IELTS Exam Pattern

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is amongst the major English proficiency tests and is undertaken by those planning to study or work abroad. Comprising of four main sections, the IELTS exam evaluates a candidate on four basic parameters, i.e. listening, reading, writing and speaking. Further, there are two types of IELTS exam, i.e IELTS General and IELTS Academic which vary as per their pattern as well as syllabus. Understanding the format and structure of an exam must be the beginning step of your preparation. This blog brings you a comprehensive guide on IELTS exam pattern for General and Academic tests as well as the type of questions they contain.

Also Read: IELTS Syllabus

Exam Highlights

Exam Name	International English Language Testing System
Major IELTS-Accepting Countries	Australia, New Zealand, UK, Canada and the USA, etc.
Mode	Both Paper and Computer-based
Score Range	1 to 9
Main sections	Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking

IELTS Exam Pattern

The IELTS exam is conducted for 2 hours and 45 minutes. IELTS exam pattern consists of 4 sections, Listening, Writing, Reading, and Speaking.

IELTS Reading Test Pattern

Timing: 60 minutes

No. of questions: 40

Task types: Multiple choice, identifying information, identifying the writer’s views/claims, matching information, matching headings, matching features, matching sentence endings, sentence completion, summary completion, note completion, table completion, flow-chart completion, diagram label completion and short-answer questions.

Sources: Texts are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers, and have been written for a non-specialist audience. All the topics are of general interest. At least one text contains detailed logical argument. Texts may contain non-verbal materials such as diagrams, graphs or illustrations. If texts contain technical terms a simple glossary is provided.

Marking Scheme: Each question is worth 1 mark.

IELTS Writing Test Pattern

Timing: 60 minutes

No. of questions: 2

Task types: There are 2 tasks given in this section. In Task 1, students are asked to describe some visual information (graph/table/chart/diagram) in their own words. They need to write 150 words in about 20 minutes. In Task 2, they respond to a point of view or argument or problem. They need to write 250 words in about 40 minutes.

IELTS Speaking Test Pattern

Timing: 11–14 minutes

Task types: There are 3 parts to the test and each part fulfils a specific function in terms of interaction pattern, task input and test takers output.

Task 1 – The examiner will ask you general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies and interests. This part lasts between four and five minutes.
Task 2 – You will be given a card which asks you to talk about a particular topic. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. The examiner will then ask one or two questions on the same topic.
Task 3 – You will be asked further questions about the topic in Part 2. These will give you the opportunity to discuss more abstract ideas and issues. This part of the test lasts between four and five minutes.

IELTS Listening Test Pattern

Timing: 30 minutes plus 10 minutes transfer time

No. of questions: 40

Task types: Multiple choice, matching, plan/map/diagram labelling, form/note/table/flow-chart/summary completion, sentence completion. You will be required to listen to 4 recordings of native English speakers and then write your answers to a series of questions.

• Recording 1 – a conversation between two people set in an everyday social context.
• Recording 2 – a monologue set in an everyday social context, e.g. a speech about local facilities.
• Recording 3 – a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment.
• Recording 4 – a monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture.

Marking Scheme: Each question is worth 1 mark.

Must Read: IELTS Preparation Tips

IELTS Exam Pattern for General & Academic

There are two main types of IELTS exams which are conducted for different purposes. IELTS Academic is opted by those planning to pursue their education in an English-speaking country while IELTS General is mainly for those who aim to migrate to an English-speaking country to seek employment opportunities. The following sections elaborate upon the IELTS exam pattern for these two types of tests:

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IELTS Academic Exam Pattern

The IELTS Academic exam pattern has four sections, i.e. Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. The duration of the exam is 2 hours 45 minutes. Here is the exam format for IELTS Academic:

Section	Number of Questions	Duration	Details
Writing	2	60 minutes	2 writing tasks
Reading	40	60 minutes	3 Reading Passages
Listening	40	30 minutes	4 recorded monologues and conversations
Speaking	3 parts	11-14 minutes	Oral Interview

Now, let’s take a look at the type of questions in each of these questions:

Writing	Questions related to visuals graphics, tables etc. Task 1: Candidates have to write 150 words in 20 minutes. Task 2: 40 minutes will be given to candidates for writing 250 words.
Reading	Multiple-choice, identifying information, identifying the writer’s views/claims, matching information, headings, features, sentence endings, sentence completion, summary completion, note completion, table completion, flow-chart completion, diagram label completion and short-answer questions.
Listening	Multiple-choice, matching, plan, map, diagram labelling, form, note, table, flow-chart, summary completion and sentence completion.
Speaking	There are basically 3 parts under this section of the IELTS exam pattern for Academic Test: Part 1: Candidates have to answer a range of questions related to the family, work, studies and interests, home etc. The duration of the section is 4-5 minutes.  Part 2: A particular topic is written on a card, on which candidates have to speak on up to 2 minutes.  Part 3: This part extends for four to five minutes, where abstract ideas and issues are to be discussed.

Quick Read: IELTS Writing Tips

IELTS General Exam Pattern

The IELTS Exam Pattern for the General version is quite similar to IELTS Academic except that the reading and writing sections comprise different types of questions. The duration of the General version is the same as the IELTS Academic, i.e. 2 hours 45 minutes. Take a look at the IELTS exam pattern for the General Test:

Sections	Number of Questions	Duration	Details
Writing	2	60 minutes	2 writing tasks
Reading	40	60 minutes	3 sections: 2 or 3 short texts, two texts and one long text
Listening	40	30 minutes	4 recorded monologues and conversations
Speaking	3 parts	11–14 minutes	Oral interview

Now, let’s understand the various type of questions in these four sections of the IELTS General Exam Pattern:

Writing	Candidates have to write letters and essays. The letter should be of 150 words, while as the essay should not be less than 250 words.
Reading	This section contains 3 main sections; Multiple-choice, identifying information, identifying the writer’s views/claims, matching information, matching headings, matching features, matching sentence endings, sentence completion, summary completion, note completion, table completion, flow-chart completion, diagram label completion and short-answer questions.
Listening	Multiple-choice, matching, plan, map, diagram labelling, form, note, table, flow-chart, summary completion and sentence completion.
Speaking	Three parts: Part 1: Different questions related to the family, work, studies and interests, home etc. The duration of the section is 4-5 minutes.  Part 2: A particular topic is given on which candidates have to speak on up to 2 minutes.  Part 3: Extending for four to five minutes, abstract ideas and issues are discussed related to the topic given in Part 2.

Also Read: IELTS Study Material

FAQs

Check Out: IELTS Exam Dates

Hopefully, this blog has helped you understand the IELTS exam pattern for both IELTS Academic and General. Preparing for the IELTS exam? Sign up for an online demo session with our Leverage Edu experts and we will guide you through your IELTS preparation, from drafting the right strategy to providing you with the best study resources to help you ace your exam with a higher score.