IELTS Exam Preparation

International House: Belfast

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Price

Special offer

1 free week for every 3 weeks purchased for some courses from 1-52 weeks until 28 Mar 2025 Show details »

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Course description

The IELTS Exam Preparation course at International House Belfast consists of 20 Intensive English and 5 hours of exam preparation per week.Please note that it is possible to take the exam at IH Belfast. Exam fees are not included in the price. Starting dates differ according to desired number of weeks. Please consult with our knowledgeable student advisers for more information on exam dates.

Course topics

Listening, Speaking, Pronunciation, Reading, Writing, Vocabulary and Grammar

Class schedule

Course duration
1-52 weeks
Start dates
Every Monday
Classes per week
25 lessons per week (each lesson lasts 55 min)
Class days
Monday - Friday
School holidays
17 Mar 2025, 18 Apr 2025, 21 Apr 2025, 05 May 2025, 26 May 2025, 14 Jul 2025, 25 Aug 2025, 21 Dec 2025 - 02 Jan 2026

International House does not hold classes on the holiday dates above. The school does not compensate for these holidays, so make sure to choose your start date accordingly.

Class times

Morning session
09:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Morning session
11:20 AM - 01:00 PM
Afternoon session
02:00 PM - 04:00 PM

Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.

Class level

Pre-intermediate
Intermediate
High intermediate
Advanced
You will take a placement test on your first day to determine your class level.

Class size

Average 7 students
Maximum 12 students

Student age

Age range 16 years old and older

Certificate

A certificate of completion will be issued at the end of the course.
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school
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Photos

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reviews

Reviews

100% recommend

based on 9 reviews
5 stars
5
4 stars
3
3 stars
1
2 stars
0
1 star
0
Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing

"I can definitely recommend it"

Neslihan Kilic, student from Germany

About me: I'm a university student from Germany and I wanted to improve more my English for some subjects at university.


In my class, we were just 6 students and one time 9 students. I have to say my course was planned for 7 weeks but unfortunately I voluntarily stopped after one month (pandemic). But nevertheless my English has improved so much within 1 month, incredible!
I was really happy with my teachers: Genny, Kathryn, Sophie Thank you!! I could ask countless questions every day. I had really luck with my teachers, they always created funny lessons, always something to laugh.They did their job with passion.
About the location I have to say, you are very near to the Sandhurst Apartment, only 1-2 minutes (student apartment). The Botanic Avenue is amazing! You can find so many different cafes, restaurants, pharmacy, book shops, supermarkets like Tesco and so on. It's only 7 minutes by walk, Starbucks also.. The distance from the school and the city hall is by walk 20-25 minutes, it depends.
You have at school WiFi for free, a big Nespresso Coffee maker and a snack machine. If u are very hungry u can try to go in the break to the next mini supermarket, by walk it takes 8-10 minutes. You have also many computers at school, you can use these for free. I have also to add, that I liked the purple colors inside of the school. It creates a different feeling, instead of just white walls..
About the activities I have to say, Nick makes the activities much funnier! The school offers every day mo-fr different activities.
We also did a BBQ Partys, it was amazing.

I have nothing to criticize, only one big important thing: The housing is very old. My course was at February. We always had issues inside the class. It was very very cold. Sometimes you cold feel the breeze from the windows. Not even the mini electrical heaters could help. Sometimes I had to sit with scarf and jacket during the lesson. The cold was very unpleasant...

All in all, I was very pleased.

Read more...

My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
6 weeks
Date of study
17 Feb 2020 - 3 Apr 2020
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"My experience was very good with In"

Henrique Pereira, student from Ireland

my course was 2 weeks but I learned a lot
I liked the teaching method

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
12 Mar 2018 - 23 Mar 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"It was a good experience to improve my english."

Miguel Ferreño Sánchez, student from Spain

The teachers are good in general but i think that the classes can be more interesting because the most of days are boring. The acomodation was good,simple and a little bit expensive although its enough.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
11 weeks
Date of study
25 Sep 2017 - 15 Dec 2017
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Filled with friendly people and fun activities"

Katrine Munck, student from Denmark

The teachers and the classes were great, though I wish the tables were a bit bigger, but that is just a minor issue. The location of the school was near the city centre, which was perfect. I very much enjoyed the social program because you got the chance to experience the nature, get in touch with the history of Belfast, and then have a good night out in the city. The housing accommodation was good, though there was some trouble with the Wifi connection. In general I had a very good experience studying at IH Belfast!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
20 Jul 2015 - 31 Jul 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"It was an amazing experience."

Daniel Goncalves Bastos, student from Brazil

My personal experience, as I said, was amazing. Since the first day everyone, the staff and the teachers received me very well. All of my complaints were resolved or they tried to help me, indeed. Should I have liked to to have been moved to another apartment, it was not possible. The house was very well located, extremely near the school, and this was a key point for me.

About the school and the classes, I have only one complaint, about one teacher who was narrow-minded. During my concert, she was almost racist and didn't care for others' cultures. In my opinion, this is a big problem in a school, manly in an international one, isn't it? Aside from this fact, all the teachers that I had were perfect. I would like to thank all of them.

I fell in love with Belfast.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
6 Jul 2015 - 31 Jul 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Belfast was a great surprise. The people are open minded in a lovely country."

