Last updated September 16, 2026
Short answer: ParrotTalk has 4 free IELTS Academic Reading practice tests, each with three passages and 40 questions in 60 minutes, automatic scoring and an estimated band on the Academic scale the moment you submit. Each test has its own page with the answer key, and each of the 12 passages has its own page with the full text. No sign-up.
Pick a test below. Each passage title opens the full text of that passage; "Open test page" shows the three passages, the question types and the answer key; "Start" opens the Reading page with that test already selected. The passages are Academic texts written for ParrotTalk, in the shape of the IELTS Academic Reading test: a factual text first, then a more discursive one, then the most demanding of the three.
Each test follows the IELTS Reading format: three passages, 40 questions, 60 minutes on a single clock with no extra time to transfer answers, which leaves about 20 minutes per passage. The question types are those of the exam: True/False/Not Given, multiple choice, sentence completion, summary completion and matching headings. At the end you get your raw score out of 40, the estimated band from the official-style Academic conversion table, a breakdown per passage, and for each wrong answer the place in the passage where the answer was, all saved on your dashboard. The Reading page lets you tick General Training before you start, but the passages and the band scale stay Academic: the page then adds a note that on the real General Training scale the same raw score gives a band about one step lower.
Yes. The 4 tests are completely free, with no sign-up, no email and no card, and there is no limit on how many times you take them. Each test page gives the full answer key, and each of the 12 passages has its own page with the full text.
Academic. The passages are Academic Reading texts and the band uses the Academic conversion table; there is no General Training passage on ParrotTalk. The Reading page lets you tick General Training before you start, and then adds a note that on the real General Training scale the same raw score gives a band about one step lower. The General Training conversion table is on the band score calculator.
No. They are practice tests in the format of the IELTS Academic Reading test, with passages written for ParrotTalk, and the band is an estimate to track your progress, not an official result. ParrotTalk is independent and not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council, IDP, or Cambridge English.
ParrotTalk is free, with no sign-up. Bands are estimates, not official IELTS results. The Quick Mock Test also draws one Reading passage at random; see the Quick Mock Test page. Listening tests with answer keys are on the Listening practice tests page.