IELTS Syllabus 2025 - Summary
The syllabus for the IELTS exam is all candidates must complete four Modules – Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking – to obtain a band score, which is shown on the IELTS Test Report Form (TRF). All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking Modules, while the Reading and Writing Modules differ depending on whether the candidate is taking the Academic or General Training Versions of the Test.
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) generally has two formats- IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. You can opt for either one of them depending on your requirement or the university/ course you will be applying to. Candidates should be well informed that both versions of the IELTS test are instrumental in providing a valid and accurate assessment of a candidate’s listening, reading, writing, and speaking language skills. The Listening, Reading, and Writing sections of all IELTS tests are completed on the same day, with no breaks in between them.
IELTS Syllabus 2025
The syllabus for IELTS covers all the different test sections. All four sections are covered in the syllabus. IELTS Academic and IELTS General training have the same speaking and listening parts, only the reading and writing syllabus varies. The general syllabus is mentioned below.
- Listening: The module comprises four sections of increasing difficulty. Each section, which can be either a monologue or dialogue, begins with a short introduction telling the candidates about the situation and the speakers. Then they have some time to look through questions. The first three sections have a break in the middle allowing candidates to look at the remaining questions. Each section is heard only once.
- Reading: In the academic module, the reading test comprises three sections, with 3 texts normally followed by 13 or 14 questions for a total of 40 questions overall. The General test also has 3 sections. However the texts are shorter, so there can be up to 5 texts to read.
- Writing: In the Academic module, there are two tasks: in Task 1 candidates describe a diagram, graph, process or chart, and in Task 2 they respond to an argument. In the General Training module, there are also two tasks: in Task 1 candidates write a letter or explain a situation, and in Task 2 they write an essay.
- Speaking: The speaking test contains three sections. The first section takes the form of an interview during which candidates may be asked about their hobbies, interests, and reasons for taking the IELTS exam as well as other general topics such as clothing, free time, computers, and the internet or family. In the second section, candidates are given a topic card and then have one minute to prepare after which they must speak about the given topic. The third section involves a discussion between the examiner and the candidate, generally on questions relating to the theme which they have already spoken about in section 2. This last section is more abstract and is usually considered the most difficult.
IELTS General Training Module 2025
| Sections | No of questions | Section Time |
| Listening | 4 Sections, 40 Items | 30 minutes (20 minutes to listen to a tape and to answer questions on what you hear, and 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the Answer Sheet.) |
| General Training Reading | 3 sections, 40 items | 60 minutes (your task is to read passages of text and answer questions according to what you have read. There are also other types of assignments ) |
| General Training Writing | 2 tasks (150 & 250 words) | 60 minutes (20 minutes to write a letter and 40 minutes to write an essay.) |
| Speaking | — | 11 to 14 minutes (consists of 3 parts: Personal Interview, Little Speech and a Discussion.) |
| Table | Total : | 2 hrs and 45 minutes |
IELTS Academic Module 2025
| Sections | No of questions | Section Time |
| Listening | 4 Sections, 40 Items | 30 minutes (20 minutes to listen to a tape and to answer questions on what you hear, and 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the Answer Sheet.) |
| Academic Reading | 3 sections, 40 items | 60 minutes (your task is to read passages of text and answer questions according to what you have read. There are also other types of assignments ) |
| Academic Writing | 2 tasks (150 & 250 words) | 60 minutes (20 minutes to write a letter and 40 minutes to write an essay.) |
| Speaking | — | 11 to 14 minutes (consists of 3 parts: Personal Interview, Little Speech and a Discussion.) |
| Table | Total : | 2 hrs and 45 minutes |
You can download the IELTS Syllabus 2025 PDF using the link given below.