Understanding IELTS
IELTS tests your English across four skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. This page explains how the test is built, what each paper asks of you, and how the bands are worked out.
Academic or General Training?
Listening and Speaking are the same in both. Reading and Writing are different. That is the whole of the difference, and it decides which test you book.
IELTS Academic
Usually taken to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, or to apply for professional registration. Its Reading and Writing use academic texts, charts, diagrams and essays.
IELTS General Training
Usually taken to migrate to an English-speaking country, or to study or train below degree level. Its Reading and Writing use workplace documents, notices, advertisements and letters.
| Part of the test | Academic | General Training |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | The same | The same |
| Reading | Academic texts | Everyday and workplace texts |
| Writing Task 1 | Describe visual information | Write a letter |
| Writing Task 2 | Essay | Essay |
| Speaking | The same | The same |
| Total test time | 2 hours 45 minutes | 2 hours 45 minutes |
Check which test your university, employer, professional body or immigration authority requires before you book. Only they can tell you.
The four papers
You sit Listening, Reading and Writing on the same day, in that order, with no breaks between them. Speaking may be the same day or another day, depending on your centre.
Listening
Approximately 30 minutes · 4 parts · 40 questions
Four recordings — everyday conversations, social situations and educational or academic discussions — with 10 questions in each part. Answers come in the order the information is given.
You hear each recording once only.
A range of accents is used, including British, Australian, New Zealand and North American. On the paper test a further 10 minutes is given to copy answers onto an answer sheet; on computer there is nothing to copy.
- Multiple choice
- Matching
- Plan, map and diagram labelling
- Form, note, table, flow-chart and summary completion
- Sentence completion
- Short-answer questions
- Read the questions before the recording starts.
- Predict the kind of answer — a name, a number, a place.
- Follow the stated word limit exactly.
- Listen for corrections: “Thursday — sorry, I mean Friday.”
- If you miss one, let it go, or you will lose the next one too.
Reading
60 minutes · 3 sections · 40 questions
The 60 minutes include the time to record your answers — there is no extra time at the end. Across the three sections the texts total 2,150–2,750 words.
Academic: three longer texts taken from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online sources.
General Training: section 1 is two or three short everyday texts, section 2 is two work-related texts, and section 3 is one long text of general interest.
- Multiple choice
- Identifying information — True / False / Not Given
- Identifying a writer's views — Yes / No / Not Given
- Matching information, headings, features and sentence endings
- Sentence completion
- Summary, note, table and flow-chart completion
- Diagram label completion
- Short-answer questions
- Budget roughly 20 minutes a section, and keep to it.
- Skim for the shape of the text before reading closely.
- Scan for names, dates, numbers and keywords.
- Expect synonyms, not the question's exact wording.
- For Not Given, use only the text — never your own knowledge.
- Check spelling and word limits before you move on.
Writing
60 minutes · 2 tasks
Spend about 20 minutes on Task 1 and about 40 on Task 2. Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1, so protect the time for it.
Task 1 — Academic: at least 150 words describing visual information — a chart, graph, table, process, map or diagram. Summarise the main features and compare.
Task 1 — General Training: a letter of at least 150 words, personal, semi-formal or formal depending on who you are writing to.
Task 2 — both tests: at least 250 words responding to a point of view, argument or problem.
- Answer every part of the question that was asked.
- Plan your main ideas before you start writing.
- Make your position clear, and keep it consistent.
- One idea per paragraph, supported with a reason or example.
- Leave time to check grammar and spelling.
- Never force a memorised essay onto a question it does not fit.
Speaking
11–14 minutes · 3 parts
A face-to-face conversation with an examiner, in three parts.
Part 1 (4–5 minutes): general questions about yourself and familiar topics — home, family, work, studies, interests.
Part 2 (3–4 minutes): you are given a card with a topic, one minute to prepare, then you speak for up to two minutes. The examiner may ask a question or two afterwards.
Part 3 (4–5 minutes): further questions connected to the Part 2 topic, giving you room to discuss more abstract ideas.
- Go beyond one sentence — give a reason or an example.
- Do not recite memorised answers; examiners hear them.
- Ask the examiner to repeat a question if you need it.
- Keep going after a small mistake rather than restarting.
- Practise speaking for two minutes without stopping.
How the test is delivered
IELTS is moving to computer. From mid-2026 it is no longer offered as a paper-based test, with the exact timing varying by market. Results already held from paper tests are unaffected and stay valid for the recommended two-year period.
| Way of taking it | How you answer | Results |
|---|---|---|
| On computer | Listening, Reading and Writing on screen. Speaking face to face with an examiner. | 1–5 days |
| On computer, Writing on Paper | Writing tasks shown on screen, answered in pen on an answer sheet. Offered in selected countries. | Within 5 days |
| On paper | Question and answer papers at a desk. Being withdrawn from mid-2026. | 13 days |
| IELTS Online | Academic only, in some countries. Speaking by video call. | 6–8 days |
Availability differs by country and by centre, and it is changing through 2026. Check what your own test centre offers before booking — we cannot tell you what is available where you are. For IELTS Online, each receiving organisation decides whether it accepts an online result, and any test taken for a UK visa (UKVI) must be sat at an official test centre.
What happens on test day
- 1Arrive and identify yourself. Bring the identification named in your booking confirmation, and arrive at the time it states. Requirements differ by country and centre, so your confirmation is the authority — not a general guide, including this one.
- 2Listening, Reading, Writing. Sat in that order, in one session, with no breaks between them.
- 3Speaking. The same day or a different day, depending on your centre and how you are taking the test.
- 4Your result. How soon depends on how you sat it — see the table above.
How the band scores work
Each paper is scored from Band 0 to Band 9. Your overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band.
| Paper | Band |
|---|---|
| Listening | 7.0 |
| Reading | 6.5 |
| Writing | 6.0 |
| Speaking | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
26.0 ÷ 4 = 6.5 exactly. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band, and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
An institution may set a minimum overall band, a minimum in each paper, or both. Check the requirement you actually have to meet — a 7.0 overall with a 6.0 in Writing fails a “7.0 with no band below 6.5” condition.
How Writing and Speaking are marked
Writing is marked on Task Achievement or Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Speaking is marked on Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation.
The complete marking guide →Preparing with BandAI
Knowing the format is the first step. The next is finding which skill is holding your band down — and that is a measurement, not a guess.
BandAI marks all four skills against the published band descriptors, shows you where each one sits, and builds a daily lesson aimed at whichever is furthest behind. You can practise Academic or General Training.
Sit the free four-skill assessment and see your starting band in each paper.
Find my planNo card. Nothing to cancel.
Sources: the IELTS test-format and test-delivery pages on ielts.org and the official IELTS Guide for Test Takers, transcribed with retrieval dates in docs/ielts/. Test delivery is changing through 2026 and availability varies by centre — confirm details with your test centre when you book. BandAI is not affiliated with or endorsed by the IELTS partners, and the bands BandAI measures are indicative, not official IELTS results.