Sit an exam
A complete timed section under exam conditions. The clock does not stop, and you get a band at the end. For an 8.5 overall this section must carry a 9 — 39 or 40 out of 40.
These four papers are written by the assistantYou now have eight real Cambridge Reading papers from the Official Guide in your library — sit them timed and marked at Sit a book paper. Use these synthetic ones for extra question-type drilling; use the real ones for anything you want to trust as a score.
Before you press begin
Sit it properly or it tells you nothing: one sitting, no pausing, no dictionary, no phone.
A test you paused is a fantasy score, and planning around a fantasy score is worse than
having no score at all.
Reading
60
minutes · 40 questions · 3 passages
Band 9 needs
39
correct out of 40 · 8.5 needs 37
Per question
90s
including reading the passages
Passage budget
16/20/22
minutes — then verify, do not idle
Looking for Listening?
The listening exam is on its own page — sit the listening
test. Four parts, 40 questions, audio that plays once.
Available now
written for this site · original passages and questions
Sit the official ones too
These are the real thing and they are your calibration instrument — the number that tells you where you actually stand. Their value comes from being unseen, so ration them: one for your baseline, one for the dress rehearsal.
| Test | What it is | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Full Academic Reading | Official, in the real computer-delivered interface — the same screen you'll sit on test day | 1 Sep ✓ |
| Full Listening | Official, with the real audio, in the real interface | 1 Sep ✓ |
| Full Academic Writing | Both tasks in the real interface | 1 Sep ✓ |
| Cambridge sample papers | 8.2 MB ZIP — official Listening and Speaking audio with transcripts, and marked writing scripts | 1 Sep ✓ |
| IELTS Ready Premium | 40 marked practice tests, free — but only if you book your test through the British Council | 1 Sep ✓ |