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Four-skills English test for university admission (Academic) and work or migration (General Training), scored in bands 0–9
Set by British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Free to start · 37 lessons · 3 mock exams · about 32 h of study
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IELTS is the world’s most widely taken English test for study, work and migration, run jointly by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. IELTS Academic is required by universities and professional regulators; IELTS General Training is used for work, training below degree level and migration. Both versions share the same Listening and Speaking tests; Reading and Writing Task 1 differ.
Each skill is reported on a 0–9 band scale in half bands, and the overall band is their average rounded to the nearest half band. Band 8.5–9 means C2-level command: you follow fast, idiomatic English, read dense argument accurately, write with precision and speak naturally with only rare slips. It clears the requirement of virtually every university, regulator and visa route in the world.
Courselo gets you there by treating every part of the test as a trainable skill: the four Listening parts, all eleven Reading question types, both Writing tasks in both versions, and the three Speaking parts. You drill each one with original exam-style items that reproduce the real traps, get your essays and speaking graded against the four official criteria with concrete upgrades, and track your progress with a diagnostic and full mocks scored with realistic raw-to-band conversion.
Format
2 h 46 min in total · 4 sections · 2 versions
For undergraduate and postgraduate study and professional registration (e.g. medicine, nursing, teaching). Uses the Academic Reading passages and the Academic Writing Task 1 report on visual information. Sections are those listed in the main format.
Four recorded parts, each heard once, with 10 questions per part (40 in total). Parts 1–2 are everyday social situations (Part 1: a conversation between two people, e.g. a booking or enquiry; Part 2: a monologue, e.g. a tour or a talk about local facilities). Parts 3–4 are educational or training contexts (Part 3: a discussion between up to four speakers, e.g. students and a tutor; Part 4: a single-speaker academic lecture). Questions follow the order of the recording and you get time to read them before each part.
Scoring
Band 0–9
Syllabus
6 units · 37 topics · about 32 h of lessons and core practice
≈ 4%1 h
Using preview time to predict answers, hearing paraphrased keywords, and resisting the self-corrections and distractors the recordings are built around.
Your course
Lessons
37
One for every syllabus topic, written and answer-checked by our team
Practice questions
654
Each with a worked explanation, plus 364 flashcards. New ones are generated when you’ve seen them all.
Mock exams
3
1 diagnostic · 2 full-length, timed and scored like the real test
Strategy guides
10
Pacing, section strategy and test-day guides
Questions
Listening and Speaking are identical. Reading and Writing Task 1 differ: Academic Reading uses three long university-level passages, while General Training Reading uses everyday texts, workplace texts and one longer general-interest text. Academic Task 1 is a report on a graph, table, diagram or map; General Training Task 1 is a letter. Task 2 is an essay in both. Universities and most professional regulators require Academic; work, training below degree level and most migration routes (e.g. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK settlement-related routes) accept or require General Training. Check your institution’s exact requirement before booking.
IELTS announced that from mid-2026 the paper-based test is withdrawn and all IELTS tests are delivered on computer at a test centre (exact dates varied by country). In selected markets a Writing on Paper option lets you handwrite the Writing section while taking Listening and Reading on computer. The test content, timing and scoring are unchanged, and paper results already issued remain valid for the usual period. Speaking is always a live interview with an examiner.
Set a target and a test date. You’ll take a diagnostic, see a predicted score with its range, and get a plan for every week until the exam.
Question types
About 30 minutes of recordings. On computer, answers are typed while listening and there are 2 minutes at the end to check them (the official range is 30–34 minutes). The legacy paper test added 10 minutes to transfer answers. Each correct answer = 1 mark; spelling counts.
Three long passages totalling about 2,150–2,750 words, taken from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online sources and written for a non-specialist audience at university level. Passages may be descriptive, narrative or discursive/argumentative, at least one presents a detailed logical argument, and they increase in difficulty. Some include diagrams, graphs or a glossary of technical terms. 40 questions, typically 13, 13 and 14 per passage.
Question types
No extra transfer time: all answers must be recorded within the 60 minutes. Each correct answer = 1 mark; completion answers must be spelled correctly and respect the word limit.
