IELTS tips that actually help on test day

Search for IELTS tips and tricks and you will find plenty of promises. This guide takes a different approach. Every tip below comes from how the test is actually built and how it is marked, so you can see why it helps rather than taking it on trust. None of it guarantees a band score. What it can do is stop you losing marks to poor timing, misread questions and unfocused practice.

The short answer

• Know the format of each section before test day: how many parts, how many questions and how long you have.
• Plan your time. Reading gives you 60 minutes for three passages and 40 questions, and Writing gives you 60 minutes for two tasks.
• Spend more effort on Writing Task 2 than Task 1, because Task 2 counts twice as much.
• Learn the question types, especially the difference between True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given.
• Practise against the real assessment criteria, not against vague ideas of 'good English'.
• Understand how your overall band is calculated, so you know where an extra half band in one section matters most.

Explanation, step by step

Here is the format of each section in brief, followed by tips that come directly from it.

Step 1: Listening — know what each part sounds like

The four Listening parts move from everyday to academic. Part 1 is a conversation between two people in an everyday social situation. Part 2 is one speaker in an everyday social situation. Part 3 is a conversation between two main speakers in an education or training context. Part 4 is one person speaking on an academic subject.

• Practise with matching material. For Parts 1 and 2, listen to everyday conversations and announcements. For Parts 3 and 4, listen to discussions and short talks on study topics.
• In Parts 1 and 3, keep track of who is speaking. Two voices can mean an answer is suggested by one speaker and then corrected by the other.
• Part 4 has a single speaker and no conversational breaks, so practise following a longer talk without losing your place.
• Each part has 10 questions, so if one part goes badly, reset and focus on the next. It carries just as many marks.

Step 2: Reading — budget your 60 minutes

• With three passages and 60 minutes, a simple plan is about 20 minutes per passage. Decide on your plan before the test so you don't spend 35 minutes on the first passage.
• In General Training, the sections get harder. Section 1 has short everyday texts such as notices and timetables, Section 2 has workplace texts and Section 3 is one longer general-interest text. Try not to use up time early that you will need for Section 3.
• Each of the 40 questions is worth one mark. A hard question is worth no more than an easy one, so don't let one question eat several minutes.
• Learn the question types by name: multiple choice, True/False/Not Given, Yes/No/Not Given, matching information, matching headings, matching features, matching sentence endings, sentence completion, summary/note/table/flow-chart completion, diagram labelling and short-answer questions.
• True/False/Not Given asks about factual information in the text. Yes/No/Not Given asks about the writer's views or claims. Mixing these up is an easy way to lose marks.

Step 3: Writing — give Task 2 the time it deserves

• Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1. The suggested split of about 20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 for Task 2 reflects this, so don't let Task 1 run over.
• Meet the minimum word counts: at least 150 words for Task 1 and at least 250 for Task 2.
• Academic Task 1 asks you to describe visual information such as a graph, table, chart, diagram or process. General Training Task 1 is a letter, which may be personal, semi-formal or formal. Practise choosing the right tone for the situation.
• Writing is marked on four criteria: Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2), Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Check every practice answer against all four, not just grammar.

The band descriptors show what separates the levels. For Task Response at Band 6, the official wording says main ideas are relevant 'but some may be insufficiently developed or may lack clarity'. At Band 7, 'a clear and developed position is presented' and 'main ideas are extended and supported'. In practice, this means a clear opinion and fully explained ideas matter more than adding extra points.

Linking words follow the same pattern. At Band 6, cohesion 'may be faulty or mechanical due to misuse, overuse or omission'. At Band 7, a range of cohesive devices 'including reference and substitution is used flexibly'. Starting every sentence with 'Moreover' or 'Furthermore' can look mechanical. Using words such as 'this', 'these' or 'such' to refer back to earlier ideas is often more natural.

Step 4: Speaking — practise each part's rhythm

• Part 2 gives you one minute to prepare and up to two minutes to speak. Practise using that minute to write a few key words, not full sentences, then speaking from them for the full two minutes.
• Speaking is assessed on Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation. Record yourself and listen back with each criterion in mind.
• Parts 1 and 3 each last 4–5 minutes. Practise giving answers that are developed but not rambling, with a reason or an example after your main point.

Step 5: Understand how your band is calculated

Each section is reported on a 1–9 scale in whole or half bands. Your overall band is the average of the four, 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. This is why a small improvement in one weaker section can change your overall result.

