Top 6 Free Online Courses from Coursera to Help You Achieve an IELTS Score of 8.0 from Scratch

Are you struggling with the reading and writing sections of the IELTS due to limited vocabulary and grammar skills? Do you want to improve your academic English? Then, enroll in the General Academic English - Overview of Academic English course. This course is perfect for intermediate and advanced learners.

In this course, you will enrich your vocabulary to tackle IELTS writing tasks, covering specialized topics such as arts, human and nature, social issues, technology and engineering, psychology, economics, and management. By the end of the course, you will have a stronger grasp of academic English and enhance your critical thinking skills on complex topics that are likely to appear in the IELTS exam.

Course Content: The course spans 7 weeks focusing on academic English reading and listening, with each week dedicated to a different topic:

• Week 1: Art
• Week 2: Human and Nature
• Week 3: Social Issues
• Week 4: Engineering and Technology - This topic often proves challenging in the IELTS due to unfamiliar vocabulary and vast amounts of information.
• Week 5: Psychology
• Week 6: Economics and Management
• Week 7: Final Test - A comprehensive test to review the 6 topics and assess your progress.

These topics are some of the toughest in the IELTS exam, but don't worry! Enrolling in General Academic English will help you master them and confidently face your IELTS test.

Access link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/general-academic-english

Have you ever found yourself studying English grammar for hours only to forget it quickly? Do you need a grammar refresher? If so, this is the perfect course for you. Grammar and Punctuation is the first course in the academic writing skills series.

This foundational course is designed for beginners and covers essential grammar skills, helping you write complete and grammatically correct sentences and paragraphs. In just about 10 hours, you will complete this first course. Writing is an essential skill for all English proficiency exams, as well as in your academic and professional life. To master this skill, the key is practice—lots of practice. This course provides short video lectures on writing small paragraphs, followed by practice and discussion on what you've learned. Be sure to take notes and use the forum to ask questions. This way, you will retain the rules you’ve learned and develop the necessary skills for writing essays in the following courses.

Course Content Includes 4 Parts:

• Part 1: Introduction
• Part 2: Verb Tenses and Conjunctions
• Part 3: Compound and Complex Sentences
• Part 4: Commas, Parallel Structure, and Sentence Types

By completing this course, you will be able to: Correctly identify verb tenses and use them effectively, use commas in English accurately, apply various sentence structures, and most importantly, significantly improve your English writing skills.

Access Link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/grammar-punctuation

This course, Getting Started with Essay Writing, will introduce you to effective academic writing techniques, helping you tackle university-level English assignments. As part of the "Academic English: Writing Specialization" course, taught by esteemed educators Tamy Chapman, Brad Gilpin, and Helen Nam, who have collectively taught over 1 million students, this course will guide you through writing essays in various formats.

Upon completing this course, you’ll be able to outline and write essays in comparison/contrast, cause/effect, and argumentation formats. You will learn to develop well-organized body paragraphs with clear ideas, and write essays and reports in English for your courses.

Course Content: The course lasts 4 weeks with the following topics:

• Week 1: Introduction to Essay Writing
• Week 2: Writing Comparison/Contrast Essays
• Week 3: Writing Cause/Effect Essays
• Week 4: Writing Argumentative Essays

Essay writing can be one of the most challenging skills for IELTS candidates. To score well in the writing section of the IELTS exam, start mastering the basics today by accessing the course via the link below.

Access Link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/getting-started-with-essay-writing

For the IELTS exam, Listening and Speaking are the two fundamental skills that you need to excel in first, as they will help you score high. So where can you practice these skills with reliable and level-appropriate resources? Check out the "Conversational English Skills" course on Coursera.

This course is ideal for beginners and focuses on improving your speaking and listening abilities. You'll cover topics such as: meeting new people, people in your life, dining at restaurants, reasons for learning English, good and bad times, and hobbies. Through this course, you'll build a solid foundation for conversational English, which will be useful both in daily life and for your IELTS preparation.

The course is taught by Fang Yang, a professor from Tsinghua University, one of Asia's top institutions, ensuring you receive high-quality material and clear explanations.

Course Content: The course lasts 7 weeks, roughly two months, with the following topics:

• Week 1: You say, I say - Conversation on Greetings
• Week 2: The People in Your Life - Conversations about the people around you
• Week 3: Eating and Eating Out - Conversations on food and dining culture across countries
• Week 4: Why Do You Want to Learn English - A conversation topic to help you reflect on your language learning goals
• Week 5: Good Times and Bad Times - Conversations about happy and challenging times in your life
• Week 6: Hobbies - Conversations about personal hobbies
• Week 7: Final Test - A comprehensive test to review the previous topics and assess your progress after 6 weeks of listening and speaking practice

With this completely free 7-week course, even absolute beginners or those who feel disconnected from English can practice essential listening and speaking skills on familiar topics. By the end of the course, you'll have moved from zero to a solid foundation in conversational skills. Start learning now!

Access Link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/conversational-english-skills

The IELTS Preparation Specialization course on Coursera is perfect for anyone looking to boost their IELTS score. Whether you're retaking the test or preparing for the first time, this course will help you familiarize yourself with various question types in the exam. Plus, it provides valuable tips and strategies to help you achieve the highest possible score.

By joining this course, you'll enhance your skills in:

• Mastering all four IELTS skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing
• Developing research and critical thinking skills to enhance your understanding
• Receiving a certificate upon completion of the course

Course Content: This course is divided into several sections for each of the four skills. Each section consists of three lessons:

• Lesson 1: IELTS Writing Section Skills Mastery. Master the writing skills for IELTS. This lesson will focus on improving your critical thinking skills for both Part 1 and Part 2 of the Writing section, helping you save time and score higher.
• Lesson 2: IELTS Listening and Speaking Sections Skills Mastery. Master the listening and speaking skills for IELTS. This lesson is divided into three parts: Module 1 covers listening questions, Module 2 covers speaking questions, and Module 3 focuses on strategies and tips for the IELTS Listening and Speaking sections.
• Lesson 3: IELTS Reading Section Skills Mastery. Master the reading skills for IELTS. In this final lesson, you'll learn about the IELTS Reading skills overview, the different question types, and strategies and tips for tackling the Reading section of the exam.

By the end of the course, you will feel confident and well-prepared to take on the IELTS exam, ensuring that you are ready to achieve your highest score. Good luck with your studies in the "IELTS Preparation Specialization" course!

Access Link: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/ielts-preparation#courses

The Academic Listening and Note-Taking course is designed to help English learners improve their listening and note-taking skills. This course will teach you how to effectively understand and capture key points in academic lectures, ranging from basic to advanced levels. You'll gain strategies to enhance your comprehension and learn practical techniques to take better notes during your studies.

Course Content:

This 4-week course is carefully crafted by instructors to ensure an engaging and effective learning experience:

• Week 1: You will dive into the importance of academic listening and why it's challenging. You'll learn why certain content is difficult to grasp and how to improve both your listening and note-taking abilities.
• Week 2: In the second week, you'll focus on identifying the main topics and objectives. This will help you become a more efficient listener, knowing what to prioritize and what to skip. You'll also learn how to prepare before and after listening to lectures to improve your understanding.
• Week 3: Instructors will guide you in identifying key and supporting ideas. You'll practice distinguishing between primary concepts and secondary points, and organizing them effectively in your notes.
• Week 4: The final week will teach you strategies for recognizing the speaker's viewpoint and attitude. You’ll refine your listening and note-taking skills with new techniques to enhance your efficiency and comprehension.

Sounds exciting, right? Don’t wait – join the course by clicking the link below!

Access Link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/note-taking