FAQs about IELTS
Get expert answers to more than 100 of the most common questions about IELTS.
by Tim Martyn
Table of contents
General FAQs
A wide range of topics are covered, but you don’t need any specialist knowledge. The topics are accessible to anyone wanting to study at university.
The content is exactly the same, but there are some minor differences in terms of how the test is administered. For example, in IELTS on paper, you have 10 minutes to transfer your listening answers to the answer sheet. However, in IELTS on computer, you have to input your answers as you’re listening.
As long as it’s available at your test centre, I’d recommend taking IELTS on computer. You’re probably more used to typing on a keyboard than writing by hand. Taking IELTS on computer means you don’t have to worry about your handwriting. In the reading test, you can even copy words from the passages and paste them into the answer fields, which can help you avoid spelling mistakes.
Test fees vary by location. You can find the fees for each test centre around the world here.
You can use your passport or national ID card. Importantly, you must use the same ID document to book the test and to prove your identity on test day.
This is how IELTS results are reported. Band scores range from 0 to 9, with a higher band score indicating a higher level of English language proficiency. You will get either a whole band (e.g. 6.0) or a half band (e.g. 6.5) for each skill. You can read more about band scores here.
Unlike some other English language tests, you don’t pass or fail IELTS. Instead, you receive a band score for each skill as well as an overall band score. Different band scores are required for different purposes. When people say they failed IELTS, they usually mean they didn’t get the band score they need.
They’re generally valid for 2 years. However, you should always check with the institution or government body you’re applying to because they may specify a different validity period.
Not necessarily. The listening, reading and writing papers are always done in one block on the same day, but your speaking test may be scheduled on a different day.
In most test centres, you’ll do the listening first, then the reading and finish with the writing. However, the order is sometimes different. To confirm the order for your test, contact your test centre.
If you take IELTS on paper, your results will be available 13 calendar days after your test date. For IELTS on computer, it’s 1 to 5 days after your test date. To confirm when your results will be available, contact your test centre.
You can apply to have one or more of the papers re-marked. This is called an Enquiry on Results. You’re charged a fee, but you’ll get a full refund if your scores go up after they’ve been reviewed.
You can take the test again whenever you feel ready. However, if your band scores on your first attempt were much lower than what you need, it’s best to do some general English study before taking IELTS again.
Not necessarily. One Skill Retake allows you to retake one paper only. Contact your test centre to find out if this option is available in your country.
It doesn’t make any difference. The test is developed by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, not the British Council or IDP, so the level of difficulty is the same regardless of where you take the test. If the British Council and IDP both operate in your country – as is the case in Vietnam, for example – just choose the test centre that has the most convenient location for you, has availability on dates that suit you, etc.
No. IELTS is a standardised test, and it has the same level of difficulty regardless of where you take it.
Every test is different, which makes it hard to make direct comparisons, but you should consider these tests broadly similar in terms of difficulty. IELTS, PTE and TOEFL have different tasks and question types, though, so learn about the format of each test and decide which one you feel most comfortable with.
Yes. If you require special assistance, contact your test centre at least 6 weeks before your test. You can find more information here.
FAQs about listening
About 30 minutes.
There are 40 questions, 10 in each of the 4 parts.
1 mark.
Once only.
There are 4 parts:
– Part 1 is a conversation between two speakers in an everyday social context (e.g. asking for information about a gym membership);
– Part 2 is a monologue in an everyday social context (e.g. a speech about school facilities);
– Part 3 is a conversation between up to four speakers in an academic context (e.g. a student asking a tutor about an assignment);
– Part 4 is a monologue in an academic context (e.g. a university lecture).
– Part 1 is a conversation between two speakers in an everyday social context (e.g. asking for information about a gym membership);
– Part 2 is a monologue in an everyday social context (e.g. a speech about school facilities);
– Part 3 is a conversation between up to four speakers in an academic context (e.g. a student asking a tutor about an assignment);
– Part 4 is a monologue in an academic context (e.g. a university lecture).
There are 6 different question types, but some of them have subtypes. You can learn more about the question types here.
The most common question types in the listening test are probably (in no particular order) Note completion, Matching and Multiple choice, so it makes sense to do a lot of practice with them.
Yes. This means, for example, that you’ll hear the answer to the first question before you hear the answer to the second question, etc.
You’ll hear a range of native English accents, including British, Australian and American accents.
Both are accepted.
Yes. Time to read the questions is built into the recording. The speaker will say something like this: Before you hear the rest of the recording, you have some time to look at Questions 15 to 20.
No. Write down words you actually hear in the recording. Synonyms will be marked wrong.
Yes. You’ll have 30 to 60 seconds to check your answers after each part.
