IELTS Essentials
Know what you’re preparing for
A clear starting point for test format, band scores and official resources. Once you know the task, choose how to practise it.
Sources checked 6 October 2026 · Fast Prep
Calculate your overall band ↓01 / Choose your test
Academic or General Training?
Check the exact test and score requirements with the organisation receiving your result before you book. Your destination alone does not determine the right test.
IELTS Academic
Commonly used for degree-level study and professional registration.
IELTS General Training
Commonly used for migration, training and study below degree level.
Listening and Speaking are the same in both tests; Reading and Writing differ. Check any specific UKVI requirement separately.
02 / Speaking
Speaking: three parts, one conversation
The full Speaking test takes 11–14 minutes. An examiner assesses your performance across the test.
Familiar topics
4–5 minutes
Answer questions about everyday subjects such as work, study and interests.
An individual long turn
3–4 minutes in total
You have one minute to prepare, then speak for up to two minutes about the given topic.
A wider discussion
4–5 minutes
Explore ideas connected to Part 2 in more general or abstract terms.
The four equally weighted criteria are fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation.
Try a method for developing a Part 1 answer →03 / Academic Writing
Academic Writing: give both tasks time
You have 60 minutes for two tasks. Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1 in the Writing score.
TASK 1
Describe visual information
At least 150 words · about 20 minutes
Summarise key features and make relevant comparisons in a chart, table or diagram.
TASK 2
Develop a written response
At least 250 words · about 40 minutes
Respond to a viewpoint, argument or problem with relevant ideas and supporting detail.
Assessment covers task achievement (Task 1) or task response (Task 2), coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy.
Build a clear paragraph for Task 2 →04 / Bands & calculator
An overall band is not a single-answer score
IELTS averages the Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking bands, then rounds to the nearest half band. A mean ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band; .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
For example: Listening 6.5 + Reading 6.5 + Writing 6.0 + Speaking 6.0 gives an average of 6.25, reported as overall 6.5.
A Fast Prep AI review is practice feedback on one response. It cannot establish your official Speaking, Writing or overall IELTS result. Use the comments to choose a revision, then check it against the task.
A useful number, explained
IELTS overall band calculator
Enter four skill bands to see the rounded overall score. Then explore an overall target.
Calculated overall band
Choose all four skill scores to see your result
The four skills have equal weight. Round the average to the nearest half band: .25 rounds up to .5, and .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
These are score scenarios, not predictions of progress. Check any minimum score required in each skill as well as the overall band.
Your scores stay on this page and are not saved or sent to our servers. This calculator uses skill bands, not raw marks or single-answer AI estimates.
Official IELTS rounding rules ↗
Scoring rules checked 7 October 2026
05 / Common questions
Questions before you start
Can I focus only on the overall band?
Check your receiving organisation’s requirements: it may specify a minimum in each skill as well as an overall score. Use both to set your practice priorities.
Where can I find official sample questions?
IELTS publishes free sample materials for Academic, General Training and UKVI Life Skills. Choose the set that matches your test using the official link below.
Should I learn a complete model answer by heart?
Use an example to study how an idea is developed. Then close it and answer a different question in your own words. This helps you check whether you can use the language beyond that one example.
06 / Your next step
Turn the format into a first practice step
Choose one activity today. Keep your first attempt so you have something concrete to compare with the next one.
Vocabulary ↗
Recall five words without looking, then use each in a sentence about your life.
Speaking ↗
Record one answer. Listen back and pick one idea that needs a reason or example.
Writing ↗
Revise one paragraph using one specific feedback point. Compare before and after.