The IELTS listening test is the same for both those taking the Academic and General Training papers.

It consists of 40 questions (10 per section) and lasts around 30 minutes. You will have 10 minutes at the end to transfer your answers from the question paper to the answer sheet.

The listening test consists of four separate sections, each more difficult than the last. In other words, part one is the easiest and part four is the most difficult. Each part has a different theme or focus.

In section 1 you will hear a conversation between two people and it is almost always someone making an appointment or making a booking of some kind (e.g. making a hotel reservation or hiring a car). The questions are normally gap-fill questions in which you have to listen to the information and complete a form or sentence.
In section 2 you will hear someone talking by themselves about a non-academic subject (e.g. TV or radio presenter).
Section 3 switches to an academic context and it will always be more than one person discussing something (e.g. an academic paper or assignment).
Section 4 is normally an academic lecture and you will hear one person (normally the lecturer or professor) talking for an extended period of time.
You will be given a short amount of time (approximately 30 seconds) between each section and you should use this time to look at the questions coming up.

Reading is the second part of the IELTS test, and takes 60 minutes. It consists of three or sometimes four reading passages of increasing difficulty, and there is a total of 40 questions to answer. Though you can mark and write on the Question Paper, you must enter your answers on the Reading Answer Sheet, and be aware that no extra time is given for transferring your answers from the test booklet to the Reading Answer Sheet.

The Academic and General Training Reading Tests are graded to the same level. However, because the texts in the Academic Reading Test are more challenging overall than those in the General Training Test, more questions need to be answered correctly on a General Training Test to receive the same grade.

The writing component of the IELTS exam is designed to assess how you “write a response appropriately, organise ideas and use a range of vocabulary and grammar accurately.”

It comprises two tasks and candidates have 60 minutes to answer them.

For Task 1, candidates must provide at least a 150 word written response to describe, summaries or explain some visual information such as graphs, tables, charts or diagrams, using their own words.

On the other hand, Task 2 requires candidates to “respond to a point of view or argument or problem” through a “discursive consideration of the relevant issues”. Answers should be relevant and not in general, eg. computer sales vs. computers in general.

Like the other three components, you will get a band score for the writing test as well, together with an overview band score.

IELTS Speaking is a face-to-face, informal discussion with an IELTS examiner, and is the same for both Academic and General Training. The test is divided into 3 parts and is designed to test your pronunciation, fluency, grammar and vocabulary.