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What is IELTS?
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) tests listening, reading, writing and speaking. It comes in two versions:
- IELTS Academic: for university study and professional registration, such as nursing and medicine.
- IELTS General Training: for work, training and many migration purposes.
Listening and Speaking are the same in both. Reading and Writing are different. Not sure which you need? Read Academic vs General Training.
The test at a glance
| Section | Time | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | about 30 minutes | 4 recordings, 40 questions |
| Reading | 60 minutes | 3 sections, 40 questions |
| Writing | 60 minutes | Task 1 (at least 150 words) and Task 2 (at least 250 words) |
| Speaking | 11–14 minutes | A face-to-face conversation with an examiner, in 3 parts |
The total is about 2 hours 45 minutes. Speaking is sometimes on a different day. See the full IELTS test format.
How band scores work
Each section gets a band from 0 to 9, in half bands (for example 6.5). Your overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band.
| Band | Description |
|---|---|
| 9 | Expert |
| 8 | Very good |
| 7 | Good |
| 6 | Competent |
| 5 | Modest |
For Australian visas, Home Affairs requires 6, 7 or 8 in each section for Competent, Proficient and Superior English. IELTS Online (taken at home) isn't accepted for visas. Compare every test in our English tests for Australia table.
Where to focus
Most people find Writing and Speaking hardest to improve on their own, because they're marked by trained examiners against detailed criteria. Start with our IELTS writing guide and IELTS speaking guide.
For listening and reading, practise with official sample tests from ielts.org, and build vocabulary with our lessons on academic collocations and linking words.
Help preparing
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