How IELTS works

Two versions, one test of four skills

IELTS (the International English Language Testing System) is owned jointly by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. It comes in two versions, IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training, and both test the same four skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking (IELTS.org, IELTS Academic test; IELTS General Training test).

The two versions are not two different tests from start to finish. Listening and Speaking are the same in both. Reading and Writing differ (IELTS.org, IELTS Academic test; Cambridge English, IELTS test format). That is why this course teaches Listening and Speaking once for everyone, and teaches Reading and Writing first in the skills both versions share and then version by version. Every unit title says which version it serves.

Which version do you need? The organisation you are applying to decides. The 2026 IELTS Guide for Test Takers lists Academic for study at undergraduate or postgraduate level and for registration with a professional body, both versions for training or study below degree level, and both for migration to an English-speaking country. Its own advice is to check directly with the institution or organisation which test it requires. Do that before you book: nothing in this course can tell you which version a particular organisation accepts.

The four sections at a glance

Section	Academic	General Training	Time
Listening	4 recordings, 40 questions	the same test	about 30 minutes
Reading	3 long texts, 40 questions	3 sections of shorter and longer texts, 40 questions	60 minutes
Writing	Task 1: describe a graph, table, chart or diagram; Task 2: essay	Task 1: a letter; Task 2: essay	60 minutes
Speaking	3 parts with an examiner	the same test	11–14 minutes

The whole test takes 2 hours 45 minutes. You take Listening, Reading and Writing on the same day with no breaks between them. Your Speaking test may be on the same day or up to a week before or after the other three (IELTS Guide for Test Takers, 2026).

Listening (both versions)

There are four parts with ten questions each, 40 in all, and you hear each recording once only. The questions follow the order of the information in the recording (IELTS.org, Academic test format: Listening).

Part	Situation	Speakers
1	everyday social situation (for example, travel arrangements)	a conversation between two people
2	everyday social situation (for example, a talk about local facilities)	one main speaker
3	education or training (for example, students and a tutor)	a conversation between two main speakers
4	an academic subject (for example, a lecture)	one speaker

The 2026 IELTS Guide for Test Takers describes Part 3 as a conversation between up to four people, while the format page says two main speakers; either way, expect a discussion in an educational setting. You will hear a range of accents, including British, Australian, New Zealand and North American.

On computer, you type your answers as you listen. There is time to read the questions before each part and to review after each part, and 2 minutes at the end to check your answers; there is no separate transfer time (IDP IELTS, IELTS on computer). The six question types are multiple choice; matching; plan, map or diagram labelling; form, note, table or flow-chart completion; sentence completion; and short-answer questions. The Listening unit teaches all of them.

Reading (different for each version)

Both Reading tests have 40 questions in 60 minutes, one mark each, and no extra time to transfer answers.

• Academic Reading: three sections with 2,150–2,750 words of text in all. The texts come from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online sources; they are written for a non-specialist reader but are of the kind an undergraduate or postgraduate student meets. At least one contains detailed logical argument, and technical terms come with a short glossary (IELTS.org, Academic test format: Reading).
• General Training Reading: three sections of increasing difficulty with 2,150–2,375 words in all. Section 1 has short everyday texts such as notices, advertisements and timetables; Section 2 has two texts on work topics such as job descriptions, contracts and training materials; Section 3 has one longer text on a topic of general interest (IELTS.org, General Training test format: Reading). Cambridge English's FAQ gives 14 questions in Section 1 and 13 each in Sections 2 and 3 (IELTS FAQs: General Training).

Academic uses eleven question types; General Training uses eight of them. Only Academic has Yes/No/Not Given (on the writer's views) and matching sentence endings.

Writing (different Task 1, same kind of Task 2)

Writing has two tasks in 60 minutes, and you must complete both (IELTS.org, Academic test format: Writing; General Training test format: Writing).

Task	Academic	General Training	Length and time
Task 1	describe visual information (graphs, charts, tables, or a diagram of an object, process or event) in your own words	write a letter responding to a situation, covering three bullet points	at least 150 words, about 20 minutes
Task 2	an essay responding to a point of view, argument or problem	the same kind of essay	at least 250 words, about 40 minutes

Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1 in your Writing band, so protect your 40 minutes for it. Write in full, connected sentences: notes and bullet points are penalised.

Speaking (both versions)

Speaking is a recorded interview with an IELTS examiner, face to face or by video call, lasting 11–14 minutes (IELTS Guide for Test Takers, 2026; IELTS.org, Academic test format: Speaking).

