To gain a high score in IELTS you first need to understand the scoring system.
None of what is offered from most IELTS review centres especially in India and Philippines is of any value in gaining a high score.

The information provided by British Council and IDP to prepare you for the testing is not designed to give you a high score.

The IELTS test is a formula and is not fundamentally about English.

Learning Phrases to start sentences
Building Vocabulary
Grammar and Spelling are all good but will not give you a high score;

GRAMMAR
If you are from India or Philippines you might want to work on your grammar a little since grammar is not taught correctly in those countries.
Prefixes, prepositions, past and present tense are incorrectly taught.
It is incorrect to say - “Stay on your lane” it is correct to say “Stay in your lane”
Philippines mixes up gender saying he for she and she for he and so on. Why I don’t know but it is like this.
Learn how to use
Prepositions
Verbs
Adverbs
Adjectives
Gender

In any presentation of English it is important to make the point and offer explanation to the reader in clear English and logical flow so they will read and understand.
If your paragraphing is not good you will combine 2 paragraphs or more into one.
So you understand the difficulty this creates for the reader. Find any written piece, story, essay. Then combine 2 or 3 paragraphs into one and try to read it. You will not be able to understand it. The information and the points will not be separated and will confuse you.
This is what happens when you put too much in a paragraph.

The most common flaw is believing that practice will make you better. This is just not true. If you are practicing the wrong way you will never improve.

Reading is the easiest test to take

Speaking and Writing are similar in context to each other

listening is not a difficult test if you approach it the right way- not what is taught in the IDP and BRITISH COUNCIL material or that taught in almost all IELTS review centres (Including those listed above and in this article who are just regurgitating the poor instructions offered in the IELTS online material)

Reading is best approached by reading the question then seeking the answer in the text immediately (Do not waste time underlining or highlighting key phrases or words in the text first or reading the questions then looking for the answers)
All answers will be in logical order so for the fastest and most accurate method:
Keep one hand on the question and the other on the text (This allows you to read faster and to quickly refer back to the question without delay)
Read the question with your write hand on the text and look for what the question is asking from you. In almost all questions the last part of the last sentence in the question has what is wanted in the answer.

Then read the text using your fingers on your left hand and when you find the answer enter it on the answer sheet. The first question will be answered in the first two (2) paragraphs and answers to other questions will generally be in order after that. So question 2 answer will be in paragraph 2 or 3 and so on.
If you cannot find the answer quickly - leave it and come back to it later.
Reading with your fingers allows you to read many times faster than just using your eyes and by keeping your fingers on the text you do not lose contact and have to re-read information.

Listening
take a piece of paper and pencil/pen
Listen to the information:
While listening - Write words, dates, names and numbers on the paper as they come up (Don’t look at the paper while writing - it will distract you and slow you down)
Only take key words, names, dates and numbers.- you wont have time to write phrases(this is where your practice should be)
If you don’t finish the word when the next piece of information is read, leave it and move on to the next one.
At the end of the tape you will have a list of all key items to refer to for answers.

WHY do that
Your short term memory only holds 5–6 items at at time. so at the end of the tape you will remember only 5–6 points and usually the last ones. The rest become a guess.
If you take words down the guess is minimised and the answers usually become clear.

Writing
The most common delusion is that Grammar and spelling and Vocabulary are the keys to high scores in Writing. Then you are told you need to know key phrases to start sentences. This is just not true. If you research the scoring of IELTS you will see this does not do much for you but sounds great when you are told.

If you cannot paragraph correctly you will never achieve an 8
if your information is not logical in flow you will never achieve an 8
If you spell badly you lose .5 of a mark
If your grammar is bad you lose .5 of a mark

Learn to paragraph correctly and place information into logical order whilst answering the question will give you a very high score.

Speaking

Similar to Writing but is only done verbally.

In all cases you should think
What am I explaining?
What order does the information come in?
What is critical in this explanation?
Then you should discuss either in writing or speaking, each relevant point in logical order, to the conclusion which summarises main points.

如果您去度假-首先計劃一下，因此先計劃自己的演講/寫作/答案
-確定目的地
-知道起點
-然后按順序描述假期的每個階段

你的寫作是這樣的。
考慮問題
確定重要信息
了解信息
按邏輯順序在適當位置流動的順序。

（注意-段落設置）當您更改主題/點，地點或時間時，段落也會更改。段落沒有其他變化。您將被教成3、5、7個句子。那是錯的。一段可以是一個句子。詞匯：始終努力增加詞匯量，但這通常并不重要。了解單詞和短語的含義不要僅僅在沒有上下文的情況下學習單詞

在學習新單詞時，寫下解釋并加上短語，以便您學習如何做。正確練習很重要，將它存儲在您的長期記憶中需要21次。

您今天可能已經了解它，但是如果您不繼續使用它，您將會忘記。
學習它的
最佳方法是教另一個人最好的做法是假裝您必須教一個人或一個班級，并將信息和解釋匯總在一起。
然后你正在學習

I just scored overall 7, I believe that below can help you as I seldom get chance to prepare for more than 1–2 hours on daily basis for 5–6 days.