Worked example

The following example was written by Stride as a study model. It is not official IELTS material.

Example 1: Where does an extra half band help?

Imagine a candidate scores Listening 6.5, Reading 6.5, Writing 6 and Speaking 6. The average is 25 ÷ 4 = 6.25, which rounds up to an overall 6.5. If Writing rises to 6.5, the total becomes 25.5 and the average is 6.375, which still gives an overall 6.5. If both Writing and Speaking rise to 6.5, the average is 6.5. To reach an overall 7, the average needs to be at least 6.75, which means a total of 27 across the four sections. Working this out early shows you how far you are from your target and which sections to focus on.

Example 2: Academic or General Training Reading?

IELTS publishes raw score to band conversions. In Academic Reading, 30 correct answers out of 40 corresponds to Band 7. In General Training Reading, 30 correct corresponds to Band 6, and you need 35 for Band 7. If you are taking General Training, set your practice targets with this in mind. A raw score that would be good enough in Academic may not be in General Training.

Example 3: Planning a Task 2 answer

Practice prompt, written by Stride as a study model: 'Some people believe that cities should ban cars from their centres. To what extent do you agree or disagree?' A short plan might be: state a clear position in the introduction (for example, mostly agree); write one body paragraph on cleaner air and safer streets, explained with a specific consequence; write one body paragraph on the problems for deliveries and people with limited mobility, explaining how these could be managed; then restate your position in the conclusion. This plan covers every part of the prompt and develops each idea, which is what the Task Response descriptors reward. It is a planning model, not an answer to memorise.

Common mistakes

• Spending too long on Writing Task 1, even though Task 2 counts twice as much.
• Writing under the minimum word count of 150 words for Task 1 or 250 words for Task 2.
• Treating Yes/No/Not Given as if it were True/False/Not Given. One is about the writer's views, the other about facts.
• Running out of time on the last Reading passage or section, which in General Training is the hardest.
• Listing many ideas in Task 2 without developing any of them. The descriptors reward ideas that are extended and supported.
• Overusing linking words so the writing sounds mechanical.
• Practising the wrong version of Reading or Writing for your test.
• Using memorised 'advanced' vocabulary in the wrong context. The Band 7 Lexical Resource descriptor mentions awareness of style and collocation, not simply rare words.

How to practise this

• Time yourself every time. Do full Reading tests in 60 minutes and full Writing tests in 60 minutes, sticking to roughly 20 and 40 minutes for the two tasks.
• Keep a record of mistakes by Reading question type, so you can see which types cost you the most marks.
• After each Writing practice, check it against the four criteria. Ask whether your position is clear, whether each idea is developed and whether your linking sounds natural.
• Record your Speaking answers. Practise Part 2 with a strict one-minute preparation and up to two minutes speaking.
• For Listening, use everyday and academic audio that matches the four parts.
• Work out your current overall band from practice scores, so you know which section to focus on.

If you want timed practice, Stride's Reading tests (Academic and General Training) mark instantly and explain each answer. Writing and Speaking practice are assessed by AI with an estimated band and feedback. These bands are estimates, not official IELTS scores. Stride does not offer Listening practice yet. You can also check your overall band with the free band score calculator, which uses the official rounding rules.

Frequently asked questions

Are there any IELTS tricks that guarantee a higher score?

No. IELTS is marked against published criteria and score scales. What helps is knowing the format, managing your time and practising against the criteria.

How should I split my time in IELTS Writing?

The suggested split is about 20 minutes for Task 1 and about 40 minutes for Task 2. Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1, so it deserves the extra time.

Is the Listening test different for Academic and General Training?

No. Listening and Speaking are the same in both versions. Only Reading and Writing are different.

How is the overall IELTS band worked out?

It is the average of your four section bands, 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. For example, 6.25 becomes 6.5 and 6.75 becomes 7.

Why do I need more correct answers in General Training Reading?

The published conversions are different. For example, 30 out of 40 corresponds to Band 7 in Academic Reading but Band 6 in General Training Reading.

How long do I speak for in Speaking Part 2?

You get one minute to prepare and then speak for up to two minutes. The whole of Part 2 lasts 3–4 minutes.

Related guides

• How to prepare for IELTS: a step-by-step guide
• Common IELTS mistakes and how to avoid them
• How to improve your IELTS score
• IELTS study plan: 30-day and 8-week timetables
• IELTS Listening tips for all four parts