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Academic & General Training

IELTS Preparation

Skill lessons, question-type drills, academic vocabulary and full tests marked the moment you finish: everything you need to move from Band 5.5 to Band 7.5.

36 free lessons and tests · 3 full practice tests · instant scoring · no sign-up

Band 5.5 → 7.54 skillsIELTS-marked Writing & SpeakingTeens & adults

Start here: placement test Or jump into Mini Test 1 Follow the 12-week Band 7 path

Start here in 3 steps

Measure first, train the weak skill second, and only then ask for a mark.

Measure your starting band

Take the IELTS Placement Test (Academic), then confirm it with Listening & Reading Mini Test 1. Those two numbers are your baseline.

Train the skill holding you back

Work through one hub at a time: Listening, Reading or Writing. Each hub splits the paper into single question types, so you drill matching headings or map labelling on its own.

Send a real answer to the IELTS Examiner

Submit an essay to the IELTS Writing Examiner or record two minutes for the IELTS Speaking Examiner. You get a band per criterion plus the exact sentences to fix.

Listening

Four sections, 40 questions, every recording played once. These sets follow the real section order, from an everyday enquiry to a university lecture.

IELTS Listening – skill hubWhat each of the four sections tests, how answer transfer works, and every recording on this site.Skill hub Practice 1 · Section 1Two speakers in an everyday situation; you complete a form with names, dates and numbers.Form completion Practice 2 · Section 2One speaker describing a place, with a plan on screen: the direction language map labelling needs.Map labelling Practice 3 · Section 3Students and a tutor discussing coursework: match opinions to speakers, then answer multiple choice.Matching + MCQ Practice 4 · Section 4The hardest section: an unbroken academic lecture that you turn into a set of notes.Note completion IELTS Dictation 1Names, numbers and addresses typed letter by letter, so spelling stops costing you easy marks.Dictation Listening Full Test 1All four sections back to back, 40 questions, raw score converted to a band.Full test

Academic Reading

Three passages and 40 questions in 60 minutes, with no transfer time. Do complete passages first, then isolate the question type costing you most.

IELTS Academic Reading – skill hubPassage structure, the order of the question types, and how to split 60 minutes across three texts.Skill hub Practice Passage 1A full academic passage with a mixed question set, marked instantly.Full passage Practice Passage 2A second complete passage at exam length, for once you can handle each question type alone.Full passage Practice Passage 4A denser passage aimed at Band 7 and above, with more Not Given traps.Harder passage Matching Headings drillMatch a heading to each paragraph by its main idea, not by its first sentence.Question type Matching Information drillFind the paragraph holding one detail; the answers come deliberately out of order.Question type Multiple Choice drillFour options with three distractors built from words that really appear in the text.Question type True / False / Not Given drillThe biggest source of lost marks: what the text contradicts versus what it never says.Question type Yes / No / Not Given drillThe same logic applied to the writer’s opinion, which is why candidates confuse the two tasks.Question type Sentence & Summary CompletionFill gaps with words from the passage, inside the word limit and the sentence grammar.Question type Paraphrase & Synonym drillThe skill under every question type: spotting the wording that means the same thing.Core skill Timing & Pacing strategyTwenty minutes per passage, when to guess and move on, and how to finish safely.Strategy Reading Full TestThree passages, 40 questions, 60 minutes, with band conversion and full answer keys.Full test

Writing

Task 1 in 20 minutes, Task 2 in 40, and Task 2 counts double. These lessons target what examiners penalise most: a missing overview and inaccurate sentences.

IELTS Writing – skill hub (Target Band 7.5)What the four criteria reward, how long each stage should take, and the order to study the lessons in.Skill hub Task 1 · Writing the OverviewNo overview, no Band 6 for Task Achievement: name the main trends without listing numbers.Task 1 Task 1 · Describing a Line GraphRose sharply, levelled off, peaked at, plus the tense a dated graph forces on you.Task 1 Task 1 · Data AccuracyQuoting figures and comparing them without contradicting the chart in front of you.Task 1 Task 2 · Understanding the QuestionOpinion, discussion, problem-solution and two-part prompts each need their own structure.Task 2 Tenses & Sentence AccuracyGrammatical accuracy is a quarter of your mark: drill the errors that cap essays at Band 6.Grammar Band Descriptors & Self-AssessmentThe four criteria in plain English, with a checklist to run over your own essay first.Self-assessment How IELTS Writing Is Really GradedWhat an examiner actually does with your script, and why the four criteria are averaged.Article

IELTS Vocabulary

Ten units of academic vocabulary organised by function, not by topic, so you learn the exact phrases each task asks for.