Task 1 (about 20 minutes, at least 150 words): describe, summarise or explain visual information — a line graph, bar chart, pie chart, table, process diagram, map or a combination — in a formal report, selecting and comparing the key features. Task 2 (about 40 minutes, at least 250 words): a formal discursive essay responding to a point of view, argument or problem. Both must be written in full sentences (no notes or bullet points). Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1.
Question types
Assessed on Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2), Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy, equally weighted within each task. On computer an on-screen word counter is shown; the Writing on Paper option (selected markets) is handwritten.
A recorded, face-to-face interview with a certified examiner (video-call Speaking at some centres) in three parts: Part 1 introduction and interview on familiar topics (4–5 min); Part 2 long turn — a task card, 1 minute to prepare with notes, then up to 2 minutes of speaking, sometimes followed by one or two rounding-off questions (3–4 min); Part 3 a two-way discussion of more abstract issues linked to Part 2 (4–5 min). Identical for Academic and General Training.
Question types
Lasts 11–14 minutes. Assessed across the whole test on four equally weighted criteria: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, Pronunciation. Taken on the same day as the other skills or up to 7 days before or after.
Delivery. On computer at an official test centre (paper-based IELTS withdrawn from mid-2026; handwritten Writing on Paper option in selected markets); Speaking is a live interview with a certified examiner
IELTS has four skills taken in this order: Listening (4 parts, 40 questions, each recording played once), Reading (3 passages or sections, 40 questions, 60 minutes), Writing (2 tasks, 60 minutes) and Speaking (3 parts, 11–14 minutes). Listening, Reading and Writing are taken in one sitting with no breaks; Speaking is a separate face-to-face interview on the same day or within 7 days before or after.
Listening and Speaking are identical for Academic and General Training. Reading and Writing Task 1 differ by version (see the General Training variant). Since mid-2026 the test is delivered on computer at test centres, with a Writing on Paper option in selected markets; question types, timings and scoring are unchanged.
Perfect score
Needs near-perfect Listening and Reading (39–40/40) and Band 8.5–9 in Writing and Speaking.
Band 9.0
Top marks — Courselo target
CEFR C2. Exceeds virtually every university, regulator and visa requirement. Reachable with an average of 8.25, e.g. Listening 9, Reading 9, Writing 7.5, Speaking 7.5.
Band 8.5
Maximum points for skilled migration (typical)
Points-based systems use per-skill minimums, e.g. 8.0 in every skill for Australia's "Superior English"; check the current rule for your route.
Band 8.0
Competitive universities, medicine, law and professional registration
Many regulators (nursing, medicine, teaching) also require about 7.0 in every skill.
Band 7.5
Typical postgraduate entry
Band 7.0
Typical undergraduate entry
Often with no skill below 6.0.
Band 6.5
Every skill is reported as a band from 0 to 9 in half bands, and the overall band is the mean of the four skill bands rounded to the nearest half band. A mean ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band; .125 rounds down. So 8.5 + 8.5 + 7.5 + 8.0 = 32.5, mean 8.125 → 8.0; 9 + 9 + 7.5 + 7.5 = 33, mean 8.25 → 8.5.
Listening and Reading have 40 questions worth 1 mark each (a “choose TWO” pair is two marks). The raw score out of 40 is converted to a band with a table that varies slightly between test versions. Typical conversions:
| Band | Listening | Academic Reading | General Training Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 39–40 | 39–40 | 40 |
| 8.5 | 37–38 | 37–38 | 39 |
| 8 | 35–36 | 35–36 | 37–38 |
| 7.5 | 32–34 | 33–34 | 36 |
| 7 | 30–31 | 30–32 | 34–35 |
| 6.5 | 26–29 | 27–29 | 32–33 |
| 6 | 23–25 | 23–26 | 30–31 |
| 5.5 | 18–22 | 19–22 | 27–29 |
| 5 | 16–17 | 15–18 | 23–26 |
General Training Reading needs more correct answers per band because its texts are less demanding.
Writing is marked by a certified examiner on four equally weighted criteria per task (Task Achievement or Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy). Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1, so the Writing band ≈ (Task 1 + 2 × Task 2) ÷ 3, rounded to a half band.
Speaking is rated across the whole interview on four equally weighted criteria (Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, Pronunciation); the Speaking band is their mean.