1 - IELTS is not an English test, it's had a format and you have to prepare for that.

2 - Don't waste time in learning something new, what you know will suffice, focus on pattern and master the art of finding answers to questions in short time.

3 - Just refer previous Test paers for all 3 formats except Speaking.

4 - For speaking, just read Global Warming, Green House Effect, Climate Change, Tourism etc and prepare answers like what do you think about those.

5 - Listening is 1st test out of 3 writing tests, if you prepare well and focus to get answers right in the listening, you can score better in rest 2 as well as it will boost your confidence.

Note: This is from my experience of giving test 2 times.

It is not very difficult to pass the IELTS with 6.5 if one has good English level . As there are four modules are in IELTS: Speaking, Writing , Reading and listening. One needs to work on all skills and needs to find out where he lacks . On the weaker area , one needs to do more practice.The best thing one can do is to take coaching from any experienced trainer who can show you the right path, can improve your skills and help you a alot in getting your desired bands.

Every trainer is having unique way of teaching. Trainer can make coaching better by using various methods: by putting student in a situation to make him confident to face the real exams , by giving him tips and tricks to crack the exam or by giving him proper material to practice .Along with that, he or she can be given opportunity to go through mock tests which will evaluate the pupil in a better way.Thus , all the above things can make the IELTS coaching really well that will enhance the knowledge of a candidate to score more than 6.5.

Listen to as many as podcasts(BBC) before you take the test,it improves your listening skills.

During the test, understand the topic carefully and just guess the answers before the audio play, so that you can concentrate more on the question for your answer.

Section 3 in listening test is bit difficult, concentrate more on listening because you hear all the options on the paper but you need to pick only correct one. Make sure to concentrate on words like: wasn't, isn't, aren't, wouldn't, shouldn't, I'd, she'd etc. Because sometimes this contractions would ruin your marks.

Make sure you read all the questions(in section 4) 31 to 40 at a time before the audio plays because you won't have time like other sections to look over for a few questions.

Read the instructions carefully whether to write ‘one word answer' or ‘only three words and/or a number'.

Don't get confused while YES or No type questions because you may put TRUE or FALSE in overlook. And be sure to write in capital letters in answer paper. You can even write T,F or NG(instead TRUE,FALSE,NOT GIVEN) Or Y,N,NG.

It's better to concentrate on the topic(listen carefully) rather than looking over for the answers .

While you do practice papers, you listen the audio the second time after the correction. This enables you to boost your weak places.

Thankyou.

DO NOT GET DEMOTIVATED by the answers which are asserting that it is kind of a sheer impossibility for you to strike a 7 within 15 days of time. Trust me if you have the prerequisite skills in English and a basic proficiency level, you can crack it. Although do not assume this examination is easy under any circumstances.

Let me give you my own example, as to how did i prepare for IELTS (General training) within a time frame of just 14 days. You would not believe I was such a candidate who did not even know the overall structure of IELTS exam unless my ex boyfriend came in to my refuge. Within 14 days of time i was confident (although not implicitly) that i can at least crack this examination if not scoring a good band. So if i could clear this examination striking a very good 7.5 overall band, by scoring the golden score (8,7,7,7) as needed for Canadian immigration, even you can crack this examination with ease by getting at least a minimum of 7 band overall. However, you got to have the dedication and full focus needs to be imparted by practicing each and every module effectively.

Try buying the different versions of IELTS (Cambridge University Press) book which will be found in various online portals. As soon as you get these books delivered at your door step, start practicing the Listening module with full attention. You will get many people telling you with over-confidence that Listening module is extremely easy, however let me WARN you that it is NOT so easy as it is being projected to be. As for Listening, not only your English language skills come into play but also your attention level, focusing skills and your ability to gauge manipulated words in the said recordings would come into play. After you are done practicing Listening, immediately shift your focus towards the reading module. Always remember, even in this module your ability to read and to go through each and every word with rapt attention is taken into consideration. Although, the texts given in General Training is comparatively easier however, the texts given are not as easy as a lay person would consider it to be. Try distributing every 2 hours per each module. When it comes to Writing module, i suggest you go through every given sample of written answers that has been attempted by the candidates who have already given this test. You will find the band given for each module. I cannot suggest you properly for Academics but for General Training you have to attempt one letter writing in the first question. Bullet points will be already given. You have to cover each and every given bullet points given to you in each and every paragraph. After this, start practicing essays. Remember, you can strike a 7 band in writing only when you practice it as much as you can yourself. There will be several sample questions in the internet which you can practice. Try practicing at least 2 letters and 2 essays per day. Now, coming to speaking , just ensure yourself that you will commence interacting only in English with your friends, relatives and co-workers for these 15 days. Try listening to several English recordings and try watching only English films for these 15 days consistently.

