This plan assumes you are around Band 6–6.5 now and can give one focused hour a day. One hour done daily beats five hours once a week — language grows by repetition, not by cramming. Adjust the days to your life, but keep the order: skills first, exam practice last.
Week 1 — Know your starting point
- Take one full practice test under time limits. Score it honestly — use the Band Calculator on this site.
- Find your weakest skill. For most learners it is Writing — if it is yours, give it two of every five study days from now on.
- Start a topic vocabulary notebook (see the vocabulary lessons) and add five phrases a day.
Week 2 — Build the core skills
- Speaking (15 min/day): record Part 1 answers with the Answer–Reason–Example pattern; one Part 2 talk every second day.
- Writing (3 sessions): one Task 2 plan + essay, one Task 1, one rewrite of your Week 1 essay.
- Listening & Reading (2 sessions): one section at a time, then study every mistake until you know why it happened.
Week 3 — Exam technique
- Do everything under time limits from now on. Untimed practice builds knowledge; timed practice builds scores.
- Learn the question types: True/False/Not Given, matching headings, multiple choice — each has its own strategy.
- Two full Writing sessions and two recorded Speaking practices with a partner or a phone.
Week 4 — Mock tests and repair
- Two full mock tests, on different days, at the same time of day as your real test.
- Between mocks, study only your repeated mistakes — they are your cheapest remaining marks.
- The day before the test: no new material. A short walk, an early night, and your documents ready.
The golden rule: if a day goes wrong, do 15 minutes instead of zero. Streaks protect motivation, and motivation protects the plan.