Author: Aziza Rakhmonova
IELTS Test Format: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking
A clear guide to the four sections of IELTS Academic, including timing, task types and assessment criteria.
IELTS assesses English in four areas: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Knowing the format does not improve your language by itself, but it reduces the risk of misunderstanding a task or using time poorly.
Listening and Speaking are the same in Academic and General Training, while Reading and Writing differ. The details below focus on IELTS Academic.
Listening: four parts and 40 questions
The official Listening format lasts about 30 minutes and contains four parts with 40 questions in total. The recording is played once. Answer entry differs between paper and computer delivery, so practise in the format you plan to take.
Reading: three texts in 60 minutes
Academic Reading contains three texts and 40 questions. There is no separate transfer time, so you need to practise question types and time management together.
Writing: two tasks, with more weight on Task 2
Academic Writing lasts 60 minutes. Task 1 requires at least 150 words describing a graph, table, diagram or process. Task 2 requires an essay of at least 250 words and contributes twice as much to the Writing score.
- Task achievement or task response
- Coherence and cohesion
- Lexical resource
- Grammatical range and accuracy
Speaking: three parts in 11–14 minutes
Speaking is a recorded interview with a certified examiner. Part 1 covers familiar topics, Part 2 gives one minute to prepare a longer response, and Part 3 develops the topic through a deeper discussion.
After learning the format, practise each section separately under time limits before moving to full mock tests. Test procedures can change, so check the official IELTS website again close to your exam date.
