TR
Writing
Task Response: the criterion most people misread
Why answering the question fully matters more than fancy vocabulary — and how examiners actually weigh it.
By ABCD Team · Jun 2026
The ABCD Journal
Examiner notes & band-score strategy.
Tactics, traps, and the reasoning behind the marks. These are the guides we are writing — nothing here is published yet, so the cards below are titles and summaries only, with no article behind them.
Reading
The four ways a Reading answer hides — and how to spot each one
Every correct answer in IELTS Reading connects to the passage in one of four ways: Match, Map, Mean, or Mirror. Learn to recognise which, and the test stops being a guessing game. A full breakdown of the 4M method with worked examples.
Guide in progressP2
Speaking
Part 2: what to do with your one minute of prep
A repeatable structure for the long turn that keeps you talking fluently for the full two minutes.
By ABCD Team · Jun 2026
▦
Listening
The distractor trap that costs Section 1 marks
Why the first number you hear is usually wrong — and how to train yourself to wait for the correction.
By ABCD Team · May 2026
T/F
Reading
True / False / Not Given, decoded
The single most expensive trap in the test, and a decision tree that removes the guesswork.
By ABCD Team · May 2026
±0.5
Strategy
How to read a band score honestly
What a 6.5 really means, why half-bands matter, and how to set a realistic target date.
By ABCD Team · Apr 2026
CC
Writing
Coherence & Cohesion without the cliché linkers
Examiners can tell when “Moreover” is bolted on. How to actually connect ideas for a band 7+.
By ABCD Team · Apr 2026