No. You’re only given time to read the questions before you listen and to check your answers after you listen.
In IELTS on paper, you have 10 minutes to transfer your answers. In IELTS on computer, there’s no transfer time. You have to input your answers as you’re listening.
Yes. If you make a spelling or grammar mistake (e.g. you use a singular noun instead of a plural one), your answer will be marked wrong.
Yes. This is actually a good idea, especially if you’re doing IELTS on paper. This is because you have to make sure the marker can read your answers.
Yes. At the start of each part, there’s a short introduction, which will help you understand the context of what you’ll hear. The speaker will say something like this: You will hear part of a lecture for history students on the Statue of Liberty. However, note that this introduction isn’t written on the question paper / computer screen, so you need to listen carefully.
Possibly. Contact your test centre to find out.
Yes. For example, if a question asks you to write ONE WORD ONLY, you’ll be marked wrong if you write two words.
You should guess, especially for question types where you’re given options to choose from. For question types that ask you to write down words, take an educated guess. Just make sure the word(s) you write fit the gap grammatically.
To get a band score of 7.0, you need to get about 30 out of the 40 questions correct. This number may be slightly different (higher or lower) depending on the version of the test.
FAQs about reading
60 minutes.
3.
There are 40 questions, 13 or 14 on each reading passage.
1 mark.
No. The passages gradually increase in difficulty. Passage 1 is descriptive, which tends to make the questions easier to answer. Passage 3 is argumentative, so the ideas are usually more complex.
There are 11 different question types, but some of them have subtypes. You can learn more about the question types here.
The most common question types in the reading test are probably (in no particular order) Note completion, Multiple choice, True / False / Not Given, Matching information, Matching headings and Summary completion. However, note that the reading test generally makes use of a broader range of question types than the listening test does, so you need to be well prepared for all possible question types.
It depends on the question type. Some of them always follow the order of the passage, some usually do and some never do. Here’s a helpful table to guide you.
I recommend that test takers start by skimming the passage quickly (1 to 2 minutes) to get a general idea of what it’s about and how it’s structured and then tackle the questions. You can read more about my recommended overall strategy here.
Yes. This is actually a good idea, especially if you’re doing IELTS on paper. This is because you have to make sure the marker can read your answers.
No. For both IELTS on paper and IELTS on computer, you must finalise your answers during the allocated 60 minutes.
You should guess, especially for question types where you’re given options to choose from. For question types that ask you to write down words, take an educated guess. Just make sure the word(s) you write fit the gap grammatically.
Yes. For example, if a question asks you to write ONE WORD ONLY, you’ll be marked wrong if you write two words.
You have 60 minutes for the entire reading test, so you should aim to spend about 20 minutes on each passage. You may find that you’re able to answer the questions on Passage 1 more quickly. This isn’t a bad thing because it gives you more time to answer the more difficult questions on Passages 2 and 3.
Yes. If you make a spelling or grammar mistake (e.g. you use a singular noun instead of a plural one), your answer will be marked wrong. If you’re doing IELTS on computer, you can copy and paste words from the passages. This will help you avoid spelling mistakes.
No. You must use words from the reading passages. Synonyms will be marked wrong.
You should expect there to be words you don’t understand. The good news is that you don’t have to understand every word to get a high score. If there are technical words that are needed to answer the questions, a glossary will be provided.
This confuses many test takers. False means there’s information in the passage that contradicts the statement, proving that it’s false. Not Given means there isn’t enough information in the passage for you to be able to decide whether the statement is true or false. You can find out more about True / False / Not Given questions here.
No. You can do them in whichever order you like, but I recommend starting with the first passage because it will be the easiest. This will give you confidence.
To get a band score of 7.0, you need to get about 30 out of the 40 questions correct. This number may be slightly different (higher or lower) depending on the version of the test.
FAQs about writing
60 minutes.
There are 2 tasks. In Task 1, you’ll need to describe and summarise visual information in the form of a Bar chart, Diagram, Line graph, Map, Pie chart or Table, or any combination of these. In Task 2, you’ll write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. Discussion, Opinion, Advantages–disadvantages and Two-part essay questions are all common.
No. Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1.
You’re free to manage your own time, but the instructions will recommend that you spend 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2. I’d recommend you keep as close as possible to these guidelines because Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1.
No. You can do Task 2 first if you prefer.
No. Your only task is to describe and summarise the visual information.
Yes. This is especially important for Task 2.
There’s no direct penalty applied if you write less than the required number of words. However, if your response is short, it will be difficult to score well in Task achievement / Task response. Equally, there’s no penalty for writing too much, but if you do, your response may not be as well organised/developed as a shorter response, and you’ll probably make more language errors.
Both are acceptable, but you should choose one and do your best to be consistent throughout your response.
