You can find sample questions by visiting the official IELTS website: https://www.ielts.org/en-us/about-the-test/sample-test-questions. There are also lots of downloadable practice exams online. These exams and questions will familiarize you with the format of the exam. Getting comfortable with the types of recordings and questions you'll face is key to improving your score. The British Council, for example, has a practice exam available here: https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-test/free-sample-tests/listening-sample-test-1/listening-section-1. If you feel more comfortable studying in a structured, classroom environment, a test preparation course may be right for you. Be aware that if you choose in-person instruction, these classes can get pricey. You may need to spend some time saving up or budgeting if you feel you need a class to pass the IELTS exam. For example, an official IELTS test preparation course administered by an English Language Center (ELC) in Boston or Los Angeles costs $445 USD per week, and it last 4-7 weeks. If you choose a less accelerated program (24-47 weeks, for example), instruction costs $385 USD per week. Online courses will generally be less expensive (and may sometimes be available for free!) than classroom instruction. However, you'll receive less one-on-one interaction with your instructor(s) and fellow classmates. Still, this is a good option if you feel like a course will help you develop a structured study plan. The British Council provides access to a free online preparation seminar. Go online to find enrollment dates for this class. You'll be able to find 8-week online prep courses for about $100 USD. Especially if you're not enrolled in a class, it's a good idea to get a test prep booklet. The CD contains samples of the Listening exam. The booklet also provides examples of examiner comments on responses. Reading these comments will help you understand what the test-givers are looking for in a correct answer. Choose a quiet spot where you know you won't be interrupted for at least an hour. Time yourself so that you don't go over the 30 minute mark for the recordings. Leave just 10 minutes at the end of your practice exam to transfer your answers to the "official" answer sheet.
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One-sentence summary -- Go online to look for sample test questions and exams. Enroll in an in-person prep course. Choose an online prep course if you're on a budget. Purchase official IELTS audio CDs and practice tests. Simulate the test environment during practice tests.

Q: Place them in a pan with two tablespoons of olive oil. Put the pan on the stovetop and turn the heat to medium, mid-high. Heat the onions until they are translucent. Continue to stir the onions so that the heat is distributed equally. You can use sweet white onions as a substitute for the red onions. If you have a gas stove, turn the heat down to medium to mid-low as you stir the onions. Gas stoves heat much quicker than electric stoves. While the onions are frying, prepare a mixture in a bowl. The mixture includes: 20-30 halved baby rose tomatoes, 1/2 cup dry white wine, 2 teaspoons Worcester sauce, 3 tablespoons chopped herbs, 2 teaspoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and a tad bit of ground pepper. Mix together with your hands or a spoon. Be careful as to not crush the tomatoes. You will want the appearance of the tomatoes on your final dish. The chopped herbs could include parsley, rosemary, basil, or thyme. Feel free to mix and match depending on your personal taste preferences. Once the onions are translucent, add the mixture. Stir with a spoon so that the onions mix together with the rest of the ingredients. Place a lid on the frying pan. Reduce the heat to low, mid-low. As you are stirring the mixture, feel free to add more olive oil if the ingredients start sticking to the pan. Do this for about one hour. Continue to stir the ingredients every 10 minutes or so, and immediately replace the lid. After the hour is up, turn the heat off. The most important thing is to not burn the ingredients, particularly the tomatoes. If at any time you feel as if the ingredients are done cooking, turn the heat off. Let it sit somewhere safe so that it can cool down. Take a spoon and pour it directly over, or next to, the pap. Garnish the dish with fresh herbs, like parsley, oregano, or basil.
A: Halve and slice two red onions. Mix together the rest of the ingredients. Add the mixture to the onions. Simmer your ingredients. Take your pan off the burner.

Article: When you're freezing whole plums, it's especially necessary to choose fresh, ripe plums that that are sweet and juicy. The better they taste before you freeze them, the better they'll taste when you thaw them. Rinse the plums under cool water to remove any dirt or debris. If the plums are still a little green, ripen them on your counter for a few days before freezing them. Simply place the whole, fresh plums in a freezer storage bag, filling it as close to the top as possible. Use a straw or a vacuum sealer to remove as much air as possible from the bag. Label it and pop it in the freezer. When you want a burst of icy, sweet goodness, just take a plum from the freezer and eat it right away. The texture of a frozen plum is surprisingly scrumptious, especially when it's hot outside. If you'd prefer, you can thaw out the plum on the counter for a few minutes before eating.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Wash ripe plums. Place the plums in a storage bag. Eat the frozen plums.

Article: Mango pairs well with other fruit, so you can mix the prepared mango juice with equal parts of your favorite juice. Try using any of these juices: Pineapple Peach Orange Apple Cranberry If you like slightly spicy mango juice, peel and thinly slice about 1 inch (2.5cm) of fresh ginger and add it to the blender before you mix the mango juice. To add an herbal flavor, you could put a small handful of fresh mint instead. Play around with adding other fresh herbs. You could use different varieties of basil, such as lemon basil or spicy basil. Blend 1/2 cup (120 g) of yogurt with 1 cup (240ml) of the prepared mango juice and 2 ice cubes. To sweeten the lassi, you could blend in around 1 teaspoon (4 g) of sugar or honey. Substitute soy yogurt for a non-dairy mango lassi. Use flavored yogurt if you like an even sweeter lassi. Try mango, strawberry, peach, or vanilla yogurt, for instance. If you like tangy mango juice, stir equal parts of lemonade with the prepared mango juice. Taste the mango lemonade to see if you'd like to stir in sweetener, such as honey or simple syrup. To play around with flavors, try mixing the mango juice with limeade. Create a healthy mango smoothie by adding around 1 cup (175 g) of fresh fruit, such as strawberries, bananas, peaches, or blueberries to the blender with the mango juice ingredients. If your blender is strong enough, you could even add sliced carrot, kale, or spinach! To make the mango smoothie even creamier, add 1/2 of an avocado.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Add other juices to make a mango juice cocktail. Include ginger or mint to add a bright flavor. Stir in plain yogurt to make a mango lassi. Mix the mango juice with lemonade to make tangy mango lemonade. Blend in fresh fruits or vegetables to make a nutritious mango smoothie.