Academic or General Training?
IELTS Academic is generally used for university study and professional registration. IELTS General Training is commonly used for migration, work and study below degree level. Before booking, check the exact test and scores required by the organisation receiving your result.
The two tests share Listening and Speaking. Reading and Writing differ: Academic Reading uses longer texts suitable for a non-specialist academic audience; General Training Reading includes everyday and workplace material. In Writing Task 1, Academic candidates describe visual information, while General Training candidates write a letter.
Official formats: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.
The test at a glance
IELTS lists a total test time of approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes. The four sections have different time limits and response formats.
| Section | Time | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | About 30 minutes | Answer 40 questions across four recordings. |
| Reading | 60 minutes | Answer 40 questions across three sections. |
| Writing | 60 minutes | Complete two written tasks. |
| Speaking | 11–14 minutes | Take part in a three-part interview with an examiner. |
See the official format overview. Follow the instructions for your booked delivery mode, including answer-checking time.
Listening
You hear each recording once. The first two parts use everyday situations, such as a conversation about arrangements or a talk about local facilities. The final two move into education and training, with a discussion followed by a talk on an academic subject.
Questions include multiple choice, matching, map or diagram labelling, and completion of forms, notes or sentences. The answers follow the order of the recording. In completion tasks, the word limit is part of the question: an answer that exceeds it loses the mark. Check spelling as well as meaning.
During practice, listen for the speaker’s final decision. A date, price or location mentioned early in a conversation may be corrected later.
Reading
Academic Reading contains three sections with texts drawn from sources such as books, magazines and journals. General Training begins with shorter everyday texts, moves to workplace material, and finishes with a longer text on a general topic. Both tests have 40 questions and a 60-minute limit, including time to enter or transfer your answers.
The questions test different reading operations. Matching headings asks for a paragraph’s main idea; matching information asks where a specific detail appears. For True, False, Not Given, a statement is false when the passage contradicts it. If the passage does not establish whether it is true or false, choose Not Given. Use the text as evidence rather than your knowledge of the subject.
Official Academic Reading and General Training formats · Reading preparation guide
Writing
You must complete both tasks within 60 minutes. Task 1 requires at least 150 words and Task 2 at least 250. The recommended split is about 20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 for Task 2, which contributes twice as much to the Writing score.
Task 1
In Academic, you describe a graph, chart, table or diagram. Select the main features, give an overview and support it with relevant details. In General Training, you write a letter responding to a situation and three bullet points. Its tone depends on the recipient and purpose.
Task 2
You write an essay responding to a point of view, argument or problem. Read the instruction carefully: discussing two views is a different job from deciding whether advantages outweigh disadvantages. Develop the points needed to answer that particular question.
Examiners assess task achievement or response, organisation and cohesion, vocabulary, and grammatical range and accuracy. A long answer does not compensate for missing part of the task.
Official Academic Writing and General Training Writing · Academic Task 1 guide · Task 2 guide
Speaking
Speaking is an interview with an examiner. The format is the same for Academic and General Training.
- Part 1: questions about familiar subjects such as your home, work, studies and interests.
- Part 2: a topic card and one minute to prepare, followed by a talk lasting up to two minutes. The examiner may ask a short follow-up question.
- Part 3: a broader discussion related to the Part 2 topic, often involving explanations, comparisons or opinions.
Your performance is assessed across fluency and coherence, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation, with equal weight given to each. Pronunciation concerns how readily a listener can understand you. Practise giving a direct answer and developing it with a reason or example that fits the question.
Official Speaking format and criteria · Speaking preparation guide
How band scores work
Your result includes a score for each skill and an overall band. IELTS uses a 0–9 scale and reports whole and half bands. The overall band is the average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band; .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
A worked example
Listening 7.5, Reading 7.0, Writing 6.0 and Speaking 6.5 total 27. Divide by four to get 6.75, which gives an overall band of 7.0. The Writing result remains 6.0; the overall average does not change an individual section score.
Listening and Reading start with a mark out of 40. The conversion to a band can vary slightly between test versions, and Academic and General Training Reading use different conversions. For Writing and Speaking, examiners apply assessment criteria. Check both the overall requirement and any minimum skill scores set by your receiving organisation.
How you take the test
IELTS announced a move away from the fully paper-based test from mid-2026, with dates varying by market. On computer, you read the questions and enter your Listening, Reading and Writing answers on screen. Speaking remains an interview with an examiner.
In selected markets, Writing on Paper lets you handwrite the Writing section while taking Listening and Reading on computer. It does not change the Writing tasks, time limit or assessment criteria. Confirm the options available at your test centre before booking, then practise using that response format.