1. Part 1 (4–5 minutes): the examiner introduces themselves, checks your identity and asks questions about familiar topics such as home, family, work, studies and interests.
2. Part 2 (3–4 minutes): you receive a task card, have 1 minute to prepare (with pencil and paper for notes) and then speak for up to 2 minutes (the format pages say 2 minutes: aim to use all of it). The examiner stops you when the time is up and may ask one or two follow-up questions.
3. Part 3 (4–5 minutes): a discussion of more general and abstract questions linked to the Part 2 topic.

How the test is delivered in 2026

The IELTS partners announced on 5 March 2026 that from mid-2026 IELTS would no longer be offered as a paper-based test: all IELTS tests are delivered on computer, with the timeline varying by market (IELTS.org, Updates to IELTS test delivery). In practice you have these options:

• IELTS on computer at a test centre. Listening, Reading and Writing on a computer at your own desk; Speaking with an examiner. Results usually arrive within a few days: IELTS.org's results page says usually within 1–2 days, and the 2026 guide says 1–5 days (IELTS.org, Fast IELTS results; IELTS Guide for Test Takers, 2026).
• IELTS on computer (Writing on Paper), in selected countries from mid-2026. Listening and Reading are on computer; the Writing tasks appear on screen, but you write your answers by hand, with a pen, on an answer sheet. The task types, timing and scoring are the same, and your results form does not show which way you wrote. It is not available for IELTS for UKVI (IELTS.org, IELTS on computer (Writing on Paper)).
• IELTS Online, taken at home with Speaking by video call. It is available for the Academic test only, with the same format and duration as at a test centre; the Speaking test is usually first, and results take 6–8 days. IELTS.org advises checking with your chosen institution before booking (IELTS.org, IELTS Online).

You may still read older official pages that mention paper-test details, such as 10 minutes at the end of Listening to transfer answers to an answer sheet. That applied to the paper test only.

The One Skill Retake

If one skill did not go as well as you hoped, IELTS One Skill Retake lets you retake just that skill (IELTS.org, IELTS One Skill Retake). The conditions:

• your full test was IELTS on computer at a centre that offers the retake (it is not currently available for IELTS Online);
• you book and take it within 60 days of the original test;
• you may retake one skill, once, per full test;
• it has the same format, timing and marking as that skill in the full test, and must be taken in the same delivery mode, so a Writing on Paper candidate retakes Writing on paper (IELTS.org, Updates to IELTS test delivery);
• results come in 3–5 days on a new Test Report Form showing the retaken score with your other three original scores, and you may use either form.

Organisations decide for themselves whether to accept a One Skill Retake result, so check before you book (IELTS.org, IELTS One Skill Retake for organisations).

Worked example: planning a study route

Amaka needs IELTS General Training and has eight weeks. Here is how she can use this course:

1. Week 1: this unit and the next lesson on scores, then one free official General Training sample task in each skill (IELTS.org, General Training sample test questions), to feel the real format.
2. Weeks 2–3: Listening (all three lessons) and the shared Reading skills, practising each question type.
3. Weeks 4–5: General Training Reading, the Task 1 letter and Task 2 essays, writing one timed task every few days and checking it against the rubric and model.
4. Week 6: Speaking Parts 1–3 and the language unit, recording herself in the browser.
5. Week 7: the General Training practice test in one sitting, then reviewing every wrong answer by question type.
6. Week 8: the weak areas the practice test showed, plus more official practice.

An Academic candidate swaps in Academic Reading and Academic Writing Task 1 and the Academic practice test.

Common traps

• Booking the wrong version. Confirm Academic or General Training with each organisation first.
• Treating Task 1 as the bigger task. It is shorter and counts half as much as Task 2.
• Expecting a second hearing. Every Listening recording is played once.
• Assuming paper is available. From mid-2026 the test is on computer; Writing on Paper exists only in selected countries.
• Assuming every organisation accepts every option. IELTS Online and One Skill Retake results are accepted at each organisation's discretion.

Check yourself

• Which two sections are identical in Academic and General Training?
• How many questions are in Listening and in Reading, and how long is each section?
• What are the minimum lengths and suggested times for Writing Task 1 and Task 2, and which counts more?
• What happens in each of the three parts of the Speaking test, and how long do you prepare in Part 2?
• What are the conditions of the One Skill Retake?