Focus on Academic Skills for IELTS: Free PDF & Audio Download with Answer Key

The book ‘Focus on Academic Skills for IELTS’ provides graded, in-depth practice of the four skills, with special emphasis on reading and writing. Even though the IELTS Academic can be intimidating in the beginning as you start with your preparation, this book can help in acquiring the knowledge and the skills to ace the exam.  Since you also get this book for free in PDF format along with the audio and answer key, you can prepare yourself at your own pace.

With this complete study package, you will be able to enhance your core skills. This will give you an opportunity to keep track of your progress and offer self-assessment and evaluation. As you practice diligently, you will be able to develop your skills to achieve a band 8+.

What Does Focus on Academic Skills for IELTS Include?

Focus on Academic Skills for IELTS New Edition PDF Book & Audio CD Pack was published by Longman in 2010. It also reinforces and extends the academic vocabulary needed for the IELTS Exam. A Key Language Bank in each module offers a valuable resource for revision. The book is designed to help you do a targeted study while meeting the specific demands of the exam. 

Focus on Academic Skills for IELTS PDF is the ideal companion  to IELTS Coursebook, providing further thematically-linked practice for each unit. It can also be used on its own for self-study or as a short, intensive IELTS course. The following are the main features of the book.

• Detailed information about the exam
• Guided practice for all four skills in each of the ten modules
• Language input for speaking and writing 
• Hints and tips to help with special areas of difficulty 
• Language review at the end of each module, focusing on key academic language
• Five self-check progress tests recycling key language and skills in new contexts.
• Guidance on assessing your answers for the writing section
• Ideas for speaking and writing about the topics in reading and listening texts
• Detailed answer key and audio CD

How to Use ‘Focus on Academic Skills for IELTS’ to Achieve a Band 8+?

It is important to use a smart approach as you prepare yourself with ‘Focus on Academic Skills for IELTS’.  Therefore, utilise the following tips on how to improve your performance in all four skills so that you can achieve a band score of 8+. 

• As you download the PDF of the book for free, it is necessary to first have a study plan so that you can utilize the resource effectively. Take one step at a time and focus on one area and not the entire book.
• With the audio, you need to learn how to take notes and get familiar with different accents. Not only will it help in summarizing the information but you will also develop your listening skills.
• Attempt one full-length test with all four modules so that you can pinpoint the areas of improvement. By practising regularly, you will focus on targeting the topics which need more attention.
• Try not to attempt questions from all modules together. Instead, focus on one section at a time so that you adhere to the question types and their specific tricks.
• Put the timer on as you practice the tests from the book, ‘Focus on Academic Skills for IELTS’ so that you become familiar with the exam conditions.
• Keep a notebook with all the words which you encounter in the book so that you can use these IELTS Vocabulary words in your writing and speaking questions.
• Dedicate 3 hours to a combined Listening, Reading, Writing block to build test-day resilience. However, only attempt 1 test per week and then practice the areas where you need improvement.
• Familiarize yourself with skimming and scanning techniques which will help you in enhancing your reading skills. In this way, you do not have to read the entire passage which consumes a lot of time.
• Even though model answers in writing are provided, it is suggested that you attempt writing the essay before diving into the answer.
• Always record yourself speaking so that you can check for clarity and work on sentence structure by using the IELTS Grammar topics. 

Free PDF & Audio Download with Answer Key of the Book - Focus on Academic Skills for IELTS

By utilizing the strategies, you will be at an advantage of using this book, ‘Focus on Academic Skills for IELTS’. The link below can be used to download the book for free in PDF format where you can also access the audio files as well as the  answer key to the questions. 

Download Free PDF & Audio

The book, ‘Focus on Academic Skills for IELTS’, is available to be downloaded for free in PDF format. By diving into the book and audio CD along with the answer key, you will build the required skills and confidence for the exam day. While using the strategies, you will be able to ace the exam with a band score of 8+.

Also Check: 

• Best IELTS Academic Books 2025
• Best IELTS Academic Writing Books 2025
• IELTS Books to Use During IELTS Preparation in 2025
• IELTS Exam Preparation Tips for Band Score of 8+
• Best Tips To Ace The IELTS