1. Read as much as you can in English 2. Read a variety of topics from a variety of sources, for example, tourist information brochures, government reports, scientific research reports, health and safety brochures, newspapers, news and special interest magazines, information from colleges and universities. 3. Keep a notebook of the words you learn. 4. Try to write these words in a sentence. Try to put these sentences into a paragraph. 5. Learn words in context - not from a word list. Don't be afraid to guess meaning. 6. Know the types of questions found on the IELTS. 7. Know the type of information asked about on the IELTS. 8. Know how to make predictions. 9. Know how to skim and scan, to look quickly for information.