If you follow these steps which i adhered by stringently, then you can trust me that you will be bound to get 7.0 band overall in your IELTS exam. However, if you English is already too fragile then 15 days would NOT be enough, you would require at least a month to practice for this exam. However, i don’t see this case with you, therefore, 15 days of practice will be good for you.

PS- Always remember this important thing: Many people will tell you that IELTS is nothing but an English language proficiency and assessment test, but let me tell you IELTS is DEFINITELY NOT limited to ONLY checking or assessing your English proficiency level. Many times, during listening and reading sessions you will realize words are being manipulated and in answer section you have to use a substitute/alternative word as many times where two words are given in the text or in the recording, they would expect you to produce only one word in the answer section. Secondly, IELTS also requires you to be extremely attentive to whatever you listen to and whatever you read. Always remember, no matter how GOOD your English is, it would never help you unless you lack attention and miss out certain crucial words being spoken in the recording or certain words being used in the text which you missed out due to your lack of attention. Also remember, the recording will be played only once. Therefore, ONLY KNOWING ENGLISH language efficiently is not enough in IELTS, but having an appropriate presence of mind, attention and dedication is crucially necessitated in order to crack this examination with a good band.

Cracking ILETS with a mere 5.5 band or a 6.0 overall band wont help you or would not be reckoned as enough but cracking it with a good scoring band would help you in the long run.

I took several IGCSEs in the Summer 2017 and Summer 2016 sessions, and managed to get 9 A*s and a B (in French First Language.) Does this make me an expert on the matter? Absolutely not. Everyone has their own way of learning, and you should find the one that best suits you, but I can suggest ways in which you can make studying more efficient and give yourself the best chance at meeting your goals. You can skip the next two paragraphs if you want to get straight to the tips.

The steps for achieving an A* vary greatly from subject to subject. The most important thing to tell yourself before you get to work is that you can only improve your chances of getting an A*, but you can never guarantee one. Whilst this may sound unhelpfully pessimistic, it is important to keep this in mind as if you open your results expecting A*s everywhere, chances are you’ll be disappointed somewhere.

Keep in mind the fact that although theoretically you could achieve an A* with enough work in any subject, sometimes enough is too much. Your teacher is the best guide on this matter, and if they don’t think you have the capability then by no means stop trying - but don’t put unnecessary effort chasing an unrealistic grade. By a rule of thumb, if your teacher wants you to take a Core exam, then don’t insist on taking the Extended exam. Your teacher is not suggesting you are a bad student or making you take the “easier” exam out of spite, but recognises that you don’t have the necessary affinity for the subject to get one of the higher grades. Nobody is good at everything, and hard work can only take you so far without natural ability. I am not demeaning hard work - it is the most important quality for success - but you should work hard in an area you are passionate in. That being said, let’s get into what will help you get A* in the subjects you feel comfortable in.

For the sciences - Physics, Biology and Chemistry - the key is to understand what you are being taught. It is better to understand what a proton number is and what that value represents than to know the proton numbers of all the elements but have no idea what “proton number” really means. Of course, you will have to memorise facts and data - Biology is the subject where you have to remember the most information, followed by Chemistry, and for Physics you generally only need to remember the formulae - the rest is down to understanding. For Biology and Chemistry, read through the books again and again until you can remember the key facts off the top of your head. It isn’t pretty, but it works. Make sure you understand all the information you’re assimilating. Physics - which most people find the hardest science - is easier if you’re good at math. Physics at IGCSE level is little more than math applied to everyday life; if you remember the formulas - and understand how they are derived - you are pretty much set. For the practical papers, graph-drawing is critical - make sure you can draw a clear, accurate graph and interpret data from graphs as well.

Maths is a tricky one. In general, you either get it- or you don’t. The key for maths is understanding the formulae and remembering all of them (much like physics.) It is all good and well knowing that the surface area of a cube of side length a" role="presentation" >a$a$$a$ is 6a2" role="presentation" >6a2$6a^2$$6a^2$, but for an A* you should be able to understand why it is 6a2" role="presentation" >6a2$6a^2$$6a^2$, and not a3" role="presentation" >a3$a^3$$a^3$ or πa2" role="presentation" >πa2$\pi a^2$$πa^2$ or something else. This is perhaps the subject where natural ability is the most important for success, as if you simply don’t understand, there is little you can do to get it into your head. One option if you are struggling is to find a tutor, but if that is financially impossible - or you just don’t want to spend money - then consider watching videos from Khan Academy, a truly amazing resource and one that offers a lot more than maths.

