Test prep · 9 min
IELTS for Indian students: an 8-week plan to Band 7
An 8-week IELTS study plan for Indian applicants targeting Canada, UK, and Australia student visas, with weekly drills and score traps to avoid.
Pick a target, then a test date
Most Canadian SDS files and UK student visas need 6.0+ in each IELTS Academic band. Competitive universities want 6.5 or 7.0 overall. Book a date 8 weeks out, then work backward. Without a date, practice drifts.
Weekly rhythm
Weeks 1-2: diagnostic mock, then daily listening (one section) and reading (one passage) timed. Weeks 3-5: writing task 1 charts and task 2 opinion essays, one of each every other day, with a teacher or a strict band descriptor checklist. Weeks 6-7: speaking mocks recorded on your phone. Week 8: two full tests under exam conditions.
Do not buy a new book every week. One official Cambridge set plus daily news reading beats five coaching PDFs you never finish.
Next step: browse consultants in your city and compare three agencies with this checklist in hand.