The International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
About IELTS
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a standardized English language proficiency test, which is accepted by over 140 countries including the USA, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zeeland. IELTS has two forms of test: IELTS Academic and IELTS general training.Introduction
This test is designed to help you live, work and study in an English-speaking country. During this test you will be assessed for four crucial English language skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading and writing. And your performance will be evaluated and graded on a scale of 1 - 9.
Securing higher grades in the test reflects that you have strong command, better understanding and excellent ability to communicate in English. With a higher score, you will be recognized by more than 11000 employers, institutions, and immigration bodies worldwide.
This testing system was developed by language experts from English-speaking countries to test non-native English speakers in the most unbiased manner possible. IELTS exam is jointly owned and conducted by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English.
IELTS has two forms of test: IELTS Academic and IELTS general training.
IELTS General Training:
This test measures if your English language capabilities are enough for you to navigate the day-to-day life within that country. It is best suited for people who are students below degree level, choosing to work in English-speaking nations and immigrants.
IELTS Academic:
This test measures if your English language abilities are suitable for the academic environments of that country. It is best suitable for people who seek to pursue their undergraduate and postgraduate careers and work for professional bodies in English-speaking nations.
IELTS test format:
This test measures your proficiency in four core areas of the English Language:
Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
So IELTS test can be divided into four sections:
IELTS Listening Test:
In this test, you will be listening to four recordings of native English speakers and comprehend the main ideas, opinions, facts, attitudes of the speaker and flow of the conversation. Then, you will have to answer 40 questions related to that context.
Recording 1: a conversation between two people set in an everyday social context.
Recording 2: a monologue set in an everyday social context, e.g. a speech about local facilities
Recording 3: a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment.
Recording 4: a monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture
This test runs for 30 minutes and you will have extra ten minutes to transfer your answer to the answer sheet. Each question carries 1 mark and that mark is converted to a band scale of 1-9.
IELTS Reading Test:
This test requires you to read three descriptive passages in a quick and efficient manner and answer the questions relevant to the passages. From your reading, you must be able to understand the main idea of the passage, its minute details, understand inferences, writers' opinions and the general flow of the passage. The passages you will tackle in this test are different for IELTS academic and IELTS general training.
IELTS Academic:
Here you will find three long texts that have been derived from books, magazines or journals. These texts are simple and suitable for non-specialists people but it is complex enough to challenge the students who are about to attend universities.
IELTS general training:
Its procedure is similar to that of IELTS Academic however the passage or content selected in this test are chosen from books, magazines, advertisements, etc. Its contents are practical and similar to those which we encounter in our daily lives.
As in the previous test, there are 40 relevant questions and the time duration of this test is 60 minutes including transfer time. Each question carries 1 mark and that mark is converted to a band scale of 1-9.
IELTS writing test:
This test focuses on testing your ability to organize ideas clearly, write them properly and use ranges of vocabulary and sentence structures.
Similar to the Reading test, its content is different for Academic and General Training.
IELTS Academic:
You will be given two tasks:
In task 1, you will be provided with a table, chart or diagram and you will have to describe or summarize the given information in your own words.
In task 2, you will have to write an essay on the given topic. This essay must include a response to the given point of view and argument or problem. The issue your raise must be interesting and easy to understand.
IELTS General Tranning:
Almost similar to IELTS Academic with small differences during task 1. In task 1, you will be given a situation and you have to write a letter requesting information or explaining the situation. You can explain the situation in a formal, semi-formal or informal manner, whichever is easier for you.
The time limit for this test is 60 minutes: 20 minutes for the first task and 40 minutes for the second task. However, you will be in charge of managing your time suitably. During your two tasks, you should include at least 150 words for the first task and 250 words for the second task.
Note that the grade weightage of Task 2 is twice that of task 1.
IELTS Speaking Test:
A certified examiner will be accompanying you during this test. This interactive session will be focused on real-life situations and the examiner will evaluate you on a wide range of skills.
The abilities that you have to showcase during this session will be to organize your ideas, justify your ideas and opinions, communicate information in a proper manner and till the given duration and lastly, analyse and discuss the given issues.
There is three-part to this session:
In part 1, the examiner will talk to you about familiar topics about home, work, study and so on. Be sure to relax and talk freely.
In part two, you will have to take about certain topics, including the points that are mandatory to include in your talk. You will have to talk for 1-2 minutes without any interruptions.
In part 3, the examiner will ask you further questions related to part two. Here you will receive a chance to elaborate on your previous opinions and points.
This test session will stand for about 11-14 minutes and you will be marked by the examiner as per your fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation.
You will have to undertake the Listening, Reading and Writing test back to back on the same day but depending on the test centre, you might have to give the Speaking test on the same day or within seven days before or after the other tests.
For Listening, Writing and Reading, You can either opt for physical tests or computer-based tests. And considering the pandemic situation, some of the IELTS test centres may provide you provisions for IELTS Speaking test via video calls.