In Courselo mocks Listening and Reading use the conversion tables above; Writing and Speaking are graded by the AI examiner against paraphrased band descriptors, with Task 1 = 1 mark and Task 2 = 2 marks, and the three Speaking parts weighted equally.
| Band | From |
|---|---|
| Band 9 — Expert userComplete command of English: accurate, appropriate and fluent, with full understanding in every context. CEFR C2. | 9+ |
| Band 8 — Very good userFull command with only occasional unsystematic errors; handles complex, detailed argument well, with rare misunderstandings in unfamiliar situations. 8.5 ≈ C2, 8.0 ≈ C1. | 8+ |
| Band 7 — Good userOperational command with occasional inaccuracies and misunderstandings in some situations; generally handles complex language and detailed reasoning well. CEFR C1. | 7+ |
| Band 6 — Competent userGenerally effective command despite some inaccuracies and misunderstandings; can use fairly complex language, especially in familiar situations. CEFR B2 (5.5–6.5). | 6+ |
| Band 5 — Modest userPartial command; copes with overall meaning in most situations but makes many mistakes; handles basic communication in their own field. CEFR B1 (4.0–5.0). | 5+ |
| Band 4 — Limited userBasic competence limited to familiar situations; frequent problems with understanding and expression; cannot use complex language. | 4+ |
≈ 5%1 h
The gap-fill tasks that dominate Part 1 and recur in every part: exact spelling, numbers, dates, addresses and strict word limits.
≈ 4.5%1 h
Single-answer, choose-TWO and matching tasks, where most options are mentioned but only one survives careful listening.
≈ 3%45 min
Following spoken directions and spatial language to label maps, floor plans and diagrams, most often in Part 2.
≈ 3.5%1 h
Two to four speakers in an education or training setting (students and a tutor) exchanging, challenging and changing their ideas.
≈ 4%1 h
The single-speaker academic monologue: ten questions with no pause in the middle, usually a set of notes to complete.
About 5 h 45 min of study, lessons and core practice
≈ 2.5%50 min
The reading-speed, locating and time-management skills underneath every Reading question type in both versions of the test.
≈ 2.5%1 h
IELTS Academic only
Handling the three long Academic passages, including one with a detailed logical argument, technical vocabulary and figures.
≈ 1.5%45 min
IELTS General Training only
Short functional texts — notices, adverts, timetables and leaflets (Section 1) and job descriptions, contracts, policies and training materials (Section 2).
≈ 1%45 min
IELTS General Training only
The longest and most complex General Training text, on a topic of general interest and close in style to an Academic passage.
About 3 h 20 min of study, lessons and core practice
≈ 2.5%1 h
Deciding whether statements agree with, contradict or are simply absent from the factual information in the text.
≈ 1.5%45 min
Judging whether statements match the writer’s own opinions or claims, typically in argumentative passages.
≈ 2%50 min
Choosing the heading that captures the main idea of each paragraph or section from a longer list.
≈ 2.5%55 min
Finding which paragraph contains specific information, and matching statements or findings to people, dates, theories or places.
≈ 1%35 min
Completing sentence beginnings with the ending that fits the text both grammatically and in meaning.
≈ 1.5%45 min
Single-answer and multiple-answer questions testing detail, main idea and the writer’s purpose.
≈ 1.5%45 min
Completing sentences and answering questions with words taken from the text, within a strict word limit.
≈ 2%50 min
Completing a paraphrased summary of part of the text, either with words from the passage or from a box of options.
≈ 1.5%45 min
Transferring details from the text into structured notes, tables, process flow-charts and labelled diagrams.
About 7 h 10 min of study, lessons and core practice
≈ 2%1 h
IELTS Academic only
The report structure that satisfies Task Achievement at Band 7+: a paraphrased introduction, a clear overview, and grouped, data-supported key features.
≈ 1.5%55 min
IELTS Academic only
Describing, comparing and quantifying trends in line graphs, time-series bar charts and tables.
≈ 1.5%55 min
IELTS Academic only
Reporting single-time-point data: proportions, rankings, similarities and differences in pie charts, bar charts, tables and mixed visuals.
≈ 1%55 min
IELTS Academic only
Describing natural cycles and manufacturing processes in sequence, and comparing maps or plans that show change.
