IELTS General Training Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Test format and scoring

IELTS General Training tests four skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The official IELTS site recommends it if you want to migrate to an English-speaking country, such as the UK, Australia, Canada or New Zealand, or train or study below degree level. IELTS Academic is the version for degree study and professional registration. Listening and Speaking are the same in both versions; Reading and Writing are different.

The four parts at a glance

The British Council says the whole test takes 2 hours and 45 minutes. You take Listening, Reading and Writing together, with no breaks between them. The Speaking test may be on the same day or within 7 days before or after the other parts.

IELTS Online (taken at home) is for IELTS Academic only, so you take General Training at a test centre. For a UK visa, UK Visas and Immigration only accepts tests taken in person at an official IELTS for UKVI test centre.

Band scores

Each part gets a band score from 0 to 9. The official names include: 9 expert, 8 very good, 7 good, 6 competent (effective command despite some mistakes), 5 modest, 4 limited, and 0 did not attempt the test.

The overall band is the average of the four part scores, rounded to the nearest half band. If the average ends in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band (6.25 becomes 6.5). If it ends in .75, it is rounded up to the next whole band (5.75 becomes 6.0). An average ending in .125 rounds down: 6.125 becomes 6.0.

In Listening and Reading, each of the 40 questions is worth one mark, and your mark is turned into a band. Official examples (they vary slightly between test versions):

Prueba temática 1: Test format and scoring

Lesson 2: Listening

Listening takes about 30 minutes and has 40 questions, 10 in each of four parts. Each recording is played once only, and the questions follow the order of the recording. You will hear British, Australian, New Zealand and North American accents.

Question types

• Multiple choice and matching (matching things you hear to a list of options).
• Plan, map or diagram labelling.
• Form, note, table, flow-chart or sentence completion, and short answers: facts such as places, prices or times.

Word limits

Completion questions give a word limit, such as "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER". Writing more words loses the mark: "town library" is fine, but "the town library" (three words) is wrong. A hyphenated word such as "check-in" counts as one word.

Strategies

1. Read ahead and predict the answer type: a name, number, time, price or place?
2. Listen for corrections. "I thought it was ten fifty." "No, it's ten fifteen." The answer is the final information.
3. Catch spellings. Names and postcodes are often spelt letter by letter. Take care with letters that sound alike, such as G and J, or T and D.
4. Match opinions to people. In Part 3, note who says what.
5. Keep going. If you miss an answer, move on at once.

Prueba temática 2: Listening

Lesson 3: Reading everyday and workplace texts

General Training Reading lasts 60 minutes and has 40 questions in three sections that get harder as you go. Each correct answer earns one mark. The texts together are about 2,150–2,375 words long.

Question types

Types include multiple choice, True/False/Not Given, matching (information, headings, features), completion tasks, diagram labels and short answers. Copy words carefully: spelling and grammar mistakes lose marks.

True, False or Not Given?

Do not use your own knowledge. If a notice says a pool is closed for repairs but not what it costs, a statement about the cost is Not Given.

Skim, then scan

• Skim the title and first lines to see what each text or paragraph is about.
• Scan for names, dates, numbers and key words. Expect paraphrases: "pensioners" may match "older people".
• For matching headings, match the main idea of the whole paragraph, not one detail.
• Watch small words that change the meaning: "instead of", "not", "only", "as well as", "up to".

Prueba temática 3: Reading everyday and workplace texts

Lesson 4: Writing Task 1 letters

The Writing test lasts 60 minutes and has two tasks, and both must be done. In Task 1 you write a letter of at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. The task describes a situation and lists three bullet points to include, for example asking for or giving information, explaining a situation, or giving your views or a complaint. Write connected text: bullet points and notes are not allowed. You do not need addresses; start with the greeting.

Choose the right style

The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal. The style depends on who you are writing to and how well you know them.

"Dear Sir or Madam" goes with "Yours faithfully"; a name, such as "Dear Ms Patel", goes with "Yours sincerely". A semi-formal letter is polite but not stiff: "I'm writing about the noise from your flat last Saturday" suits a neighbour, while "Hey mate!!!" is too informal and "I hereby lodge a complaint" is too stiff.

A simple plan

1. Purpose: say why you are writing in the first sentence ("I am writing to ask whether…").
2. One paragraph for each bullet point, in the same order as the task.
3. Closing line and the right ending ("Thank you for your help." "I look forward to hearing from you.").

Be specific: "The heating has not worked since Monday, and the flat is very cold at night" says what, when and why it matters. For polite requests, use "I would be grateful if you could…" or "Could you please…?"

How Task 1 is marked

Examiners use four criteria: Task achievement (how well the letter achieves its purpose), Coherence and cohesion, Lexical resource and Grammatical range and accuracy. Leaving out a bullet point lowers Task achievement. Writing more than 150 words is not penalised, but it takes time from Task 2, which is worth more; a letter that is too short may not show enough language for higher bands.

Prueba temática 4: Writing Task 1 letters

Lesson 5: Writing Task 2 essays

In Task 2 you write a semi-formal or neutral discursive essay of at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. It counts twice as much as Task 1. (Describing a graph is an IELTS Academic task.) The question gives an opinion, argument or problem and tells you what to discuss. Use relevant examples, which may come from your own experience. Off-topic content is penalised, and plagiarism (copied text, including a memorised essay) is severely penalised.

Read the question carefully

A clear structure

1. Introduction: paraphrase the topic, then give your position statement: your view and a short reason.
2. Body paragraphs (2–3): main idea (topic sentence), explanation, then an example.
3. Conclusion: sum up your main points and your position, with no new arguments.

To paraphrase, keep the meaning but change the words: "Many people now shop online rather than in town centres" could become "A growing number of people buy goods on the internet instead of going to local high streets." Copying the question does not show your vocabulary.

Linking words

Task 2 uses the same criteria as Task 1, but the first is Task response: how well you develop your argument with evidence and examples.

Prueba temática 5: Writing Task 2 essays

Lesson 6: Speaking in three parts

The Speaking test is a face-to-face interview with an examiner. It takes 11–14 minutes and is recorded. It is the same for General Training and Academic.

How Speaking is marked

• Fluency and coherence: speaking at a normal speed without too much hesitation, with ideas in a logical order and linking words.
• Lexical resource: the range of your vocabulary and how well you use it, including paraphrasing when you do not know a word ("the thing you climb to reach high places" for a ladder).
• Grammatical range and accuracy: the range of grammar you use and how accurate it is.
• Pronunciation: whether you can be understood without too much effort.

The four criteria carry equal weight.

Tips for each part

• Part 1: answer directly, then add a detail or reason. "Football. Yes." is too short; "I play football with friends on Saturdays because it helps me relax" is better. Avoid memorised speeches.
• Part 2: note key words for each point on the card and follow them in order (who, when, what, how you felt). Keep talking until the examiner stops you.
• Part 3: give an opinion, a reason and a contrast or example, using phrases such as "I suppose…", "because…" and "Having said that…".

Prueba temática 6: Speaking in three parts