality human guidance to complement your AI practice. 

AI could come in handy during the critical stages of your IELTS preparation, but you should know how to use it strategically to ensure your practice sessions are effective. While AI can be helpful, it is not perfect and may pull up inaccurate or even limited information. You can cross-reference any IELTS-specific content with reliable preparation resources.

Ultimately, combining AI with official IELTS preparation materials and human coaching could be a viable approach for you to learn widely, develop required skills and unlock your highest band score.

Need more tried-and-true guidance? Connect with our IELTS community to access helpful answers from IELTS experts.