IELTS preparation: format, scoring and strategies

IELTS format: Academic and General Training at a glance

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System and tests all four skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking. There are two versions. IELTS Academic is required by universities and many professional bodies, while IELTS General Training is used mainly for migration and work purposes in some countries. Listening and Speaking are the same in both; Reading and Writing differ in text types and tasks.

According to the official IELTS preparation resources for test takers, the four parts take 2 hours and 45 minutes in total. Listening, Reading and Writing take place one after the other without a break. Speaking can be on the same day or up to a week before or after the other parts.

All figures come from the official format description on ielts.org. Before you register, check with your target university or authority which version and which band score they require. If you are not yet sure whether IELTS is the right certificate at all, our comparison of English certificates will help.

IELTS band score: how the test is marked

IELTS has no pass mark. Each part is scored on a scale from 0 to 9 in whole or half bands, and these give an overall band score. Which result is “enough” is decided solely by the institution that asks for it. In Listening and Reading you get one mark per correct answer, and the raw marks are converted into a band.

Writing assessment criteria

Writing is assessed on four criteria: Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2), Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Important: according to ielts.org, Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1.

Speaking assessment criteria

In Speaking, examiners look at Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation. A “beautiful” accent is therefore not a criterion, but being easy to understand certainly is. If you want to work on intelligibility, you will find exercises in our article on improving your English pronunciation (in German).

A tip from our exam preparation: read the public band descriptors carefully once and mark what makes the difference between two neighbouring bands, for example between 6 and 7. That is where your training should focus.

The IELTS partners recommend treating results as valid for two years, but individual institutions can set their own rules, as ielts.org explains.

IELTS Listening: tasks and strategies

Listening consists of four parts with ten questions each. Parts 1 and 2 are set in everyday situations (for example, a phone call to enrol on a course), Parts 3 and 4 in an academic or training context (for example, a discussion between students or a lecture). Each recording is played only once, and you will hear British, Australian, New Zealand and North American accents. In the paper-based test you get 10 minutes at the end to transfer your answers to the answer sheet; on computer this step does not apply.

Task types

• Multiple choice
• Matching
• Plan, map or diagram labelling
• Form, note, table or flow-chart completion
• Sentence completion
• Short-answer questions

Strategies that really earn marks

• Read the questions first: use the reading time before each part to underline key words and predict the type of word needed (a number, a name, a plural noun?).
• Respect the word limit: if the instructions say “NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER”, a three-word answer is wrong even if the content is right.
• Spot distractors: speakers often correct themselves (“The meeting is on Tuesday … oh no, sorry, it’s been moved to Thursday”). The final piece of information counts.
• Spelling: misspelt words are marked wrong. Practise the spelling alphabet and typical names that are spelt out on the phone.

If you rarely hear English in everyday life, start training daily with podcasts and lectures weeks in advance. You will find concrete exercise ideas in our article on improving your English listening.

IELTS Reading: time management and question types

In Academic Reading you read three texts totalling 2,150 to 2,750 words and answer 40 questions in 60 minutes. The texts come from books, journals and newspapers. Unlike Listening, there is no extra transfer time: your answers must be on the answer sheet within the 60 minutes, so time management is part of the skill being tested.

The dreaded question types

Many candidates lose marks on “True / False / Not Given” (information in the text) and “Yes / No / Not Given” (the writer’s views). The rule of thumb:

Mini exercise: Text: “The museum, which opened in 1998, attracts mainly school groups.” Statement: “The museum is popular with tourists.” Answer: Not Given, because the text says nothing about tourists. Statement: “The museum opened in the last century.” Answer: True.

A schedule for 60 minutes

1. Section 1: about 17 minutes (usually the easiest text)
2. Section 2: about 20 minutes
3. Section 3: about 23 minutes (usually the most demanding)

Never spend more than two minutes stuck on one question. Do not leave any gaps, because wrong answers are not penalised.

IELTS Writing Task 1 and Task 2: structure with examples

In Academic Writing Task 1, you describe a graph, table or diagram in at least 150 words (recommended: about 20 minutes). In Task 2, you write an argumentative essay of at least 250 words (about 40 minutes). In General Training, Task 1 is a letter, as the General Training format description shows. According to ielts.org, answers in bullet points are penalised, as are texts that go off topic.

Task 1: a proven structure

1. Introduction: paraphrase the task; do not copy it.
2. Overview: two sentences on the most striking trends. Without an overview, a high band is hardly achievable.
3. Two detail paragraphs: group and compare figures rather than listing every number.

