IELTS Academic practice: reading, writing, listening
IELTS Academic is marked task by task, so it is best practised task by task. These pages take the fifteen jobs the exam actually asks of you — deciding between False and Not Given, matching a heading to a paragraph, writing an overview of a line graph, answering the exact Task 2 question, labelling a map you are hearing for the first time — and give each one a strategy, the mistakes that cost real candidates marks, and forty original questions. Work through a page properly and you have practised one skill rather than skimmed five.
Who IELTS Academic is for
- Applicants to universities in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, where IELTS Academic is the usual language requirement.
- Candidates who have already sat the test once and know which paper pulled their score down.
- Students moving up from B2 classwork who can read and write English but have never been timed on it.
- Professionals whose registration body asks for an academic English qualification rather than a general one.
- Candidates who lose marks to technique — word limits, missing overviews, False against Not Given — rather than to vocabulary.
- Teachers who want ready task-type practice for a class rather than a whole mock paper.
- Self-study candidates who need a plan for what to practise on a given evening.
- Anyone deciding between IELTS Academic and General Training who wants to see what the Academic tasks look like.
The exam at a glance
| Papers | Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking |
|---|---|
| Total test time | Under three hours, with Speaking sometimes on a separate day |
| CEFR range | Roughly B1 to C2, reported as a band score |
| Scoring | Band scores from 1 to 9, in half bands, for each paper and overall |
| Reading and Writing | Sixty minutes each; Writing has two tasks, of 150 and 250 words |
| Validity | Usually accepted for two years from the test date |
| Accepted by | Universities, employers and immigration authorities in many English-speaking countries |
Note
Pick Two Activity is an independent tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, the British Council, IDP, ETS, Duolingo or any other exam board. Exam names are trademarks of their owners and are used here only to describe the exam you are preparing for. Every question on this page is original practice written by us: we do not provide, copy or reproduce official exam papers.
The papers
Reading
IELTS Academic Reading practice: True/False/Not Given, matching headings, matching information, summary completion and multiple choice, with timing advice.
Writing
IELTS Academic Writing practice: line graphs, bar charts, processes, maps, opinion essays, discussion and problem essays, cohesion and paraphrasing.
Listening & Speaking
IELTS Academic listening and speaking practice: form completion, map labelling, multiple choice in lectures, the Part 2 long turn and Part 3 discussion.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between IELTS Academic and General Training?
Listening and Speaking are the same. Reading and Writing differ: Academic uses passages from journals, textbooks and reports and asks for a Task 1 description of a chart, process or map, while General Training uses workplace and everyday texts and asks for a letter.
Is there a pass mark?
No. You receive a band score, and the institution you are applying to sets the level it wants, often with a minimum in each paper as well as an overall figure. Check the requirement before you book, because a strong overall score with one weak paper can still fall short.
Do I lose marks for wrong answers?
No. Nothing is deducted for an incorrect answer in Listening or Reading, so leave no gap blank. A guess between two options is always worth more than an empty box.
How much does spelling matter?
In Listening and Reading a misspelled answer is marked wrong, even when the examiner can see what you meant. Copy the spelling straight from the passage in Reading, and check plurals and word endings during the listening transfer time.
Which paper should I practise first?
Start with the one where technique, rather than English, is losing you marks. Reading and Listening respond fastest to task-type practice; Writing takes longer because it needs feedback on whole answers, not single items.
How long should I prepare for?
It depends on the gap between your current level and the score you need. Closing a gap of half a band is often a few weeks of task practice; a full band usually means working on the underlying English as well, which takes months rather than weeks.
Is the computer-delivered test different from the paper one?
The questions and the marking are the same. The practical differences are that answers are typed, the listening transfer arrangement differs, and highlighting on screen replaces underlining on paper. Choose the format you have actually practised in.
Can I retake just one paper?
Some test centres offer a single-paper retake, but availability varies by country and by the institution's willingness to accept it. Confirm with both the centre and the institution before relying on it.
Does general knowledge help in the Reading paper?
Rarely, and it often hurts. Every answer must come from the passage, and candidates who answer from what they know about the subject are the ones who write FALSE where the answer is NOT GIVEN.
How do I practise Speaking without a partner?
Record yourself. Use a Part 2 card with exactly one minute of preparation and two minutes of speech, then write three abstract questions on the same topic and answer them in thirty seconds each. Listening back is where the improvement happens.