Short answer: The IELTS test lasts 2 hours and 45 minutes in total. Listening (about 30 minutes, 40 questions), Reading (60 minutes, 40 questions) and Writing (60 minutes, two tasks) are taken in that order, on the same day, with no break between them. Speaking (11 to 14 minutes, face to face with an examiner) is a separate slot, on the same day or on another date fixed by your centre. Academic and General Training share the same Listening and Speaking and differ in Reading and Writing Task 1. On computer and on paper, the questions and the band scale are identical; what changes is how you record your Listening answers and how fast the result arrives. Every figure below was checked on ielts.org in September 2026, with the page linked.
The four sections, in the order you sit them
The official test format pages on ielts.org give the same numbers for both versions of the test (Academic, General Training, checked September 2026). The table puts them in the order of the day.
| Section | When | Time allowed | Questions or tasks | What is scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | Same day, first | Approximately 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer answers to the answer sheet on paper) | 40 questions in 4 parts, each recording heard once only | One mark per correct answer; the raw score out of 40 becomes a band |
| Reading | Same day, second | 60 minutes, no transfer time | 40 questions in 3 sections | One mark per correct answer; the raw score out of 40 becomes a band, with a different table for Academic and General Training |
| Writing | Same day, third | 60 minutes | 2 tasks: Task 1, at least 150 words in about 20 minutes; Task 2, at least 250 words in about 40 minutes | Four criteria per task (task achievement or response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy); Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1 |
| Speaking | Separate slot: the same day or another date set by the centre | 11 to 14 minutes | 3 parts: Part 1, 4 to 5 minutes; Part 2, 3 to 4 minutes including 1 minute of preparation; Part 3, 4 to 5 minutes | Four criteria (fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, pronunciation); the interview is face to face with an examiner and is recorded |
Two things about the timing are worth knowing before you book. First, the three written sections run back to back: the ielts.org test day page says the sitting takes 2 hours 40 minutes with no breaks between sections, and tells you to go to the toilet before you enter the room. Second, the test does not begin the moment you sit down: there is check-in, identity verification and the reading of instructions before the Listening audio starts, so the morning is longer than the arithmetic suggests. The 2 hours and 45 minutes quoted on the format page is the sum of the four sections themselves.
The Speaking slot is booked separately. Depending on the centre it can be on the same day as the written sections, before or after them, or on a different date close to it. Your centre confirms the slot when you book, and the confirmation is the only reliable source for your own date: rules on how far apart the two dates can be vary by centre and by delivery mode, so check the current rule on ielts.org or with the centre rather than a forum.
Academic or General Training: what is identical, what changes
You choose the version when you book, and you cannot change it on the day. The choice is set by the organisation that will read your result: degree-level study and professional registration ask for Academic; General Training is the version to choose, in the words of the ielts.org General Training page, if you wish to migrate to an English-speaking country or to train or study at below degree level. If you are not sure which one an institution wants, ask the institution, not the test centre.
| Section | Academic | General Training |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | Identical: same recordings, same 40 questions, same band table | |
| Speaking | Identical: same three parts, same examiner interview, same criteria | |
| Reading | Three long passages of academic register, 2,150 to 2,750 words in total (Academic Reading format page) | Three sections that get harder: Section 1, several short everyday texts (notices, advertisements, timetables); Section 2, two texts on work topics (job descriptions, contracts, training material); Section 3, one long text of general interest (General Training Reading format page) |
| Reading band table | The stricter table | A more generous table, because the texts are easier: the same raw score gives a lower band than in Academic |
| Writing Task 1 | Describe visual information in your own words: a graph, table, chart or diagram, at least 150 words | Write a letter in response to a situation (a complaint about accommodation, a request to an employer), at least 150 words |
| Writing Task 2 | An essay of at least 250 words on a point of view, argument or problem; the criteria are the same in both | |
The Reading difference matters more than it looks. General Training candidates sometimes assume the whole test is easier; it is not. The passages are easier, and the band table compensates for that, so a General Training candidate needs more correct answers than an Academic candidate to reach the same Reading band. The two tables are on the band score calculator linked further down.
Paper or computer: what actually changes
The same test is delivered two ways. The questions, the section times, the examiner in Speaking and the band scale are the same; the differences are logistical. The most consequential one is in Listening.
| What changes | IELTS on paper | IELTS on computer |
|---|---|---|
| Listening answers | You write on the question paper while you listen, then get 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet (ielts.org format page) | You type the answers as you listen; at the end you have 2 minutes to check them and no extra transfer time (IDP IELTS, how IELTS on computer works) |
| Reading and Writing | Question booklet and answer sheet; you write the essays by hand | Passages and questions on screen; you type the essays |
| Speaking | Identical: a face-to-face interview with an examiner in both modes | |
| Results | Up to 13 days after the test (ielts.org, getting your results) | 1 to 5 days after the test (same page) |
| Availability | From mid-2026 the paper test is being withdrawn and all tests are delivered on computer, with a Writing on Paper option in selected markets that lets you handwrite the Writing section only (ielts.org announcement, exact timelines vary by market). Check what your centre offers before you book. | |
The practical consequence for Listening on computer is that the 10 minutes you may have read about in older guides do not exist. You write each answer into the box while the recording plays, you check spelling in the 2 minutes at the end, and there is nothing to copy. On paper, the transfer time is when most careless errors happen: a plural dropped, an answer written one line too low, a word copied with a spelling that was right on the question paper and wrong on the sheet. Whichever mode you take, practise the way you will be tested.
