The IELTS exam assesses four core language skills: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Each skill is scored on a 9-band scale, where 0 indicates no attempt and 9 represents expert user. The overall band score is the average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band, and most universities require a minimum of 6.5 or 7.0 for admission.
The Listening test runs for 30 minutes of recorded audio plus 10 minutes to transfer answers to the answer sheet. It contains 40 questions divided across four sections: Section 1 features two speakers in a social context, Section 2 is a social monologue, Section 3 takes place in an educational or training context, and Section 4 is an academic monologue. The recording is played only once, so careful listening is essential.
The Reading test lasts 60 minutes and contains 40 questions across three passages, with no extra transfer time provided. The Academic version uses long texts from journals, books, and newspapers, while General Training features shorter texts from notices, advertisements, official documents, and general interest articles. Candidates should aim to spend roughly 20 minutes per passage, using about 5 minutes to skim and 15 minutes to answer.
The Writing test consists of two tasks. Task 1 requires at least 150 words, while Task 2 requires at least 250 words. The Speaking test takes 11–14 minutes and is structured in three parts: an introduction and familiar topics (4–5 minutes), a long turn with a cue card (3–4 minutes, including 1 minute of preparation), and a two-way discussion (4–5 minutes).