Evaluation of IELTS Preparatory Courses in Iran: Teaching Practices and Strategies in Focus

The aim of this study was to discover teaching practices and strategies employed in IELTS preparatory courses taught via strategy-based vs. nonstrategy-based instruction in Isfahan, Iran. In so doing, two preparatory courses: strategy-based vs. nonstrategy-based instruction were selected. Courses were observed by employing Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching (COLT) which is a standard observation scheme (Hayes, 2003). The results revealed that positive washback was observed in both strategy-based and nonstrategy-based classes and candidates in strategy-based group outperformed their counterparts in nonstrategy-based group in reading and writing section of IELTS. In contrast, nonstrategy-based group performed significantly better in speaking section. There was, however, no significant difference between the two groups performance on the listening section of the test. The findings of the study will have implications for both IELTS teachers and preparation centers in determining effective teaching methods for the courses they offer.