Below I have given a summary on the different strategies I used to clear the test:

Booking: IDP ielts (computer based)

Website: ieltsliz.com

Website for practice: ieltsonlinetests.com

YouTube videos: E2 English (Mainly for speaking and writing)

YouTube videos : English speaking success by Keith (only speaking)

Essay correction service: ielts blog/passyourielts

More practice: Cambridge ielts 13

YouTube: ielts up - task 1 

YouTube: random speaking videos and listening tasks

Time period for preparation: 3 weeks ~ 4 weeks

I would recommend to begin by going through ieltsliz website and watch all her videos to understand the format of the test.

You can practice listening and reading from Cambridge books/youtube/ieltsonlinetests.com (it's free!)

Speaking - It's best to practice with a partner. Search for recent questions on google or you can check ieltsliz, she has all the topics listed.

Discuss one/two topics of part 1,2,3 per day with a friend or anyone who can help you rectify your mistakes.

Another advice for speaking is that I loved watching ‘ielts with Keith’ on youtube to generate ideas. Do check it out, it’s really good!

Writing- This is the toughest section(but achievable!). They want you to write an essay satisfying their criteria (which is available on ieltsliz/e2 English). Even simple sentences with good linking words and proper essay structure will do the trick.

YouTube: E2 English and follow their essay structure for writing, its perfect. Watch all their videos and attend their live classes if possible, it's super helpful! Also check ielts-up on youtube as it is really useful for task 1 writing.

For writing its best to give your essays for correction, cause majority of the time we have no clue what mistakes we make. I personally gave 8 essays (4 of part 1 and rest 4 of part 2) for correction. They graded the first few 6/6.5 and finally when they gave me a 7 I was confident enough to attempt the test.

I also read a lot of sample essays from Ryan's band 9 essays which I got from a google drive someone sent from the plab Facebook group. I am sure many people still pass on these PDF's, so if you can get your hands on it, do read it up!

Correction service I used: ieltsblog/passyourielts (I recommend ieltsblog)

Tips for writing:

1. Task 1: 20 mins (1/4th marks weightage)

    Task 2: 40 mins (3/4th marks weightage)

2. Use linking words - however, furthermore, in addition to, for example, in contrast to, on the other hand etc.

3. Try to avoid basic grammatical errors and make sure you have spare time to check your essay for mistakes. 

4. Practice and read essays of different topics (you can find the topics on google) everyday to generate ideas.

5. Practice completing the tasks on time (I had great difficulty in doing this). Both tasks are equally important so make sure not to neglect task 1.

6. Keep within the word limit!

7. Please if possible give your essays for correction online, it will cut down the struggle and help you find out the errors you are making. 

All the best!