IELTS Preparation Book : Review of “Ace the IELTS”

Ace the IELTS is a short yet concise preparation material that aims to transform your IELTS results to the highest possible score you can attain. This book was designed to help takers evade and overcome the three main problems during the IELTS; tricks, time, and logic traps! 

This material will undoubtedly assist you in getting in shape for the test and achieving your target Band Score in a matter of weeks!


Everything You Need To Know About Ace the IELTS

IELTS Preparation Book -- Ace the IELTS Book or Guide

If you have already started preparing for the IELTS, you probably have no time to waste! You will need the perfect IELTS preparation material to back up your study schedule. Ace the IELTS might be that book! 

Before buying, it might be wise to know everything necessary about the book first! 

Authors

Simone Braverman authored the book. It was written to provide guidance and assistance for the last few weeks of intense and rigorous preparation for the IELTS. Braverman made sure to include helpful techniques, tips, advice, and strategies to help maximize a student’s score.  

Book Contents

Ace the IELTS is a preparation material that is only over 80 pages long. While it is thinner and shorter than most IELTS books in the market, it makes up for it in terms of content and usefulness. It is the definition of short and straightforward, with well-organized and explained content. What’s more, it is written in easy-to-understand English!

This book covers all critical aspects of the IELTS. It provides a thorough step-by-step guide in Reading, Speaking, Listening, and Writing tests, as well as great tips on how to perform and do General Training tasks! 

Ace the IELTS is brimming with clear and insightful tips and techniques that you can apply during the test. It can guide you on managing your time, avoiding traps, and building a speech or writing an essay in record time!

The book gives valuable tips and techniques for every part of the IELTS, effectively guiding you to perform better and wiser.

There is also a 3-week rigorous and well-thought-out study plan included in the book that you can follow to ensure that your skills are all polished and shined before the day of the dreaded exam!

Latest Edition Available

From its first publication in 2009, the Ace the IELTS General Module came a long way. The book’s latest edition is its Fourth Edition, released in May 2021. 

What’s Included

The book includes a wide variety of practical tips and strategies helpful during the exams. Here is a more specific overview of the book to know what to expect:

  • How To Use This Book
  • The IELTS Routine
  • Tips for the Listening Test
  • Tips for the Reading Test
  • Tips for the Writing Test
  • Writing Task 1 (Letter)
  • Writing Task 2 (Essay)
  • Tips for the Speaking Test
  • Pocket Tips
  • Study Plan
  • Full Practice Test
  • Answers 
  • Model Responses

Aside from the physical book, audio content is included in the latest edition. You can use it on your desktop computer or laptop with a reliable internet connection.

Search the link in the book and follow the instructions on the web page that pops up. You will need to save all the audio files to your computer. Your computer will need an audio player to listen to them since the files are in mp3 format. 

Price

Ace the IELTS price range is USD 20 to USD 33 on Amazon. The price would depend on your location.  


Book Review: Ace the IELTS

Even after seeing the expected content and brief overview of the book, one might still doubt whether Ace the IELTS would suffice as preparation material for the exam. To help you decide further, here is a detailed review of the book!

General Overview

This specific section includes reviews about customers’ firsthand experiences and opinions about the book. Aside from reviews, this part will also discuss its advantages and disadvantages. 

Pros

The book’s main strength is the substantial amount of techniques and tips that are applicable and useful for the IELTS. These strategies are mainly centered on increasing and amplifying takers’ scores by improving their task-solving efficiency and speed. 

Moreover, the content is written in a concise and simple format and structure, helping readers understand the material easier and quicker. 

Aside from the full-length practice test at the end of the book, there are also links provided that lead to various challenging IELTS online practice papers where readers can apply their newly-acquired learnings and knowledge.  

Cons

A downside of the book is that it’s too focused on tips and advice. Several takers might find the preparation material and content lacking or lesser than other IELTS books in the market.

Another is that it has only one physical full-length practice test. An essential aspect of IELTS preparation is practice and challenging yourself.

While the book provides a link that directs to other practice papers, these exercises still lack the experience of full-length mock tests. If you are taking the IELTS, you must undergo actual mock IELTS exams to test your knowledge and stamina in test-taking.

User Ratings 

Here are a few user ratings and reviews from legitimate customers who have bought and used the book to offer more information about it. 

Goodreads

In Goodreads, this book has 4.13 stars and 27 informative reviews

Readers expressed how helpful the book is for their preparation for the IELTS. They claimed that the Ace the IELTS book offers a serious attempt at achieving and aiming for a high band score during the test with its helpful tips, well-explained lessons, and challenging practice tests.

Though, some readers warned about some misinformation in the book. They said to research the current test rules and regulations from official sources rather than relying on the information from the book.

Ace the IELTS Book Goodreads 1
Ace the IELTS Book Goodreads 2

Amazon

Over at Amazon, this book also has a 4.1-star rating

Most readers expressed satisfaction with the overall content, describing it as well-organized, straight to the point, and easy to understand. Readers especially found the tips in the book practical, realistic, and applicable. 

There are, however, some readers that found the material lacking. They claimed that the content is generalized and the book is overpriced. 

Ace the IELTS Book Amazon 1
Ace the IELTS Book Amazon 2

Google Books

The book has a 4-star rating in Google Books. Readers said that it is a good book for IELTS, especially in terms of improving your scores. The book helped them achieve a band score of 7+.

Readers claimed that it certainly could assist in helping get a good score even if you only understand or speak the English language at a moderate level. 

Ace the IELTS Book GoogleBooks 1

How To Use The Book Effectively?

For those planning on using Ace the IELTS, you should first know about the ways on how you can use the book effectively and efficiently! 

  • The book was written and put together in a way that gives readers the freedom to go in the order they are comfortable going with. You can read the main chapters (Reading, Speaking, Listening, and Writing tips) in any order you choose, as each is entirely independent of the other. It is not necessary to follow the order of the book. 
  • There are two methods and ways of taking the IELTS (on a computer or paper), so the author chose to cover both. In the latest version of the book, you can find tips for paper-based and computer-delivered tests. These tips are entirely different from one another. Be aware that there are specific tips in paper-based tests you cannot perform on computer-delivered tests and vice versa. 
  • For those who do not have much extra time to study, it is suggested to jump straight to the exercises. You are free to come back and read the tips when you find the time. 
  • There are links to various IELTS materials at every chapter you can read, as well as a well-put-together study plan and schedule at the end of the book.
  • Read and pay attention to the techniques, tips, and strategies written in the book. Try to apply them to your practice IELTS tests to gauge your progress. You may also apply these strategies on other things, such as with your academics or your daily life conversation. 
  • There are so-called pocket tips at the end of the book. These are short summaries of the key hints in each chapter. Please read them before you start practicing again. This is especially helpful for replenishing and refreshing the memory! It would be easier to retain information, as well. 

Final Thoughts

Ace the IELTS is indeed a practical and short preparation material and resource that readers can digest in a matter of weeks—days even! 

If you started your preparation period early on, then you have more than enough time to focus on practicing and polishing your skills. 

It is perfect for takers who wish to avoid getting overwhelmed by the truckloads of information, lessons, and knowledge that most IELTS books seem to have.

As long as you are fully made aware of the book’s shortcomings, you would not have any problem using this as your main study material.