IELTS Academic Practice Test 1
Four papers, 2 hours 45 minutes of written test, and a Speaking test of 11 to 14 minutes. Everything here is original, and every answer is explained.
Unofficial original RCF practice material
This is not an official IELTS test and is not a past paper. Every passage, transcript, question, answer and model answer on these pages was written by RCF English.
It follows the published format of the IELTS Academic test. It is not produced, approved or endorsed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia or Cambridge University Press & Assessment, who jointly own IELTS.
Band conversion tables on the answer page are indicative only. The official raw-score-to-band conversion is set separately for every real test and is never published in advance.
What the test contains
| Paper | Time | Questions or tasks | Open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | About 30 minutes, plus 10 minutes to transfer answers on the paper test | 4 parts, 40 questions | Listening |
| Reading (Academic) | 60 minutes, with no extra transfer time | 3 passages, 40 questions | Reading |
| Writing (Academic) | 60 minutes | Task 1 at least 150 words, Task 2 at least 250 words | Writing |
| Speaking | 11 to 14 minutes | 3 parts, with a one-minute preparation before Part 2 | Speaking |
| Answers and model answers | - | Full key, band conversion, model answers with examiner-style notes | Answers |
How to sit this test properly
Do the whole thing in one sitting if you can. Listening, then Reading, then Writing, with no break. Stamina is part of what the real test measures, and most candidates lose marks in Reading Passage 3 for reasons that have nothing to do with English.
Do not check answers between papers. Finish all four, then open the answer page once.
Time yourself strictly. Reading gives you 60 minutes for 40 questions with no transfer time - about 20 minutes per passage, and the third is the hardest.
Running the Listening paper without an audio recording
The Listening transcripts are printed in full so a teacher, parent or study partner can read them aloud. This is the one part of the test you cannot sit alone from this page.
Give the candidate the questions only
Print the Listening page and cut off or fold back the transcript section. The candidate must see the questions before the reading begins, exactly as in the real test.
Read at a natural speaking pace
About 150 words a minute. Do not slow down for the answers and do not stress them. Read each part once only - IELTS Listening is never repeated.
Keep the pauses
The transcript marks where to pause. These give the candidate time to read ahead, which is when most of the real work is done.
Allow 10 minutes at the end
On the paper test, candidates copy their answers onto an answer sheet in 10 extra minutes. Spelling and grammar are marked, so this time matters.
Marking rules that cost candidates real bands
Spelling must be correct in Listening and Reading. A right answer spelled wrongly scores zero.
Word limits are absolute. If the instruction says NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER, then three words scores zero even if the meaning is perfect. Hyphenated words count as one word; a number written in figures counts as a number.
Either British or American spelling is accepted, but be consistent.
Grammar must fit the gap. Child where the sentence needs children is wrong.
Before you start
IELTS overview
What the test is, who needs it, and how bands work.
IELTS Reading
The question types and how to handle each one.
IELTS Writing
Both tasks, the four marking criteria and how they are weighted.
10 model Task 2 essays
Every question type, with the reasoning behind each essay.