IELTS question types

Every Academic question type — what to do, how it's scored, and how often it has appeared in the last 11 Cambridge books.

Frequencies below are computed from 746 question groups across 26 distinct types found in Cambridge IELTS books 10–20. Recent counts (Cambridge 17–20) are weighted separately so you can prioritise what's actually being tested today.

Reading

9 question types

330 total appearances across books 10–20. 125 in books 17–20.

Listening

6 question types

324 total appearances across books 10–20. 125 in books 17–20.

Writing

11 question types

92 total appearances across books 10–20. 36 in books 17–20.

Most common right now (Cambridge 17–20)

Skill	Type	Recent	All books
Listening	Multiple Choice (Listening)	62	147
Listening	Note Completion	30	85
Reading	Multiple Choice	29	65
Listening	Matching & Map / Plan Labelling	24	66
Reading	Summary Completion	23	60
Reading	Matching Information	17	39
Reading	True / False / Not Given	16	52
Reading	Yes / No / Not Given	12	32
Reading	Note / Sentence / Table / Diagram Completion	12	28
Reading	Matching Features	11	27
Writing	Task 1 — Process Diagram	11	36
Writing	Task 2 — Opinion (Agree / Disagree)	9	19