What happens on test day
The ielts.org test day page (checked September 2026) is short and worth reading in full. Its rules, in order of how often they catch people out:
- Bring the same identification document you used when you booked. Not a copy, not a different document. If the ID does not match the booking, you do not take the test.
- Everything else stays outside the room. You will be asked to leave your personal belongings in a safe place outside the test room. Switch off your phone and any other electronic device before you hand them over.
- No watch. Watches are not allowed in the test room; every room has a clock on the wall.
- No food. Water is allowed if it is in a clear, transparent bottle.
- No break. The three written sections take 2 hours 40 minutes with no breaks between them. Use the toilet before you enter.
- Arrive with margin. The page's own advice is to set an alarm and leave enough time to reach the centre without rushing. Your booking confirmation gives the arrival time; check-in and the identity check happen before the start time printed for the test.
Most of what goes wrong on the day is not language. It is a candidate who arrives late, who forgot which passport was used at booking, or who loses Listening answers to the transfer sheet. The section-by-section list in 20 Common IELTS Mistakes by Section, with the Fix covers the ones that cost marks once the test has started.
How the overall band is calculated
Each section gives a band from 0 to 9 in half-band steps. The overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band; the ielts.org scoring page adds that an average ending in .25 is rounded up to the next half band and an average ending in .75 is rounded up to the next whole band. So Listening 7.0, Reading 6.5, Writing 6.0 and Speaking 6.5 average 6.5 and give 6.5 overall; Listening 7.5, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0 and Speaking 7.0 average 7.125 and give 7.0; Listening 8.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0 and Speaking 7.0 average 7.25 and give 7.5. The band score calculator applies this rule and holds the raw score tables for Listening and both Reading versions, so you can see how many correct answers separate you from the band you need.
Two consequences follow. A weak Writing or Speaking band can be carried by strong Listening and Reading, which is why candidates from countries where the written sections are drilled at school often reach 7 overall with 6 in Writing. And organisations know this, which is why most of them set a minimum per section as well as an overall band: the overall number alone rarely tells them what they need.
How a free mock test on ParrotTalk mirrors this, and where it does not
The full mock test on this site follows the real order, Listening then Reading then Writing then Speaking, with each section on its own clock at the durations above and one band summary at the end; the shorter Quick Mock Test touches all four skills in about fifty minutes. That is where the resemblance is honest. Where it is not:
- Speaking is with an AI, not an examiner. You answer the three parts into a microphone and get a transcript and an estimated band; there is no interviewer following up on what you said, and pronunciation is judged from a transcript, which the site says plainly.
- Writing Task 1 is the Academic task only, a graph or chart to describe. General Training candidates should practise the letter elsewhere.
- Nobody checks your ID, takes your phone or stops you from pausing. The exam conditions are yours to keep or break.
- The bands are estimates for practice, not official results.
The night before: a checklist
- The identification document used at booking, in your bag, checked against the booking confirmation.
- The booking confirmation itself, printed or on your phone, with the arrival time and the address of the centre.
- The route to the centre and how long it takes at that hour; a backup if the first option fails.
- A transparent water bottle; nothing else goes into the room.
- Whether your Speaking slot is the same day or another date, and where.
- The mode you booked, paper or computer, and one last Listening practice in that mode.
- Nothing new studied; the last day is for rest, not for content.
- Phone charged for the journey and switched off before the room.
- Clothes chosen for a room that may be cold; you sit for nearly three hours.
- In bed at the time you would need to be for a normal working day.
Quick answers
How long is the IELTS test?
Two hours and 45 minutes for the four sections together: Listening about 30 minutes, Reading 60 minutes, Writing 60 minutes and Speaking 11 to 14 minutes, on the ielts.org format pages checked September 2026. The three written sections run back to back on the same day and take 2 hours 40 minutes with the paper transfer time; Speaking is a separate slot, the same day or another date fixed by your centre. Add check-in and the identity check before the start and plan for a half day.
Is there a break during the test?
No. The ielts.org test day page says there are no breaks between Listening, Reading and Writing, and tells you to go to the toilet before you enter the room. The only pause in the day is between the written sections and the Speaking slot, when that slot is on the same day. Water in a transparent bottle is the one thing you can take in.
Paper or computer, which is easier?
Neither. The questions, the section times and the band scale are the same in both modes. What differs is logistics: on paper you get 10 minutes to transfer your Listening answers to the answer sheet and results in up to 13 days; on computer you type answers as you listen, get 2 minutes to check them, and results in 1 to 5 days. Choose the mode you have practised in, and note that from mid-2026 the paper test is being withdrawn in favour of computer delivery, with a Writing on Paper option in some markets.
Is a mock test the same as the real thing?
No, and it should not claim to be. A good mock keeps the order, the durations and the question types, which is what the free mock test on this site does. It cannot reproduce the examiner in Speaking, the identity check, the room, or the fact that nobody lets you pause. The bands it gives are practice estimates, not official results: this site is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to IELTS, the British Council, IDP or Cambridge English.
The short version: four sections in a fixed order, 2 hours 40 minutes without a break for the written ones, Speaking as a separate slot, the same ID as at booking, nothing but water in the room, and the overall band as the rounded average of the four.