It depends on the institution or visa route. Many postgraduate programmes ask for 6.5 overall with no section below 6.0; competitive courses and professional registration often ask for 7.0 or higher. Check the exact requirement before you set a target.

How long are IELTS results valid?

Most institutions and immigration authorities accept a result for two years from the test date. Always confirm with the organisation you are applying to.

Is the speaking test included in the course?

The course covers speaking strategy and runs mock interviews in class. For extra one-to-one practice you can book a mentor tagged "IELTS speaking" on the Mindgrid mentorship marketplace at that mentor's own rate.

All exam prep

Exam prep · IELTS

IELTS Academic preparation

The English test most UK, Canadian, Australian and European universities and visa routes ask Nigerian applicants for.

Who takes it from Nigeria: Nigerians applying for postgraduate study abroad, skilled-worker and study visas, professional registration (nursing, medicine, engineering) and some international scholarships. Most applicants need an overall band of 6.5 to 7.5, often with a minimum in each section.

See formats and pricing Enrol self-paced · ₦45,000

Live cohort
₦150,000
8 weeks
Self-paced
₦45,000
start today
Next cohort
Being scheduled
Announced here
On completion
Certificate
of Completion, verifiable

Try a free IELTS practice testA short timed test in the real IELTS format, scored on the official scale, with an explanation for every question.Start free

The exam

How IELTS Academic is structured

Listening, Reading and Writing take about two hours and forty-five minutes in one sitting; Speaking is a short interview, sometimes on a different day.

Listening

Four recorded parts, forty questions; conversations and monologues in everyday and academic settings.

Reading

Three long academic passages with forty questions: matching headings, true/false/not given, summary completion and more.

Writing

Task 1 describes a chart, table, process or map; Task 2 is a discursive essay. Both are marked on task response, coherence, vocabulary and grammar.

Speaking

A face-to-face interview in three parts: introduction, a short talk from a cue card, and a discussion.

Scoring

Each section gets a band from 0 to 9 in half-band steps, and the overall band is the average. Results are generally accepted for two years.

Exam boards revise their formats and scoring from time to time. The outline here is a general description for planning your preparation; always confirm the current structure, dates and fees on the official site before you register. Official site: IELTS (British Council / IDP)

Syllabus

9 modules, from diagnostic to mock weeks

The same modules in the cohort and the self-paced course. Every practice item is original and reviewed by a person before it is published.

- The IELTS Academic test at a glance
- Reading the band descriptors
- Full diagnostic test
- Reading your diagnostic results
- Section-by-section: what each part tests
- Predicting before you hear
- Form, note and table completion
- Maps, plans and matching
- Multiple choice and the paraphrase trap
- Timed practice and error log
- Pacing three passages in sixty minutes
- Skimming for structure, scanning for detail
- True / False / Not Given
- Matching headings and matching information
- Summary, sentence and diagram completion
- Timed practice and review
- What Task 1 is really marking
- Line graphs and bar charts
- Tables and pie charts
- Processes and maps
- Planning and writing in twenty minutes
- Decoding the question
- Planning a position in five minutes
- Introductions and conclusions that score
- Body paragraphs: topic, explain, example, link
- Common grammar and coherence errors
- Timed essay practice
- How Speaking is assessed
- Part 1: extending short answers
- Part 2: the long turn
- Part 3: discussing abstract ideas
- Pronunciation and natural pacing
- Mock interviews
- Lexical resource: what Band 7 means
- Topic vocabulary across common themes
- Paraphrase and synonyms
- Complex sentences without errors
- Articles, tenses and agreement
- Mock test one
- Reviewing mock one
- Mock test two
- Test-day logistics and the final week
- How the certification exam works

Two ways to take it

Live cohort or self-paced

Live cohort

₦150,000 full tuition · 8 weeks

Scheduled live classes, recorded to your dashboard
Marked writing and scored speaking mocks
Admission-based; scholarships available

The first cohort is being scheduled. Applications open on this page.

Self-paced

₦45,000 one-time payment

The same syllabus as recorded lessons and practice sets
Start today, pause any time, lifetime access
Pay once by Paystack; Certificate of Completion

Enrol now

One-to-one IELTS speaking practice

Practise out loud with a mentor tagged "IELTS Speaking practice" and get feedback against the marking criteria. Sessions are 30, 60 or 90 minutes at the mentor's own rate, booked separately from the course.

Find a mentor

Before you enrol

IELTS questions

IELTS is delivered by the British Council and IDP at test centres in Lagos, Abuja and several other cities, on paper or on computer. The list of centres and dates changes, so check the official site. Registration and payment happen there, not with Mindgrid.

Also preparing

Digital SAT preparationThe admissions test most US universities, and a growing number of Canadian and European ones, consider alongside your WAEC results.

TOEFL iBT preparationThe English test preferred by many US and Canadian universities and accepted widely elsewhere.

IELTS Academic preparation

How IELTS Academic is structured

9 modules, from diagnostic to mock weeks

1Orientation and Diagnostic TestHow IELTS Academic is scored, what Band 7 actually demands in each paper, and a full timed diagnostic so you start the course knowing your baseline and your weakest paper.

2ListeningThe four Listening sections and the question types they use, with a method for predicting answers before the audio starts and for keeping pace when it moves on without you.

3ReadingThree long academic passages in sixty minutes is a pacing problem as much as a reading problem. This module builds a repeatable approach to every question type and a timing plan that leaves no passage unanswered.

4Writing Task 1Describing graphs, charts, tables, processes and maps in 150 words: selecting the key features, grouping data sensibly and writing an overview that examiners reward.

5Writing Task 2The 250-word essay carries twice the weight of Task 1. This module covers every common essay type, how to plan a position in five minutes and how to argue it in four clear paragraphs.

6Speaking Parts 1 to 3The eleven-to-fourteen minute interview, part by part: short personal answers, the two-minute long turn from a cue card, and the abstract discussion that decides Band 7. Includes live practice with a tutor.

7Vocabulary and Grammar for Band 7+The lexical resource and grammatical range that lift Writing and Speaking from Band 6 to Band 7: topic vocabulary, collocation, paraphrase, and complex structures used accurately.

8Test Strategy and Mock WeeksTwo full mock tests under exam conditions, a review of every weak area, and the practical side of test day: booking, computer versus paper delivery, identification and what to do in the final week.

9Certification ExamThe final certification exam. Pass it (70% or more) to earn your Certificate of Completion.