How to prepare for the

IELTS test
IELTS measures your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, and
assesses your ability to communicate for work, study or life in an English-
speaking country.

The first step is to make sure you understand the IELTS test format. You need to know what will be
expected of you on test day.

Understand the IELTS test format

 Study the test format to make sure that you know what to expect.
 Look carefully at the content of each part of the IELTS test: listening, reading, writing and speaking.
 Get to know the different types of questions that you may be asked in each part.

Once you are familiar with the IELTS test format, you will need to undertake a number of focused
preparation activities.

Recommended preparation activities

 Register for Road to IELTS, the online IELTS preparation course designed by the British Council.
 Examine our IELTS practice test papers and answers.
 Take practice tests under timed conditions.
 Practise with the British Council's IELTS online preparation resources, available free when you book your
test with the British Council.
 Buy IELTS self-study books and materials.
 Consider taking an IELTS preparation course with the British Council.
 Review our IELTS test day advice.

Advice for native English

speakers
Prepare for the IELTS test to make sure you get the very best score possible.

As with other types of test, such as your driving test, preparation is key. It is very important to prepare for
the test, even if you have been speaking English all of your life.

The test asks you to do a range of specific tasks in timed conditions. Some of these will be unfamiliar to
you, so it is vital that you get yourself ready in good time.

Follow this simple advice:

 familiarise yourself with the format of each part of the test
 complete our free practice tests to practise your exam technique
 time yourself when you practise

Make sure there are no unpleasant surprises

You need to prepare for each section of the test, even if you have a good exam track record. This is
because

 you will need to listen very carefully for specific information in the Listening test
 you will be asked to carry out tasks that you have never done before in the Reading and Writing tests
 in the Speaking test you will have to speak fluently and coherently on a topic, regardless of whether you
find it interesting
Remember, each part of the test will be timed, so practise in timed conditions.

Next steps

 Understand the Listening test

 Understand the Reading test

 Understand the Writing test

 Understand the Speaking test

test
 How to prepare for the IELTS test
 Understand the IELTS test format
o Listening test
 Example Listening test answer sheet
o Reading test
o Writing test
o Speaking test
 Road to IELTS: get ready for a great IELTS score!
 Free IELTS practice activities & resources
 Free IELTS practice tests
 Free IELTS online course
 IELTS preparation books and study guides
 British Council courses
 IELTS test day advice
 IELTS test takers tips
 Understand the Listening test
You will be listening for a purpose and hear a variety of accents.

A variety of voices is used in the IELTS Listening test, so you might hear Australian, British, New Zealand
or North American accents.

You will be listening to a pre-recorded CD-ROM, and the passages that you hear will increase in difficulty
as you go through the test.

The content of the Listening test is the same for both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests.

Purpose of the test

The IELTS Listening test is designed to assess a wide range of listening skills, including how well you

 understand main ideas and specific factual information

 recognise the opinions, attitudes and purpose of a speaker
 follow the development of an argument

Timing
The IELTS Listening test takes approximately 30 minutes, and you are allowed an extra 10 minutes to
transfer your answers from your question booklet to your answer sheet.

Four sections
The IELTS Listening test is broken down into four sections:

Section Description

1 You listen to a conversation between two people set in an everyday

social situation, e.g. a conversation in an accommodation agency,
and answer questions on your comprehension.

2 You listen to a monologue set in an everyday social situation, e.g. a

speech about local facilities or a talk about the arrangements for
meals during a conference.

3 You listen to a conversation between up to four people set in an

educational or training context, e.g. a university tutor and a student
discussing an assignment, or a group of students planning a research
project.

4 You listen to a monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university

lecture.
 You will begin by listening to a recording of instructions and a sample question for section 1. Then you will
read the questions for section 1, listen to section 1, and answer the questions.

This procedure is repeated for sections 2, 3 and 4.

In the final 10 minutes, you will transfer your answers onto the answer sheet.
Each section is heard once only.

Questions
There are 40 questions.

A variety of question types is used, and you may be asked to

 answer multiple choice questions

 label a plan, map or diagram
 fill in a form
 complete a table
 complete a flow-chart
 give short answers

Marking
Each correct answer receives one mark.

Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.

Find out more about how you can understand your IELTS scores.
Read Listening test advice.
Try Listening practice test 1.
British Council is a proud co-owner of IELTS.

Understand the Reading

test
You will need to read quickly and efficiently, and manage your time

You will be asked to read three different passages and respond to related questions in your IELTS
Reading test.

The content of the Reading test is different for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests. Details
of each version are given below.
 Purpose of the test
The IELTS Reading test is designed to assess a wide range of reading skills, including how well you

 read for the general sense of a passage

 read for the main ideas
 read for detail
 understand inferences and implied meaning
 recognise a writer’s opinions, attitudes and purpose
 follow the development of an argument
This is the case for whichever version of the IELTS test you are taking.

Timing
The IELTS Reading test takes 60 minutes.

You are not allowed any extra time to transfer your answers, so write them directly on to your answer
sheet.

