For a long time, I had one non-negotiable rule as an IELTS teacher.
If a student was around A2 level, I simply wouldn’t accept them for IELTS preparation.
It wasn’t because I doubted their motivation or ability. The problem was that IELTS is designed for learners who already have a reasonably strong command of English. If students are still struggling with basic grammar, everyday vocabulary and simple conversations, most authentic IELTS materials are simply too difficult. Lessons quickly become General English classes rather than focused exam preparation.
Many IELTS teachers probably feel the same way.
Then, one student made me rethink everything.
A Different Way of Looking at IELTS Preparation
Several months ago, a learner contacted me asking for help with IELTS. After carrying out a placement assessment, I estimated her level at around A2.
My first instinct was to recommend six months of General English before even mentioning IELTS.
Instead, I decided to try something different.
Rather than teaching the real IELTS exam, I would teach the skills behind the exam using language she could actually understand.
From the very beginning, I made my expectations clear.
“We’re not working with authentic IELTS materials yet. Think of these as training wheels. We’ll use simplified IELTS-style tasks first and gradually work towards the real exam.”
That conversation changed the entire direction of our lessons.
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Why AI Has Changed the Conversation
Before tools like ChatGPT became available, creating customised IELTS materials for lower-level learners was incredibly time-consuming.
Suppose I wanted to teach an A2 student how to answer a True/False/Not Given question.
First, I’d have to find an appropriate reading text. Then I’d simplify the vocabulary. Next, I’d rewrite difficult grammar. After that, I’d create suitable questions while preserving the logic of IELTS. Preparing a single lesson could easily take over an hour.
Today, most of that preparation takes minutes. Instead of adapting authentic materials manually, I ask ChatGPT to generate entirely new activities that imitate the structure of IELTS while matching my student’s current language level.
That distinction is important. I am not asking AI to make the exam easier. I am asking it to create a bridge towards the exam.
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Building a Mini IELTS Instead of Teaching the Real One
One idea has completely transformed my teaching.
Instead of introducing students to authentic IELTS immediately, I build what I now call a Mini IELTS.
The structure remains familiar. Students still practise reading passages, opinion writing, speaking interviews and listening tasks.
However, everything is carefully adapted to their current level. The texts are shorter. The vocabulary is simpler. The grammar is more accessible. The speaking questions are less abstract.
The writing tasks require fewer ideas. Students are still developing the same skills, but without the frustration that comes from working with materials that are far beyond their current ability.
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Reading: The First Skill I Adapted
Reading was where I noticed the biggest difference.
Authentic IELTS passages can easily overwhelm lower-level learners. Students spend so much energy translating unfamiliar vocabulary that they never develop the strategies the exam is actually testing.
Instead of simplifying official IELTS texts myself, I now ask ChatGPT to generate original passages using familiar language while keeping authentic IELTS question types.
For example, one of my prompts is:
Create an IELTS-style reading lesson for an A2 learner.
Topic: Healthy Lifestyle
Length: approximately 200 words.
Include:
- True / False / Not Given
- Matching headings
- Multiple-choice questions
Use A2 vocabulary while preserving the structure and logic of an IELTS reading task. Present everything as a professional worksheet.
Students immediately begin recognising common IELTS question types without becoming discouraged by academic language.
Once my learner became more confident, I made only one tiny adjustment.
I replaced A2 with B1. Nothing else. That simple change allowed me to increase the difficulty naturally without redesigning the entire lesson.
Speaking: Confidence Comes Before Complexity
Speaking is another area where lower-level learners often struggle.
Imagine asking an A2 student:
“To what extent should governments regulate social media?”
The silence usually says everything. The problem isn’t necessarily speaking ability. It’s that the question itself is linguistically and cognitively too demanding. Instead, I ask ChatGPT to recreate the IELTS speaking format while adapting the language.
For example:
Create an IELTS-style speaking lesson for an A2 learner.
Include:
- Part 1 interview questions
- A simplified Part 2 long turn
- Easy discussion questions inspired by Part 3
- Useful vocabulary before each activity
- Suggested follow-up questions
At first, I expected short answers. Gradually, we moved from one sentence to three. Then students started giving reasons. Eventually, they began supporting their opinions with examples. By the time we introduced authentic IELTS questions, the interview format already felt familiar.
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Writing: Teaching the Structure Before the Essay
One mistake I used to make was assuming students needed intermediate English before they could start learning IELTS writing.
Now I approach it differently. Instead of asking students to write a full Task 2 essay, I teach the building blocks first. For example, we might begin by writing five or six sentences expressing an opinion. Next, we practise adding reasons. Later, we connect ideas into a paragraph.
Only after students become comfortable with organising their thoughts do we begin writing longer essays.
One of my favourite prompts is:
Rewrite this IELTS Task 2 question for an A2 learner while keeping the same overall idea.
Include useful vocabulary, sentence starters, a planning guide and a model answer.