IELTS Vocabulary – course hubAll ten units in order, and how each one maps onto Task 1, Task 2 and Speaking Part 3.Course hub Unit 1 · ConditionIf, unless, provided that, as long as: arguing about causes and consequences.Function Unit 2 · Changes 1Rise, decline and fluctuate, with the adverbs that grade how big and how fast.Task 1 language Unit 3 · Describing TablesComparing rows and columns, and the proportion language a table demands.Task 1 language Unit 4 · How Something WorksSequencing and passive forms for describing a process diagram.Process language Unit 5 · Writing a LetterFormal to informal openings, requests and closings for General Training Task 1.General Training Unit 6 · Presenting an ArgumentClaiming, conceding and rebutting, so an essay reads as a position and not a list.Task 2 language Unit 7 · Contrast & ComparisonWhereas, in contrast, by comparison: linking ideas beyond but and however.Linking Unit 8 · LocationPosition and direction language for maps, plans and Listening Section 2.Maps & plans Unit 9 · Joining & BecomingVerbs of combining, merging and transforming, for processes and cycles.Process language Unit 10 · Reason & ResultDue to, stems from, gives rise to: cause and effect beyond because and so.Linking

Full practice tests

Take one before you start studying, then another every three or four weeks: one sitting, timed, no dictionary. Each is marked automatically and converts your raw score to a band.

IELTS Placement Test (Academic)Mixed Listening, Reading and language questions, ending with an estimated band and a study plan.Do this first Listening & Reading Mini Test 1A shorter combined paper covering both receptive skills in one sitting.Listening + Reading Listening & Reading Test 2The second combined test, with new recordings and passages at the same level.Listening + Reading Listening & Reading Test 3The third combined test. Space the three a month apart to see if your band is moving.Listening + Reading Listening Full Practice Test 1All four sections in order under exam conditions, recordings played once.40 questions Full Academic Reading TestThree passages with no extra time to copy answers, exactly like the real paper.40 Q · 60 minutes

IELTS Examiner: get Writing and Speaking marked

An answer key can mark multiple choice. It cannot mark an essay or a two-minute talk, and that is where most self-study stops. Both tools mark against the four official criteria and return a written report.

IELTS Writing Examiner

Task 1 and Task 2, Academic

Paste your essay and get a band for each criterion: Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. The report marks errors sentence by sentence, shows a corrected version, and lists what to fix first.

Submit an essay

IELTS Speaking Examiner

Parts 1, 2 and 3

Record your answers in the browser and get a band for Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation. The report quotes what you said, flags repeated errors and hesitation, and sets a practice plan.

Record an answer

Band targets

Decide your target before you start, because it changes what you practise. Always check the exact requirement with the institution you are applying to: requirements differ and they change.

Band 5.0A working foundation, accepted by many pathway and foundation programmes, usually with extra English study attached.

Band 6.0Asked for by many undergraduate and college courses, often with a minimum in each of the four skills too.

Band 6.5The most commonly requested score for university entry, and a frequent professional benchmark.

Band 7.0Competitive programmes, postgraduate study and regulated professions start here, sometimes 7.0 in every skill.

Comparing offers that accept more than one test? See the DET, IELTS and TOEFL score conversion charts.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to move up one band?

As a rough guide, plan on 150 to 200 hours of focused work for half a band around 6.0 to 7.0, and expect higher bands to take longer. Three or four short sessions a week beat one long weekend session, because Listening and Reading improve through repetition.

Is everything here free?

All 36 lessons, drills and practice tests are free and need no account. The two IELTS Examiner tools are the exception: they run on a paid model, so a small charge covers the cost of marking.

Do I need to book a real test before I start practising?

No, and it is usually better not to. Take the placement test first, then a full test after a month, and book the real exam once your practice band hits your target twice in a row.

What order should I study in?

Measure with the placement test, then spend two or three weeks on your weakest paper, mixing one question-type drill with one full passage or section each week. Add a vocabulary unit, finish the month with a full test, then rotate to the next weakest skill.

Academic or General Training: which do these lessons cover?

Listening and Speaking are identical in both versions, so every listening lesson applies either way. The reading practice and most Task 1 lessons follow the Academic version; for General Training Task 1, use Vocabulary Unit 5, Writing a Letter.

My band has stopped improving. What now?

A plateau usually means you are practising the skills you already have. Stop taking full tests for a fortnight and drill only the question type you get wrong most often. For Writing or Speaking, send one real answer to the IELTS Examiner and work from the errors it names.

Other courses on AllEnglish4U

GrammarBeginner to B2 CambridgeStarters to PET TOEFLPrimary & Junior CELPIPCanada DictationListening accuracy

All practice material on this page is free. Not sure which band to aim for, or which paper to fix first? Ask our teachers and we will answer.

Want your teacher to read everything you submit?

The Teacher-Reviewed Report ($45) includes a private full four-skill test, a written review of every answer, a 12-week roadmap with real dates, and one follow-up reply. Four places a week.

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