Prepare for the IELTS General Training test in the UK
Planning to take your IELTS General Training test or already booked? Find out more about our preparation materials and expert tips, designed to help you to build your confidence for test day.
How should I prepare for IELTS General Training?
Preparing well for IELTS is an important step towards achieving your score. A good plan includes time to get to know the test format and question types, doing lots of practice questions, understanding what examiners want and time spent practising your English.
Prepare for each skill to improve your IELTS score
Four core skills make up the IELTS General Training assessment: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Discuss a range of topics to build fluency, refine your pronunciation, and strengthen answers by supporting them with examples and explanations.
This section tests how well you follow spoken English and pick out key points, details and overall meaning. Regular practice with recordings, solid note-taking strategies, and familiarity with the pace all help build confidence here.
This section calls for strong comprehension and analysis of academic texts, plus the ability to find specific information fast. Sample passages are a great way to build skimming, scanning and time management strategies.
This section focuses on structuring answers, describing data, and communicating with clarity, coherence and a strong range of vocabulary. Practice covers summarising factual information, sharing opinions, proposing solutions and comparing different views in writing.
This section is about expressing ideas clearly and naturally when speaking. Cover a variety of topics to build fluency and pronunciation, and strengthen your answers by supporting them with examples and explanations.
- Test taker
- Chile
Getting started: check your English level
Get off to a strong start and take one of our practice tests for IELTS General Training in the UK to assess your current level. This will help you understand where you need to improve, so that you can build an effective study plan.
Build your skills with IELTS Ready
From free scored practice tests to expert-led classes and courses, our IELTS Ready preparation platform is designed to help you succeed. No matter what score you’re aiming for, we’ve got the tools to build your confidence and help you perform at your best on test day.
Top tips: How to manage IELTS preparation alongside your work
Taking IELTS, along with managing daily life and work commitments, can be very stressful. Here are a few tips to help you stay on track as you work towards your goals.
Identify your study goals and break practise down into manageable sessions.
Map key milestones for reaching your goals into your study plan.
Make time daily for wellbeing activities to improve focus and performance.
Preparing for IELTS General Training: FAQs
There is no specific ‘passing’ score for IELTS. Each organisation has its own requirements. It is important to check the score required for the job that you are applying for.
The IELTS General Training test assesses four key language skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking.
- Listening – 30 minutes
- Reading – 60 minutes
- Writing (2 tasks) – 60 minutes
- Speaking – 11–14 minutes
Total IELTS General test time is about 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Preparing in advance boosts your confidence and helps you to perform at your best on test day. We recommend that you spend time practising your English language skills, familiarising yourself with the test format and trying the different task types that you’ll come across in the test.
There are lots of excellent resources available online to help you study for the IELTS General Training test. When you book your test with the British Council, you’ll get free access to IELTS Ready Premium (opens in a new tab), our complete exam preparation toolkit.
We also offer intensive teacher-led IELTS Coach courses (opens in a new tab) and a familiarisation test (opens in a new tab). If you are not ready to book yet, you can sign up for IELTS Ready Member (opens in a new tab).
How much preparation you need to do depends on your current English level and the IELTS score you need. To find out your current score, we recommend that you take a score practice test. For those close to their target score, you may need a few weeks to focus on familiarising yourself with the test so you are prepared for question types, test conditions and timing.
If you are over two bands from your target score, you may need to invest in further English learning and practice to improve your English skills.