You will need to manage your time during the test because you will not be told when to start or finish each
section.

Three sections
You will be given three different passages to read, each with accompanying questions. You can expect to
read 2,150 - 2,750 words in total during your test.

IELTS Academic Reading test

There are three sections to the IELTS Academic Reading test, and each contains one long text.

These are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. They have been written for a non-
specialist audience and are on academic topics of general interest.

They range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical.

Each text might be accompanied by diagrams, graphs or illustrations, and you will be expected to show
that you understand these too.

A simple glossary is provided if the material contains technical terms.

IELTS General Training Reading test

There are three sections to the IELTS General Training Reading test.

The texts used in each section are taken from notices, advertisements, company handbooks, official
documents, books, magazines and newspapers.

Section 1 contains two or three short factual texts, one of which may be made up of 6 - 8 short texts
related by topic, e.g. hotel advertisements. The topics are relevant to everyday life in an English-speaking
country.
 Section 2 contains two short factual texts focusing on work-related issues, e.g. applying for a job,
company policies, pay and conditions, workplace facilities, staff development and training.

Section 3 contains one longer, more complex text on a topic of general interest.

Questions
There are 40 questions.

A variety of question types is used. You may be asked to

 fill gaps in a passage of written text or in a table

 match headings to written text to diagrams or charts
 complete sentences
 give short answers to open questions
 answer multiple choice questions
Sometimes you will need to give one word as your answer, sometimes a short phrase, and sometimes
simply a letter, number or symbol.

Make sure you read the instructions carefully.

Marking
Each correct answer receives one mark.

Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.

Find out more about how you can understand your IELTS scores.
Read Reading test advice.
Try Reading practice test 1 - IELTS Academic or Reading practice test 1 - IELTS General
Training depending on which version you plan to take.

Understand the Writing

test
Write clearly, organise your ideas and use a varied vocabulary.

Purpose of the test

The IELTS Writing test is designed to assess a wide range of writing skills, including how well you

 write a response appropriately

 organise ideas
 use a range of vocabulary and grammar accurately
This is the case for whichever version of the IELTS test you are taking.

Timing
The IELTS Writing test takes 60 minutes. Spend 20 minutes on Task 1, and 40 minutes on Task 2.

You will need to manage your own time, so make sure you move on to Task 2 after 20 minutes.

Two tasks
There are two tasks in the IELTS Writing test. You will be asked to write at least 150 words for Task 1 and
at least 250 words for Task 2.

IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training Writing tests

The content of the Writing test is different for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests.

IELTS Academic Writing test

Write in a formal style in the IELTS Academic Writing test.

In Task 1 you will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram. You will be asked to describe,
summarise or explain the information in your own words. This might involve describing and explaining
data, describing the stages of a process or how something works, or describing an object or event.

In Task 2 you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. You
should find the issues interesting and easy to understand.

IELTS General Training Writing test

The topics used in the IELTS General Training Writing test are of general interest.

In Task 1 you will be presented with a situation and asked to write a letter requesting information or
explaining the situation. You can write the letter in a personal, semi-formal or formal style.

In Task 2 you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. You
can use a fairly personal style.

Marking
Your Writing test will be marked by a certificated IELTS examiner.

Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1 in the IELTS Writing test.

Scores are reported in whole and half bands.

Find out more about how you can understand your IELTS scores.
Read Writing test advice.
Try Writing practice test 1 - IELTS Academic or Writing practice test 1 - IELTS General
Training depending on which version you plan to take.
 Understand the Speaking
test
The Speaking test is as close to a real-life situation as an exam can get.

You will talk to a certified examiner in the IELTS Speaking test. The test is interactive and as close to a
real-life situation as a test can get. A variety of accents may be used, and the test will be recorded.

The content of the IELTS Speaking test is the same for both the IELTS Academic and IELTS General
Training tests.

Purpose of the test

The IELTS Speaking test is designed to assess a wide range of skills.

The examiner will want to see how well you can

 communicate opinions and information on everyday topics and common experiences; to do this you will
need to answer a range of questions
 speak at length on a given topic using appropriate language
 organise your ideas coherently
 express and justify your opinions
 analyse, discuss and speculate about issues
Make sure that you relax and talk fluently. You will need to speak naturally.

Timing
The IELTS Speaking test takes 11-14 minutes.

Three sections
The Speaking test is made up of three sections:

Section Duration Information

Part 1 4-5 The examiner will introduce him or

Introduction minutes herself and ask you to introduce
and interview yourself and confirm your identity.
The examiner will ask you general
questions on familiar topics, e.g.
home, family, work, studies and
interests. This section should help
you relax and talk naturally.
 Section Duration Information

Part 2 3-4 The examiner will give you a task

Individual minutes card which asks you to talk about a
long turn particular topic, including points to
include in your talk. You will be
given one minute to prepare and
make notes. You will then be asked
to talk for 1-2 minutes on the
topic. You will not be interrupted
during this time, so it is important
to keep talking. The examiner will
then ask you one or two questions
on the same topic.

