IELTS Academic – Test Format, Sections and Practice

IELTS Academic

The IELTS Academic test is for people who want to study at university, enter higher education, or apply for professional registration in an English-speaking environment. It tests how well you can use English in academic and formal situations across listening, reading, writing, and speaking.

If you are just starting, you can first visit IELTS Preparation, read the IELTS Band Scores Explained page, or practise on the IELTS Practice Tests section.

IELTS Academic Test Structure

Listening – 30 minutes
Reading – 60 minutes
Writing – 60 minutes
Speaking – 11–14 minutes

IELTS Academic Listening

The Listening test is the same in IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. You listen to four recordings and answer 40 questions.

Section 1 – everyday social conversation
Section 2 – monologue in a social context
Section 3 – academic discussion
Section 4 – academic lecture

You can prepare in more detail on the IELTS Listening page, review IELTS Listening Sections 1–4, study IELTS Listening Question Types, or practise with IELTS Listening Practice 1 and IELTS Listening Practice 2.

IELTS Academic Reading

The Academic Reading test includes three longer texts with topics suitable for students and educated readers. The texts may come from books, journals, magazines, or newspapers.

3 reading passages
40 questions
60 minutes
No extra transfer time

For more help, see IELTS Reading, IELTS Reading Academic, IELTS Reading Question Types, IELTS Reading Practice 1, and IELTS Reading Practice 2.

IELTS Academic Writing

The Academic Writing test has two tasks. In Task 1 you describe visual information. In Task 2 you write an academic-style essay in response to a question or statement.