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IELTS Academic Syllabus
Comprehensive preparation for the IELTS Academic test across Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking, covering task types, strategies, and band-score skills.. The complete IELTS Academic outline — 6 subjects, 34 chapters and 118 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
IELTS Academic subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
IELTS Academic flashcard decks
300 question-and-answer cards across 6 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
How to work through the IELTS Academic syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Writing carries 27 topics while Test Overview & Strategy carries 12. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for IELTS Academic.
The ~90 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
IELTS Academic syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the IELTS Academic syllabus?
IELTS Academic covers 6 subjects: Test Overview & Strategy, Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking and Language Foundations. Together they contain 34 chapters and 118 named topics.
How many topics does the IELTS Academic syllabus contain?
The full IELTS Academic outline breaks down into 34 chapters, 118 topics and 0 sub-topics. Writing is the largest single subject with 27 topics across 8 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole IELTS Academic syllabus?
Roughly 90 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 4 weeks.
Are there IELTS Academic flashcards?
Yes — 300 question-and-answer flashcards across 6 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this IELTS Academic syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the IELTS Academic syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too. No account is needed to start.
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