The test mainly consists of four modules: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The candidate’s proficiency in each of these modules is assessed by a separate test. The duration of the entire IELTS test is 2 hours and 45 minutes.
The Listening Test: This test comprises four parts having ten questions each, with a total of forty questions. The test-taker is expected to complete it in thirty minutes.
The Reading Test: This test has three reading passages with a total of forty questions. The test-taker has to answer the questions based on the passages that they have read within the stipulated time of sixty minutes. While the General Training Reading has passages from magazines, advertisements, newspapers, and books, the Academic test consists of texts that are far more complex in vocabulary, the style of language, from newspapers, books, magazines and journals.
The Writing Test: This section consists of two writing tasks that are to be completed within sixty minutes. The Academic Writing Task 1 is an information transfer task related to the factual content of inputs such as, graphs, tables, or diagrams. It can sometimes be combinations of these inputs. For the General Training Writing Task 1, the test-taker is required to write a letter explaining a given problem, and expected to write in the style appropriate for the type of letter required; either informal (personal), semiformal, or formal. The allotted time for the Task 1 (common for Academic and General) is twenty minutes, and the word limit is 150 words. Task 2, which is common to both the tests, is an essay-based question, which has to be concluded in forty minutes, with a length of 250 words.
The Speaking Test This is a one-on-one test which spans 11 to 14 minutes, which consists of a recorded interview between the examiner and the candidate. It is divided into three sections.