One-Day IELTS Review Courses: Are They Worth it?

Are one-day IELTS review courses worth it? Despite spanning only a single day, can they really help test takers achieve their band score goals? If you found yourself asking these questions, this article can help you out. Find out if one-day review courses are really effective by learning their advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of One-Day Review Courses

•      It’s a single-day program.
        Unlike with preparing with a week-long course or an online IELTS review course, you don’t need to make any significant changes with your schedule to accommodate a one-day program.

•        You’ll get access to quality training materials.
        Here’s something that you can never guarantee if you opted to self-study for IELTS. Sure, there are a lot of review materials and mock tests online. However, how sure are you that they’re still up-to-date with the latest developments of the exam? Preparing with a one-day review course eliminates this uncertainty.

• There’s a guarantee that you’ll have the knowledge and skills essential to IELTS success.
  IELTS review courses, regardless of their duration, are designed to cover all the essentials of the high-stakes exam. By the end of a program, you can be assured that you’ll:

o   be familiar with the pressures and demands of the test

o   know how to tackle the exam’s task types

o   know what you should and shouldn’t do to ace the listening, reading, writing, and speaking test

o   have all the skills necessary to ace the exam

         All of these are never a guarantee if you opted for self-study.

Disadvantages of One-Day Review Courses

•           It’s a single-day program.
        Yes, this is also a disadvantage. A course that spans only a single day makes for intensive training experience. IELTS instructors are going to cover the essentials of the high-stakes exam (e.g., its format, task types, pressure points, etc.) and conduct practice exams. They’ll also discuss strategies for each of the four test components. If you’re not used to fast-paced learning, then preparing with a one-day training course will definitely challenge you.

• There’s little time to process what you are learning.Since the discussions are going to be fast-paced, you’ll have little or no time to process what you’re learning. This could be a problem if, upon reviewing your course notes and lessons, you find yourself in need of answers and clarifications. So, to make the most of a one-day review course, you have to be a multi-tasker. As you follow the discussion, you need to ask yourself constantly if you have any questions about the discussion. Now that we’ve established the pros and cons of one-day IELTS review courses, let’s now answer the question:

• Are they worth it?
  Yes, they are. As seen above, the advantages of preparing with a single-day review program outweigh its disadvantages. So, if you’re up for some fast-paced, intensive training, enroll in the best one-day review course in your area!
  
  If you think it’s not the program for you, don’t worry. There are other ways to prepare for the exam that’s just as convenient and effective. Consider enrolling in a week-long program or an online IELTS review course instead. Either way, make sure you maximize your preparation period!

References:

“IELTS Review Center Philippines Program Details.” JRooz Review. Accessed July 27, 2018. http://www.jroozreview.com/ielts-review-center/