English proficiency · British Council / IDP / Cambridge
IELTS Practice — Listening, Reading, Writing & Speaking
A complete, band-scored practice experience for all four skills — with real audio for Listening, authentic Reading passages, model-answer Writing tasks, and Speaking cue cards you can record and play back.
Every mock runs all four skills and has its own unique Reading passage — 35 original passages, one per test — plus Listening, Writing and Speaking practice, so no two mocks are the same.
IELTS — the International English Language Testing System — is the world's most widely accepted English proficiency test, taken by millions of candidates each year for study, work and migration. It is jointly delivered by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and is recognised by more than 11,000 organisations across 140+ countries.
The test comes in two versions — Academic, for higher education and professional registration, and General Training, for work experience and migration. Both assess the same four skills and are reported on the same nine-band scale, so a single score describes your English across Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
How the band score works
Each of the four skills is scored from 0 to 9 in half-band steps, and your Overall Band Score is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. There is no pass or fail: institutions set their own minimum bands, so your target depends on where you are applying.
Because bands map to real ability rather than a raw percentage, small gains matter — moving from 6.0 to 6.5 can be the difference between meeting a university requirement or not. Practising each skill under exam conditions, and understanding exactly how each is marked, is the most reliable way to lift your band.
The 9-band scale
9
Expert
Fully operational command of English — fluent, accurate and complete understanding.
8
Very good
Fully operational with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriacies.
7
Good
Operational command, though with occasional inaccuracies and misunderstandings in some situations.
6
Competent
Generally effective command despite some inaccuracies and misunderstandings.
5
Modest
Partial command, coping with overall meaning in most situations, though likely to make many mistakes.
4
Limited
Basic competence limited to familiar situations, with frequent problems in understanding and expression.
What band do you need?
IELTS is accepted by 11,000+ organisations. Typical band requirements by purpose — always confirm the exact figure with your institution.
Purpose
Typical band
Note
Undergraduate study (UK / Australia / Canada)
6.0 – 6.5
No band usually below 5.5–6.0.
Postgraduate study
6.5 – 7.0
Competitive courses may ask 7.0+.
UK Skilled Worker visa
4.0 – 5.5 (B1)
IELTS for UKVI (Life Skills / Academic).
Australia / Canada PR (skilled migration)
6.0 – 8.0
Higher bands earn more points.
Professional registration (nursing, etc.)
7.0
Often with a 6.5–7.0 floor per skill.
How to prepare for IELTS
1
Train each skill in its own way
Listening and Reading reward technique and speed; Writing and Speaking reward structure and fluency. Practise them differently rather than treating IELTS as one exam.
2
Master the question types, not just the content
Most lost marks come from misreading instructions — a word limit on gap-fills, or the 'Not Given' trap in True/False/Not Given. Learn the rules of each question type cold.
3
Write to the four band criteria
Writing is marked on Task Achievement, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range. Plan every essay so each criterion is visibly satisfied.
4
Speak in extended, structured answers
Examiners reward development. Practise turning one-line answers into three to four sentences with a reason and an example, and record yourself to hear your fluency.
5
Simulate the real timing
Reading gives no extra transfer time and Listening plays once. Rehearse under the exact clock so exam-day pacing is second nature.
6
Review with model answers
For Writing and Speaking, compare your response with a band-8 model, then rewrite. Deliberate revision beats endless fresh attempts.
Dates & results
Test availability
Up to 4 dates a month, year-round
Booking
Online, anytime before the date
Results — computer-delivered
3 – 5 days after the test
Results — paper-based
13 days after the test
Speaking test
Same day or up to 7 days apart
One Skill Retake
Retake a single skill within 60 days (where offered)
IELTS — frequently asked questions
What is the difference between IELTS Academic and General Training?
Both test the same four skills on the same nine-band scale and share identical Listening and Speaking sections. They differ in Reading and Writing: Academic uses academic passages and a data-description Task 1, while General Training uses everyday texts and a letter-writing Task 1. Choose Academic for university or professional registration and General Training for work experience or migration.
How is the IELTS overall band score calculated?
You receive a band from 0 to 9 (in half steps) for each of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The Overall Band Score is the average of these four, rounded to the nearest half band — for example, bands of 6.5, 6.5, 5.0 and 7.0 average to 6.25, which rounds to 6.5.
How many questions are there and how long is the test?
Listening and Reading have 40 questions each. Listening takes about 30 minutes and Reading 60 minutes. Writing (60 minutes) has two tasks and Speaking (11–14 minutes) has three parts. The Listening, Reading and Writing sections are taken on the same day, one after another, with Speaking on the same day or within a week.
Is there negative marking in IELTS?
No. There is no negative marking in IELTS — you are only rewarded for correct answers, so you should attempt every question. In Listening and Reading, your raw score out of 40 is converted to a band using a fixed conversion table.
How long is an IELTS score valid?
An IELTS Test Report Form is normally valid for two years from the test date. Some institutions accept older scores at their discretion, but most study and migration applications require a result no more than two years old.
Can I retake just one section of IELTS?
Where One Skill Retake is offered (for computer-delivered IELTS at participating centres), you can retake a single skill — Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking — within 60 days of your original test, and receive an updated Test Report Form combining your best results.
