IELTS Cheat Sheet: Every Section on One Page

Read this the week before your test and again on the morning. Nothing new, no explanation — just the decisions worth having made before you sit down.

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Key Takeaways

• The whole IELTS Academic test takes 2 hours 45 minutes: Listening about 30 minutes, Reading 60, Writing 60, Speaking 11 to 14.
• Listening gives transfer time; Reading does not. The Reading 60 minutes includes writing on the answer sheet.
• Writing Task 2 is worth twice Task 1, so the split is 20 minutes and 40.
• No penalty for wrong answers in Listening or Reading. Fill every box.
• Overall band is the average of four skills: .25 rounds up to the next half band, .75 to the next whole band.

The whole test

Section	Time	Questions or tasks	Transfer time
Listening	About 30 min	40 questions, 4 parts of 10	Yes
Reading (Academic)	60 min	40 questions, 3 passages	No — included
Writing	60 min	2 tasks	—
Speaking	11-14 min	3 parts	—
Total	2 h 45 min	—	—

Listening: what each part is

Part	Speakers	Context	Highest-value move
1	Two, conversation	Everyday, social	Predict the answer type for each gap during preparation time
2	One	Everyday, social	Read the option list before the item list; expect paraphrase
3	Two main speakers	Educational, training	Write initials beside options; agreement is not authorship
4	One	Academic subject	Read all note headings first; there is usually no mid-part pause

Listening rules
Played once only, every part
Questions follow the order of the recording — if lost, move forward
Spelling must be correct; British and American both accepted
Word limits are absolute — over the limit scores zero
Hyphenated words count as one word
Numbers may be figures or words unless the field specifies

Reading: timing and the eleven question types

Passage	Target time	Character
1	17 min	Descriptive
2	20 min	Mixed; matching tasks common
3	23 min	Argumentative; Yes/No/Not Given

Question type	Passage order?
Multiple choice	Yes
Identifying information (True/False/Not Given)	Yes
Identifying writer’s views (Yes/No/Not Given)	Yes
Matching information	No
Matching headings	No
Matching features	No
Matching sentence endings	Yes
Sentence completion	Yes
Summary, note, table or flow-chart completion	Not necessarily
Diagram label completion	Not necessarily
Short-answer questions	Yes

Do the three order-independent matching types first, while the passage structure is fresh from your skim.

True/False/Not Given versus Yes/No/Not Given

	True/False/Not Given	Yes/No/Not Given
Tests	Factual information	The writer’s views and claims
Negative answer means	The passage contradicts it	The writer claims the opposite
Not Given means	The passage does not address it	The writer does not claim it either way
Main trap	Using your own knowledge	Attributing a reported view to the writer

Writing: the two tasks

	Task 1 (Academic)	Task 2
Minimum words	150	250
Target words	170-200	280-320
Time	About 20 min	About 40 min
Weight in the Writing band	Half of Task 2	Twice Task 1
Task	Describe a visual in your own words	Discuss a view, argument or problem
Must not	Explain causes, give opinions, recommend	Use bullet points or note form
First criterion	Task achievement	Task response

Task 1 structure	Task 2 structure
Paraphrased introduction	Introduction with a stated position
Overview — no figures	Body 1: one idea, explained, with an example
Detail paragraph A, with figures	Body 2: second idea, or the counter-argument answered
Detail paragraph B, with figures	Conclusion — restate, add nothing

Task 1 without an overview is capped under task achievement. Task 2 without a position, where the prompt asks for one, is capped under task response.

Task 2: match the structure to the question

Prompt ends with	Non-negotiable
To what extent do you agree or disagree?	A clear position in the introduction
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.	Both views plus your position
What are the advantages and disadvantages?	Both sides; verdict optional
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?	An explicit yes or no
What problems… and what solutions…?	Solutions attached to named problems
Two separate questions	Both answered, roughly equally

Speaking: the three parts

Part	Name	Time	Answer length	Highest-value move
1	Introduction and Interview	4-5 min	2-4 sentences	Answer, then give a reason
2	Long Turn	3-4 min	About 2 min uninterrupted	Six lines of keyword notes in the prep minute
3	Discussion	4-5 min	4-6 sentences	Position, reason, concession

The marking criteria

Writing	Speaking
Task achievement (Task 1) / task response (Task 2)	Fluency and coherence
Coherence and cohesion	Lexical resource
Lexical resource	Grammatical range and accuracy
Grammatical range and accuracy	Pronunciation

Content is never marked. No opinion is right or wrong, and invented examples cost nothing.

Band arithmetic

Fact	Consequence
Overall band is the average of four skills	No single skill decides it, unless the institution sets a per-skill minimum
An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band	6.25 reports as 6.5
An average ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band	6.75 reports as 7.0
Listening band 7 averages about 30 marks out of 40	Same for Academic Reading
Band 6 averages about 23 marks in both	Seven marks from band 6 to band 7

The day before

Do	Do not
Re-read this page and your collocation list	Start a new grammar topic
Speak aloud for 15 minutes on any Part 3 theme	Take a full timed test
Confirm ID, venue and reporting time	Study past midnight
Write one Task 2 plan, five minutes	Write a full essay

On the day

1. Bring the identification you registered with, matching exactly.
2. In Listening, write answers directly on the question paper and transfer during the time given.
3. In Reading, write on the answer sheet as you finish each block — there is no transfer time.
4. Fill every box in Listening and Reading. There is no penalty for a wrong answer.
5. In Writing, stop Task 1 at 20 minutes even if it is unfinished, and give Task 2 the full 40.
6. In Speaking, extend every Part 1 answer with a reason and keep speaking in Part 2 until you are stopped.
7. Check word limits before writing any Listening or Reading answer, and word counts before leaving Writing.

FAQ

How long is the IELTS test?

Two hours 45 minutes in total: Listening about 30 minutes, Reading 60, Writing 60, and Speaking 11 to 14. The Speaking test may be taken on a different day depending on the centre.

Is there extra time to transfer answers in IELTS?

In Listening, yes. In Reading, no — the 60 minutes includes writing your answers on the answer sheet, which is why transferring as you go rather than at the end is safer.

Does IELTS deduct marks for wrong answers?

No. Listening and Reading each have 40 questions worth one mark, with no penalty for an incorrect answer, so leaving a box blank costs the same as guessing wrongly and gains nothing.

How much is Writing Task 1 worth compared with Task 2?

Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing band. That is the reason for the 20-minute and 40-minute split, and why finishing Task 1 perfectly at the cost of Task 2 is a poor trade.

Do I need the same band in every skill?

Not for the overall score, which is the average of the four. Many institutions do set a minimum per skill in addition to an overall requirement, so check the exact wording of the requirement you are meeting.

What is the most common avoidable mistake in IELTS?

Word limits and unattempted questions. A correct Listening or Reading answer written over the stated limit scores zero, and unanswered Reading questions — usually in Passage 3 — are the single largest source of lost marks for candidates who run out of time.

Related practice resources

• IELTS band score calculator
• IELTS Writing Task 2 templates
• IELTS question bank
• IELTS collocation list
• IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue cards
• Free IELTS Listening Part 2 practice

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