Strategy Playbook v2

IELTS ACADEMIC · BAND 8 PLAN The Band 8 Strategy Playbook Everything the Cambridge books do not tell you Prepared for Md Ahbab Hamid Khan · Dhaka, Bangladesh IELTS Academic, computer-delivered · target Band 8.0 overall Plan runs 18 August 2026 – 16 January 2027 File 03 · Revised edition, typeset in LATEX By Md Ahbab (https://ahbab.dev) Page 1 of 18

The Band 8 Strategy Playbook Read one section at a time, when the syllabus tells you to. Do not read it all at once. Each section is written to be used in a particular phase, and reading it early wastes it. Contents §1 How IELTS marking really works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The two different machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The four criteria for Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The four criteria for Speaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The single most useful fact in this document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Why you should stop chasing perfection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 §2 Listening — how to lose only three marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The shape of the test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The four things that actually cost you marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The preview habit that wins you

The Band 8 Strategy Playbook §7 The week before, and the day itself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The week before . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The night before . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 On the day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 During each part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 When it is over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 By Md Ahbab (https://ahbab.dev) Page 3 of 18