In 2012, I started writing my 5th IELTS preparation book, The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS, and at the same time, I began answering questions about the test on social media. I naively thought that I would tell people how to improve their score, they would thank me, and that would be that. I had not at all anticipated that the candidates I was in contact with would question my advice or believe that they knew better than me. This is when I realised that mine was a tiny voice in a very crowded marketplace. A forum where the loudest voices, with millions of followers, were often saying almost the opposite to me. The dominant message of these voices is, ‘Why bother buying materials when you can get ours for free?’ and ‘Just learn these special tricks to boost your score.’ Exploring IELTS from the consumer’s point of view over the last 5 years has given me an insight into the most common problems people face when preparing for IELTS, as well as the growing sense of confusion about the test.
