Free IELTS Academic mock
One IELTS Academic paper in the real exam format: 63 questions across 4 timed sections, 2 hr 14 min on a server-controlled clock.
About the real exam The world's most recognised English test for university study and migration - across the UK, Australia, Canada, and beyond.
Free, reversible until you begin · one attempt per account · no retake, no card.
Scored instantly, or scored by AI
60 questions are scored automatically against the paper key the moment you submit.
1 written task and 2 recorded speaking prompts are scored by AI. These scores are estimates, provided as-is, and can arrive after your objective result.
The paper, section by section
- Listening20 questions · 30 min+1 per correct answer, no negative markingBreak · optional, up to 20 min
- Reading40 questions · 1 hr+1 per correct answer, no negative markingBreak · optional, up to 20 min
- Writing1 question · 40 minScored out of 9 marks, with no negative marking1 written taskBreak · optional, up to 20 min
- Speaking2 questions · 4 minScored out of 18 marks, with no negative marking2 recorded prompts
Navigation: sections run strictly in order and a completed section cannot be reopened.
Device and setup checklist
- A stable internet connection for the full duration.
- A working microphone (speaking sections are recorded).
- Headphones or speakers (this paper plays audio).
- A laptop or desktop is recommended for the closest exam experience.
What you get back
You get your raw marks and per-section scores. No scaled score, band, rank or percentile is estimated for this paper.
- Scored out of 87 raw marks, with per-section totals.
- There is no negative marking anywhere in this paper.
- AI-scored tasks are estimates provided as-is, and can arrive after your objective result.
How the real IELTS Academic bands are read
IELTS is reported as a band score from 0 to 9 (in 0.5 increments) for each of the four skills, plus an overall band that is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half-band. Scores are valid for 2 years from the test date.
- Band 8.0 - 9.0 (Very good / Expert)Meets the English requirement of virtually any university worldwide, including the most competitive courses (medicine, law, top-ranked postgraduate programmes). Signals near-native command with full operational fluency.
- Band 7.0 - 7.5 (Good)Required by many top universities and competitive postgraduate courses, and by several professional-registration bodies (e.g. nursing, medicine in some jurisdictions). Comfortable, accurate English with only occasional inaccuracies.
- Band 5.0 - 5.5 (Modest)Accepted for foundation courses, pre-sessional English programmes, some diplomas, and certain skilled-migration thresholds. Partial command of the language; coping with overall meaning in most situations.
Context only - this free mock returns: You get your raw marks and per-section scores. No scaled score, band, rank or percentile is estimated for this paper.
The IELTS Academic in four panels
The exam
IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing System) is the English-proficiency test required for admission to universities and professional registration in English-speaking countries - the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, and increasingly the United States. It is accepted by over 12,000 organisations worldwide, including universities, employers, and immigration authorities. The test measures four skills in a single sitting - Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking - each scored on a 9-band scale, with an overall band that is the average of the four. Unlike multiple-choice-only tests, IELTS Writing and Speaking are assessed by trained human examiners against published descriptors, so genuine command of the language - not test tricks - is what raises your band. The Academic version (as opposed to General Training) uses university-level reading passages and data-description writing tasks, and is the version required for degree study.
The format
All four IELTS Academic skills, fully modelled at the question-type level: (1) Listening - 4 sections of increasing difficulty (everyday social conversation, social monologue, academic group discussion, academic lecture), 40 questions in ~30 minutes plus transfer time, spanning multiple-choice, matching, plan/map/diagram labelling, form/note/table/flow-chart completion, and short-answer. (2) Reading - 3 long academic passages (~2,150 words total), 40 questions in 60 minutes, covering True/False/Not Given, Yes/No/Not Given, Matching Headings/Information/Features/Sentence Endings, multiple-choice, sentence/summary/note/table/flow-chart completion, diagram labelling, and short-answer. (3) Writing - Task 1 (describe a graph, chart, table, process, or map in 150+ words, 20 minutes) and Task 2 (a discursive essay in 250+ words, 40 minutes), each scored on Task Achievement/Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range & Accuracy. (4) Speaking - a 11 - 14 minute face-to-face interview in three parts (introduction & interview, a long-turn 'cue card' monologue, and a two-way discussion), scored on Fluency & Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range & Accuracy, and Pronunciation.
The candidates
- Professionals seeking registration with bodies that require IELTS - for example nurses, doctors, engineers, and teachers applying for licensure or chartered status in English-speaking countries.
- Applicants for skilled-migration and permanent-residency programmes (e.g. Australia's points-based visas) where IELTS bands convert directly into immigration points.
- Anyone who needs a globally recognised, examiner-verified certificate of English ability for academic or professional purposes and wants a structured way to reach a target band.
How people prepare for it
- Find your baseline first. Take one timed Reading and one timed Listening set under exam conditions to see where you stand against your target band. IELTS is a time-pressure test as much as a language test - knowing your current speed tells you what to drill.
- Build Reading speed and scanning. With 60 minutes for 3 passages and 40 questions you cannot read every word - locate answers by keyword, and master the highest-yield types: True/False/Not Given, Matching Headings, and Summary Completion.
- Train Listening with the audio only once. The real test plays each recording a single time, so practise predicting answers from the question wording before the audio starts, and learn to keep moving when you miss one. Section 4 (the academic lecture) is the hardest - prioritise it.
- Rehearse Speaking out loud daily. Record yourself answering Part 2 cue cards for the full 2 minutes, and practise extending Part 3 answers with reasons and examples. Fluency and the ability to keep talking matter more than a perfect accent.
Figures about the real exam, as recorded in the Myndaq course. They describe the real sitting, not this free mock paper - check current details with the exam body before you book.
What it opens up
- Reach your target overall band across all four skills, with a clear understanding of the per-skill minimums universities require
- Master the time strategy each section demands - especially Reading speed and single-play Listening - so timing is never the reason you miss marks
Course context for the real IELTS Academic.
How this mirrors the real format
- The paper structure is the real format: 4 sections in exam order, 63 questions in total.
- Timing is server-controlled for the full 2 hr 14 min -- closing the tab does not pause the clock, exactly like our paid mock series.
- Marking follows the published paper: the per-section marks shown in the paper map are the marks the scorer applies.
- Sections run strictly in order and a completed section cannot be reopened.
- Break windows fall where the paper schedules them, and each one is shown in the paper map.
"Real format" means the paper shape, timing, marking and navigation above - not the official exam software, its visual identity, or any affiliation with the exam body.
What differs or is limited
- This free mock covers every section of the real exam format. Speaking is trimmed to at most 2 prompts and writing to 1 task; the paid mock includes the full task set. AI-scored sections are estimates and are provided as-is. Audio you record is deleted within 30 days.
- Section length in this free paper: Listening has 20 questions.
- Section length in the real IELTS Academic exam: Listening has 40 questions.
- These are two different lengths. The free Listening section is shorter than the real one (20 against 40), so treat it as a diagnostic of that skill rather than a full-length Listening test.
One attempt, explicitly
Adding this mock to your account is free and reversible - you can change the exam any time before you begin. Only the confirmed Begin action uses your one attempt. No retake, no reset, no card.