By Thanh Tran, PTE and IELTS coach
Updated
Australian universities accept IELTS, and so does the Department of Home Affairs for visas. If you take the wrong version, you'll have to pay for the test again.
On this page
Test format
You take listening, reading and writing on the same day, one after the other, with no breaks.
- Listening, about 30 minutes: you listen to four recordings and answer 40 questions. Two recordings are conversations and two are talks. You hear each recording only once.
- Reading, 60 minutes: you read three long texts and answer 40 questions.
- Writing, 60 minutes: you complete two tasks. Write at least 150 words for Task 1, in about 20 minutes. Write at least 250 words for Task 2, in about 40 minutes.
- Speaking, 11 to 14 minutes: you talk with an examiner in three parts. This can be on the same day as the other parts, or up to a week before or after.
Academic or General Training
Take IELTS Academic if you want to study at university, or to register for work in most professions. Take General Training for some visas, or for a vocational course or high school.
The listening and speaking tests are the same in both versions. The reading and writing tests are different. For example, in Academic Writing Task 1 you describe a graph, table or diagram. In General Training Writing Task 1 you write a letter.
For a skilled visa, you can use either version. Your university or professional body may only accept Academic, so check with them before you book. If a course asks for Academic, it will not accept a General Training result.
Nursing or teaching? Check your registration body
Professions like nursing and teaching set their own English score. It is often higher than the score your university or your visa needs. Aim for that higher score.
IELTS on a computer
In Australia, you now take the listening, reading and writing tests on a computer. Some test centres let you handwrite the writing test instead. The questions and the marking are the same as the paper test. But the way you answer is different, and many people lose marks because of it.
- Writing: you type your answers. If you type slowly, you have less time to plan and check your writing.
- Reading: there is no paper, so you cannot mark the text with a pencil. You use an on-screen highlighter instead, and it takes practice.
- Listening: you type your answers while you listen. There is no extra time to copy them onto an answer sheet, only two minutes at the end to check them.
- All parts: you move between questions on the screen. If you get lost, you waste time you cannot get back.
Practise on screen before test day
Our free IELTS Academic practice tests use the same computer format.
How IELTS is scored
You get a score from 0 to 9 for each skill. IELTS calls these scores bands, and they go up in halves, for example 6.0, 6.5 and 7.0. Your overall band is the average of your four skill bands, rounded to the nearest half band.
For a skilled visa, your overall band doesn't matter. Home Affairs checks each skill separately, so your lowest band decides your English level. Improving your best skill won't help. Improving your weakest skill will.
Most skilled visas need at least 6.0 in every skill. With 7.0 in every skill, you get extra points on the skilled visa points test. With 8.0 in every skill, you get the most English points possible.
What each IELTS band gets you in Australia
6.0
- Visa English level
- Competent
- What it is usually enough for
- Most skilled visas, and many undergraduate courses
6.5
- Visa English level
- Still Competent
- What it is usually enough for
- Most postgraduate courses, and entry to Australia's Group of Eight universities
7.0
- Visa English level
- Proficient
- What it is usually enough for
- 10 points on the points test, and registration in several professions
8.0
- Visa English level
- Superior
- What it is usually enough for
- 20 points on the points test, the most you can get for English
| Band in each skill | Visa English level | What it is usually enough for |
|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | Competent | Most skilled visas, and many undergraduate courses |
| 6.5 | Still Competent | Most postgraduate courses, and entry to Australia's Group of Eight universities |
| 7.0 | Proficient | 10 points on the points test, and registration in several professions |
| 8.0 | Superior | 20 points on the points test, the most you can get for English |
How to prepare
Take full practice tests with a timer, on a computer. Many mistakes only happen when you are under time pressure, and short practice exercises do not show them.
If your score does not go above 6.5, the problem is often not your English. It is usually one habit that repeats in every test. For example, your second body paragraph in Writing Task 2 may not explain its idea fully. You may stop and correct yourself in the middle of sentences in Speaking Part 2. Or you may lose focus in Listening Part 4.
A full practice test shows you which habit it is and which skill it affects. Work on that habit first.
