What is the IELTS syllabus?
Quick answer
IELTS has no syllabus of topics to study; what IELTS.org publishes is the test format. Listening has four parts and 40 questions, Reading three sections and 40 questions in 60 minutes, Writing two tasks in 60 minutes, and Speaking three parts in 11 to 14 minutes. The whole test takes 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Practise what this page describes in the app: Speaking and Writing marked on the four official criteria as a band range, Reading and Listening tests marked the moment you finish.
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Part of The IELTS test, answered
“Syllabus” is the word many candidates use, but IELTS does not publish one in the school sense: there is no list of topics to cover. What IELTS.org publishes is the format, section by section, and that format is the same wherever the test is taken. Learn it and you know everything the paper can ask of you.
The four sections at a glance
| Section | Time | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | approximately 30 minutes | four recordings, 40 questions |
| Reading | 60 minutes | three sections, 40 questions |
| Writing | 60 minutes | two tasks |
| Speaking | 11 to 14 minutes | three parts with an examiner |
Listening: four parts, 40 questions
Part 1 is a conversation in an everyday social context, Part 2 a talk by one speaker in an everyday context, Part 3 a discussion in an educational or training context, and Part 4 a talk on an academic subject. Each recording is heard once. IELTS.org lists six question types: multiple choice; matching; plan, map and diagram labelling; form, note, table, flow-chart and summary completion; sentence completion; and short-answer questions. The Listening format guide covers each one.
Reading: three sections, 40 questions
IELTS.org’s Academic Reading page gives three texts totalling 2,150 to 2,750 words, taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. It lists eleven question types: multiple choice; identifying information (True/False/Not Given); identifying the writer’s views or claims (Yes/No/Not Given); matching information; matching headings; matching features; matching sentence endings; sentence completion; summary, note, table or flow-chart completion; diagram label completion; and short-answer questions. General Training Reading also has 40 questions in 60 minutes, with texts from everyday life and the workplace. The Academic Reading guide has the detail.
Writing: two tasks, 60 minutes
Task 1 takes about 20 minutes and needs at least 150 words. In Academic you describe visual information, such as a graph, table, chart, map or diagram; in General Training you write a letter. Task 2 takes about 40 minutes and needs at least 250 words: an essay in response to a point of view, an argument or a problem. Both tasks are marked on four criteria. The Writing format guide explains them.
Speaking: three parts, 11 to 14 minutes
Part 1 is four to five minutes of questions about familiar topics such as home, work or studies. In Part 2 you get a cue card, have one minute to prepare and speak for one to two minutes. Part 3 is a four to five minute discussion of broader questions linked to the Part 2 topic. You can practise both with the cue cards and the Part 3 questions by topic.
How to use the format
Study the question types, not a topic list: the topics change, the tasks do not. Then sit one full timed test, so the 2 hours and 45 minutes feel familiar before the day that counts (what is IELTS).
What this means for your score
A candidate who learns the six Listening and eleven Reading question types before test day has nothing on the paper that surprises them. The topics change from test to test, but the task types do not, which is why practising the format pays off more than memorising a topic list.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official IELTS syllabus with topics?
No. IELTS.org publishes the format of each section, its timing and its question types, but no list of topics to study. Reading and Listening texts and the Writing and Speaking topics vary from test to test. Any "IELTS topic list" you find is someone's collection of past questions, not an official syllabus.
Is the IELTS syllabus the same for Academic and General Training?
Partly. IELTS.org states that Listening and Speaking are the same in both tests. Reading uses different texts, and Writing Task 1 differs: Academic asks you to describe visual information, General Training to write a letter. Writing Task 2 is an essay in both.
How many questions are in the IELTS exam?
Listening has 40 questions and Reading has 40, each marked one point per correct answer. Writing has two tasks and Speaking has three parts, marked by examiners against four criteria each. There is no single total, because Writing and Speaking are not scored as questions.
Which section takes the longest?
Reading and Writing are 60 minutes each. Listening takes approximately 30 minutes and Speaking 11 to 14 minutes. Speaking is usually on the same day as the other three sections, and at some test centres up to seven days before or after.
Sources
- IELTS Academic test — IELTS.org
- IELTS Academic: Listening test format — IELTS.org
- IELTS Academic: Reading test format — IELTS.org
Last verified 7 Nov 2026
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