New to IELTS? Try a test with my feedback
The aim of this test is to find a starting point and to help us to track your progress.
Try to keep to the recommended time limits:
- Reading Test – 60 minutes
- Listening Test – 30 minutes plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the Answer Sheet
- Writing Test – 60 minutes
- Speaking Test – (normally 15 minutes) – a 2-minute recording.

Hi, I’m Fiona, an IELTS coach with over 30 years of teaching experience.
I can help you
stay motivated and make real progress day by day
feel confident that you fully understand what the test requires
finally get the IELTS score you need
1. READING (60 mins)
- Choose the Academic OR General Training (GT) test below. (Print it off if you can – the answers are on the last page)
- Use the Answer Sheet if you want to see what it looks like.
- Set your timer for 60 minutes.
- Write your answers on the ANSWER sheet as you read of you want real practice for the paper-based test (there is no extra time to transfer answers).
- Stop after 60 minutes.
- Check your answers (last page on the question paper) and check the results with the Band Score Calculator.
2. LISTENING (40 mins)
- Print the Listening Question Paper and Listening Answer Sheet, or just watch the video and write your answers on paper.
- Play the video from start to finish.
- Write your answers on the QUESTION Paper as you listen.
- Take 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the Answer Sheet (NB in the Computer-Delivered test you do NOT have 10 minutes, but you have 2 minutes between sections).
- Check your answers (last page on the question paper) and use the Band Score Calculator to find your Band.
Check your Reading and Listening scores
3. WRITING (60 mins)
- Choose either Academic or General Training.
- Set your timer for 60 minutes.
- Spend 20 minutes on Task 1 (150 words) and 40 minutes on Task 2 (250 words).
*If you can’t access the Google form below, please just email me with your own choice of writing tasks.
Academic Writing Test
General Training Writing Test
4. Speaking
Record yourself speaking for 2 minutes. You can do this on your phone, tablet or computer (choose video or audio only if you prefer).
Describe a time when you had to return something to a shop. You should:
– describe the item
– say what you bought it for
– say what the problem was
and explain what happened when you took it back to the shop.
Please send me your recording by email. You can use Vocaroo or something similar for audio only.
Need help with your IELTS preparation?
Whether you want to focus on just one tricky skill or all the skills, there’s an option for you in the Members Academy.
Academic Task 1 Model Answer
Click here AFTER you've submitted your Academic Task 1
Band 9 version
The bar chart illustrates the number of male and female students in further education in Britain across three academic years (1970/71, 1980/81, and 1990/91), distinguishing between those studying full-time and part-time.
Overall, the number of people in further education increased for both men and women over the period, with a particularly significant rise among female full-time students. While male participation remained consistently higher in full-time study until the final period, part-time study saw a reversal, with women eventually surpassing men.
In 1970/71, just over 1 million men were enrolled in full-time education, compared to around 700,000 women. This gender gap narrowed in 1980/81. By 1990/91, the number of female full-time students had risen sharply to over 1.1 million, overtaking their male counterparts, whose numbers had slightly declined to just under 900,000.
A similar trend occurred in part-time education. In the early 1970s, fewer than 100,000 men and only about 50,000 women studied part-time. By 1990/91, female part-time enrolment had nearly tripled to approximately 250,000, slightly surpassing the male figure, which had doubled to around 200,000.
189 words
Band 7 Version
The bar chart shows how many men and women in Britain were in further education in three years: 1970/71, 1980/81 and 1990/91. It also shows whether they were studying full-time or part-time.
Overall, the number of women in education increased over time, especially in full-time education. By 1990/91, there were more women than men studying both full-time and part-time.
In 1970/71, more men than women were in full-time education. About 1 million men studied full-time, while only 700,000 women did. However, the number of women grew in each period, reaching about 1.1 million in 1990/91. The number of men fell in 1980/81 and then went up again, but it stayed below the number of women in the final year.
The number of students in part-time education also went up for both groups. In 1970/71, around 100,000 men and 50,000 women were studying part-time. By 1990/91, more women than men were studying part-time, with about 250,000 women compared to 200,000 men.
In conclusion, women’s participation in further education grew much more than men’s over the years, especially in full-time study.
194 words
General Training 1 Model Answer
Click here AFTER you've submitted your General Training Task 1
Hi Will
Hope all is well with you and that you’re managing to work out all the tech you need for your new online course. I’m sure it’ll be amazing once it’s ready, but I know it can be stressful trying to set it all up.
I was on Twitter the other day and someone shared a website that has an interactive chart of all the phonemic sounds – I thought something like that would be great on your site because students would be able to click on a sound and hear the pronunciation immediately, without having to go and check it elsewhere. So if you were trying to explain something, you wouldn’t need to make a separate video or audio file every time. You could just embed the interactive chart on every page, and that would save a lot of hassle in the long run. It’s called ‘Seeingspeech.ac.uk’. I haven’t quite worked out what to do with it, but you’re more techie than me so I’m sure you won’t have a problem using it. I think it’s just a simple case of clicking on a sound and it plays automatically.
Anyway, I can’t wait to see it in action – let me know what you think,
Chat soon,
Fiona
(204 words)
Task 2 Model Answer
Click here AFTER you've submitted your Task 2
Mobile phones have had an enormous impact on many aspects of our lives. They have significantly changed the way we communicate with each other in both our personal and our professional lives, and they clearly have a number of advantages. However, there are several drawbacks to being constantly available and connected to the internet, which I will outline below.
By far the most common criticism of mobile phones is the fact that we are now expected to be available at all hours of the day. Before mobile phones were invented, the time spent away from work was our own, but now it seems that the separation between work and free time has disappeared. In addition, mobile phones pose certain health risks and can be dangerous if drivers use them at the wheel or if people cross busy roads while texting. There have been several mobile-phone related accidents and fatalities. A final negative effect is that in public places such as on the train or at the cinema, there is no escape from the noise of annoying ringtones and loud, one-sided conversations.
On the other hand, there are obvious benefits. The most powerful argument in their favour is that they can be used to call for help in the most inaccessible places, for example when a car breaks down in a remote area, and emergency services can be called to the scene of an accident without delay. Moreover, being easily contactable every minute of the day has real advantages for business people and for working parents.
To sum up, I feel that although there are some clear drawbacks to mobile phones, their efficiency, portability and multi-functional abilities have greatly enhanced most aspects of our lives and the plus points certainly offset the downsides.
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