Practice for

IELTS General Training

For work, migration (for example to Canada, Australia, New Zealand or the UK) and secondary school or training courses.

Taking Academic instead? Go to IELTS Academic →

Compared with Academic, General Training Reading uses shorter, everyday texts and needs more correct answers for each band, and Writing Task 1 is a letter rather than a description of a chart. Listening and Speaking are identical in both. Below, the four parts appear in the order you take them, with the General Training versions of Reading and Writing. Booked IELTS General Training for UKVI? IELTS for UKVI uses the same General Training papers, so this practice applies.

Listening

Same for both testsListening tips →

Listening · Free
Listening Practice Test 1
40 minutes · 40 questions · 4 parts
Four recordings with different speakers and accents. Each part plays once, like the real test.
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Listening · Free
Listening Practice Test 2
40 minutes · 40 questions · 4 parts
Four recordings with different speakers and accents. Each part plays once, like the real test.
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Listening · Free
Listening Practice Test 3
40 minutes · 40 questions · 4 parts
Four recordings with different speakers and accents. Each part plays once, like the real test.
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Listening · Free
Listening Practice Test 4
40 minutes · 40 questions · 4 parts
Four recordings with different speakers and accents. Each part plays once, like the real test.
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Listening · Free
Listening Practice Test 5
40 minutes · 40 questions · 4 parts
Four recordings with different speakers and accents. Each part plays once, like the real test.
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Listening · Free
Listening Practice Test 6
40 minutes · 40 questions · 4 parts
Four recordings with different speakers and accents. Each part plays once, like the real test.
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Listening · Free
Listening Practice Test 7
40 minutes · 40 questions · 4 parts
Four recordings with different speakers and accents. Each part plays once, like the real test.
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Listening · Free
Listening Practice Test 8
40 minutes · 40 questions · 4 parts
Four recordings with different speakers and accents. Each part plays once, like the real test.
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Listening · Free
Listening Practice Test 9
40 minutes · 40 questions · 4 parts
Four recordings with different speakers and accents. Each part plays once, like the real test.
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Listening · Free
Listening Practice Test 10
40 minutes · 40 questions · 4 parts
Four recordings with different speakers and accents. Each part plays once, like the real test.
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General Training Reading

Different for each testReading tips →

General Training Reading has three sections and 40 questions in 60 minutes. Section 1 has several short factual texts, such as notices, adverts and timetables. Section 2 has two texts about work, such as a job description, a staff guide or training information. Section 3 is one longer text on a topic of general interest.

The texts are the kind you meet in daily life and at work, so the early sections move quickly. Do not let that tempt you into spending too long on the short texts: Section 3 is the longest and needs at least 20 minutes.

Because the texts are easier, the conversion table needs more correct answers for the same band. In the table our tests use, about 30 correct answers out of 40 gives band 6 in General Training Reading and about 34 gives band 7, compared with 23 and 30 in Academic.

General Training Reading · Free
General Training Reading Practice Test 1
60 minutes · 40 questions · 3 parts
Passages: Northfield Community Notices, Harbourside Hotel: Information for New Staff, The Return of the Night Train
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General Training Reading · Free
General Training Reading Practice Test 2
60 minutes · 40 questions · 3 parts
Passages: Holiday Lets and Travel Information, Westbrook Logistics: Your Probation Period, Science by the People
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General Training Reading · Free
General Training Reading Practice Test 3
60 minutes · 40 questions · 3 parts
Passages: Fitness Centres and Pool Information, Carlton Insurance: Hybrid Working Guide for Staff, Fix It, Don't Bin It: The Repair Café Movement
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General Training Reading · Free
General Training Reading Practice Test 4
60 minutes · 40 questions · 3 parts
Passages: Phone Plans and a Health Centre Notice, Greenway Supermarkets: Welcome Pack for New Store Staff, Never Too Late: Learning a Language as an Adult
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General Training Reading · Free
General Training Reading Practice Test 5
60 minutes · 40 questions · 3 parts
Passages: Places to Eat and Waste Collection Changes, Portside Distribution: Health and Safety Guide for New Employees, The Great Allotment Revival
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General Training Reading · Free
General Training Reading Practice Test 6
60 minutes · 40 questions · 3 parts
Passages: Volunteering Opportunities and a Parking Notice, Fairfield Buses: Information for New Drivers, Small Is Beautiful? The Tiny House Movement
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General Training Reading · Free
General Training Reading Practice Test 7
60 minutes · 40 questions · 3 parts
Passages: Adult Learning Courses and a Store Returns Policy, Hartley Engineering: Leave and Absence Guide for Employees, The Village Shop That Refused to Close
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General Training Writing

Different for each testSample feedback →Writing tips →

60 minutes · 2 tasks · AI-marked

Task 1: Write a letter (formal, semi-formal or informal) about an everyday situation in at least 150 words.
Task 2: An essay of at least 250 words, usually on a topic of general interest, worth twice as much as Task 1.

