Gift ideas for English learners

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When to buy

Black Friday is Friday 27 November 2026, and many shops run sales over that weekend and into Cyber Monday. For Christmas, check the delivery date when you order: sellers and couriers set their own cut-off dates, and December gets busy.

The best gifts are free

Our free 6-week study plans for PTE, IELTS and OET, the level test, short stories and the Listening Room cost nothing. Send the link with a card, or help them start a plan on Boxing Day.

For beginners

• Oxford Picture Dictionary. Everyday words shown in pictures, topic by topic: home, food, work, health. Great for adults at the very beginning. The 3rd edition uses American English, so a few words differ here (a zip code is a postcode in Australia). Get the Oxford Picture Dictionary (paid link).
• Essential Grammar in Use. Two-page grammar units with exercises and answers, for beginner to pre-intermediate learners (A1–B1). Get Essential Grammar in Use (paid link).
• Graded readers. Real stories, written at the reader's level, from series such as Oxford Bookworms and Penguin Readers. Choose the level that matches their level test result. See graded readers (paid link).

For test takers

• A headset with a microphone. PTE is taken on a headset, and practising with one at home makes test day feel familiar. A simple USB headset with a boom microphone, such as the Logitech H390, is enough. See USB headsets with a boom microphone (paid link). Our headset guide explains what to look for.
• English Grammar in Use. Raymond Murphy's self-study grammar book for intermediate learners (B1–B2). It helps with the accuracy that IELTS, PTE and OET writing need. Get English Grammar in Use (paid link).
• Cambridge IELTS 21. Four real past IELTS papers with answers and audio, for someone taking IELTS Academic. Get Cambridge IELTS 21 Academic (paid link). See our IELTS books guide for more.

For someone new to Australia

• An Aussie slang book. Aussie Slang Dictionary by Lolla Stewart is fun to dip into and helps with the words nobody teaches in class. Get the Aussie Slang Dictionary (paid link). Our free Aussie slang pages are a good start too.
• English Idioms in Use. Idioms grouped by topic, with exercises, so expressions like a piece of cake stop being confusing. Get English Idioms in Use (paid link).
• Headphones with a microphone. For podcasts on the train, video calls home, and our free Listening Room. Over-ear headphones are comfortable for long sessions. See headphones with a microphone (paid link).

For book lovers

• A Kindle. One of the most useful gifts for a learner who likes reading: they can tap a word to see its meaning, without stopping to look it up. Get a Kindle e-reader (paid link).
• English Vocabulary in Use. Words grouped by topic, with exercises and answers, at four levels. The Pre-intermediate & Intermediate book suits most learners. Get English Vocabulary in Use (paid link).
• A learner's dictionary. The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary explains words in simple English with example sentences. A good gift for intermediate and advanced readers. Get the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (paid link).

A tip for choosing

Ask (or guess) their level first. A book that's too hard is the most common gift that never gets used. If you're not sure, graded readers and a Kindle suit almost everyone.

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