Jóvenes preparándose para el IELTS repasando el formato del examen

It is very important that you know how IELTS testing works so you can feel confident when taking your IELTS test.

There are two IELTS tests which are graded in the same way: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.

You’ll take the first three parts of the test on the same day, in the following order: listening, reading and writing (there are no breaks between these tests). Your speaking test will be held either on the same day or seven days before or after that, depending on local arrangements.

IELTS test overview

Components Timing Number of questions
Listening About 30 minutes plus 10 extra minutes to transfer your answers to your answer sheet 40 questions
Reading 60 minutes 40 questions
Writing 60 minutes Two questions
Speaking 11-14 minutes Three parts

More details about each component

IELTS Listening

Timing The IELTS Listening test takes approximately 30 minutes, and you are allowed an extra 10 minutes to transfer your answers from your question booklet to your answer sheet.
Task types 40 questions. A variety of question types are used, chosen from the following: multiple choice, matching, plan/map/diagram labelling, form/note/table/flow-chart/summary completion, sentence completion.
Format

You will listen just once to four recordings of native English speakers and then write your answers to a series of questions.

  1. A conversation between two people set in an everyday social context.
  2. A monologue set in an everyday social context, e.g. a speech about local facilities.
  3. A conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment.
  4. A monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture.
Assessed listening skills

The IELTS Listening test is designed to assess a wide range of listening skills, including how well you

  • understand main ideas and specific factual information
  • recognise the opinions, attitudes and purpose of a speaker
  • follow the development of an argument
Marks Each correct answer receives one mark. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.
Answer sheet Download the Listening test answer sheet.

Prepare for IELTS Listening

Access the below IELTS preparation resources which will help you to understand the IELTS listening section and prepare with practice tests.

More information about IELTS Listening

Take our free online IELTS Listening practice tests

IELTS Reading

Timing 60 minutes including the transfer time
Task types 40 questions. The different types of questions can be: multiple choice, identifying information (true/false/does not appear), identifying the author's opinions/statements (yes/no/does not appear), matching information, matching titles, matching features, matching sentence endings, completing sentences, completing summaries, completing notes, completing tables, completing flowcharts, completing diagram labels, short answer questions.
Format It has three parts. The total length of the text is between 2,150 and 2,750 words.
Academic Reading Three long texts which range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. These are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers.  They have been selected for a non-specialist audience but are appropriate for people entering university courses or seeking professional registration. They may contain non-verbal resources such as diagrams, graphs or illustrations. If the text contains technical terminology, a simple glossary will be provided.
General Training Reading The first part contains two or three short factual texts, one of which could be a mixed text (consisting of six to eight short texts related by topic, e.g. hotel advertisements). The topics are relevant to daily life in an English-speaking country. The second part contains two short factual texts focusing on employment-related topics (e.g. sending job applications, company policies, pay and conditions, workplace facilities, staff development and training). The third part contains a longer, more complex text on a topic of general interest. The texts are authentic and come from notices, advertisements, company manuals, official documents, books, magazines and newspapers.
Assessed reading skills

The IELTS Reading test is designed to assess a wide range of reading skills, including how well you

  • read for the general sense of a passage
  • read for the main ideas
  • read for detail
  • understand inferences and implied meaning
  • recognise a writer’s opinions, attitudes and purpose
  • follow the development of an argument
Marks Each correct answer receives one mark. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.
Answer sheet Download the Reading test answer sheet

Prepare for IELTS Reading

Access the below IELTS preparation resources which will help you to understand the IELTS reading section and prepare with practice tests.

More information about IELTS Reading

Take our free online IELTS Reading practice tests

IELTS Writing

Timing 60 minutes
Tasks types Two tasks: Task 1 and Task 2. You will be asked to write at least 150 words for Task 1 and at least 250 words for Task 2
Format It has two parts
Academic writing  In Task 1 you will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram. You will be asked to describe, summarise or explain the information in your own words. This might involve describing and explaining data, describing the stages of a process or how something works, or describing an object or event. In Task 2 you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. You should find the issues interesting and easy to understand for people entering university courses or seeking professional registration. Write in a formal style in the IELTS Academic Writing test.
General training writing In Task 1 you will be presented with a situation and asked to write a letter requesting information or explaining the situation. You can write the letter in a personal, semi-formal or formal style. In Task 2 you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. You can use a fairly personal style. The topics used in the IELTS General Training Writing test are of general interest.
Assessed writing skills

The IELTS Writing test is designed to assess a wide range of writing skills, including how well you

  • write a response appropriately
  • organise ideas
  • use a range of vocabulary and grammar accurately
Assessed writing skills (Academic) In the first task, depending on the type of task, you will be assessed on your ability to organise, present and possibly compare data, to describe the stages of a process or procedure, to describe an object, event or sequence of events or to explain how something works. In the second task, depending on the type of task, you will be assessed on your ability to present a solution to a problem, present and justify an opinion, compare and contrast evidence, opinions and implications, and evaluate and question ideas, evidence or arguments.
Assessed writing skills (General Training) In the first task, depending on the type of task, you will be assessed on your ability to correspond in a personal way in order to: obtain and provide general factual information, express needs, desires, likes and dislikes and express opinions (views, complaints, etc.). The second task will test your ability to provide general factual information, summarise a problem and present a solution, present and possibly justify an opinion, and evaluate and question ideas, evidence or arguments.
Marks

Accredited IELTS examiners will assess your performance on each task according to the IELTS Writing test assessment criteria (performance/response to task, coherence and cohesion, lexical resources, grammatical variety and accuracy). You can find the public version of the assessment criteria here. Your Writing test will be marked by a certificated IELTS examiner. Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1 in the IELTS Writing test. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.

Prepare for IELTS Writing

Access the below IELTS preparation resources which will help you to understand the IELTS writing section and prepare with practice tests.

More information about IELTS Writing

Take our free online IELTS Writing practice tests

IELTS Speaking

Timing 11-14 minutes
Format It has three parts
Part 1 The examiner will introduce him or herself and ask you to introduce yourself and confirm your identity. The examiner will ask you general questions on familiar topics, e.g. home, family, work, studies and interests. This section should help you relax and talk naturally.
Part 2 The examiner will give you a task card which asks you to talk about a particular topic, including points to include in your talk. You will be given one minute to prepare and make notes. You will then be asked to talk for 1-2 minutes on the topic. The examiner will then ask you one or two questions on the same topic.
Part 3 The examiner will ask you further questions which are connected to the topic of Part 2. These questions are designed to give you an opportunity to discuss more abstract issues and ideas.
Assessed speaking skills

The IELTS Speaking test is designed to assess a wide range of skills. The examiner will want to see how well you can

  • communicate opinions and information on everyday topics and common experiences; to do this you will need to answer a range of questions
  • speak at length on a given topic using appropriate language
  • organise your ideas coherently
  • express and justify your opinions
  • analyse, discuss and speculate about issues
Marks You will be assessed on your performance throughout the test by certificated IELTS examiners. You will be marked on the four criteria: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, pronunciation. You can find the public version of the assessment criteria here. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.

Prepare for IELTS Speaking

Access the below IELTS preparation resources which will help you to understand the IELTS listening section and prepare with practice tests.

More information about IELTS Reading

Take our free online IELTS Reading practice tests

Prepare for your IELTS test with the British Council

Once you have familiarised yourself with the IELTS test, explore our free IELTS preparation resources which will help you get the IELTS score you need.
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