IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, is owned by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Universities, employers and immigration offices in the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and other countries use it to check your English.
- Band 9
Expert
You use English accurately and fluently, with complete understanding.
- Band 8
Very good
You have full command of English, with only occasional mistakes. You may misunderstand some things in unfamiliar situations.
- Band 7
Good
You handle complex language well and follow detailed reasoning, with some mistakes.
- Band 6
Competent
You use and understand fairly complex language, mostly in familiar situations.
- Band 5
Modest
You get the overall meaning in most situations, though you are likely to make many mistakes.
- Band 4
Limited
You manage in familiar situations, with frequent problems understanding and expressing yourself.
- Bands 1–3
Non-user to extremely limited
You understand only general meaning in very familiar situations, or only a few words.
Each skill gets a band in whole or half steps, like 6.5. Your overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. An average that ends in .25 rounds up to the next half band, and .75 rounds up to the next whole band, so 6.25 becomes 6.5. A band of 0 means you did not answer the questions.
The test takes 2 hours and 45 minutes. Listening and Speaking are the same for everyone. Reading and Writing differ between IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.
| Section | What you do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | 4 recordings, 40 questions; you hear each recording once | About 30 minutes |
| Reading | 3 sections, 40 questions | 60 minutes |
| Writing | 2 tasks: at least 150 words on a chart or diagram (a letter in General Training), then at least 250 words on an argument or problem | 60 minutes |
| Speaking | A face-to-face interview with an examiner, in 3 parts | 11–14 minutes |
The Listening recordings use different accents, including British, Australian, New Zealand and North American. Speaking is marked on fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
From mid-2026, IELTS is moving every test onto a computer, and the exact timing differs by country. In some countries, you can handwrite your Writing answers on paper with an option called Writing on Paper. IELTS for UK visas is computer only.
| Way to take it | Results |
|---|---|
| IELTS on computer, at a test center | Usually in 1–2 days |
| IELTS on paper, where it is still offered | Within 13 days (7 in India) |
| IELTS Online, from home | Usually in 6–8 days |
After a computer test, you can redo one skill with One Skill Retake within 60 days, if your test center offers it. Its price depends on the test center.
IELTS Listening moves from everyday talks to university lectures, and Academic Reading uses texts from books, magazines and newspapers written for a general audience. You follow both more easily when you've spent time with English you can mostly understand. Teachers call this comprehensible input.
- Listen in More Than One AccentRead and listen to English with about one new word in each sentence. Over the week, switch between American, British and Australian voices in a few 20-minute sessions.
- Do the Sample QuestionsBefore the test, work through the official sample questions on the IELTS website and time each section.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn English. You learn from English you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes English lessons at your level about topics you choose, like a job interview or your first week at a university. Bubblegum's six levels are reading levels of its own, and they aren't matched to IELTS bands.
- Pick “Pass an English Exam” as your goal at the start, and Poppy builds your journey around the test and what you like to read about.
- Bubblegum has separate American, British and Australian English journeys, so you read and hear the variety you choose.
- Regenerative Review™ puts words you save into later lessons, so a word from today's reading shows up again in a new sentence.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- The lessons don't follow IELTS question types, and Bubblegum doesn't mark essays with band scores. Use the sample questions for the format.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
A Job Interview at Two Levels
Job Interview Basics
Hello. Are you ready?
Yes, I am. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you. Please sit here.
Thank you.
Goodbye.
How long is an IELTS score valid?
IELTS recommends treating results as valid for two years after the test. Some universities and offices accept older results, so check with the one you're applying to.
Should I take IELTS Academic or General Training?
Take Academic for university study or professional registration, such as nursing. Take General Training for migration to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the UK, or for training below degree level.
How is IELTS different from the TOEFL iBT?
IELTS gives bands from 0 to 9, and you talk with an examiner face to face in Speaking. On the TOEFL iBT, you record your spoken answers on a computer, and scores go from 1 to 6. Our TOEFL iBT guide covers that test.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- IELTS: Test types (Academic, General Training, IELTS for UKVI)
- IELTS: IELTS Academic test format and sections (2 hours 45 minutes)
- IELTS: Academic Listening format (4 parts, 40 questions)
- IELTS: Academic Reading format (3 sections, 40 questions)
- IELTS: Academic Writing format (two tasks, 150 and 250 words)
- IELTS: Speaking format (three parts, 11–14 minutes)
- IELTS: Scoring in detail (band descriptors, overall band rounding, two-year validity)
- IELTS: Fast results (computer 1–2 days, paper 13 days, online 6–8 days)
- IELTS: One Skill Retake
- IELTS: Updates to IELTS test delivery (no paper-based test from mid-2026)
- IELTS: What can IELTS do for you (study, work, migration; employers and professional bodies)
- ETS: TOEFL iBT Speaking section (you record your responses)
- ETS: TOEFL iBT score scale 1 to 6
- IELTS: Sample test questions
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 22, 2026 against each app's own pages.
