You will be assessed on your ability in four key areas:

• obtaining information
• conveying information
• speaking to communicate
• engaging in discussion.

At times during the test, you will be allowed to take notes to prepare your answers. The examiner will not mark your notes – only your speaking and listening skills are marked.

IELTS Life Skills is available at A1, A2 and B1 levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This is an international standard used around the world to describe learners’ language skills.

There are two main parts to IELTS Life Skills. In the first part, you are expected to ask and answer questions on familiar topics. 
The second part is a combined listening and speaking task. You will listen to a task played on a CD. Completing the task allows you to show your ability to listen for both the general meaning and detail. You will say your answers, although you can makes notes on paper while you listen to the CD. There will then be a discussion on a theme related to what you have listened to on the CD. 
Additionally, at B1 level, there is also a task where you plan an activity with the other candidate.

IELTS Life Skills tests how well you can communicate with other people in everyday English. The best way to test these skills is to pair candidates at a similar level of ability, so you can show how well you can speak English to communicate and engage in discussion with others.

For IELTS Life Skills you only need to attend one short session to complete the test. The times allowed for each level are:

• IELTS Life Skills - A1 Speaking and Listening
  16–18 minutes
• IELTS Life Skills - A2 Speaking and Listening
  18–20 minutes
• IELTS Life Skills - B1 Speaking and Listening
  22 minutes