IELTS & PTE lesson · Vocabulary

IELTS & PTE Numbers, Dates and Units Vocabulary notesNumbers you hear, numbers you write

How numbers sound, and how to write them. This IELTS & PTE lesson is a deck of 9 visual cards from BandLadder's own study library, written and fact-checked by our team.
  • 9 cards
  • Free to read online
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  • Updated 30 September 2026

Original BandLadder material

What's inside

Along the way you get worked examples with the key words marked, before-and-after fixes that show why the first version loses marks, a one-page visual summary, word cards with meanings and examples (13 · 30, a hundred and fifteen, 0: nought, zero, oh and ninth · twelfth · fifth), a quick check to test yourself and a recap of the rules to remember. Each card holds one idea, so you can read it on a phone between practice sessions.

Reading it online is free: create a free BandLadder account and the whole lesson opens in our study reader, on the web and in the app. Downloading the PDF to keep needs a plan; the free reader has every card.

The first 3 of 9 cards

Preview

  1. IELTS · PTEVocabulary · Numbers, dates and units

    Heard right, written wrong

    the words were clear, the shape wasn't

    You catch every word of a number and still write the wrong one. Each kind of number has its own shape.

    You hear: “Meet at quarter to nine on the thirteenth.” You write: 9.15quarter to = 8.45 on the 30ththirteenth = 13th.

    Right: 8.45 on the 13th.

    © 2026 BandLadder · original material1 / 9
  2. IELTS · PTEVocabulary · Numbers, dates and units

    Numbers have shapes

    name the shape, then write it

    You hearWrite itShape
    twenty twenty-six2026two pairs
    two point four five2.45digit by digit
    forty-five per cent45%the % sign
    quarter to nine8.45to = before
    the twelfth of June12 Juneday first
    twelve pounds fifty£12.50£ goes first
    five kilometres5 kmshort symbol

    Name the shape first: most years in pairs, decimals digit by digit.

    © 2026 BandLadder · original material2 / 9
  3. IELTS · PTEVocabulary · Numbers, dates and units

    Twins that fool the ear

    the ending tells them apart

    • 13 · 30-teen is long and clear · -ty is short

      Thirteen buses, thirty drivers.

      15 · 5016 · 60
    • a hundred and fifteen115: the last number is the -teen

      It cost a hundred and fifteen pounds.

      150: a hundred and fifty
    • 0: nought, zero, ohthree ways to say it in a code

      The code is oh four seven.

      double seven: 77
    © 2026 BandLadder · original material3 / 9
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9 cards

Contents

  1. 1Heard right, written wrongthe words were clear, the shape wasn'tIn the preview
  2. 2Numbers have shapesname the shape, then write itIn the preview
  3. 3Twins that fool the earthe ending tells them apartIn the preview
  4. 4Dates, times and moneysay it one way, write it anotherFree account
  5. 5In IELTS notes completioneach note tells you the shapeFree account
  6. 6In a PTE dictationordinals are easy to misspellFree account
  7. 7Two number slipsone listening, one spellingFree account
  8. 8Your turnname the shape firstFree account
  9. 9Save thisthe numbers checklistFree account

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The PDF download comes with any BandLadder plan. Free accounts read the lesson online in the study reader, on the web and in the app.

Who wrote this lesson?+

The BandLadder team wrote and checked it. It is original BandLadder material, not copied from books or other websites, and its exam facts are checked against the official IELTS and PTE pages.

Is it for IELTS or PTE?+

Both. The lesson is in the IELTS and the PTE study library, so it opens whichever exam you prepare for.

IELTS is a registered trademark of the University of Cambridge, the British Council and IDP Education Australia. PTE is a trademark of Pearson. BandLadder is not affiliated with either.

© 2026 BandLadder. Written and checked by the BandLadder team. You may quote or cite this page with credit to BandLadder and a link to it; republishing it in full needs our written permission. Content use policy

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