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Speaking

Same for both testsSample feedback →Speaking tips →

11–14 minutes · 3 parts · AI examiner

Speak out loud to an examiner who asks Part 1 questions, gives you a cue card, and follows up on your ideas in Part 3. Then get an estimated band with corrections.

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Worked example: planning a General Training letter

A Task 1 letter written for this page, and how to plan it in the first three or four minutes.

The task
You recently stayed at a hotel and left a jacket in your room. Write a letter to the hotel manager. In your letter: say when you stayed and which room you had; describe the jacket; explain how you would like it returned to you. You do not need to write any addresses.
1. Decide the tone
You are writing to a manager you do not know, so the letter is formal. Without a name, start with Dear Sir or Madam and finish with Yours faithfully.
2. State the purpose at once
"I am writing about a jacket that I left in my room during a recent stay." The reader should know why you are writing from the first line.
3. One paragraph per bullet point
When and where you stayed, then the jacket, then how to return it. Covering all three bullets is part of the Task Achievement mark.
4. Close with a request
"I would be grateful if you could let me know whether it has been found." A polite closing line suits the formal tone and shows what you expect next.

Common mistakes in IELTS General Training

These cost marks specifically in the General Training version, mostly in the letter and in managing time across the three reading sections.

Not: "Hi there, I lost my jacket in your hotel!!"
Better: "Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing about a jacket I left in my room."
The tone must match the reader. A manager you do not know gets a formal letter, without exclamation marks.
Not: "Dear Mr Hughes, ... Yours faithfully"
Better: "Dear Mr Hughes, ... Yours sincerely"
In British letters, use Yours sincerely when you know the name and Yours faithfully when you do not.
Not: A letter that answers two of the three bullet points.
Better: A short paragraph for each bullet point.
Each bullet is part of the task. Leaving one out limits your Task Achievement score, however good the English is.
Not: "Dear Sam, I am writing to inform you that I shall attend your party."
Better: "Dear Sam, Thanks so much for the invitation. I'd love to come!"
An informal letter to a friend sounds strange in formal language. Contractions and friendly phrases are right here.
Not: Starting the letter with your address and the date.
Better: Starting with Dear...
The task says you do not need to write any addresses, so they only use up your time.
Not: Spending half an hour on Sections 1 and 2 of Reading.
Better: About 15 to 20 minutes for each of the first two sections, leaving at least 20 for Section 3.
The last section is the longest and hardest, and an unanswered question earns nothing.

Sample General Training letter, explained

This answers the hotel letter in the worked example above. It is our own example, written to show a clear structure, not an official model.

Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing about a jacket that I left in my room during a recent stay at your hotel. I stayed for two nights, from 12 to 14 March, in room 318 on the third floor. I only realised that the jacket was missing when I unpacked at home. It is a dark blue waterproof jacket with a grey hood and a small white logo on the front. I believe I left it hanging behind the bathroom door. There may also be a pair of gloves in one of the pockets. If you have found it, I would be very grateful if you could send it to me by post. I am happy to pay the postage, and you can contact me on 07700 900123 to arrange payment. Alternatively, a friend of mine lives nearby and could collect it. Thank you for your help. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully, Maria Lopez

Why it works

The purpose is clear from the first sentence.
Each bullet point has its own paragraph: the dates and room, the description, and how to return it.
Details such as the colour, the hood and where it was left make the description useful, which is what the task asks for.
I would be very grateful if you could is a polite formal request, and Yours faithfully matches Dear Sir or Madam.
At about 160 words it is comfortably over the 150-word minimum.

Taking Academic instead? IELTS Academic practice, or see how the two tests compare.

IELTS General Training

Listening

Listening Practice Test 1

Listening Practice Test 2

Listening Practice Test 3

Listening Practice Test 4

Listening Practice Test 5

Listening Practice Test 6

Listening Practice Test 7

Listening Practice Test 8

Listening Practice Test 9

Listening Practice Test 10

General Training Reading

General Training Reading Practice Test 1

General Training Reading Practice Test 2

General Training Reading Practice Test 3

General Training Reading Practice Test 4

General Training Reading Practice Test 5

General Training Reading Practice Test 6