Useful phrases: The graph illustrates …, Overall, it is clear that …, … rose sharply from 20% to 45%, … remained relatively stable, … accounted for roughly a third of …, In contrast, …

Task 2: a sample introduction

Task: Some people believe that remote work benefits both employers and employees. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Sample opening: Over the past decade, working from home has moved from an occasional privilege to a standard arrangement in many sectors. While I accept that remote work brings clear advantages for staff, I would argue that its benefits for employers are more limited, particularly when it comes to training and team cohesion.

The introduction answers the question directly (“to what extent”) and signals the structure. Each body paragraph then follows the pattern: claim, explanation, example, link back to the question. Detailed templates for argumentative essays are in our article on writing an essay in English exams.

IELTS Speaking: procedure and useful phrases

IELTS Speaking is a recorded conversation with an examiner and, according to ielts.org, lasts 11 to 14 minutes. Part 1 covers familiar topics; in Part 2 you speak for up to two minutes on a topic card after one minute’s preparation; Part 3 explores the topic in a more abstract way. Set phrases buy you time and show structure.

• Part 1 (4 to 5 minutes): questions on familiar topics such as where you live, your work and your hobbies.
• Part 2 (3 to 4 minutes): you receive a topic card, have 1 minute to prepare with pen and paper, and then speak for up to 2 minutes. The examiner then stops you.
• Part 3 (4 to 5 minutes): a deeper, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic.

Phrases that buy time and show structure

• That’s an interesting question. I’d say that …
• I’ve never really thought about it, but I suppose …
• There are a couple of reasons for that. First of all, … On top of that, …
• It depends to some extent on … For example, …
• To put it another way, … (when you want to correct yourself)

Part 2: making the most of the preparation minute

Do not write full sentences; note four or five key words on the prompts on the card, plus a short story or a concrete detail. Examiners can tell immediately whether someone is speaking freely or reciting something learned by heart. If you tend to freeze when speaking, you will find strategies in our article on overcoming the fear of speaking English.

IELTS study plan: ready for the exam in 8 weeks

How long you need depends on the gap between your current level and your target band. A placement test at the start shows where you stand. The plan below assumes that you have almost reached the target level already and mainly need to train the format and strategy, with one week for each focus and two full mock tests.

The biggest lever is almost always qualified feedback on Writing and Speaking. With practice books alone, you rarely notice why a text is stuck at band 6. In our IELTS preparation at choices®, teachers mark your texts against the official criteria and simulate the Speaking test in online one-to-one lessons. For general training before the actual exam phase, our online English courses are a good fit.

Self-study or a course?

Reading and Listening can be practised well on your own with official materials, as long as you analyse your mistakes systematically: why was the answer wrong? Did I miss a key word, ignore the word limit or fail to recognise a paraphrase? For Writing and Speaking, however, self-study soon reaches its limits, because you can hardly judge your own texts objectively against criteria such as Coherence and Cohesion. A sensible middle way: practise the receptive skills on your own and use lessons specifically for feedback. For individuals, we offer this as part of our language courses for individuals from €49.99 incl. VAT per 45-minute lesson.

Common mistakes in the IELTS exam

The typical IELTS mistakes can be avoided with preparation: Task 1 without an overview, starting Task 2 too late even though it counts double, memorised stock phrases, word order and false friends from your first language, answers that are too short in Speaking Part 1, and no practice runs under real time pressure, such as 60 minutes of Reading in one go.

• Task 1 without an overview: if you only list figures, you cap your band for Task Achievement.
• Starting Task 2 too late: as Task 2 counts double, write it first if necessary.
• Memorised phrases: stock phrases such as “In this day and age” sound mechanical and do not raise your Lexical Resource band.
• Word order and false friends from your first language: German speakers, for instance, often use “actually” to mean “currently” or “become” to mean “get”. More on this in our article on typical mistakes German speakers make in English (in German).
• Answers that are too short in Speaking Part 1: “Yes, I do.” is not enough. Answer in two or three sentences and give a reason.
• No practice under time pressure: if you have never done 60 minutes of Reading in one go, you will underestimate the fatigue.

Exam nerves are normal, by the way, and not a sign of poor preparation. Practical techniques for the last few days are in our article on overcoming exam anxiety. If you are torn between IELTS and TOEFL, read TOEFL or IELTS.

Sources

1. ielts.org: academic test format in detail
2. ielts.org: ielts academic format writing
3. ielts.org: ielts academic format speaking
4. ielts.org: preparation resources
5. ielts.org: verifying ielts results
6. ielts.org: general training test format in detail

Frequently asked questions