Visas and universities usually ask for a band in every skill, not just overall, and one low skill can hold the whole application back. Take a free IELTS mock test, find the skill and the exact gaps holding your band down, and practise only those.
Academic or General Training. You choose below.
For most people the problem is one or two skills, usually Writing or Speaking, not all four. Polyngual keeps those gaps in the middle of your plan and works on them until a retest shows they have moved.
Your gaps
Example list
Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, in the IELTS format.
Where each skill stands, and what is holding it down.
Every format below works on the same list.
A shorter test on your gaps. What you fixed leaves the list.
Gaps shrink each round
Listening, Reading, both Writing tasks and a speaking interview in three parts. Pick Academic or General Training first, so the reading texts and Writing Task 1 match the test you will sit.
Your result shows each skill on its own, because that is how visa and university requirements are written. Under each one: what you did well and the specific things that held it down.
Most of your time goes to the weakest skill first. When you retest, fixed items leave the list and your plan moves on to the next skill that is short of your target.
This is an example, not a real candidate. It shows the kind of breakdown you get: which skills are already where you need them and which ones are short, with the reasons why.
Sample candidate, Academic, needs the same band in every skill
Listening On target
Maps and multiple choice answered well.
Reading 1 area to work on
True / False / Not Given questions.
Writing 2 areas to work on
Describing trends in Task 1. Linking ideas in the Task 2 essay.
Speaking 1 area to work on
Short answers in the Part 3 discussion.
Vocabulary 35 words to learn
Topic words for environment, work and education.
Today’s practice: one Task 1 chart, then 8 of the 35 words.
Writing and Speaking are where most bands are lost, so that is where your plan spends most of its time. Every format pulls from your own list.
A spoken interview with follow-up questions, like the examiner in Parts 1 and 3.
Fixes: Answers that stop too soon in the Speaking test.
Record a sentence and see which words and sounds to fix.
Fixes: Pronunciation, one of the four things the Speaking band is based on.
A structure explained simply, with examples built from your own essay.
Fixes: Linking words and complex sentences in Writing Task 2.
A short video for each word you missed, plus sets for words that are easy to confuse.
Fixes: The topic vocabulary that lifts Writing and Speaking.
Short sets built from your own words and sentences.
Fixes: Checking a gap is closed before the retest.
Two hosts discuss a topic you choose, using your words.
Fixes: Following speakers with different accents, as in the Listening test.
An audio story in parts, written around your words.
Fixes: Listening for detail over a longer recording.
A one-minute daily sprint, timed challenges and an adaptive test.
Fixes: Quick recall for the 60-minute Reading test.
Both versions of IELTS test the four skills in four parts. Here is the format as IELTS describes it, and what Polyngual practises for each part.
Listening and Speaking are the same in both. Reading and Writing are different, so choose the one your visa, employer or university asks for.
For university study, and for some professional registrations.
Often asked for work visas and migration, and for some training courses.
| Section | What you do | Time | How Polyngual covers it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | 4 parts, 40 questions. The same in Academic and General Training. | About 30 min | Podcasts and stories with different speakers, and quick exercises on spelling and numbers in answers. |
| Reading | 3 sections, 40 questions. Academic and General Training use different texts. | 60 min | Vocabulary videos for the words you missed and timed games for reading speed. |
| Writing | Task 1 (chart description or letter, 150+ words) and Task 2 (essay, 250+ words) | 60 min | Explainer videos and exercises built from your own writing mistakes. |
| Speaking | A face-to-face interview in three parts | 11–14 min | AI tutor interviews with follow-up questions, and word-by-word pronunciation feedback. |
Each skill gets a band from 1 to 9, and the overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half or whole band.
Source: IELTS, Academic and General Training test formats and scoring.
Yes. The mock test and your gap map are free, so you can see which skill is holding your band down before deciding whether to keep practising with Polyngual.
Take the one your visa, employer or university asks for. Academic is usually for university study; General Training is often asked for work and migration. Listening and Speaking are the same in both.
It follows the IELTS format: four skills, the same task types and the same timing. The questions are original Polyngual content, not official IELTS material, and the mock does not give an official band.
Your answers are reviewed against clear criteria, such as how well you answer the task, how your ideas connect, your vocabulary and your grammar, plus pronunciation for speaking. You see which of these is holding each skill down.
It depends on the visa category, the country and the course, and many ask for a minimum in each skill as well as overall. Check the official requirements for your visa or the course admissions page and use those bands as your target.
It depends on how far each skill is from your target. Your first mock test shows the gaps, and each retest shows how many are left, so you can judge whether your test date is realistic.
Yes. The AI tutor runs interviews with follow-up questions like Parts 1 and 3, and speaking feedback shows which words and sounds to fix.
The mock test covers all four skills. Your gap map shows where to start.
Take the free IELTS mock test