≈ 2.5%50 min
IELTS General Training only
What Task Achievement means for a letter: a clear purpose, all three bullet points fully developed, and a consistent tone that suits the reader.
≈ 2%45 min
IELTS General Training only
Complaints, requests, applications and letters to companies or officials, written in a polite, precise formal register.
≈ 1.5%45 min
IELTS General Training only
Letters to colleagues, neighbours, landlords and friends, where choosing and sustaining the right warmth and register is part of the score.
About 6 h 5 min of study, lessons and core practice
≈ 4%1 h
Decoding opinion, discussion, advantages/disadvantages, problem–solution and two-part questions, and answering every part with a clear position.
≈ 4%1 h
Generating strong ideas quickly and extending them with explanation, examples and consequences into well-built body paragraphs.
≈ 3%50 min
Logical progression, paragraphing and precise referencing and linking — the features that separate Band 6 from Band 8.
≈ 3%55 min
Vocabulary range, precision, collocation, word formation and spelling for Band 7–9 reports, letters and essays.
≈ 3%55 min
Using a wide range of complex structures with a high proportion of error-free sentences and accurate punctuation.
About 4 h 40 min of study, lessons and core practice
≈ 3.5%45 min
Answering questions on familiar topics (home, work, studies, interests, daily life) naturally, with extended but focused answers.
≈ 4.5%55 min
Using one minute of preparation to speak fluently for the full two minutes on a task card, then answering a rounding-off question.
≈ 4.5%1 h
Discussing abstract issues linked to Part 2: giving and justifying opinions, speculating, comparing and evaluating.
≈ 4%50 min
Speaking at length without noticeable effort, developing ideas coherently with a flexible range of discourse markers.
≈ 4%55 min
Using idiomatic, precise vocabulary and a range of complex structures accurately in spontaneous speech.
≈ 3%45 min
Intelligibility, word and sentence stress, intonation, chunking and connected speech — the features examiners assess.
About 5 h 10 min of study, lessons and core practice
Free to start
Every lesson and guide is free, with 40 practice questions a day and the diagnostic. Pro removes the limits.
Compare plansTake the mean of your four skill bands and round to the nearest half band, with .25 rounding up to the next half band and .75 rounding up to the next whole band. For example, 9 + 9 + 7.5 + 7.5 = 33 → 8.25 → 8.5, but 8.5 + 8.5 + 7.5 + 7.5 = 32 → 8.0 → 8.0.
Typically 35/40 for Band 8 and 39/40 for Band 9 in Listening and Academic Reading, and 37/40 for Band 8 and 40/40 for Band 9 in General Training Reading. Exact cut-offs vary slightly between test versions, so aim for 38+ in practice.
Yes. Task 2 contributes twice as much to your Writing band as Task 1. Spend about 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2, and never sacrifice Task 2 time to polish Task 1. Writing fewer than 150 or 250 words is penalised, so plan for about 170 and 270 words.
If you took a full IELTS on computer test at a centre that offers it, you can retake one skill (Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking) within 60 days of the original test, once per original test, in the same delivery mode. You receive a new Test Report Form with the new skill score and your other three original scores, and you can choose which report to use. Availability varies by country and by organisation that accepts it, so check first.
Yes. British and American spellings are both accepted in Listening, Reading and Writing, but be consistent within a Writing response. In Listening and Reading, a misspelled answer is marked wrong.
Speaking is a separate face-to-face interview (or a video-call with an examiner at some centres), usually on the same day as the other skills or within 7 days before or after, depending on the centre. It lasts 11–14 minutes and is recorded.
Computer-delivered results are usually available within 1–5 days. IELTS recommends that results be accepted for 2 years, and most universities and immigration authorities apply that limit, though each organisation sets its own policy.
| Band 3 — Extremely limited userConveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations; communication often breaks down. |
|---|
| 3+ |
| Band 2 — Intermittent userGreat difficulty understanding spoken and written English beyond isolated words and short formulae. | 2+ |
|---|
| Band 1 — Non-userNo ability to use the language beyond a few isolated words. | 1+ |
|---|
| Band 0 — Did not attemptNo assessable information provided. | 0+ |
|---|