Free IELTS mock test online
An IELTS mock test is a full, timed run of the real exam: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, about 2 hours 45 minutes in total. You can build one for free on this page, one section at a time. The Listening and Reading practice tests are free with full answer keys, the Speaking simulator is free, and the Writing checker gives you a band and examiner-style feedback for £3.
Do a mock, score it against the band table below, then work on your weakest criterion for a week or two before you re-test. When your scores hold across two or three mocks, that is the signal to book the real test.
Take an IELTS mock test now, one section at a time
Start with the skill you are least sure about. Each opens in its own page.
Listening
Free30 minutes, 40 questions, 4 recordings. Same for Academic and General Training.
Take the Listening practice testReading
Free60 minutes, 40 questions, 3 passages. Academic uses dense articles; General Training uses shorter practical texts plus one long passage.
Take the Reading practice testWriting
£360 minutes, 2 tasks. Get an instant band and 4-criteria feedback on your actual essay.
Check my Writing (£3)Speaking
Free11 to 14 minutes, 3 parts, face to face in the real test. Practise the format and record yourself.
Open the Speaking simulatorThe part people get wrong
How is an IELTS mock test scored?
Listening and Reading convert from a raw score. Writing and Speaking do not.
| Band | Listening (out of 40) | Academic Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 9.0 | 39 to 40 | 39 to 40 |
| 8.5 | 37 to 38 | 37 to 38 |
| 8.0 | 35 to 36 | 35 to 36 |
| 7.5 | 32 to 34 | 33 to 34 |
| 7.0 | 30 to 31 | 30 to 32 |
| 6.5 | 26 to 29 | 27 to 29 |
| 6.0 | 23 to 25 | 23 to 26 |
| 5.5 | 18 to 22 | 19 to 22 |
| 5.0 | 16 to 17 | 15 to 18 |
Approximate, based on the Cambridge conversion tables. The exact cut-offs vary slightly by paper. General Training Reading needs a few more correct answers for the same band. See the official IELTS scoring guide and the free official practice tests.
Writing and Speaking: four criteria, each worth 25%
- Task Achievement / Task Response. Did you answer the whole question, with a clear position and enough support?
- Coherence and Cohesion. Is it organised into clear paragraphs, with linking that reads naturally, not forced?
- Lexical Resource. Range and accuracy of vocabulary. Collocations and word choice matter more than long words.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy. A mix of sentence structures, and how often errors get in the way of meaning.
Your overall band is the mean of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, rounded to the nearest 0.5. Use the band score calculator to work it out.
How do I take a full IELTS mock test at home?
- 1
Pick Academic or General Training
Reading and Writing Task 1 differ between the two. Use the version your university or visa route needs.
- 2
Block 2 hours 45 minutes with no interruptions
Phone away, one quiet room. In the real test, Listening, Reading and Writing run back to back with a short changeover, no pause.
- 3
Do the sections in test order
Listening (30 min), then Reading (60 min), then Writing (60 min). Move your answers as you go for Listening if you are simulating paper.
- 4
Do Speaking separately
Speaking is a different day in the real test. Record an 11 to 14 minute simulation using the three-part structure.
- 5
Mark it the same day
Score Listening and Reading against the band table below. Submit Writing for feedback while the task is fresh in your head.
Feedback
Free scoring vs a person marking your work
Free and £3
- Auto-scored Listening and Reading against the band table
- Instant AI band and 4-criteria notes on your Writing (£3 per essay)
- Speaking format practice with self-review
- Good for tracking your band and spotting question types you miss
A trained examiner marking your real answers
- Sees the pattern across your essays, not one at a time
- Tells you the one change that moves your band, not a list of ten
- Marks Speaking from a recording, on fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation
- This is what the online course does every week
What should I do with my mock test results?
- 1.Find your single weakest criterion, not just your weakest skill. Someone at Writing 6.0 is usually losing marks on one thing, often Task Achievement or Coherence.
- 2.Drill that one thing for one to two weeks. Rewrite two or three essays with feedback, not ten without.
- 3.Re-mock. If the band holds across two or three mock tests, that is a reliable prediction. A single result is not.
Where can I find an IELTS mock test?
People in India usually mean one of three things: an official sample, a Cambridge book, or a scored mock with feedback. They are not the same job.
| Source | What you get |
|---|---|
| This page | Timed Listening and Reading with answer keys, Speaking format practice, Writing band for £3 |
| British Council / IDP official practice | Free sample tests closest to the live papers |
| Cambridge IELTS books 11 to 19 | Retired papers with answer keys |
Sit at least one paper from the British Council free mock tests and the IDP India mock tests. Those are the closest public copies of the live exam. Then use this page to score Listening and Reading, and to get Writing marked against the four criteria. Cambridge IELTS books are still the best full-length archive if you can sit them timed, phone in another room.
Is a mock the same as the official online IELTS test?
