Test Format
Three types of IELTS are currently available：
IELTS
IELTS for UKVI
IELTS Life Skills
- IELTS
- IELTS for UKVI
- IELTS Life Skills
| Component | Registration | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Reason for Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking | Paper | Online |
| IELTS Academic | Education | V | V | V | V | V | V |
| IELTS General Training | Work & Immigration (Except the UK) | V | V | V | V | V | V |
| IELTS for UKVI-Academic | Education in the UK, Foundation, Pre-sessional | V | V | V | V | V | |
| IELTS for UKVI-General | Work & Immigration (The UK) | V | V | V | V | V | |
| IELTS for UKVI-Life Skills(A1) | UK Visa for Spouse/Family | V | V | V | |||
| IELTS for UKVI-Life Skills(B1) | UK Visa for Work, Short-term Stay | V | V | V | |||
Types of IELTS and Components Covered
- IELTS will test your skills in English listening, reading, writing and speaking. At 9am you will start with listening, and then proceed to reading and writing. You should be able to complete this part of the test at noon. In the afternoon, you will have an one-on-one interview with an IELTS Examiner at the allocated time.
- Both IELTS and IELTS for UKVI are available in 2 test modules: Academic – for people applying for higher education or professional registration, and General Training – for those migrating to Australia, Canada and the UK, or applying for secondary education, training programmes and work experience in an English-speaking environment. All candidates take the same listening and speaking tests, while the reading and writing tests differ depending on the module the candidate is taking.
Listening
- Approximately 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes’ transfer time)
- There are 40 questions. A variety of question types are used: multiple choice, matching, sentence completion, short-answer questions… etc.
- There are 4 sections:
- Section 1 & 2 are set in an everyday social context.
- Section 3 & 4 are set in an educational, training or academic context.
Reading
- 60 minutes (no extra transfer time)
- Two modules: Academic or General Training
- There are 40 questions. A variety of question types are used: multiple choice, identifying information, summary completion, identifying a writer’s views/claims… etc.
- There are 3 sections. The total text length is 2,150-2,750 words.
Writing
- 60 minutes
- Two modules: Academic or General Training
- There are 2 tasks. Candidates are required to write at least 150 words for Task 1 and at least 250 words for Task 2.
Speaking
- 11-14 minutes
- There are 3 parts:
- Part 1: Introduction and interview (4-5 minutes)
- Part 2: Individual long turn (3-4 minutes)
- Part 3: Two-way discussion (4-5 minutes)