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IELTS Mock Tests

Practise all four skills, and track your weakest band rather than your average. It is usually the one that decides your outcome.

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IELTS · checked 19 September 2026

IELTS at a glance, from the official notices

The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.

Free IELTS mock testIELTS syllabusToday’s current affairs
19September 2026

Checked 19 September 2026

IELTS: the facts that matter now

  1. 01

    British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, at 4,500+ locations in 160+ countries

    Administered by

  2. 02

    Academic for university admission and professional registration; General Training for migration and work; UKVI versions for UK visas

    Modules

  3. 03

    2 hours 45 minutes — Listening about 30 minutes, Reading 60, Writing 60, Speaking 11–14 with an examiner; on paper, on computer, or online

    Format

  4. 04

    Band scores 0–9 in half bands per skill and overall

    Scoring

Practice

IELTS — Using mock tests as a measurement

Because requirements are frequently set per skill, your lowest band matters more than your average. A candidate who practises reading and listening — which are easy to self-assess — and neglects writing and speaking, which are not, typically discovers this after the result. Building the harder-to-assess skills requires someone else’s feedback, and arranging that is part of the preparation.

What to work on

  • Your weakest skill first — per-skill minimums mean it constrains the outcome.
  • Writing with external feedback — self-assessment of writing is unreliable; the criteria need an experienced reader.
  • Speaking practice aloud, regularly — fluency is built by speaking, and the test is an interaction rather than a delivery.
  • Listening under single-play conditions — exactly as the test presents it.

Start practising

English study material All free mock tests

A practice routine across four skills

  1. Take full tests in one sitting Listening, reading and writing run back to back in the real test. Practising them separately never rehearses the concentration that the writing tasks meet at the end.
  2. Score each skill separately and watch the lowest Per-skill minimums mean your weakest band determines your outcome. Tracking an average hides exactly the number that matters.
  3. Get writing read by an experienced reader Self-assessment against the criteria is unreliable, particularly for lexical resource and coherence. One informed reader is worth many self-marked attempts.
  4. Record speaking and listen back For pace, filler words, and whether you developed your point or restated it. Uncomfortable and the fastest route to a better band.
  5. Check word counts every time Writing below the minimum carries a mechanical penalty regardless of quality, and it is an entirely avoidable loss.

Give the final fortnight almost entirely to your weakest skill. It is unsatisfying — practising what you are worst at rarely feels productive — and it is where the marginal band is available. A candidate spending the last two weeks polishing an already strong reading band while a weak writing band sits below the requirement is optimising the wrong number.

Practise in the delivery mode you booked

Computer-delivered and paper-based IELTS differ in how you read, annotate and write. If you have booked the computer-delivered test, type your writing practice and read your practice passages on screen — the habits of underlining and margin notes do not transfer, and discovering that on test day costs time in a paper that gives you none.

What practice should measure in a proficiency test.
ObservationInterpretationAction
Receptive skills strong, productive skills weakerThe usual shape. Writing and speaking are practised least and marked hardest.Produce work under real task conditions and assess it against the published criteria.
Reading unfinishedTechnique for locating information rather than comprehension.Practise the task types to time, not general reading.
Listening errors on spelling or word limitsInstructions rather than listening.Read the task instruction every time; these are avoidable losses.
Speaking answers sounding rehearsedMemorised material, which is penalised.Practise fluency on unfamiliar prompts instead.
One band below the requirementSection minimums may apply even if the overall is sufficient.Check the institution’s per-skill minimums and target the weakest skill.

Exam resources

Everything for IELTS

Six resource pages, each kept in step with the latest official notification.

IELTS SyllabusIELTS content — what each of the four skills tests, and how Academic differs from General Training.IELTS Exam PatternIELTS exam pattern — the four components, band scoring, module differences and how requirements are set.IELTS Previous PapersIELTS practice material — official past papers, task familiarity and the assessment criteria.IELTS Mock TestsIELTS practice tests — full four-skill practice with attention to the weakest band.IELTS PreparationIELTS preparation — building the four skills, using the assessment criteria and choosing the right module.IELTS Study MaterialIELTS study material — English grammar, vocabulary and comprehension notes to support the four skills.

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