Rules & Info

Listening

~30 min

40 questions • 4 parts

Reading

60 min

40 questions • 3 passages

Writing

60 min

2 tasks • Report + essay

Speaking

11-14 min

3 parts • Face-to-face

IELTS band score scale (0-9)

What each band says about your English.

9Expert User

Full operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding.

8Very Good User

Fully operational command with occasional inaccuracies. Handles complex detailed argumentation well.

7Good User

Operational command of the language. Generally handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning.

6Competent User

Effective command despite inaccuracies. Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations.

5Modest User

Partial command. Copes with overall meaning in most situations, though likely to make many mistakes.

4Limited User

Basic competence limited to familiar situations. Frequent problems in understanding and expression.

3Extremely Limited User

Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations. Frequent breakdowns in communication.

2Intermittent User

No real communication possible except for the most basic information using isolated words or short formulae.

1Non User

Essentially has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a few isolated words.

How the Overall Band Is Calculated

Each skill gets a band from 0 to 9, in whole or half bands. The overall band is the average of the four skills, rounded to the nearest half band: an average ending in .25 rounds up to .5, and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.

Example: 6.5 + 6.5 + 5.0 + 7.0 = 25 ÷ 4 = 6.25 → Overall 6.5

Listening test details

The same test for Academic and General Training.

Part Breakdown

Part 1

Questions 1-10 • 2 speakers • Everyday social conversation

Part 2

Questions 11-20 • 1 speaker • Everyday social monologue

Part 3

Questions 21-30 • Up to 4 speakers • Educational/training context

Part 4

Questions 31-40 • 1 speaker • Academic lecture

Test Format

  • Duration: ~30 minutes
  • 40 questions across 4 parts, 10 in each
  • Audio played ONCE only
  • British, American, Australian, Canadian and NZ accents
  • 1 mark per question. Spelling and grammar must be correct

Question Types

Form Completion
Note Completion
Table Completion
Sentence Completion
Summary Completion
Flow-chart Completion
Diagram Labelling
Short-answer Questions
Multiple Choice
Multiple Answers
Matching
Map / Plan Labelling