Try to paraphrase as much as you can. This is a way to show the examiner how broad your vocabulary is. That said, if you think your paraphrasing will make the meaning unclear, it’s fine to use a few words from the question.
This is a bad idea. You need to be prepared to answer any question you may get on test day.
There’s no need to include a title for either task.
Your writing will be marked by at least two separate examiners. They won’t know anything about you other than your candidate number.
For Task 1, the assessment criteria are Task achievement, Coherence and cohesion, Lexical resource and Grammatical range and accuracy. For Task 2, they’re Task response, Coherence and cohesion, Lexical resource and Grammatical range and accuracy. You can read the assessment criteria here.
The assessment criteria are each worth 25% of your mark, so they’re equally important. This applies to both Task 1 and Task 2.
There’s nothing in the criteria about handwriting. Bad handwriting will only affect your score if the examiner can’t understand what you wrote. If you’re concerned about your handwriting, I recommend doing IELTS on computer if it’s available at your test centre.
Yes. This is fine. The instructions actually tell you to include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Unlike for the listening and reading tests, IELTS doesn’t publish an official list of possible question types for Writing Task 2. Nevertheless, Discussion, Opinion, Advantages–disadvantages and Two-part essay questions make up the vast majority of Task 2 questions.
Yes. At university, you might be discouraged from using phrases such as I think or In my opinion in your essays, but in IELTS it’s perfectly fine and expected.
Yes. Your goal is to show the examiner how wide your grammatical knowledge is and how accurately you’re able to use it. You should try to use a mix of simple, compound and complex sentences as accurately as possible.
The marking criteria don’t specify a structure you need to use. Even so, you should include an introduction and conclusion, as well as 2 or 3 body paragraphs. This will help you develop your ideas effectively.
You shouldn’t. Even though the writing criteria don’t specifically mention capital letters, you need to demonstrate appropriate punctuation, which is related to capitalisation. If you’re concerned about your handwriting, I recommend doing IELTS on computer if it’s available at your test centre.
FAQs about speaking
The entire test takes 11 to 14 minutes.
The audio is recorded in case your speaking test needs to be reviewed (e.g. if you don’t agree with your score).
You can only take your ID document. The examiner will give you everything else you need.
No. This isn’t a good idea. You need to respond to the specific questions the examiner asks you.
No. The examiner can’t change the topic.
You’re unlikely to have this problem because the questions are designed to be general enough for every test taker to have something to say. However, if you get a question that asks you about something you really have no experience with (e.g. a novel you recently read), you could still talk about why you don’t like reading, etc. You won’t lose marks for this because the speaking test doesn’t have a Task response or Task achievement criterion like the writing test does.
You don’t have to make notes, but many test takers find it very helpful to do so. It can help you manage your time effectively and make sure you have enough to talk about. You can read more about my recommended approach for Part 2 here.
Because there’s no Task response or Task achievement criterion as there is for writing, you won’t lose marks if you don’t talk about everything on the card, but it’s still a good idea to plan to talk about everything. This ensures you won’t run out of things to say.
No. If you speak for less than 2 minutes, the examiner will encourage you to continue and may ask you some follow-up questions to help you continue, but you won’t lose marks.
Yes. If you don’t understand a question the examiner asks, it’s fine to ask them to repeat it.
You can lie if you want to, but it’s much easier to speak well when you’re telling the truth.
Your goal is to show the examiner how good your language is, so try to extend your answers. The examiner may ask you for more information or to give reasons for your answers if they think your answers are too short.
Just try to speak at a natural speed. If you speak too slowly, your intonation and sentence stress will be impacted. Speaking too quickly could make it hard for the examiner to understand you, and you may make more errors.
Don’t worry – mistakes happen. Correct yourself if you can, but don’t panic – just keep going. You don’t automatically lose marks if you make a mistake. That’s not how the assessment criteria work. Don’t correct yourself all the time, though, because this will impact your fluency.
No. Everyone has an accent, even native English speakers. What can affect your score, though, is pronunciation. Your pronunciation score is based on how well you’re able to use pronunciation features (e.g. sentence stress and intonation) to make yourself understood.
No. The speaking test is exactly the same for IELTS on paper and IELTS on computer (i.e. face-to-face with a human examiner).
The assessment criteria are Fluency and coherence, Lexical resource, Grammatical range and accuracy and Pronunciation. You can read the assessment criteria here.
The assessment criteria are each worth 25% of your mark, so they’re equally important.
No.
No. There’s nothing in the criteria about humour or making the examiner laugh. The examiner will mark your speaking performance against the assessment criteria only.
All 3 parts are important. Your band score will be based on your average performance across the entire speaking test.
