IELTS Life Skills is for people who need to show that their English speaking and listening skills at Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) levels A1 or B1

Before you register for your test you should check the English language requirements for your visa category.

Please visit Guidance on Applying for UK Visa - approved English language tests for more information.

1. What in the test?

Overview

IELTS Life Skills is available at two levels :-

Face-to-face Speaking and Listening test

You will take the test with an examiner, and with one other test taker.

The tasks in IELTS Life Skills are designed to reflect the everyday experience of communicating in an English-speaking country. You will be expected to take part in short discussions on everyday subjects including:

The focus of IELTS Life Skills

At each level, the test is designed to assess whether you can listen and respond, make your meaning clear, and talk with other people.

A1
Focus	You will be expected to: listen and respond to spoken language, including simple narratives, statements, questions and single-step instructions communicate basic information, feelings and opinions on familiar topics talk with another person in a familiar situation about familiar topics
Tasks may include:	describing giving opinions giving personal information stating preferences commenting asking for information or descriptions agreeing and disagreeing explaining, giving reasons or justifying deciding suggesting selecting
B1
Focus	You will be expected to: listen and respond to spoken language, including straightforward information and narratives, and follow straightforward explanations and instructions. communicate information, feelings and opinions on familiar topics, using appropriate formality. talk with one or more people in a familiar situation, making relevant points and responding to what others say to reach a shared understanding about familiar topics.
In addition to the A1 tasks show above, the B1 tasks	comparing showing contrast, cause, reason or purpose prioritising planing persuading narrating asking about past or future events expressing future certainty or possibility

2 How to prepare ?

Preparing for IELTS Life Skills

FAQs

How will I be assessed in the test?

You will be assessed on your ability in four key areas:

At times during the test, you will be allowed to take notes to prepare your answers. The examiner will not mark your notes - only your speaking and listening skills are marked during the test.

3 . At what level is IELTS Life Skills?

IELTS Life Skills is available at A1 and B1 levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CERF). This is an international standard used around the world to describe learners' language skills.

4. What happen during the test?

There are two main parts to IELTS Life Skills:

a. In the first part, you are expected to ask and answer questions on familiar topics

b. The second part is a combined listening and speaking task.

c. Additionally at B1 level, there is also a task where you plan an activity with the other candidate.

5. Why do I take the test with another candidate?

IELTS Life Skills tests how well you can communicate with other people in everyday English. The best way to test these skills is to pair test takers at a similar level of ability, so you can show how well you can speak English to communicate and engage in discussion with others.

6. How long is the test?

For IELTS Life Skills, you only need to attend one short session to complete the test. The times allowed for each level are:

Free support materials

Two free sample papers for each level will be available shortly.

Test dates for IELTS Life Skills

To find a suitable test date and register for an IELTS Life Skills test, please visit here

Results

Test results are normally available within six (6) days of your test.

You will get one of two results: