IELTS practice test PDF: free tests for General Training and Academic
Free IELTS practice tests and PDFs come from the test owners. The British Council lists General Training Reading sample tasks and an answer sheet as PDFs, plus an Answer Key for Listening, and IDP Australia has a free computer Familiarisation test. For Express Entry, IRCC says you must take the IELTS General Training option, so practise Reading and Writing in that format.
This page is for people in Canada choosing IELTS practice. It shows which parts of the test are shared between General Training and Academic, where the free tests and PDFs are, and a short practice set of ours. It is study help, not immigration advice: the organisation that asked for IELTS decides what you need.
Practise for the paper you will sit
Listening and Speaking are shared. Reading and Writing are not.
Before you pick a practice test, decide which IELTS version you need. For Express Entry, IRCC, the Canadian immigration department, says:
IDP's "IELTS for Canada" page says the same. IRCC also says: "We don't accept IELTS One Skill Retake for Express Entry."
"Please remember, you must take the General Training option. IRCC does not accept the Academic option for Express Entry."
Other programmes and schools may ask for the Academic version. This page is study help, not immigration advice, so ask the organisation that wants your result. Whichever you need, here is how the owners say the two papers relate.
| Skill | General Training and Academic |
|---|---|
| Listening | The IELTS Listening is the same for both the IELTS Academic test and General Training test. |
| Speaking | Build confidence and fluency by practicing common interview questions. The tests are the same as for the IELTS Academic test. |
| Reading | These official sample materials are designed for the IELTS General Training Reading test, which has a different format from the Academic version. |
| Writing, first task, General Training | You will be presented with a situation and asked to write a letter requesting information or explaining the situation. The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal in style. |
| Writing, first task, Academic | You will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to describe, summarise or explain the information in your own words. |
| Writing, second task | The essay can be slightly more personal in style compared to an Academic Writing task. |
So if you need General Training, you can use any Listening or Speaking practice, but you should practise Reading and Writing in the General Training format. Academic Reading will not match, and the first Writing task will not match. The second Writing task is closer, with the style difference in the table above.
Free practice from IDP and the British Council
By skill, in the owners' words.
| Skill | What the owners offer |
|---|---|
| Listening, British Council | Use these practice exercises to get used to the types of recordings you will hear, practise catching key details and listening to different accents. The test is the same as for IELTS Academic. |
| Listening, IDP Australia | In this IELTS Familiarisation test you will listen to 4 recordings and need to answer 40 questions based on these recordings. |
| Reading, British Council | Get familiar with the types of reading passages you will come across in the test. Improve your reading speed, accuracy and comprehension. |
| Reading, IDP Australia | General Training Reading Sample test answers |
| Writing, British Council | Use these practice tasks to work on organising responses, describing data and putting together clear and coherent passages. |
| Writing, IDP | General Training Writing free sample questions |
| Speaking, British Council | Build confidence and fluency by practicing common interview questions. The tests are the same as for the IELTS Academic test. |
| Speaking, IDP | Speaking free sample questions |
| IELTS.org | Official practice and sample questions and answers |
| Quality of the questions, British Council | Our practice tests use real IELTS questions from past papers, and the interface is just like the real exam. |
| Timing on IDP Australia's computer practice | Unlike the actual IELTS test, these practice tests are untimed |
| Marking help, IDP | Review your answers by comparing to model answers. |
IDP's own page describes the General Training Reading paper that its sample questions follow:
"The General Training Reading test requires you to read extracts from books, magazines, newspapers, notices, advertisements, company handbooks and guidelines. These are materials you are likely to encounter daily in an English-speaking environment. There are three parts in the test, with Part 1 containing two to three short texts, Part 2 contains two texts and Part 3 contains one longer text."
The same IDP page lists an English self-assessment tool and a Prepare hub. It says: "Check your reading and listening skills and get recommendations for your IELTS preparation." It also says: "Access the IELTS Prepare hub to view articles, videos and register for a practice event near you or online."
If you book with the British Council, there is more. The British Council says: "When you book your IELTS test with the British Council, you'll be able to access more than 40 practice tests covering every skill."
IELTS practice test PDFs
What you can download for free.
The PDFs we found on the owners' pages are answer keys, transcripts, sample tasks and answer sheets. Listening and Speaking need sound or a person, so those parts cannot be a PDF alone. This is the list for General Training Reading and for Listening.
| Download | Where it is listed |
|---|---|
| General Training Reading sample tasks (PDF, 0.85mb) | British Council, General Training Reading practice |
| General Training Reading answer sheet (PDF, 0.70mb) | British Council, General Training Reading practice |
| General Training Sample task - True/False/Not Given - Answer key (PDF, 0.05mb) | British Council, General Training Reading practice |
| General Training Sample task - Matching information - Answer key (PDF, 0.15mb) | British Council, General Training Reading practice |
| Sentence completion - Answer key (PDF, 0.23mb) | British Council, General Training Reading practice |
| Answer Key (PDF, 0.02mb) and Recording Transcript (PDF, 0.08mb) | British Council, under each Listening sample task |
| General Training Reading Sample test answers | IDP Australia, free Familiarisation test page |
One honest limit comes from the British Council itself. Its computer sample on the General Training page does not use General Training questions:
"The sample below uses IELTS Academic questions so while you won't get to practise General Training questions, you will get to familiarise yourself with the test platform."
Our reading: for General Training Reading, print the sample tasks and answer sheet, work through them against a clock, and mark with the answer keys. Use the computer sample only to learn the screen layout.
Our General Training Reading practice set
A short notice, six questions, with a key.
This is a Section 1 style task: a short notice you must scan for facts. The notice is invented. Give yourself 8 minutes. Answer from the text only.
IELTS.org says the texts in Section 1 of General Training Reading deal with everyday topics, and that you pick out important information from notices, advertisements and timetables. The small traps in our notice, such as exceptions and conditions, are our own.
January to March
Registration opens on Monday 6 December at 9 a.m., at the front desk or online. Registration closes one week before each course starts. Residents of Maplewood receive a 20% discount on all courses. Seniors (65 and over) and full-time students pay half price. Discounts cannot be combined.
Courses
Beginner Swimming (adults): Tuesdays, 7 p.m., 8 weeks, $96
Pottery Workshop: Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m., 6 weeks, $84. Materials included.
Conversational French: Thursdays, 7 p.m., 10 weeks, $110. Textbook not included. Buy it at the front desk for $18.
Chair Yoga (seniors): Fridays, 10 a.m., 8 weeks, $60
Cancellations
You will receive a full refund if you cancel at least seven days before the course starts. After that, a $15 fee applies. The centre may cancel a course if fewer than six people register.
Questions 1 to 3
Answer the questions. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the notice for each answer.
- On what date does registration open?
- How many weeks does the Pottery Workshop last?
- Which course has a textbook that is not included in the price?
Questions 4 to 6
Do the following statements agree with the information in the notice? Write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.
5. A full refund is available up to seven days before a course starts.
6. The Pottery Workshop supplies aprons.
Answer key and the reason for each answer
| No. | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 December | The notice gives the day and the date in its first sentence. The question asks for the date, so Monday alone does not answer it. |
| 2 | 6 | The Pottery Workshop is Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m., 6 weeks. Do not take the 6:30 by mistake. |
| 3 | Conversational French | It is the only course whose textbook is not included. The number 18 is the price of the book, not the answer. |
| 4 | FALSE | The notice says discounts cannot be combined. The statement says they can, so it contradicts the text. |
| 5 | TRUE | The notice gives a full refund if you cancel at least seven days before the course starts. |
| 6 | NOT GIVEN | The notice says materials are included for pottery, but never says what the materials are. |
Writing taster, Task 1 letter
You booked the Conversational French course at your community centre, but you can no longer attend because your work hours have changed. Write a letter to the centre manager. In your letter, explain why you can no longer attend, say what you would like to happen to your payment, and ask about courses that start later in the year. Begin your letter 'Dear Sir or Madam' and aim for a polite, clear, semi-formal tone.
How to use free tests over four weeks
A schedule for a General Training test taker.
| Week | Do this | Check this |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | A diagnostic: one Listening test, one Reading test, one Writing task and a recorded Speaking answer. Mark each. | Which skill loses you the most marks? |
| Week 2 | Spend two thirds of your time on your weakest skill. Use the free tests by question type. | Are the same mistakes repeating? |
| Week 3 | Add timing. Listening once only, Reading against the clock, Writing with a timer. | Do you finish? Do you check? |
| Week 4 | Two full practice runs of Listening, Reading and Writing back to back, in the real order, with no breaks. Mark everything, then rest the day before the real test. | Is your error list shorter than in Week 1? |
The back-to-back run is not a whim. The British Council says there are no breaks between the parts of the real test.
Keep a single page of errors across all your practice. Sort them into three groups: did not know, knew but slipped, ran out of time. Spend your next session on the largest group.
The Reading band tables are on our IELTS Reading tips page, and the marking rules for Listening are on our IELTS Listening marking and tips page. If you need to move your test date, see IELTS reschedule, expiry date and account.
Common questions
Yes, for answers and sample tasks. The British Council lists General Training Reading sample tasks (PDF, 0.85mb), a General Training Reading answer sheet (PDF, 0.70mb), and an Answer Key (PDF, 0.02mb) and Recording Transcript (PDF, 0.08mb) for Listening.
On the owners' pages. IDP Australia has a free computer Familiarisation test, where you will listen to 4 recordings and need to answer 40 questions, and IDP's IELTS for Canada page also lists Familiarisation tests in its practice tests menu. The British Council has free practice tests for Academic and General Training.
General Training. IRCC says: You must take the IELTS General Training option.
For Listening and Speaking, yes: the British Council says the tests are the same as for IELTS Academic. For Reading and Writing, the formats differ. The British Council says General Training Reading has a different format from the Academic version, so use General Training material for the real thing.
IDP Australia says its computer Familiarisation tests are untimed: Unlike the actual IELTS test, these practice tests are untimed. At home, time yourself.
The British Council says: Our practice tests use real IELTS questions from past papers, and the interface is just like the real exam.
It says so: When you book your IELTS test with the British Council, you'll be able to access more than 40 practice tests covering every skill.