Slova
IELTS guide and free tools
The English test for university, work and visas in the UK, Australia, Canada and beyond: how it works, how it is scored, and free tools to test each skill.
IELTS at a glance
Test a skill, see the band it gives you, then practise the one that holds you back. The tests are free and need no sign-up.
A short practice test per skill, with a band estimate at the end.
Add Listening marks from an official practice test.
Bands go up with daily practice, not with more tests.
In Slova, Felix is a patient speaking partner for the topics IELTS asks about. You answer out loud every day and get a correction after every answer.
Listening, Reading and Writing are taken together, without breaks. Speaking is a separate interview, on the same day or a day close to it.
About 30 minutes · 4 parts · 40 questions
Four recordings, each played once: an everyday conversation, an everyday talk, a conversation in an education setting and an academic lecture. You answer as you listen: forms, notes, maps, multiple choice. The same for Academic and General Training.
60 minutes · 3 sections · 40 questions
Academic has three long texts from books, journals and newspapers. General Training has shorter everyday and workplace texts, such as notices, adverts and handbooks, and one longer text. Question types include true, false, not given, matching and gap filling.
60 minutes · 2 tasks
Task 1, at least 150 words: in Academic you describe a graph, table, chart or diagram; in General Training you write a letter. Task 2, at least 250 words, is an essay on a point of view or a problem, and it counts for more of your Writing band.
Practise it
Writing samples with model answers at ielts.org11 to 14 minutes · 3 parts · face to face
A recorded interview with an examiner. Part 1: questions about you. Part 2: a cue card, one minute to prepare and up to two minutes of talking. Part 3: a discussion linked to the Part 2 topic. The same for Academic and General Training.
Both are scored on the same 0 to 9 scale and take the same time. Only Reading and Writing differ. Ask the organisation you apply to which one it accepts.
IELTS Academic
IELTS General Training
The same in a test centre on paper or on computer. Timings from ielts.org.
| Part | Time | Questions | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | About 30 minutes | 4 parts, 40 questions | Answer questions on four recordings, each heard once |
| Reading | 60 minutes | 3 sections, 40 questions | Read texts and answer questions on them |
| Writing | 60 minutes | 2 tasks | Task 1 (at least 150 words) and an essay (at least 250 words) |
| Speaking | 11 to 14 minutes | 3 parts | An interview, a two-minute talk and a discussion with an examiner |
| In all | About 2 hours 45 minutes | Results usually in 1 to 2 days on computer, within 13 days on paper | |
Each part gets a band from 0 to 9, in half bands. Listening and Reading marks out of 40 turn into bands: 30 out of 40 is about band 7 in Listening and Academic Reading. Writing and Speaking are marked by examiners against four criteria each.
The overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 goes up to the next half band; one ending in .75 goes up to the next whole band.
The three rounding examples IELTS gives
Source: IELTS scoring in detail, ielts.org.
Many universities and visa offices state their requirement as a CEFR level. This is how IELTS bands line up with it.
Not sure which level you are at? The free English level test places you on the CEFR scale in about 10 minutes.
All three test the same four skills. Choose the one your university, employer or visa office accepts, then the format that suits you.
| IELTS | TOEFL iBT | Duolingo English Test | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run by | British Council, IDP and Cambridge | ETS | Duolingo |
| Where | A test centre, on paper or computer | A test centre, or at home with a live proctor | At home, online |
| Length | About 2 hours 45 minutes | About 2 hours | About 1 hour |
| Scores | Bands 0 to 9, in half bands | 1 to 6 in half points since January 2026, with a 0 to 120 score also shown during the change | 10 to 160 |
| Speaking | Face to face with an examiner, 11 to 14 minutes | Answers recorded on a computer, about 8 minutes | Answers recorded on a computer, short tasks |
A plan for four weeks of 20 to 30 minutes a day. With more time, repeat weeks two and three.
Take a speaking mock and an official Listening and Reading practice test, then put your marks into the band calculator. Note the section and the criterion that pull your band down.
One focused task a day: a Part 2 cue card with the timer, a Writing Task 2 essay, or one Listening section. Look at what went wrong each time, not only at the score.
Collect useful words and phrases by topic and use them out loud and in writing. Aim for longer answers with reasons and examples.
Full timed practice, no pausing. Take a second speaking mock and compare it with your first one.
Slova gives you a patient speaking partner for the topics IELTS asks about, with a correction after every answer. A few minutes a day, out loud.
Versions, timing, scores and results.
IELTS (the International English Language Testing System) is an English test for study, work and migration. It is run by the British Council, IDP and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and tests listening, reading, writing and speaking. Results are given in bands from 0 to 9.
Take Academic if you are applying to a university or for professional registration. Take General Training if you are migrating, for example to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the UK, or training below degree level. Ask the organisation you are applying to which one it accepts. Listening and Speaking are the same in both.
About 2 hours and 45 minutes: Listening about 30 minutes, Reading 60 minutes, Writing 60 minutes and Speaking 11 to 14 minutes. Listening, Reading and Writing are taken together; the Speaking test can be on the same day or on another day close to it.
Each of the four sections gets a band from 0 to 9. The overall band is their average, rounded to the nearest half band: an average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band. An average of 6.25 becomes 6.5, and 6.125 becomes 6.0.
The one the organisation you apply to asks for. Many universities ask for 6.0 to 7.0 overall, often with a minimum in each section. Check the exact requirement, including any minimum per section, before you book.
On the computer-delivered test, results usually come within one to two days. On the paper test, they come within 13 days.
Most universities and organisations accept an IELTS result for two years from the test date. Some set their own limit, so check with them.
None is simply easier; they test the same skills in different ways. IELTS has a face-to-face speaking interview, TOEFL records your spoken answers on a computer, and the Duolingo English Test is a shorter adaptive test taken at home. Choose the one your university, employer or visa office accepts, then the format that suits you.
Yes. ielts.org and the British Council publish free sample questions and practice tests for Listening, Reading and Writing. Slova has a free IELTS speaking mock test that asks Parts 1, 2 and 3 out loud, and a band score calculator.