Listening Tests

The Listening test is 30 minutes long (plus 10 minutes transfer time) and covers four separate recordings.
The Listening test is the same for both Academic and General Training tests. There are four sections:
Section 1is a conversation between two people set in an everyday context (e.g. a conversation in an
accommodation agency).

Section 2is a monologue set in an everyday social context (e.g. a speech about local families).

Section 3is a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context (e.g. a
university tutor and student discussing an assignment).

Section 4is a monologue on an academic subject (e.g. a university lecture).

 Reading Tests
The Academic Reading test is 60 minutes long.

There are 3 sections. The total text length is 2,150-2,750 words.

Each section contains one long text.

Texts are authentic and 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.
Texts are appropriate, and accessible, to test-takers entering undergraduate or postgraduate
courses, or seeking professional registration.
Texts range from descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical.
Texts may contain non-verbal materials, such as diagrams, graphs or illustrations.
If texts contain technical terms, a simple glossary is provided.
Question types
A variety of questions is used, chosen from the following types: multiple choice, identifying
information, identifying writers views/claims, matching information, matching headings, matching
features, matching sentence endings, sentence completion, summary completion, note
completion, table completion, flow-chart completion, diagram label completion, short-answer
questions.
 Writing tests
The Academic Writing test is 60 minutes long.

There are two tasks. Candidates are required to write at least 150 words for Task 1
and at least 250 words for Task 2. Both responses should be written in a formal
style.
IELTS Academic Task 1
You will be asked to describe some visual information (graph/table/chart/diagram),
and to present the description in your own words. You may be asked to describe
and explain data, describe the stages of a process, how something works, or write
about an object or event. You need to write 150 words in about 20 minutes.
IELTS Academic Task 2
You will be presented with a point of view, argument or problem. You need to write
250 words in about 40 minutes.
 Speaking Tests
In the Speaking test, you have a discussion with a certified Examiner. It is interactive
and as close to a real-life situation as a test can get.

The test is 11 to 14 minutes long with three parts.

In Part 1, you answer questions about yourself, your family, your work and your
interests.
In Part 2, you speak about a topic. You will be given a task card which asks you to
speak about a particular topic and includes points that you can cover in your talk. You
will be given 1 minute to prepare your talk. You will then speak for 1-2 minutes.
In Part 3, you have a longer discussion on the topic. The examiner will ask you further
questions connected to the topic in Part 2.

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