TV shows and documentaries for IELTS prep

Watching shows helps with IELTS, but only if you choose and use them well. IELTS listening is played once, with British, Australian, North American, and other accents. The speaking test asks you to talk to an examiner for two minutes. The essays need ideas and examples. So instead of following one series to the end, split your material by test part: everyday shows for the first two listening parts and speaking, and documentaries and academic animations for the last two listening parts and essay ideas.

The short answer: for everyday listening and speaking, watch Modern Family, Ted Lasso, and The Great British Bake Off. For Australian accents, watch MasterChef Australia. For storytelling, watch The Graham Norton Show. For academic listening, watch David Attenborough documentaries and TED-Ed. For essay ideas, watch Black Mirror.

What IELTS tests, and where shows help

• Listening: four parts, played once. The first two are everyday situations, such as booking a room, signing up for something, or a guide's introduction. The last two are academic, such as students and a tutor discussing an assignment, and a lecture.
• Speaking: face to face with an examiner. In part one you answer questions about yourself. In part two you get a topic card, prepare for one minute, and talk for one to two minutes. In part three you discuss the topic in more depth.
• Writing: task one describes a chart or a process (a letter in General Training). Task two is an essay on a topic.
• Reading: three long passages. Shows help least here. It mostly comes down to close reading and practice tests.

Shows help listening and speaking the most. For writing, they mainly give ideas and examples. For reading, they barely help.

Listening parts one and two, and speaking part one: everyday shows

The goal here is to follow everyday conversation at normal speed and learn to answer questions about daily life naturally.

1. Modern Family. American pronunciation, family life, about 20 minutes an episode. Characters often speak to the camera about what they think, which is very close to a good part one answer: one view plus one reason.
2. Ted Lasso. Both British and American accents, with talk about work, teams, and feelings. The language is not hard, and it is good for expressing feelings and attitudes.
3. The Great British Bake Off. British pronunciation, steady speed, and a lot of description of food, steps, and feelings. The language for describing a process also helps with process diagrams in task one.
4. MasterChef Australia. Clear Australian accents. Good for getting used to the Australian voices in the listening test.
5. Friends. American pronunciation. A classic, but fast and full of jokes. It fits learners who already have a B2 base, and is not a good first show.

Speaking part two: learn to talk for two minutes

The hardest thing in part two is talking for two minutes without stopping. The best material is real people telling their own stories.

• The Graham Norton Show. A British talk show where guests often tell a story from their life: when, where, what happened, what they were thinking. The structure is almost the same as a topic card.
• Race Across the World. A BBC travel reality show where contestants describe places, people, and feelings as they go. Good for topics like "describe a place" or "describe a trip".

How to practice: watch a two- or three-minute guest story and note how it opens, turns, and ends. Then take a topic card and tell your own story with the same structure. Record it and listen back.

Speaking part three and task two: find ideas

Both part three and the task two essay ask for views on social topics, such as technology, education, work, and the environment. Many learners get stuck not because their English is weak, but because they have never thought about these questions.

• Black Mirror. Each episode is about one technology topic: social media, privacy, artificial intelligence. After an episode, answer one question in English: does this technology do more good than harm, and why?
• Ted Lasso and The Office. Work, leadership, and teamwork, good for work-related topics.

Do not memorize lines from a show to drop into an essay. Use the show to think through one view and one example, then write them in your own words.

Listening parts three and four: documentaries and academic animations

The last two parts are academic discussions and lectures. The speed is not always fast, but the information is dense and there are more technical words. Everyday shows do not cover this.

• Documentaries narrated by David Attenborough, such as Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Our Planet. British pronunciation, slow speed, and nature and environment words that are common IELTS topics.
• TED-Ed. Academic animations of a few minutes on history, science, and psychology, structured like a small lecture.
• Kurzgesagt. Science animations. The speed is on the fast side, so it fits learners whose listening already has a base.

How to practice: choose a documentary or TED-Ed clip of about five minutes. Listen without watching and write down keywords, as in listening part four. Then check with English subtitles to see what you missed.

How to plan the prep period

More than three months before the exam:

• 20 to 30 minutes a day, alternating between everyday shows and documentaries, one kind per day.
• Speaking practice three times a week, copying the story structure from talk show or travel show clips.
• One episode of Black Mirror or a workplace show a week, followed by about 100 words giving your view.

One to two months before the exam:

• Practice tests come first. Shows drop to 10 to 15 minutes a day as a listening warm-up.
• Keep one show you know well and one kind of documentary. Do not start new ones.
• When a practice test shows a weak accent or situation, find similar material and listen to it on purpose.

Shows rarely practice the spelling, numbers, dates, and addresses in IELTS listening. Practice those separately with past papers.

How to watch one clip

1. First pass with no subtitles, for the general idea.
2. Second pass with English subtitles. Pick 3 to 5 expressions you could use in speaking, such as ways to give a view, give an example, or change direction.
3. Third pass with subtitles off. Repeat those lines, then use them to talk about your own life.

You do not need to study a whole episode. Doing these three steps with two or three minutes of dialogue is worth more than simply having seen the episode.

Choices that don't fit IELTS prep

• Very fast, joke-dense shows, such as the long science jokes in The Big Bang Theory, or Gilmore Girls. Fine for relaxing, not for close listening.
• Crime and legal dramas with lots of technical language, such as Suits. They are far from IELTS topics.
• American shows only: IELTS listening uses many accents, so keep at least one British and one Australian source.

FAQ

American or British shows for IELTS?

Both. IELTS listening uses many accents, so keep one British and one American everyday show, plus one Australian program for the Australian accent.

Can watching shows raise my IELTS speaking score?

Shows can help you sound more natural and have more to say, but they will not raise your score on their own. Take the structures and expressions out of the show, use them on your own topic cards, and record yourself.

Should subtitles be on?

Off for the first pass, to practice real listening. English subtitles on for the second pass, to catch expressions. First-language subtitles keep you at the level of following the plot, so they do not train listening.

I'm aiming for 6.5 or higher. What should I watch?

On top of everyday shows, add more documentaries and TED-Ed for the last two listening parts. Use talk shows for long speaking turns, and shows like Black Mirror for essay ideas.

Next step

Today, pick one episode of Modern Family and one five-minute TED-Ed clip. Watch both once without subtitles and see which is harder. If the everyday show is harder, start there. If the academic clip is harder, start with documentaries.