Lumenary Prep

IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training

IELTS

Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking for both IELTS versions, with original recordings, texts and tasks.

AI-drafted · awaiting expert reviewIELTS Academic and IELTS General Training as delivered from mid-2026, when the IELTS partners stopped offering the paper-based test: on computer at a test centre (with a Writing on Paper option in selected countries) and IELTS Online (Academic only). Test format as described on IELTS.org's Academic and General Training format pages and in the IELTS Guide for Test Takers (2026). Facts verified on the IELTS partners' sites (ielts.org, idp.com, cambridgeenglish.org) on 9 November 2026.

A complete, original course for both versions of IELTS: Academic and General Training. Lessons follow the IELTS partners' own description of the test skill by skill. Listening and Speaking, which both versions share, come first for everyone; Reading and Writing are taught in their shared skills and then version by version, with each unit marked for the version it serves: Academic Reading and Academic Writing Task 1 (graphs, tables, processes and maps), General Training Reading and the General Training Task 1 letter, and the Task 2 essay both versions write. Each lesson teaches the task with worked examples, common traps and a checklist, and is followed by practice questions with full explanations: original listening scripts read aloud by your browser, original reading texts, writing tasks with a rubric and a model answer, and timed speaking tasks you can record in your browser and compare with a model response. Two full practice tests, one Academic and one General Training, follow the real structure and timing. Use it alongside the free official practice from the IELTS partners.

About the exam

Syllabus

22 lessons, 224 practice questions and 2 timed practice exams.

Getting Started

  1. How IELTS works (Academic and General Training)

    Both versions: the four skills, which parts are shared and which differ, timing, delivery on computer (with Writing on Paper in some countries) and IELTS Online, the One Skill Retake, the 0–9 band scale and the overall band, and what the four Writing and Speaking criteria assess.

    1. How IELTS worksFree sample30 min
    2. Band scores and how Writing and Speaking are assessed(included with the course)30 min

Listening

  1. Listening (Academic and General Training)

    Both versions take the same Listening test: four recordings heard once, 40 questions. Everyday conversations and talks (Parts 1 and 2), then discussions and a lecture in education and training (Parts 3 and 4), with every question type, word limits, spelling and the distractors the recordings use.

    1. Listening Part 1: everyday conversations and completion tasks(included with the course)35 min
    2. Listening Part 2: talks, maps and plans, matching and multiple choice(included with the course)35 min
    3. Listening Parts 3 and 4: discussions and lectures(included with the course)40 min

Reading

  1. Reading skills (Academic and General Training)

    Both versions: how the 60 minutes work, skimming and scanning, and the question types the two Reading tests share: True/False/Not Given (and the Academic Yes/No/Not Given), the matching tasks, and completion and short-answer questions with their word limits.

    1. Reading: how the test works, timing, skimming and scanning(included with the course)30 min
    2. True, False or Not Given (and Yes, No or Not Given)Free sample35 min
    3. Matching tasks: headings, information, features and sentence endings(included with the course)35 min
    4. Completion tasks and short-answer questions(included with the course)35 min

  2. Academic Reading (IELTS Academic only)

    IELTS Academic only: three long texts of general academic interest, at least one with detailed argument, and the question types only Academic uses (writer's views and claims, matching sentence endings), with a timing plan.

    1. Academic Reading: long texts, arguments and the writer's views(included with the course)40 min

  3. General Training Reading (IELTS General Training only)

    IELTS General Training only: short everyday texts (Section 1), workplace texts (Section 2) and one longer general-interest text (Section 3), and how to move through them in 60 minutes.

    1. General Training Reading: everyday, workplace and longer texts(included with the course)40 min

Writing

  1. Academic Writing Task 1 (IELTS Academic only)

    IELTS Academic only: describing graphs, charts and tables, and processes, diagrams and maps, in at least 150 words: selecting key features, writing an overview, comparing accurately and never speculating beyond the data.

    1. Academic Writing Task 1: graphs, charts and tables(included with the course)45 min
    2. Academic Writing Task 1: processes, diagrams and maps(included with the course)40 min

  2. General Training Writing Task 1: letters (IELTS General Training only)

    IELTS General Training only: the Task 1 letter of at least 150 words: a clear purpose, all three bullet points covered and developed, and a consistent personal, semi-formal or formal tone.

    1. General Training Writing Task 1: the letter(included with the course)45 min

  3. Writing Task 2 essays (Academic and General Training)

    Both versions: the Task 2 essay of at least 250 words, which counts twice as much as Task 1: reading the question exactly, taking and holding a position, planning, paragraphing, developing ideas with support, and checking.

    1. Writing Task 2: reading the question and planning(included with the course)40 min
    2. Writing Task 2: introductions, body paragraphs and conclusions(included with the course)45 min

Speaking

  1. Speaking (Academic and General Training)

    Both versions take the same Speaking test, a recorded interview with an examiner of 11–14 minutes: Part 1 on familiar topics, the Part 2 long turn after one minute's preparation, and the more abstract Part 3 discussion.

    1. Speaking Part 1: the interview on familiar topics(included with the course)35 min
    2. Speaking Part 2: the long turn(included with the course)40 min
    3. Speaking Part 3: the discussion(included with the course)35 min

Language the Criteria Reward

  1. Grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation (both versions)

    Both versions: the language behind the Writing and Speaking criteria: a range of accurate sentence structures and punctuation, precise and varied vocabulary with paraphrase and collocation, and clear, connected pronunciation.

    1. Grammatical range and accuracy(included with the course)40 min
    2. Lexical resource: vocabulary, collocation and paraphrase(included with the course)40 min
    3. Pronunciation for the Speaking test(included with the course)35 min

Practice exams

  • IELTS Academic practice test 193 questions · 168 minutesIncluded with the course
  • IELTS General Training practice test 193 questions · 168 minutesIncluded with the course

Free official resources

Use these alongside the course. They are free, and they are the final word.

Lumenary Prep is not affiliated with or endorsed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia or Cambridge University Press & Assessment, which own IELTS. Every task in this course is original; for official practice, use the IELTS partners' own materials, linked from this page. Every source this course cites.