Students are learning the thinking process behind IELTS writing long before they encounter the full linguistic demands of the exam.
In many ways, that’s exactly what scaffolding should look like.
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Listening: One Simple Change Made a Huge Difference
Listening was the skill I worried about most. Authentic IELTS recordings are fast, naturally spoken and full of unfamiliar vocabulary. Even motivated A2 learners can quickly become overwhelmed.
Instead of searching endlessly for simplified recordings, I tried something different. I asked ChatGPT to generate IELTS-style listening scripts, and I became the narrator. This turned out to be one of the most effective adaptations I made.
Because I was reading the script myself, I could control every aspect of the task. I slowed down when introducing new vocabulary, repeated key phrases when necessary and gradually increased my speaking speed as my student’s confidence improved.
One prompt I frequently use is:
Create two IELTS-style listening activities for an A2 learner.
Include a natural dialogue, gap-fill questions, multiple-choice questions and short-answer questions. Make the script realistic and include natural distractors similar to the IELTS exam.
As my student progressed, I simply changed A2 to B1, and later asked ChatGPT to make the dialogue more authentic by introducing paraphrasing and faster speech.
Within a few months, she was ready to work with genuine IELTS listening recordings.
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One Small Prompt, Hundreds of Personalised Lessons
One of the biggest advantages of ChatGPT is that you don’t need dozens of coursebooks. Once you’ve created a prompt you like, you can reuse it indefinitely. I simply change the topic, level or skill.
For example:
Reading
Create an IELTS-style reading lesson for a B1 learner about climate change.
Writing
Create a simplified IELTS Task 2 lesson about online education. Include vocabulary, sentence starters and a model answer suitable for B1 level.
Speaking
Generate an IELTS Speaking lesson on travel for an A2 learner. Include follow-up questions that gradually become more challenging.
Listening
Write an IELTS-style conversation about healthy eating with ten comprehension questions.
Within minutes, I have an entirely new lesson.
Other Activities That Have Worked Well
As I became more comfortable using AI, I started experimenting with activities that would have taken far too long to prepare manually.
For example, I often ask ChatGPT to:
- rewrite authentic IELTS texts at different CEFR levels
- generate vocabulary lists with collocations and example sentences
- create grammar revision tasks based on common student errors
- design speaking role plays inspired by IELTS topics
- expand short paragraphs into well-organised essays
- produce Band 5, Band 6 and Band 7 model answers for comparison
- generate error-correction exercises using my student’s own writing
- recycle vocabulary from previous lessons so students encounter it repeatedly
Because everything is personalised, students feel that every lesson has been designed specifically for them.
In many ways, it has.
Gradual Progress Beats Instant Difficulty
Perhaps the biggest lesson this experience has taught me is that difficulty should increase gradually.
During the first two months, nearly all of our lessons remained at A2 level. Then almost overnight, I changed every prompt to B1. Later, I introduced longer texts, richer vocabulary and increasingly authentic tasks.
Finally, we began incorporating official IELTS materials. By that stage, the transition felt natural rather than intimidating. My student wasn’t suddenly facing an impossible exam. She was simply taking the next logical step.
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The Biggest Surprise Wasn’t Her English
Of course, her language improved. Her reading became faster, writing more organised and her speaking answers became longer and more natural. Her listening confidence increased dramatically.
But that wasn’t the biggest transformation. The biggest change was psychological. She stopped believing that IELTS was only for advanced learners.
Instead of feeling anxious whenever she saw IELTS materials, she recognised familiar question types, understood the expectations and approached each task with confidence. That mindset shift may have been the most valuable outcome of all.
AI Doesn’t Replace Teachers. It Gives Us More Ways to Teach.
Some people worry that AI will replace language teachers. My experience has been the opposite. ChatGPT doesn’t decide what my student needs. It doesn’t assess progress.
Nenotice hesitation, frustration or confusion. It doesn’t encourage, motivate or adapt activities during the lesson. Those are still my responsibilities. What AI has changed is the amount of time I spend creating personalised materials.
Instead of spending an hour adapting a reading passage, I can generate one in minutes. Instead of searching through multiple textbooks for an appropriate speaking activity, I can create one tailored to my student’s exact level. That means I spend less time designing worksheets and more time teaching.
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Bottom Line
Would I recommend putting an A2 learner straight into authentic IELTS preparation? No.
Students still need realistic expectations, and there are no shortcuts to reaching the language level required by the exam. However, I no longer believe students must wait until they reach B1 before becoming familiar with IELTS.
With carefully scaffolded activities, personalised materials and a gradual increase in complexity, they can begin developing the skills that IELTS measures much earlier than I once thought possible.
For me, ChatGPT hasn’t made IELTS easier. It has made good teaching more accessible.
Rather than asking students to adapt to the materials, I can now adapt the materials to the student. And perhaps that’s the most exciting opportunity AI has given English teachers. Check out my website: elizaenglish.com
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