IELTS Exam Pattern

IELTS Syllabus includes four sections - Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. You get marked on these four sections and you get the IELTS total score as well. The total score is the sum of the scores in the four skill areas.

The total test duration is 2 hours and 45 minutes

Here is the IELTS paper pattern

Section Duration IELTS Academic
Listening 30 minutes It encompasses four recorded monologues and conversations
Reading 60 minutes Three long reading passages with tasks. Texts range from descriptive and factual to discursive, and analytical includes non-verbal material like diagrams, graphs and illustrations texts are authentic (taken from books, journals and newspapers)
Writing 60 minutes A writing task of at least 150 words where the candidate must summarize, describe or explain table, graph, chart or diagram, and another short essay task of at least 250 words
Speaking 11 to 14 minutes Face-to-face interview includes short questions, speaking at length about a familiar topic and a structured discussion

Listening, Reading and Writing sections are tested in one sitting. Speaking section may be on the same day or up to seven days before or after other tests.