IELTS Podcast Review: Free Lessons from Ex-IELTS Examiners

IELTS Podcast is a free IELTS preparation website built around two formats: a searchable library of written tutorials and a weekly audio podcast. The site has been online since 2014 and is run by Ben Worthington, a former IELTS examiner, with contributions from other ex-examiners.

The site organizes content by IELTS section:

• Writing Task 1 — Academic (pie charts, bar graphs, line graphs, maps, flow charts, process diagrams) and General Training (formal and informal letters)
• Writing Task 2 — essay structures, opinion/discussion/advantage-disadvantage templates, band-9 sample essays, topic sentences, grammar for essays
• Speaking — cue card walkthroughs, idioms, vocabulary, band descriptors, tips for band 9
• Reading — question types, time management, labelling diagrams, skimming and scanning
• Listening — tips, completion questions, matching, multiple choice, computer-delivered format

What makes IELTS Podcast stand out is the combination of two formats. Students who prefer reading use the tutorials; students who prefer audio use the podcast episodes on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Podcasts. Both formats draw on the same examiner-led perspective.

Beyond the free content, the site sells an IELTS Online Course with personalized feedback and a paid essay correction service (the homepage promotes a "Jump to Band 7 or it's FREE" guarantee). The free content is substantive on its own, but the paid course is positioned as the fastest path to a target band.

IELTS Podcast works best for these specific things:

• Self-study with audio: weekly podcast episodes fit into a commute or gym session. The audio format suits students who struggle to read long study guides.
• Examiner-criteria grounding: the tutorials repeatedly link advice back to the four IELTS band descriptors (task response, coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range). Useful for students who keep getting stuck at band 6.5.
• Writing feedback: the paid essay correction service gives students a scored return with comments from an ex-IELTS examiner. A real correction is more useful than ten more model essays.
• Teacher prep: ESL teachers use the band-9 samples to calibrate their own marking and to teach students what good Writing looks like.
• Motivational listening: the podcast includes success stories from past students. Useful for learners who lose motivation halfway through a 6-week prep cycle.

Yes — particularly for self-study students who want examiner-level advice and prefer audio learning. IELTS Podcast is one of the most balanced free IELTS resources: Writing, Speaking, Reading, and Listening are all covered in meaningful depth.

The trade-off is that the paid Online Course is heavily promoted throughout the site. Students who only want the free content have to navigate past frequent course pitches. If that does not bother you, the free material alone is worth bookmarking.

Honest recommendation: use IELTS Podcast as your primary free resource for balanced IELTS prep, pair it with IELTS Liz for extra Writing model answers, and budget for at least one paid essay correction from an ex-IELTS examiner (IELTS Podcast's own service, IELTS Liz's service, or another reputable provider). Free tutorials give you the strategy — paid correction gives you the personalized feedback.