Practise one skill at a time
A full mock tells you which of your four skills is weakest. These are what you do about it — each section test uses only the task types that feed one subscore.
- Four section tests: Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking
- A real adaptive engine — difficulty moves with your answers
- Fourteen to eighteen minutes each, not a full hour
Reading section
Damaged-word passages, real-or-invented vocabulary, gapped sentences and the long interactive set.
Start this section → 16 minListening section
Dictation and the interactive conversation set, including the Listen and Complete and summary tasks.
Start this section → 14 minWriting section
The one-minute photo description, the five-minute open prompt, and the typing tasks that feed Writing.
Start this section → 15 minSpeaking section
Photo description, the interactive spoken conversation, and the three-minute sample.
Start this section →One skill, the same engine
A section test is not a shortened mock. It is the same adaptive engine — the one that runs a full test — restricted to the task types that feed a single subscore. Difficulty still moves with your answers, items are still drawn from the same bank, and the score comes back on the same 10 to 160, in increments of 5 scale.
What you do not get is an overall score, because an overall score is the mean of four individual subscores and a section only measures one. That is the trade: faster and more targeted, but it cannot tell you where you stand overall.
| Section | Time | Task types | Subscores it moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 18 min | 4 | Reading, Literacy, Comprehension |
| Listening | 16 min | 2 | Listening, Comprehension, Conversation |
| Writing | 14 min | 3 | Writing, Literacy, Production |
| Speaking | 15 min | 3 | Speaking, Conversation, Production |
Notice the last column. There is no such thing as improving one number in isolation — lifting Reading also lifts Literacy and Comprehension, which is why targeted work on a single weak skill is the most efficient thing you can do. How the eight subscores fit together.
When to use a section test instead of a full mock
Do this
- Your last report showed one skill clearly behind the others.
- You have twenty minutes rather than an hour.
- You want to drill a specific task type repeatedly without waiting for it to come round.
- You are rebuilding a skill and want frequent, short repetitions.
Not this
- You have never taken a full test — start with a mock so you know which section to pick.
- You want to know your overall score. A section test cannot produce one.
- You are checking whether you can hold up for a full hour. Only a mock measures that.
- You are about to sit the real thing and want a final rehearsal.
Questions about section practice
Do section tests use the same 10 to 160 scale as the overall?
Yes. Each skill sits on the same 10-to-160 scale, and your overall on a full mock is simply the mean of the four. So a Reading section score lines up directly with the Reading subscore from a full mock, which is what makes sections useful for tracking one skill.
Which section is the Interactive Speaking task part of?
It feeds the Speaking subscore, so you will meet it in the Speaking section and in any full mock. The task gives you something to read and listen to first, but it is your spoken response that is being measured — so plan the answer quickly and spend the time talking.
Can I compare my section scores to find my weakest skill?
Yes, and that is the main thing they are for — line the four up and the lowest is where targeted work buys the most, because the overall is their mean. Give each a margin, though: two sections five points apart may be the same skill measured twice, so trust a gap of ten or more before you act on it.
What is the difference between a section test and a full mock?
A section test runs only the task types that feed one subscore, in fourteen to eighteen minutes. A full mock runs all eleven types across about an hour and produces an overall score. Same engine, same item bank, same scale — different scope.
Do section tests give me an overall score?
No, and they cannot. The overall score is the mean of four individual subscores, so it needs all four skills measured. A section test returns an estimate for that one skill with a confidence range.
Which section should I practise first?
Whichever your last full mock ranked lowest. Because the overall is a mean, the weakest skill drags it hardest, and targeted work there is far cheaper than lifting everything. If you have never taken a full mock, take one first — otherwise you are guessing.
Are section tests adaptive too?
Yes. The same item-response engine runs them, so difficulty moves with your answers and a harder item answered correctly is worth more than an easy one.
How long does each section take?
Reading about 18 minutes, Listening 16, Speaking 15 and Writing 14. Each task inside carries its own timer, matching the real test.
Can I take the same section repeatedly?
Yes. Sign in and the engine tracks which items you have seen and avoids repeating them, so repeated sittings stay informative rather than becoming a memory test.
Do I need a microphone for every section?
Only for Speaking, and for the parts of Listening that ask you to answer out loud. Reading and Writing need no audio hardware at all.
Does section practice feed my history and trends?
Yes, when you are signed in. Section results are stored alongside full mocks so you can see whether the skill you have been working on is actually moving.
Is a section score comparable to a full-test subscore?
Broadly, but with wider error bars. A section collects less evidence than a full test does for the same skill, so treat the range as real rather than fixating on the point estimate.
Will section practice raise my overall score?
Indirectly, and by a predictable amount. Because the overall is a mean of four, ten points on one skill moves the overall by roughly two and a half before rounding — so it often takes progress on two skills to shift the headline number.
Should I do sections or full mocks?
Both, for different reasons. Sections build a specific skill; full mocks measure whether it held up under an hour of pressure alongside everything else. A common rhythm is sections during the week and one full mock to check.
Are the section tests free?
Yes, all four are free for a limited time, with no card and no account required. What free covers.
Start a practice test
An hour under real conditions, all eight subscores, and feedback on every written and spoken answer.
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