Academic practice test
Academic Practice Test 000101
- the ecology of hedgerows
- peatland restoration
- the history of the university lecture
- noise mapping in cities
- body clocks and shift work
- who should pay for higher education
Each section is timed and scored on its own, so you can sit the whole test or only the skill you want to practise. Your answers and results are kept in this browser.
The four sections
Not started yet
Listening
4 parts40 questions27 minutes
4 recordings, each played once. Answer while you listen — there is only a short pause at the end to check your answers.
- Form completion
- Multiple choice
- Matching features
- Note completion
- Flow-chart completion
Marked instantly against the answer key and converted to a band estimate.
Not taken yet
Reading
3 passages40 questions60 minutes
3 passages — about 2,600 words to read. There is no extra time for transferring answers, so keep moving.
- Table completion
- True / False / Not Given
- Short-answer questions
- Matching headings
- Summary completion
- Yes / No / Not Given
- Multiple choice
Marked instantly against the answer key and converted to a band estimate.
Not taken yet
Writing
2 tasks60 minutes
Task 1: summarise a bar chart and line graph in at least 150 words (about 20 minutes). Task 2: write an essay of at least 250 words (about 40 minutes). Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1.
Assessed against the four public Writing criteria — you get a band estimate with a likely range.
Not taken yet
Speaking
3 partsabout 14 minutes
Part 1: 12 short questions on familiar topics. Part 2: speak for up to 2 minutes from a cue card after 1 minute to prepare. Part 3: 6 discussion questions. You answer aloud, so have a microphone ready. The real interview runs 11–14 minutes.
Assessed against the four public Speaking criteria — you get a band estimate with a likely range.
Not taken yet