IELTS free practice tests and answers

Prepare for IELTS with our free practice tests and answers. Use these tests to carry out timed practice sessions and develop your test technique. 

We strongly advise test takers to practice IELTS. By taking our free practice tests, you will get to know the test format, experience the types of tasks you will be asked to undertake, test yourself under timed conditions and review your answers and compare them with model answers.

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Remember, you will take the Listening, Reading and Writing tests on the same day with no breaks in between, so it’s important to practise under similar conditions.

When taking the tests, remember that each test is presented over a number of web pages. Make sure you answer all the questions and carry out the tasks on each page in the correct order. 

Exercise - 17

Question: 1 What ....... to be the trouble?

Correct Answer : 1 [seems]

Notes: What seems to be the trouble?

Question: 2 It ....... every time I drink a cup of tea.

Correct Answer : 2 [happens]

Notes: It happens every time I drink a cup of tea.

Question: 3 Can you give me a little more ....... ?

Correct Answer : 3 [detail]

Notes: Can you give me a little more detail?

Question: 4 Well, I get a ....... in my right eye every time I drink a cup of tea.

Correct Answer : 4 [pain]

Notes: Well, I get a pain in my right eye every time I drink a cup of tea.

Question: 5 Do you drink a ....... of tea with sugar?

Correct Answer : 5 [lot]

Notes: Do you drink a lot of tea with sugar?

Question: 6 Yes, I ....... .

Correct Answer : 6 [do]

Notes: Yes, I do.

Question: 7 I can't ....... give up drinking tea, doctor.

Correct Answer : 7 [possibly]

Notes: I can't possibly give up drinking tea, doctor.

Question: 8 I'm not ....... you to do that but next time you drink tea with sugar...

Correct Answer : 8 [asking]

Notes: I'm not asking you to do that but next time you drink tea with sugar...

Question: 9 Yes, doctor I'm sorry I ....... you.

Correct Answer : 9 [interrupted]

Notes: Yes, doctor I'm sorry I interrupted you.

Question: 10 Next time you drink tea with sugar, don't forget to ....... the spoon.

Correct Answer : 10 [remove]

Notes: Next time you drink tea with sugar, don't forget to remove the spoon.

Question: 1 Do you know the difference .......?

Correct Answer : 1 [between will and shall]

Notes: Do you know the difference between will and shall?

Question: 2 I can see from the expression on your face that you haven't ........

Correct Answer : 2 [got a clue]

Notes: I can see from the expression on your face that you haven't got a clue.

Question: 3 I think the best way is to tell you a story that ........

Correct Answer : 3 [explains the difference]

Notes: I think the best way is to tell you a story that explains the difference.

Question: 4 The main difference is that 'I will' ........

Correct Answer : 4 [means 'I want to']

Notes: The main difference is that 'I will' means 'I want to'.

Question: 5 If you say 'I shall' then you are talking ........

Correct Answer : 5 [about the future]

Notes: If you say 'I shall' then you are talking about the future.

Question: 6 I want you to imagine that a man is walking ........

Correct Answer : 6 [in the country]

Notes: I want you to imagine that a man is walking in the country.

Question: 7 After a few minutes he ........

Correct Answer : 7 [reaches a river]

Notes: After a few minutes he reaches a river.

Question: 8 There is a man in the river fully clothed who is ........

Correct Answer : 8 [in difficulties]

Notes: There is a man in the river fully clothed who is in difficulties.

Question: 9 The man in the river keeps ........

Correct Answer : 9 [calling out 'I will drown, I will drown']

Notes: The man in the river keeps calling out 'I will drown, I will drown'.

Question: 10 The man on the river bank, who is good at grammar, thinks the man really wants to drown, walks on and ........

Correct Answer : 10 [lets him drown]

Notes: The man on the river bank, who is good at grammar, thinks the man really wants to drown, walks on and lets him drown.

Question: 1 We often hear that such and such a piece of information cannot be released into the public ....... in the interest of national security.

Correct Answer : 1 [domain]

Notes: We often hear that such and such a piece of information cannot be released into the public domain in the interest of national security.

Question: 2 Journalists however love to get hold of a story somehow but they run the risk of facing a ....... if they break the official secrects act.

Correct Answer : 2 [backlash]

Notes: Journalists however love to get hold of a story somehow but they run the risk of facing a backlash if they break the official secrects act.

Question: 3 When there is a ....... inquiry taking place, the rush to get more details is intense.

Correct Answer : 3 [high profile]

Notes: When there is a high profile inquiry taking place, the rush to get more details is intense.

Question: 4 The more the authorities try to conceal what is happening, the more it fuels ....... about what might be happening.

Correct Answer : 4 [speculation]

Notes: The more the authorities try to conceal what is happening, the more it fuels speculation about what might be happening.

Question: 5 Sometimes a journalist will get hold of sensitive information knowing that he will get ....... by government agencies if he dares reveal it.

Correct Answer : 5 [savaged]

Notes: Sometimes a journalist will get hold of sensitive information knowing that he will get savaged by government agencies if he dares reveal it.

Question: 6 The person in charge of the enquiry will occasionally ....... what can be disclosed in newspapers.

Correct Answer : 6 [signal]

Notes: The person in charge of the enquiry will occasionally signal what can be disclosed in newspapers.

Question: 7 Once this disclosure is ....... it's the job of the journalist to follow it through to a satisfactory conclusion.

Correct Answer : 7 [highlighted]

Notes: Once this disclosure is highlighted it's the job of the journalist to follow it through to a satisfactory conclusion.

Question: 8 Mind you it has to be a convincing article because the reading public can soon see through the ....... of a weak argument.

Correct Answer : 8 [transparency]

Notes: Mind you it has to be a convincing article because the reading public can soon see through the transparency of a weak argument.

Question: 9 The question must always be in the mind of the writer whether what is being written is likely to ....... a threat to the safety of the community at large.

Correct Answer : 9 [pose]

Notes: The question must always be in the mind of the writer whether what is being written is likely to pose a threat to the safety of the community at large.

Question: 10 The last possible thing that anyone wants to happen to their country is to turn it into a ....... for troublemakers.

Correct Answer : 10 [haven]

Notes: The last possible thing that anyone wants to happen to their country is to turn it into a haven for troublemakers.