IELTS Compass
Preparing your study plan
IELTS Compass
Preparing your study plan
IELTS Guide
Before you prepare, know exactly what you're walking into. Here's the full IELTS exam format — every section, its timing, the question types you'll face, and how the whole thing is scored.
IELTS has four sections taken in a fixed order: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The first three are written papers completed in one sitting; Speaking is a face-to-face interview that can happen on the same day or up to 7 days before or after. Every section is scored from 0 to 9, and your overall band is the average of the four.
| Section | Time | Questions | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | 30 min (+10 min transfer on paper) | 40 | 4 parts — from a two-person conversation to an academic lecture |
| Reading | 60 min | 40 | 3 passages (Academic) or 3 sections (General Training) |
| Writing | 60 min | 2 tasks | Task 1 (150 words) + Task 2 (250 words) |
| Speaking | 11–14 min | 3 parts | Interview, long turn, and a discussion |
The whole test takes about 2 hours 45 minutes. There are two versions — Academic and General Training — which share the Listening and Speaking papers but differ in Reading and Writing Task 1.
Listening is the same for Academic and General Training. You hear four parts played once, in order of increasing difficulty, and answer 40 questions as you listen.
| Part | Type | Speakers | Typical content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Everyday conversation | 2 speakers | Booking, enquiries, forms — names, numbers, dates |
| Part 2 | Monologue on an everyday topic | 1 speaker | Maps, plans, facilities, events |
| Part 3 | Academic discussion | 2–4 speakers | Students and a tutor discussing coursework |
| Part 4 | Academic lecture | 1 speaker | A university-style talk on a single topic |
On paper you get 30 minutes of audio plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. On computer you get 30 minutes of audio plus 2 minutes to check your on-screen answers — there is no transfer step because you type as you go.
Multiple choice, matching, plan/map/diagram labelling, form/note/table/flow-chart completion, sentence completion and short-answer questions. Spelling counts — a wrong letter is a wrong answer. For section-by-section strategy, see our IELTS Listening tips.
Reading has three passages (Academic) or three sections (General Training) and 40 questions. You write answers directly on the answer sheet as you go — there is no extra transfer time.
Passages are drawn from journals, books and magazines on academic topics, from descriptive to analytical and discursive. They get progressively harder, and at least one contains a detailed logical argument.
Section 1 is short everyday texts (notices, ads, timetables), Section 2 is workplace texts (job descriptions, contracts, training material), and Section 3 is one longer text on a general topic. The passages are easier than Academic, so the raw-score conversion is different — you need more correct answers for the same band.
| Question type | What you do |
|---|---|
| Multiple choice | Choose the correct option from A–D |
| True / False / Not Given | Judge statements against the passage (Academic) or text (GT) |
| Matching headings | Match paragraph headings to paragraphs |
| Matching features | Match statements to people, places or dates |
| Sentence / summary completion | Fill gaps with words from the passage |
| Short-answer questions | Answer in a limited number of words |
The trickiest type for most learners is True / False / Not Given — our guide breaks down the logic.
Writing has two tasks in 60 minutes. Task 2 is worth two-thirds of your Writing score, so it deserves the larger share of your time.
Academic: describe visual information — a chart, table, graph or diagram. You are not asked for your opinion, just a clear summary of the data.
General Training: write a letter (formal, semi-formal or informal) responding to a situation.
Write an essay responding to a point of view, argument or problem. The question types are the same in both versions. Both tasks are marked on Task Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range & Accuracy. Ready-made structures live in our Writing Task 2 templates.
Speaking is a face-to-face interview with a certified examiner, recorded for quality assurance. It is identical in Academic and General Training.
For topic banks and high-scoring answers, see our IELTS Speaking topics for 2026.
Each section is scored 0–9 in half-band increments. Listening and Reading are marked out of 40 and converted to a band; Writing and Speaking are marked by examiners against band descriptors. Your overall band is the mean of the four, rounded to the nearest half band — a mean of 6.75 rounds up to 7.0. Use the band score calculator to see your overall from any four scores, or read the full band score guide.
The content, question types and scoring are identical. The real differences are practical: on computer you type your Writing answers, Listening gives 2 minutes to check instead of 10 to transfer, and you can't scribble on the question paper. Choose whichever matches how you work best — and practise in that mode. The 30-day study plan works for both.
Total test time
Written papers: 2 hours 30 minutes. Speaking: 11–14 minutes. Total: about 2 hours 45 minutes — plus check-in time at the test centre, so plan to arrive early.
About 2 hours 45 minutes in total. The written papers run 2 hours 30 minutes (Listening 30, Reading 60, Writing 60), and the Speaking test adds 11–14 minutes. On paper, Listening includes an extra 10 minutes to transfer answers, which is why the full session feels longer.
Yes. IELTS on computer has the same content, question types and scoring as the paper test. The main differences are practical: you type your Writing answers, and Listening gives you only 2 minutes to check answers instead of 10 to transfer them. Check availability at your test centre.
The two versions share the same Listening and Speaking papers, but Reading and Writing Task 1 differ. Academic uses academic passages and asks you to describe visual information; General Training uses everyday texts and asks you to write a letter. Academic is for university study, General Training for immigration and work.
No. Only the paper-based Listening test gives you 10 minutes to transfer answers. In Reading and Writing you write your answers directly on the answer sheet during the 60 minutes — there is no extra transfer time.
The Speaking test can be on the same day as the written papers or up to 7 days before or after — the test centre decides. It is a face-to-face interview with an examiner, recorded for quality assurance.
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