IELTS Exam 2025 - Test Dates, Registration, Eligibility, Syllabus, Preparation

IELTS is an English language proficiency test required for studying or migrating purposes to English-speaking countries USA, UK, Canada, and Australia. This test helps people to seek admission to an educational institute or move to an English-speaking country. Students or professionals dreaming of studying or moving overseas can gain a lot of opportunities by taking an IELTS exam. A person can easily experience success in a foreign land, and several opportunities open up for them after appearing for this test. An IELTS test also helps students to seek admission to world-renowned universities & educational institutions and later on go for permanent residency in that nation.

IELTS Exam Type

Generally, there are four IELTS exam types available worldwide

1. IELTS Academic - Students must take the IELTS Academic exam when applying to graduate school or a professional program.
2. IELTS General Training - The IELTS General Training is intended for people who want to move to English-speaking countries, such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, or New Zealand. Other than that, students who want to get engaged in training or work abroad can also opt for this IELTS exam type.
3. IELTS Life Skills – Students who must prove their English proficiency at Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR) Levels A1, A2 or B1 must take the IELTS Life Skills exam.
4. IELTS for UKVI – The Academic test is for students who wish to study at the undergraduate or postgraduate level in the UK or are seeking professional registration in the UK. The General Training test is for test takers who wish to migrate to the UK and train or study below degree level.

IELTS Exam Format

The most important query about the IELTS exam that comes to an aspirant’s mind is ‘What is the format of the IELTS exam?’ Well, an IELTS test is mainly structured into four sections – Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. This test assesses the ability of a person to comprehend, write and speak in the English language.

The Listening, Reading and Writing tests are conducted on a single day, while the Speaking test is conducted “on a different day” or “on a different date”. The Speaking test slot can be booked online or offline as well “on a date of” the test taker’s preference. In case the student does not book his speaking test, it is automatically booked for him. The total time of the IELTS exam is approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes for Listening, Reading and Writing tests. The Speaking test takes about 11 to 14 minutes to be conducted.

The IELTS Exam is structured in the following way:

Different Versions of the IELTS Exam

The IELTS test has two different versions as follows:

1. IELTS Academic Version: This version of the IELTS test is mainly for students who wish to study in English-speaking nations like Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.
2. IELTS General Training Version: This version of the IELTS test is taken by people who wish to migrate or work in nations like Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

IELTS Exam Syllabus for Academic and General Training Version

The IELTS exam has four different sections – Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The IELTS exam is structured in different manners for both versions although it is assessed in the same manner.

The Listening and Speaking sections are the same for both versions. There are differences in the Reading and Writing sections of the two versions. The Reading section for the General Training version consists of four short passages and one long passage, whereas the Academic Version consists of three long passages. The total number of questions is 40 in both versions of the test. For the Writing section, both versions have two tasks. The General training version has a letter and a short essay, whereas the Academic version has a report and a short essay as two writing tasks.

IELTS Exam Fee in India

Cancellation or Reschedule Fee for IELTS Exam

In case you would like to cancel or reschedule your IELTS exam, you need to keep the following points in mind:

1. You will receive a refund minus administration fees if you cancel or reschedule your IELTS test more than five weeks before the test date.
2. If you cancel or reschedule your IELTS within five weeks of the test date, you will be charged the entire cost for the test unless you have some major medical issues.
3. If a medical certificate is presented within five days of the test date, you will be given a refund, less any applicable local administrative fees.

How to register for the IELTS exam?

The process to register for the IELTS test is very simple. You need to keep your passport handy while registering for the test and need to follow a few simple steps as follows:

1. Visit the official IDP IELTS India website.
2. Select the option Register for the IELTS exam.
3. Select your preferred test type, format, city, and date. 
4. Fill all the required details.
5. Lastly, pay the fee online by Credit Card (Master/Visa)

After registering for the test, you will see a confirmation on the screen and receive the same in hard copy or to your email address. Then you need to courier one photocopy of your passport (first and last page) to the IDP Head Office.

The below table is the same for all IELTS web pages , so changes will apply to all.