Estimate your overall band from your four module scores
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Your Estimated Overall Band
Which test is right for you?
Academic IELTS
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Students who've just sat the exam share the speaking and writing topics they were given. Updated regularly so you can practise what's actually coming up.
🎙 Technology & Society🎙 Environmental Issues✍️ Health & Lifestyle🎙 Work & Education✍️ Urbanisation
In Part 1, examiners assess your Fluency and Coherence. Even for simple questions, give a 2–3 sentence answer with a reason and an example. "Yes, I do" will hurt your score — "I enjoy it because it helps me unwind, especially with jazz" is Band 7 territory.
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Writing Task 2
Always include a thesis statement
Your introduction should end with a clear thesis that previews your position and the main points you'll cover. Don't just paraphrase the question and stop. Examiners check this immediately — it sets the tone for your entire Task Response score.
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Reading
Read the questions before the passage
For most question types, skimming the questions first tells you exactly what to look for. You're not reading for pleasure — you're on a search mission. Knowing your targets cuts your time by a third and reduces exam panic significantly.
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Academic Task 1
Your overview is worth more than your data
The most common reason students score Band 5 on Task 1 is a missing overview. Two or three sentences summarising the most striking trends — without specific numbers — placed after your introduction is what separates a Band 5 from a Band 7.
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All Modules
Never leave a question blank
IELTS does not penalise wrong answers. In Reading and Listening, a guess costs you nothing but a blank guarantees a lost mark. If time is running out, write something — even a synonym of a word you spotted nearby in the text.
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Speaking Part 2
Use your one minute of prep time properly
Don't write full sentences — jot down three or four quick bullet points covering the cue card areas. These become your roadmap. Most students trail off after 40 seconds; a brief plan prevents silence and keeps you speaking fluently for the full two minutes.
Understand how you're marked
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IELTS Scoring System Explained
How does IELTS calculate your overall band? What's the difference between Academic and General Training reading scores? Learn how Speaking and Writing criteria are weighted and how rounding works across all four modules.
What does a Band 6.5 speaker actually sound like compared to a Band 7? Read the full examiner descriptors for every band from 5.5 to 9.0 — and use our self-assessment checklist to estimate your current level right now.
