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IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Academic module

Should I take the Academic or the General Training module?
The Academic module is ideal if you want to study at undergraduate/postgraduate level or for professional
registration
...
If you’re still unsure, we advise you to check with the
institution you’re applying to
...

What topics are covered in IELTS?
A wide range of topics are covered and they are relevant and accessible to those wanting to study at
university level
...

Are there any free sample questions available?
Yes
...
ielts
...
This will give you useful information about the
situation and the speakers
...

P R
ead the instructions for each task carefully
...

P W
rite all your answers as you listen – remember, you won’t hear the recording a second time
...

P P

ay attention to any examples that are provided
...

P T

ry to answer all the questions, even if you don’t feel sure about an answer – you may have understood
more than you think
...
You have 10 minutes for this, which is plenty of time
...
If an answer isn’t clear on your answer sheet, you will
lose the mark
...


DON’T
O 
Don’t worry if you have to cross out or change an answer
...
Look ahead and concentrate on the next one
...
Write down the words you hear which fit the question
...

O 
Don’t copy any words that were printed before or after the gaps on the question paper when you
transfer your answers to the answer sheet
...
Even if one of your answers is correct,
you will not receive a mark
...
All candidates take the same paper
...

This may give information about who the speakers are, where they are and what the general topic is
...

Will I have time to look at the questions before I listen?
Yes, there is time to look at the questions before each set of questions
...

Will there be an example at the beginning?
Yes, there is an example at the beginning of Section 1
...

How many times do I hear the recording?
You will hear each recording ONCE only (other than in the example at the beginning)
...
This is true for all question types in IELTS Listening
...
Also, there is one break during Sections 1, 2 and 3 to allow
you time to look at the following questions
...

Will I have time to check my answers at the end of each section?
Yes
...

When the instructions say that I should answer in, for example, ‘NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS’, will I
lose marks if I write an answer with more than three words?
Yes
...

Do answers in IELTS Listening have to be correctly spelled?
Yes
...
However, words which you have to write will
usually be common words
...
When you hear the name of a person,
place, company, etc
...


Reading
DO
P K
eep an eye on the time and take care not to spend too much time on any one text or question
...

P S
tart at the beginning of the test and work through it
...
You can then return to that question later, if you have time
...

P A
nswer as many questions as you can
...
You can get a quick
idea of what the text is about from these
...
It is important to do exactly what you are
asked to do
...

P R
ead through the text quickly so that you are familiar with the topic and how it is developed in the text
...

P L
ook at the dictionary definition, if one is provided, to help you understand unfamiliar words
...

P K
eep to the word limit
...

P C
opy words accurately from the text
...

P M
ake sure your answer is grammatically correct where you have to write your answer in words, e
...

short-answer questions, sentence completion, summary completion
...
Remember that many task
types ask you to locate or check details in the text
...

O 
Don’t go back to the beginning of the text for each question when you know from the task type that the
answers will come in the order of the information in the text
...
Leave them and move on to the next
question
...

O 
Don’t worry if you don’t understand every word
...

O 
Don’t forget that you must write your answers on your answer sheet
...

O 
Don’t write more than one answer when only one is required
...

How do I record my answers?
You must put all of your answers on an answer sheet during the 60 minutes allowed
...
No extra time is
allowed to copy answers to the answer sheet
...
Answers which are over the word limit will be marked as incorrect
...
Remember to transfer
your answers to the answer sheet with care
...

How long should I spend on each text?
You have 60 minutes to read three texts and answer 40 questions
...
Make sure that you do not waste time worrying about questions you can’t answer – use your
time sensibly to read what you can and answer as many questions as possible
...

P F
ollow all instructions, including the number of words that you need to write
...

P R
emember that Writing Task 2 carries more marks, so you need plenty of time to answer it
...

P P
lan your ideas before you begin to write
...
For Writing Task 2, take time to organise your ideas and argument
...

P L
eave time to check your answers for careless mistakes at the end
...

P M
ake sure all your ideas are relevant to the question
...
Try to use a range of vocabulary
...


P W
rite as clearly as possible
...


DON’T
O 
Don’t write less than the required number of words
...

O 
Don’t leave out any required information
...
You will be penalised for this and
you will waste valuable time that could be spent developing good writing skills
...

Where do I write my answers?
Write your answers on the Writing answer sheet
...
The examiner will not see these
...
You may erase/cross out and change parts of
your writing, but you must make sure that your work is easy to read
...
However, remember that punctuation
is assessed in the Writing test and you may be penalised if it is not clear to the examiner where your
sentences begin and end
...
You must write at least 150 words for the Task 1 question and 250 words for the Task 2 question
...

If I make notes, will the examiner read them?
No
...
The
examiner will not see this
...
Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score
...
It is your choice how you divide this time
...
You should plan your work carefully before
writing, and you should allow time to check your writing after completing a task or at the end of the test
...
Therefore, you need to write an introduction, although this can be very short
...
Remember that you do not need to guess
about the reasons for things in Task 1
...
However, if you do not write
an introduction and conclusion, you may be penalised under ‘Task response’ and/or ‘Coherence
and cohesion’
...

P L
isten carefully to the questions you are asked so that your answers are relevant
...

P P
ractise speaking for 2 minutes for the long turn in Part 2
...

P U
se the instructions and prompts on the card in Part 2 to help organise your long turn
...

P E
xplain your opinions and give examples to support them
...

O 
Don’t give very short answers, except when the examiner asks you questions at the end of your long
turn
...

O 
Don’t talk about something different from what is on the card in Part 2
...
It means you have spoken for 2 minutes
...

O 
Don’t write on the Part 2 task card
...
It is OK to correct yourself
...

O 
Don’t ask the examiner if what you say is correct
...

What can I take into the test room?
You can only take your identity document
...

Why is the IELTS Speaking test recorded?
The recording is needed in case your performance needs to be re-marked
...
If you say something you
have memorised, you probably won’t answer the examiner’s question exactly
...

Can I start speaking before the 1-minute preparation time is over in Part 2?
Yes
...
However, it is a good
idea to use all of the preparation time
...
Some candidates prefer just to think about what to say, whereas others
find that making notes helps them to organise their ideas and to keep talking
...
You should try to talk for the full 2 minutes to give the
examiner a good sample of your English
...
In Parts 1 and 3, the examiner will be able to repeat
the question
...
In Part 3, the examiner will be able to ask the question in a
different way, or may be able to help you to understand the question
...

For more information about IELTS, visit our website:
www
...
org/ielts or www
...
org



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