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How to Practise for IELTS Academic with Practice Quizzes

September 24, 20266 min readSarah Mitchell
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In this article
  1. 1.IELTS Academic at a glance
  2. 2.What the format means for how you practise
  3. 3.Why quizzes help with Listening, Reading and vocabulary
  4. 4.An 8-week IELTS practice plan
  5. 5.How to build IELTS practice sets with SimpleQuizMaker
  6. 6.Worked example: matching headings
  7. 7.Writing: reaching 250 words with a clear structure
  8. 8.Frequently Asked Questions
  9. 9.Keep going
  10. 10.Sources
  11. 11.Related reading

Short answer. IELTS Academic has four sections and takes 2 hours 45 minutes. Listening and Reading are 40 questions each, marked one point per correct answer and converted to bands. Writing and Speaking are assessed by trained examiners. Quizzes are a good fit for Listening and Reading and for the vocabulary and grammar behind every section. Writing and Speaking need timed practice, ideally with feedback from a person.

If you are choosing between IELTS and TOEFL, read the TOEFL vs IELTS comparison. Facts checked against ielts.org on 24 September 2026.

IELTS Academic at a glance

SectionWhat happensTime
Listening4 parts with 10 questions each (40 in total). Parts 1–2 are everyday situations, and Parts 3–4 are educational or training contexts. You hear each recording onceAbout 30 minutes
Reading40 questions on texts from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online sources, written for a non-specialist audience60 minutes
WritingTask 1: describe a graph, table, chart or diagram in at least 150 words (about 20 minutes). Task 2: discuss a point of view, argument or problem in at least 250 words (about 40 minutes). Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 160 minutes
SpeakingA face-to-face interview with an examiner in 3 parts. In Part 2 you get one minute to prepare, then speak for up to two minutes11–14 minutes
  • Total time: 2 hours 45 minutes.
  • Scoring: each section gets a band score in whole or half bands on the IELTS 9-band scale. The overall band is the average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band, and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
  • Where you take it: at a test centre or online, depending on availability.

    • What the format means for how you practise

    Listening questions follow the order of the recording. The answer to question 1 comes before the answer to question 2, and so on. Practise keeping your place and writing short notes while you listen, because each recording plays only once.

    Reading is about stamina and question types. Sixty minutes, 40 questions, and a range of question types, such as matching headings to paragraphs. Practise each type separately, then under full timing.

    Writing Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1. Plan about 40 minutes for Task 2. Writing too little is penalised, so practise reaching 250 words with a clear structure.

    Speaking is a conversation. Practise with a partner, especially the Part 2 routine: one minute to prepare, then up to two minutes of speaking.

    Why quizzes help with Listening, Reading and vocabulary

    Reading and Listening are marked right or wrong, which suits regular quizzing. The vocabulary behind every section benefits from spaced review. Practice tests beat rereading (Roediger and Karpicke, 2006), and spacing out reviews improves retention (Cepeda et al., 2006).

    An 8-week IELTS practice plan

    Week 1: take a baseline. Do the official sample questions for all four sections under timing. Estimate your band in each section.

    Weeks 2–6: build the skills.

  • *Listening:* three sets a week, practising note-taking while hearing each recording only once.
  • *Reading:* one question type per session, such as matching headings or completing sentences, followed by a 10-question quiz on a new text.
  • *Writing:* one Task 1 and one Task 2 a week under time. Count your words.
  • *Speaking:* two practice sessions a week covering all three parts. Record yourself.
  • *Vocabulary:* 20 flashcards a day on a spaced schedule, focused on academic and topic vocabulary.

    • Week 7: take a full practice test in the order and timing of the real test.

    Week 8: taper. Short quizzes on your weakest reading question type, plus flashcards and light speaking practice.

    How to build IELTS practice sets with SimpleQuizMaker

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  • Reading quizzes from real articles. Paste an article from a magazine or journal and ask for "10 IELTS-style questions: matching headings, true/false/not given, and sentence completion." The free plan works from a topic or pasted text, with up to 10 questions per quiz and 5 generations a month.
  • Listening practice from transcripts. Paste a podcast or lecture transcript, listen to the audio once, then take the quiz without looking at the text.
  • Vocabulary decks in the flashcard maker, with spaced repetition.
  • Textbook units on Student. For $2.99 a month you can upload PDFs, Word files and images and generate up to 100 questions per quiz.
  • Templates: reading comprehension and grammar and punctuation.

    • Everything IELTS-related is on the IELTS exam page.

    Worked example: matching headings

    Matching headings is a common IELTS Reading question type. There are more headings than paragraphs, and some headings are not used.

    How to practise:

  • Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph first. The main idea is usually there.
  • Summarise each paragraph in five words or fewer before looking at the headings.
  • Match your summaries to the headings, and watch for headings that repeat a detail from the paragraph but not its main idea. That is the most common trap.

    • Generate practice by pasting any article with clear paragraphs and asking for a matching-headings set with two or three extra headings. Take one set every other day, and time yourself at about 1.5 minutes per question.

    Writing: reaching 250 words with a clear structure

  • Plan for five minutes: your position, two main points, and an example for each.
  • Use four paragraphs: introduction, body paragraph 1, body paragraph 2, conclusion. At 60–70 words each, that comes to 250–280 words.
  • Count your words in practice until you know what 250 words looks like in your handwriting, or on screen if you take the test on a computer.

    • Frequently Asked Questions

    How long is IELTS Academic?

    2 hours 45 minutes: Listening (about 30 minutes), Reading (60 minutes), Writing (60 minutes) and Speaking (11–14 minutes).

    How is the IELTS overall band calculated?

    It is the average of your four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. Averages ending in .25 round up to the next half band, and averages ending in .75 round up to the next whole band.

    How many words do I need in IELTS Writing?

    At least 150 words for Task 1 and at least 250 for Task 2. Answers that are too short are penalised.

    Is the IELTS Speaking test with a real person?

    Yes. It is a face-to-face interview with an examiner in three parts.

    Can I hear the Listening recordings twice?

    No. Each recording is played once.

    Are AI-generated IELTS questions official?

    No. They are practice questions written by an AI. Use the official IELTS sample questions to see the real format.

    Keep going

  • TOEFL vs IELTS comparison
  • TOEFL practice guide
  • IELTS practice quizzes

    • Sources

    Sources: IELTS: IELTS Academic test format · IELTS: Academic Listening format · IELTS: Academic Reading format · IELTS: Academic Writing format · IELTS: scoring in detail. Checked 24 September 2026.

    *SimpleQuizMaker is not affiliated with or endorsed by the British Council, IDP IELTS or Cambridge University Press & Assessment, which jointly own IELTS. Quizzes described here are AI-generated practice, not official IELTS questions.*

    Related reading

  • Listen: IELTS reading and listening strategies in 3 minutes (audio lesson + practice quiz)

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    Sarah Mitchell

    Curriculum Designer & Former High School Teacher

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