IELTS Tips: How to Write Numbers - Part 1

Learn more about how to correctly write, read, and communicate numbers to show your proficiency in the IELTS Test.


This article was originally published in https://ielts.idp.com


Numbers in the Listening test

In IELTS Listening, you are tested on your ability to listen for and write the numbers you hear in the recordings. You are most likely to encounter numbers in the first part of the Listening test, but they can appear in any of the 40 questions.  

You might hear numbers in the following forms 

  • Age 

  • Currency 

  • Measurement 

  • Dates 

  • Times 

  • Telephone numbers 

  • Credit card numbers


Number in the Speaking test

When referring to numbers in the Speaking test, make sure you practice saying them out loud. For example: 

  • 100,000 = a hundred thousand 

  • 2020 = two thousand and twenty OR the year ‘twenty twenty’ 

  • 3,500 = three and a half thousand


Numbers in the Reading test

When it comes to numbers in IELTS Reading, remember to carefully transfer your answers to the answer sheet, especially when there are multiple zeros. If the number contains currency symbols or commas, make sure you copy it in the same way. 

Numbers in the Writing test

You might need to use numbers when presenting data in Academic Writing Task 1. You can either write the number in word form or as presented in the visual diagram. For example: 

  • 10,000 OR ten thousand 

  • 25% OR twenty-five percent 

  • 75% OR ¾ 

Along with writing exact numbers, it is also beneficial to write approximations when the exact numbers are not presented. For example: 

  • Just above 65% 

  • Under 70%  

  • Over half  

  • Almost 25% 

Numbers can be presented in tens, hundreds, thousands, millions and billions. It is important to note which number is being referred to in the Y-axis of the diagram.  

When referring to a general number, you can write ‘millions’, however, when it’s a specific number, you have to write ‘million’. For example: 

  • Millions of dollars were spent on transportation. 

  • Australia spent 20 million dollars. 


We’ll learn more about how to write, read, and communicate using numbers in Part 2 of this blog series!

Munveer D