Dener Hollanda Fileni, student from Brazil

The school was in a perfect place for me, near restaurants, markets, bus station and so on. The teachers were really good ones and it was a nice surprise to learn English in so directed and comprehensive way. I had a good time there and I just can't remember something that I didn't like.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
1 Dec 2014 - 12 Dec 2014
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Very usefull!"

Antonia Hofmann, student from Germany

In my two weeks at international house I learned more than in a few English classes in my homeland. I like the teachers and the atmosphere. Would do it again!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
7 Feb 2011 - 18 Feb 2011
Age group
35 - 49
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Good experience"

Begoña Vigo Arrazola, student from Spain

In general I liked the activities; the size of the classes, extrovert teachers, and people at home. I think that I improved my level. However, in my opinion, one aspect to improve is the planning of contents among weeks and the control of students. It is not a big problem because it is always possible to see the things in different ways; but if you are there for two weeks to study English it is important to make the most it and to know the most possible content in an organized way. The control of the learning every week and every student would be an option of improving.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
13 Aug 2012 - 24 Aug 2012
Age group
50 - 64
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"It was interesting"

Mohamed Anag, student from Libya

The teachers are friendly, and they are very helpful..
What i didnt like about the school or student nationalities is that i think it had too many Libyans, so i think if they mixed nationalities better then it would be easier to learn English.


Thanks

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
21 weeks
Date of study
5 May 2010 - 27 Aug 2010
Age group
35 - 49
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
housing

Housing

International House offers the following housing types:
homestay

Standard Homestay - Single Room, Half Board

278 €
weekly
Age range: 17 years old and older
Location: Outside the city center of Belfast
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast and dinner (14 meals per week)
Facilities: Kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, carpet, and heating
Distance to school: 5 - 30 minutes by bus
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
278 €
Immerse yourself in local culture and stay with one of our carefully selected homestays. Home Stay accommodation allows you to be immersed in local culture, using English with your hosts at every opportunity and so learning even when you’re not in the classroom. We have carefully selected local hosts who offer single-room accommodation on a half board basis. We also have a limited number of Executive Homestays with private bathroom available on request. Our homestay hosts are warm, welcoming, helpful and will make every effort to include you in our culture.

Executive Homestay - Single Room, Half Board (private bathroom)

316 €
weekly
Age range: 16 years old and older
Location: Outside the city center of Belfast
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast and dinner (14 meals per week)
Facilities: Private bathroom, kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, carpet, and heating
Distance to school: 5 - 30 minutes by bus
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
316 €
Immerse yourself in local culture and stay with one of our carefully selected homestays. Home Stay accommodation allows you to be immersed in local culture, using English with your hosts at every opportunity and so learning even when you’re not in the classroom. We have carefully selected local hosts who offer single-room accommodation on a half board basis. We also have a limited number of Executive Homestays with private bathroom available on request. Our homestay hosts are warm, welcoming, helpful and will make every effort to include you in our culture.
student-residence

City Centre Studios - Private

368 €
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Address: 27 Bruce Street, Belfast BT2 7JD, United Kingdom
Location: In the city center of Belfast
Housing type: Student residence (off-campus)
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Private bathroom, kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, free internet, hardwood, heating, 24/7 supervision, and sports facilities
Distance to school: 10 - 20 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, before 12:00 PM
368 €
This wonderful student residence offers private studio ensuite accommodation in the heart of Belfast, 15 minutes from the school on foot and with a supermarket, pubs and cafes on your doorstep! The residence is situated just 10 minutes from Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, home of the city’s trendiest art galleries and restaurants and a short stroll from Queen’s Quarter.

The building offers a wide range of fantastic facilities including WiFi throughout, a communal TV lounge, a gym, a media room, a party kitchen, and its very own social programme with native-speaking students.

The residence is near bus stops (7A and 7B), and you can use their free bike hire service to get around the city!

Weekday ‘Grab & Go’ breakfast included.

Private studios offer a double bed, private kitchen area and private ensuite bathroom.

Facilities included:

- Heating, hot water and electricity
- 24 hour staffed reception
- Laundry facilities onsite (small surcharge)
- Spacious communal areas including study rooms
- Gym
- Cinema Room
- Hosting kitchen
- Mindfulness room
- WiFi throughout
- Double bed
- Bed linen and towels
- Fridge-freezer
- Cooker and oven
visa

Visa support

We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.

If you are studying in the UK for over 11 months, you will receive a reference number called a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) that you need to submit to the UK embassy along with your General Student Visa application. Students who have successfully booked a language course and have paid their fees will receive a CAS from International House. Please note that UK law states that a CAS can only be issued to students who intend to pursue English language studies for over 11 months.

If you are studying in the UK for 11 months or less, you have to apply for a special visitor visa called a Student Visitor Visa. As a student visitor, you will not be able to work part-time while studying. If you plan to study in the UK for 11 months or less, a letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you. If you wish to receive your paperwork by express mail, you will be charged £ 60 when you register.

Learn more about how to get a UK visa »

Flights and airport transfer

The closest airport to the school is Belfast International Airport (BFS).

The school offers airport pickup services. If you wish to be picked up, just give us your flight details and arrival date. The price of a one-way airport transfer from Belfast International Airport is £ 55. You must book your airport transfer in advance when you register.

Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to Belfast based on your budget, schedule and preferences.

Travel insurance

Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.

Learn more about our insurance plan »

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questions

Questions and answers

Have questions? Get answers from International House: Belfast staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.

Ask a question
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