Format at a glance
Each sitting has between 65 and 75 questions, across 22 types. The order of the parts is fixed, and you cannot go back to a task once you move on.
| Part | Duration | Question types | What it assesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speaking and Writing | 76 to 84 min | 9 scored plus an unscored introduction | Speaking and writing, often combined with reading and listening. |
| Reading | 23 to 30 min | 5 | Reading. |
| Listening | 31 to 39 min | 8 | Listening, with tasks that also require writing or reading. |
Speaking and Writing
The longest part. You speak into the microphone and type on the keyboard, and each spoken answer is recorded only once, with no retakes.
| Task | What you do | Time | Skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Introduction | A recorded introduction to test the microphone. It does not count toward your score. | 25 s to prepare, 30 s to speak | Unscored |
| Read Aloud | Read a text on the screen aloud. | 30 to 40 s to prepare | Speaking |
| Repeat Sentence | Listen to a sentence and repeat it exactly. | answer right after the audio | Listening and Speaking |
| Describe Image | Describe a graph, map, table or picture. | 25 s to prepare, 40 s to speak | Speaking |
| Retell Lecture | Retell a short lecture in your own words. | 10 s to prepare, 40 s to speak | Listening and Speaking |
| Answer Short Question | Answer a question with one or a few words. | about 10 s | Listening |
| Summarize Group Discussion | Give a spoken summary of a discussion among several people. | 10 s to prepare, 2 min to speak | Listening and Speaking |
| Respond to a Situation | Say what you would say in the situation described. | 10 s to prepare, 40 s to speak | Speaking |
| Summarize Written Text | Summarize a text in a single sentence. | 10 min, up to 75 words | Reading and Writing |
| Write Essay | Write an argumentative essay. | 20 min, 200 to 300 words | Writing |
In tasks such as Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Retell Lecture and Answer Short Question, the microphone closes on its own after 3 seconds of silence. Start speaking as soon as the recording opens.
Since 2025, seven speaking and writing tasks have been scored with a combination of human raters and automated scoring.
Practice Speaking and Writing on the platformReading
You manage your time across the tasks in this part, but you cannot return to a task once you move on.
Question types
- Dropdown gapsFill in the Blanks (Dropdown)
- A text with gaps; for each one you pick the right word from a menu.
- Several answersMultiple Choice, Multiple Answers
- Select every correct option about a text. Wrong options cost points.
- Reorder paragraphsReorder Paragraph
- Put shuffled blocks of text in the right order.
- Drag-and-drop gapsFill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop)
- Drag words from a bank into the gaps; some options are left over and do not fit.
- One answerMultiple Choice, Single Answer
- Choose the only correct option about a text.
In Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers, each wrong option takes one point off what you got right on that question, never going below zero.
Practice Reading on the platformListening
The audio starts on its own and plays once. Some tasks have their own timer; the rest share the clock for the part.
Question types
- Summarize what you heardSummarize Spoken Text
- Write a summary of a recording in 50 to 70 words, within 10 minutes.
- Several answersMultiple Choice, Multiple Answers
- Select every correct option. Wrong options cost points.
- Complete the transcriptFill in the Blanks (Type In)
- Type the missing words in a transcript while you listen.
- Correct summaryHighlight Correct Summary
- Choose the paragraph that best summarizes the recording.
- One answerMultiple Choice, Single Answer
- Choose the only correct option.
- Missing wordSelect Missing Word
- The recording ends with a beep instead of its last words; you choose what completes it.
- Words that differHighlight Incorrect Words
- Click the words in the transcript that do not match the audio. Wrong clicks cost points.
- DictationWrite from Dictation
- Listen to a short sentence and type it exactly.
Write from Dictation gives a point for each correct word. Write down everything you remember, even if you did not catch the whole sentence.
Practice Listening on the platformFrequently asked questions
Is the overall score the average of the skills?
No. Because one task can add points to more than one skill, the overall score is not a simple average of the four.
Does the personal introduction count toward the score?
No. It is there to test the microphone and get you used to recording.
Is there a break during the test?
There is no scheduled break, and you cannot go back to a task once you move on.
Is scoring done only by computer?
Scoring is automated. Since 2025, seven speaking and writing tasks also involve human raters.