Welcome to your IELTS practice section.

The tests: The IELTS exam assesses how well you can understand and use the kind of English you need to study in an English-speaking country. There are four tests which all candidates have to take: listening, reading, writing and speaking. The tests are always taken in this order, and the first three tests are always taken in one day, with the speaking test taken on the same day or within a week. Each test focuses on a different skill:

• you will need to understand spoken English in both everyday life and much more formal situations, such as lectures and seminars.  The listening component of IELTS assesses how well you can do this.
• when you study you will not have time to read all the books on your reading lists so you must be able to find important information quickly and accurately from a number of sources.  The reading component of IELTS assesses how well you can do this.
• when you have collected your information and your thoughts you will be asked to present your ideas as a formal essay or report.  The writing component of IELTS assesses how well you can do this.
• you will also need to ask for information, to talk about yourself and to express your ideas in a variety of situations.  The speaking component of IELTS assesses how well you can do this.
• while you are studying, researching or working you will constantly be under great time pressure to find information, think quickly and respond appropriately.  Throughout, IELTS assesses how well you can do all of these.

The IELTS reading test lasts for sixty minutes and assesses how well you can understand the type of texts you will find in the course of your studies.

The texts, which tend to increase in difficulty throughout the paper, vary in length, and so does the number of questions on each passage. The passages are usually from 700 - 1000 words long for the academic module and shorter in the general training module. There is a total of about forty questions. Sometimes these come before the reading passage and sometimes after. Find out more

In IELTS the listening comprehension is designed to assess your ability to understand spoken English and is the same for all candidates. There is a pre-recorded tape which lasts for about thirty minutes. There is a total of about forty questions. There are four sections in the test.  

Each section may contain two or three linked passages of two to three minutes each, or one longer passage of about five minutes. The passages get more difficult as you progress through the tape. Find out more