No. Computer-delivered IELTS in India is the real exam, booked through IDP, currently ₹19,000 for Academic or General Training. A mock is unpaid practice. If a site asks for the full exam fee and calls it a mock, walk away. Details on IELTS exam fees in India and how to book with IDP.
Students taking this mock from Indian cities
Classes are online. The official test is still sat at an IDP centre. Practise here, then book locally.
How often should I do a full mock test?
- Once a week during active preparation. More than that and you run out of fresh papers and stop reviewing properly.
- The rest of the week goes on targeted practice: the two or three question types you missed, and rewriting one or two essays with feedback.
- One baseline mock before you start, so you know your starting band and can measure progress against it.
- A final mock the week before the real test, in full timed conditions, to check your stamina.
I tell my students that the band on a mock is the least useful number on the page. What I actually look at is how far apart the four skills are. Priya, one of my students last year, sat a mock at 7, 7, 5.5, 6. That is not a general Writing problem. It was one criterion, Task Achievement, and once we fixed that her Writing moved to 6.5 in about two weeks. A flat 6 across all four skills is a different job and takes longer. Your mock tells you which of those two situations you are in. That is the whole point of doing it.
Send me your mock test result
Tell us your four section scores and your target. We will tell you the one thing to work on and whether you are ready to book. No payment to enquire.
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Send us a message, even if you're not sure which course is right for you. We'll give you honest advice, not a sales pitch.
IELTS mock test: frequently asked questions
An IELTS mock test is a full simulation of the real exam under timed conditions: Listening (30 minutes, 40 questions), Reading (60 minutes, 40 questions), Writing (60 minutes, 2 tasks) and Speaking (11 to 14 minutes, 3 parts). It shows you where you lose marks so your study time goes to the right place.
Do it one section at a time. Use the free Listening and Reading practice tests on this page, each with a full answer key, then use the Speaking simulator for the three-part format. For Writing, the £3 checker gives you an instant band and feedback on all four criteria. Together that is a full mock for the price of a coffee.
Listening and Reading are raw scores out of 40 that convert to a band using the Cambridge table (39 to 40 correct is Band 9). Writing and Speaking have no raw score: a trained examiner judges each against four equally weighted criteria. Your overall band is the average of the four skills, rounded to the nearest half band.
Treat it as a range of plus or minus 0.5, not an exact prediction. Cambridge IELTS books 1 to 19 are the closest to the real papers. Consistency across three or more mock tests is far more reliable than a single result.
Once a week during active preparation, with targeted skill and question-type practice filling the rest of your study time. Doing a mock every day without reviewing the mistakes does not move your band. The review is where the improvement happens.
Listening and Speaking are identical. Reading differs: Academic uses long academic passages, General Training uses shorter practical texts plus one longer passage, and the band table is more lenient for General Training. Writing Task 1 differs: Academic describes a chart or diagram, General Training writes a letter. Task 2 is the same essay for both.
Yes. The £3 Writing Checker gives an instant band and detailed feedback. For a person to mark your actual answers each week against the criteria, that is what the online course is for. Book a free consultation and we will tell you honestly whether you are ready to sit the real test.
Use this page for a scored four-skill mock with a band table and Writing feedback. For papers closest to the real exam, sit the free official practice tests on the British Council and IDP sites, and work through Cambridge IELTS books 11 to 19 under timed conditions. Official mocks do not mark your Writing the way a trainer does.
The official exam has a computer-delivered option in many Indian cities, booked through IDP. That is the real test, with a fee of about ₹19,000 as of September 2026. A mock test is practice at home. Do not pay a full exam fee for something labelled mock unless you are booking IDP or British Council.
There is no official fee for a home mock. The real computer-delivered IELTS in India is ₹19,000 for Academic or General Training as of September 2026. UKVI is ₹19,250. On this site Listening, Reading and Speaking practice are free. Writing feedback is £3 per essay.
They are different exams. A CELPIP mock will not predict your IELTS band. If your visa or university asks for IELTS, practise IELTS papers. If Canada PR allows CELPIP-General, use a CELPIP mock instead. Do not mix the two score tables.
Practice and next steps
IELTS Listening Practice Test
A full 40-question Listening test with transcript, answer key and question-type strategy.
Explore FreeIELTS Reading Practice Test
A full Academic Reading passage with 18 questions across 4 types and detailed answer explanations.
ExploreIELTS Writing Checker
Submit your Task 1 or Task 2 essay and get an instant band with 4-criteria feedback, from £3.
Explore FreeIELTS Band Score Calculator
Put in your four section scores and get your overall band with the official rounding rules.
ExploreIELTS Online Course
Live classes where Sahil marks your real Writing and Speaking every week, from £79.
ExploreIELTS Exam Fee in India
What the real test costs (₹19,000 as of Sept 2026) once your mock scores are consistent.
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