IELts sample test questions

Ways to take IELTS

You will be offered a choice of different ways to sit your IELTS test at our test centers, and in some cases, remotely online. Security is a key priority to ensure that we maintain our trusted status with organizations around the world who accept IELTS results.

Who accepts IELTS

IELTS is trusted by thousands of employers, professional associations, governments, and educational institutions across the globe.Also by immigration authorities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.

What can IElTS do for you?

IELTS can help you to work, study or move abroad and make your dreams a reality.

The IELTS system is highly regarded and widely recognised as the world’s most popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration. Whether you are looking to study, develop your career, or settle in an English-speaking country, IELTS can pave the way. 

• Listening – to see how well you understand ideas, recognise opinions, and follow the development of an argument

• Reading – to see how well you read for general sense, main ideas, and details, and whether you understand the author’s inferences and opinions

• Writing – to see how well and how accurately you write a response, organise your ideas, and use wide-ranging vocabulary and grammar

• Speaking – to see how well you can communicate opinions and information on everyday topics and common experiences, and express and justify your opinions

• universities, schools, colleges and training organisations

• government departments and immigration authorities

• professional and industry associations

• multinational companies and employers.

If you want to improve your score on one test skill, you can retake any of the four IELTS skills – Listening, Reading, Writing, or Speaking. 

Conditions to book IELTS One Skill Retake :

• You can book the test through the Test Taker Portal if you’ve recently completed a full IELTS on computer test.

• You must also have received your results from a test centre that offers IELTS One Skill Retake. 

• You can only retake one skill once per original test, and you must sit the One Skill Retake within 60 days of your original test.

If you have specific learning difficulties, hearing difficulties and/or visual difficulties, medical conditions, or are feeding an infant, get in touch with your test centre. Please let them know at least six weeks before your test so that they can make special arrangements.

Special arrangements include the following:

• extra time for medical conditions or infant feeding

• Braille papers

• special Listening CD with necessary stops and pauses

• lip-reading version of the Listening test

• enlarged print or Speaking task cards in Braille.

Test format

Get used to the format and content of the IELTS test so that you know what to expect on the day.

Sample questions

Experience the types of tasks you will be asked to undertake in each section of your IELTS test.

Official materials

Work to improve your score with official IELTS books and DVDs and with other preparation support.

Before you make a new booking, remember that your score is unlikely to improve without extra work to improve your English.

In both the General Training and the Academic tests, the Speaking and Listening sections are the same. However, the Reading and Writing sections of these tests differ. They have been designed to assess language ability that is more relevant for each specific sector.

Life Skills is a UK government-approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) that assesses only your English speaking and listening skills.