English Language is an exam which gauges, more than anything, your skill as a writer. Again, this is usually something you have or you don’t - but if you’ve spoken English for a long time, and if you read fairly often, then you have a good understanding of how to write well. Read, read, read - just keep reading until your writing is a reflection of all the examples of excellent writing you’ve gone through.

English Literature, I find, is down to how well you can express your ideas. It is a long-running joke that the subject is nonsensical as you are expected to find meaning in just about everything and claim the author intended to do so. Clearly, when Dickens says that Henry’s eyes are brown, it is a reference to his poor, proletarian origins; the colour brown signifies earthly elements like the mud and the soil of the lands where he was born. It would be ridiculous to claim Dickens just said his eyes were brown because that happens to be a very common colour for eyes and he was just describing his appearance for us. As ludicrous as some of the things you can come up with are, if you can make your ideas sound convincing and state your points with conviction, you will do well. For each question that you have to answer, there are usually some base points you have to bring up to get the best marks, but these are usually the easiest to find and shouldn’t be too tricky to uncover. If you’re having difficult doing so, try looking at past papers and mark schemes to see where points are awarded.

First language exams are a nightmare for many, and easy for some. There is not much you can do to prepare, in my experience; you cannot easily make a drastic improvement in your level in the language of your exam. In French, I got Bs throughout the year leading up to the IGCSE exam, and I got (unsurprisingly) a B in IGCSE exam as well. The best way to gain marks is to avoid losing them for language and spelling mistakes. Reread your texts thoroughly and don’t try to use words you’re not sure of - just find a simpler way to say the same thing that you know is linguistically correct.

Foreign language exams, on the other hand, are usually very easy. If it is a language you have only been learning for 2 years, then it will take some work; if it is a language you have been learning for a long time, then it should be a piece of cake. Either way, everything you need is there in your textbooks. You will have one oral exam, one listening exam and two writing exams. For the oral - just practise until you are comfortable with your topic of discussion and be ready for some basic questions. If you don’t understand a question or don’t know how to reply, just say I’m sorry, I can’t answer - this is far, far better than trying hopelessly to construct a response and rambling one (of course, learn how to say it in the language of your exam - don’t speak English in the middle of your oral, ever!). For the listening, you generally have a lot of time to pick up the facts you need for your answers, so just stay attentive, and don’t fall into any traps - often, they will try and mislead you; for example: if the question on your paper is What time will the train leave Geneva? you may hear them saying Usually the train leaves are four o’clock, but today there is a delay so it will leave at half past five (Swiss trains are never this late!). They will try and trick you into putting four o’clock instead of five thirty, but stay attentive and you won’t fall into any traps. For the written exams, the key is vocabulary and structure. Try and learn as much of the vocabulary in your textbook as possible. Usually, you will be asked to write a letter or a newspaper article or something similar - there are several examples of these in the books, so read them and understand how they are constructed.

The last exam which I have experience in is History. For History, you often have quite a few facts given out for you in the exam paper - the key lies in your own prior knowledge and how well you can interpret the sources given to you. There is an awful lot to know about in the syllabus - immerse yourself in the historical events you are taught about, try and relive them and understand the motivations of each of the key figures of the time. Don’t let bias come into your answers - write neutrally and reference your sources as much as possible. Your sources are your best friends - delve into them, explain their content, their inaccuracies, where they came from and why they are relevant.

When it comes to your final revisions, find a balance between revising and relaxing. Don’t cram it all in for 16 hours a day, because you’ll burn out very quick - but if you want to do well, you’re going to have to work a lot. Breaks should be short and sweet - don’t get carried away and make sure you’re back at your table as soon as possible. For this reason, I would recommend you don’t use your phone in your breaks, as if you start up a conversation with one of your mates you’ll find it very hard to stop halfway through. Save your phone for a long break - perhaps after dinner - and do all your stuff then. Past papers are immensely helpful - questions tend to follow a set style or structure, and familiarising yourself with the said structure is very helpful. For past papers, I recommend going to Advancing knowledge is in our DNA - they have nearly all the past papers since the IGCSE began. Last, but not least - keep a cool head on the day of the exam. Panicking is just going to hinder you. If you can’t answer something, move on and come back to it later. Stress is good in small amounts, but don’t allow it to overcome you. Breathe in, breathe out.

Good luck!