Part 3 Two- 4-5 The examiner will ask you further

way minutes questions which are connected to
discussion the topic of Part 2. These
questions are designed to give you
an opportunity to discuss more
abstract issues and ideas.

Marking
You will be assessed on your performance throughout the test by certificated IELTS examiners.

You will be marked on the four criteria of the IELTS Speaking Test Band Descriptors:

 fluency and coherence

 lexical resource
 grammatical range and accuracy
 pronunciation
Scores are reported in whole and half bands.

Find out more about how you can understand your IELTS scores.
Read Speaking test advice.
Try Speaking practice test 1.

Get ready for a great

IELTS score
Road to IELTS is a comprehensive 100% online preparation course designed by
British Council IELTS experts.

Road to IELTS will help you get the band score you need in IELTS Reading, Writing, Speaking and
Listening. The Last Minute version is FREE for all candidates who register with the British Council!

Find out your own personal score!

Road to IELTS enables you to view your performance in different skills and compare yourself with
everyone else! Use the interactive Progress function to analyse your strengths and weaknesses and plan
your learning.
Want to know more? Watch this:

Want to subscribe to the full version? Click here

Free IELTS practice

activities and resources
 Prepare for your IELTS test with more free online
resources courtesy of British Council. Our
expertise can help you get ready for IELTS
wherever you are in the world.
Road to IELTS: Test Drive - Free IELTS e-learning and
assessment

'Road to IELTS' is British Council's e-learning and assessment tool for people preparing to take the IELTS
test. ‘Road to IELTS: Test Drive’ provides free access to 10 hours of preparation materials including
listening tests, reading and writing exercises and mock tests designed to help you develop your exam
skills.

 Test drive Road to IELTS

Practise your IELTS listening

Try these practice activities for the IELTS Listening test from the British Council's LearnEnglish website.

 Start the listening practice (opens in new window)

 Practise your IELTS speaking

Watch this series of videos from the British Council's LearnEnglish website, designed to help you prepare
for the IELTS Speaking test.

 IELTS interview skills (opens in new window)

Improve your general English listening skills

A comprehensive range of high-quality learning materials is available to help improve your English
listening skills at the British Council's iTunes University site (note you will require iTunes to view this
content).

 British Council listening (opens in iTunes)

Download our free android app

British Council IELTS Word Power is a vocabulary practice app for IELTS test takers. With over 100
questions to test your word power, this app helps to build vocabulary in preparation for the IELTS test.

 British Council IELTS Word Power (opens in Google Play)

 WORDREADY - prepare for IELTS Academic

WORDREADY is an online resource, delivering personalised vocabulary learning, to help you prepare for
IELTS Academic. For a free access to WORDREADY book IELTS with British Council!

Free IELTS practice tests

Prepare for IELTS with these free practice tests and answers. Time yourself and
develop your exam technique.

The practice tests in this section offer you the opportunity to

 get to know the test format

 experience the types of tasks you will be asked to undertake
 test yourself under timed conditions
 review your answers and compare them with model answers
Remember, you will take the Listening, Reading and Writing tests all on one day with no breaks in
between, so it is important to do the practice tests under similar conditions.

Each test is presented over a number of web pages. Make sure you answer the questions and carry out
the tasks on each page in the correct order.

If you prefer to practise offline, download the tests, blank answer sheets, transcripts and answers from
the introductory pages.

Next steps

 Listening practice test 1

 Reading practice test 1 - IELTS Academic

 Reading practice test 1 - IELTS General Training
 Writing practice test 1 - IELTS Academic
 Writing practice test 1 - IELTS General Training

 Speaking practice test 1

Listening practice test 1

The IELTS Listening test will take about 30 minutes, and you will have an extra 10
minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

The four parts of this practice Listening test are presented over four separate web pages. Make sure you
move swiftly from one page to the next so that your practice is as realistic as possible.

Download the question paper and blank answer sheet before you start, and write your answers on the
question paper while you are listening. Use a pencil.

Listen to the instructions for each section of the test carefully. Answer all of the questions.

There are 40 questions altogether. Each question carries one mark.

For each part of the test, there will be time for you to look through the questions and time for you to check
your answers.

When you have completed all four parts of the Listening test you will have ten minutes to copy your
answers on to a separate answer sheet.

We can make special arrangements for candidates with disabilities. If you require a modified version of
the test, for example, in Braille, contact your test centre three months in advance to discuss your
requirements.

Instructions to candidates
In the actual test you will be given the following instructions:

 do not open this question paper until you are told to do so

 write your name and candidate number in the spaces at the top of this page
 listen to the instructions for each part of the paper carefully
 answer all the questions
 while you are listening, write your answers on the question paper
 you will have 10 minutes at the end of the test to copy your answers onto the separate answer sheet; use
a pencil
At the end of the test you will be asked to hand in the question paper.
 Review
Once you have completed the practice test, download the answers and see how well you have done.

Downloads

 Listening practice test 1 - blank answer sheet (PDF, 136 kb)

 Listening practice test 1 - questions (PDF, 145 kb)
 Listening practice test 1 - answers (PDF, 53 kb)
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