IELTS
The world's most widely accepted English proficiency test, used for university admission (Academic) and for work visas, migration and professional registration (General Training) in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
Eligibility
There is no minimum qualification and no attempt limit, though IDP does not recommend the test for candidates under 16. A valid passport is the only accepted identity document in India and must be carried on test day. The One Skill Retake option lets you redo a single module (Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking) once, within 60 days of the original computer-delivered test.
Age limit: No limit (not recommended for candidates under 16)
Exam pattern
Four modules taken as one sitting of about 2 hours 45 minutes: Listening (30 minutes, 40 questions), Reading (60 minutes, 40 questions), Writing (60 minutes — a report/letter task and a 250-word essay) and a face-to-face Speaking interview of 11-14 minutes with a trained examiner (in person or by video call). India's last paper-based sitting was held on 22 Aug 2026; from September 2026 IELTS in India is fully computer-delivered (a 'Writing on Paper' option lets you handwrite the Writing module), with results in 3-5 days. Each module is banded 0-9 in half-band steps and the overall band is their average; there is no pass mark and no negative marking. Academic and General Training differ only in the Reading and Writing modules.
Syllabus at a glance
There is no fixed syllabus — the test measures practical English. Listening uses conversations and monologues of rising difficulty; Academic Reading uses three long journal-style passages while General Training uses workplace and everyday texts; Writing Task 1 is data/letter description and Task 2 an argumentative essay; Speaking covers introduction, a cue-card long turn and abstract discussion.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| India fully computer-delivered (last paper-based test held 22 Aug 2026) | From Sept 2026 | confirmed |
| Test sessions | Multiple slots weekly, year-round — book 1-3 weeks ahead on ieltsidpindia.com | confirmed |
| Results | 3-5 days after a computer-delivered test | confirmed |
| One Skill Retake window | Book within 60 days of your original test | confirmed |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- Cambridge IELTS 15-19 Academic (Authentic Practice Tests) — Cambridge University Press
- The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS — Pauline Cullen, Amanda French, Vanessa Jakeman
- Cambridge Grammar for IELTS — Diana Hopkins with Pauline Cullen
- Cambridge Vocabulary for IELTS — Pauline Cullen
How toppers play it
- Writing Task 2 counts for twice the marks of Task 1 — spend 40 of the 60 minutes on the essay and learn the four band descriptors (task response, coherence, vocabulary, grammar) that examiners actually mark against.
- On the computer-delivered test you get only 2 minutes to check Listening answers (not the 10-minute paper transfer time), so type answers as you listen.
- There is no negative marking: never leave a blank, and in Reading watch word-limit instructions ('no more than two words') — correct ideas in the wrong format score zero.
- Speaking is marked on fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation — not accent; practise 2-minute cue-card monologues aloud with a timer.
- Do Cambridge 15-19 papers under strict timing; they are real past papers and the only fully authentic question source.