IELTS · Stage 1

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What the test asks of you, what the examiners score, and three tasks that show you where you stand today.

The test at a glance

Part	Time	What you do
Listening	About 30 minutes	Four recordings, 40 questions. You hear each recording once.
Reading	60 minutes	Three long texts, 40 questions. No extra time to copy answers.
Writing	60 minutes	Task 1: describe a graph, chart, map or process (at least 150 words, about 20 minutes). Task 2: an essay (at least 250 words, about 40 minutes). Task 2 counts for twice as much as Task 1.
Speaking	11 to 14 minutes	A live conversation with an examiner: Part 1 (familiar topics), Part 2 (a two-minute talk), Part 3 (a deeper discussion).

Each part gets a band from 0 to 9. Your overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. This route is for the Academic test, where Reading and Writing use academic texts and tasks; Listening and Speaking are the same in both versions. Check with your test centre whether you will sit the test on paper or on a computer.

What the examiners score

Listening and Reading are marked by counting correct answers. Writing and Speaking are marked by an examiner on four criteria each. If you know them, you know what to practise.

Writing — four criteria, each worth a quarter

Task Achievement / Task Response — did you answer the question that was asked, fully, with a clear position and developed ideas?
Coherence and Cohesion — is it organised into clear paragraphs, with ideas that connect?
Lexical Resource — a wide range of accurate vocabulary, used naturally, spelled correctly.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — a mix of simple and complex sentences, mostly accurate.

Speaking — four criteria, each worth a quarter

Fluency and Coherence — speaking at length without long pauses, and organising what you say.
Lexical Resource — a range of vocabulary and the ability to paraphrase.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — a mix of structures, with few errors that block meaning.
Pronunciation — clear sounds, stress and intonation that a listener can follow easily.

Want these in detail, with weak and strong paragraphs side by side? Do What Examiners Count next.

Your diagnostic: three timed tasks

Do these in one sitting if you can, or across two days. Be strict with the clock — an untimed attempt hides the real problem. Do not look anything up. Afterwards, note your estimate for each part in the box below.

Reading — a full test, 60 minutes, no pausing.
Mark it, then count your correct answers out of 40.
Open Reading Test 1

Writing — one Task 2 essay, 40 minutes.
Use the exam-mode page: one real question, a timer and a word counter, with no help on screen.
Open the essay task

Speaking — record yourself.
Run a mock test on the simulator: record Parts 1, 2 and 3 on your phone, then listen back. Where did you stop, repeat or run out of ideas?
Open the speaking simulator

Listening: try one lesson from the listening set and count how many questions you answer correctly.

Where should you focus?

Choose your honest estimate for each part (half bands are fine to round). If you are not sure, choose the lower band.

Listening

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Your target overall

Keep an error log

A correct answer does not prove you have learned something; a repeated mistake does prove you have not. From today, every time you get something wrong, write one line:

The mistake	Why it happened	The fix
The graph show a rise	Forgot the –s with a singular subject	The graph shows a rise
Wrote 190 words in Task 2	Spent 15 minutes planning	Plan for 5 minutes; write for 30
Missed a True/False/Not Given answer	Used my own opinion, not the text	Find the exact sentence first

Read your log before every practice session. By the time you reach the mock tests, it will be the most useful page you own.

A good week

One writing step (a Task 2 essay type or a Task 1 lesson)
One speaking step, with a recording you listen to
One reading or listening step, timed
Ten minutes of vocabulary or spelling — the side lessons at the end of the route
Five minutes with your error log

Go to the IELTS Route →