IELTS - International English Language Testing system
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) tests the complete range of English language
skills, which students will commonly encounter when studying or training in English.
Many professional organizations including the New Zealand Immigration Service, the Australian
Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, the Australian Medical Council,
the UK General Medical Council and the UK Ministry of Defense accept IELTS as also most Australian,
British, Canadian and New Zealand academic institutions. American academic institutions are
increasingly accepting IELTS for admissions purposes.
What is the different sections of test?
IELTS test questions and tasks have been designed to reflect the general interests of people from
an educated background. The test comprises of four band modules namely Listening, Reading, Writing
and Speaking. All candidates are supposed to take the Listening and Speaking modules. There is a
choice for Reading and Writing modules, where a candidate can either opt for Academic or General
Training Module, determined by the purpose of taking IELTS.
Academic reading and writing module is suitable for candidates seeking admission for higher
education. The general training reading and writing module is suitable for those who are planning
to undertake work experience or non- academic training programmes or for immigration purposes.
Test duration of IELTS is 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Listening section comprise 30 minutes
Academic reading/general training reading section comprise 60 minutes
Academic writing/general training writing section comprise 60 minutes
Duration of speaking section is 13 to 15 minutes
There are four sections in the Listening test in order of increasing difficulty. The first two
sections are on topics of general interest. Section one will be in the form of a dialogue and
section two will be a monologue. Sections three and four will have an education or training focus.
There will be a lecture and a discussion between two and four people.
In the
listening section, the listening material which is recorded on a cassette tape will be played,
only once. As the candidates listen to this, they should write the answers on the question booklet.
At the end of the recorded material, the candidates will be given 10 minutes to copy their answers
onto the answer sheet.
In the
Reading test, the candidates are required to read three texts of between 500 and 900 words
each. There will be around 40 questions to answer and record on the answer sheet within the 60
minutes. The texts and questions increase in difficulty.
There are two tasks in the
Writing test. Task one which should be completed in 20 minutes,
is a report based on some graphic information and the candidates are required to describe it in a
minimum of 150 words. Task two, that carries more weight in the final band score, is an essay based
topic which should be written in at least 250 words in 40 minutes.
The
Speaking test is in the form of an oral interview between the candidate and an examiner.
During the interview you will need to answer questions asked by the interviewer, speak at length
on a topic selected by the interviewer and give and justify your opinions on a range of issues
related to that topic. Candidates who are not able to participate fully in the conversation may
not achieve their potential band score, as they may not be able to demonstrate the level of
language skill they are capable of.
It is important that the candidates must practice for each tests regularly to develop their skills
of recording, speed of speech, skimming, scanning and other timesaving strategies. The first three
Modules- Listening, Reading and Writing- must be completed in one day. The Speaking Module may be
taken, at the discretion of the test centre, either seven days before or after the other three modules.
What is the Scoring pattern in IELTS?
IELTS scores are usually indicated by the
band scale. The assessment of the candidates will
be reported according to a scale from bands one to nine. Those with almost no knowledge of English
is indicated with band one and band nine denotes that the English proficiency of the candidate is
as good as that of a native English speaker.
For each section of IELTS test, the candidate will receive a
separate band score. The four band scores,
one for each section are added together and averaged for an Overall Band Score. Each Band has a
statement giving a summary of the English at that level. Overall IELTS band scores and Listening
and Reading IELTS band scores are reported in half bands. Writing and Speaking band scores are
reported in whole bands. This feature helps the Universities in following their guidelines at the
time of admission. The most common requirement is a band
score of between 6 and 7.
A good IELTS score (band score of 6.0 and more) along with a good GPA (Grade Point Average) is
required for many colleges and universities.
The Test Report Form (TRF) will be released on the 13th day of taking the IELTS test. TRF contains
candidates band score of each module and overall band score; whether they have completed the
Academic or General training test; candidate's photo; details of his/her nationality; first
language and date of birth.
IELTS test reports have a
validity of two years. The candidate can retake the test if they
do not achieve the desired score but not before three months from the first test date.
Who conducts the IELTS test?
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) superseded the English Language Testing
System (ELTS) in 1990. IELTS is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations
(Cambridge ESOL), British Council and IDP Education Australia: IELTS Australia. The IELTS test is
conducted by the following educational bodies in partnership:
1. University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) is an internationally recognised body in the provision of academic and vocational examinations. In the field of English language alone, Cambridge ESOL examines more than one million candidates each year.
2. British Council has wide experience and knowledge of test administration. With a network of examinations offices in over 100 countries, British Council administers over 500,000 examinations overseas on behalf of British examining boards.
3. IDP Educational Body, Australia (it's subsidiary is IELTS Australia Pvt. Ltd.).
IDP Education Australia is Australia's international education organisation. It undertakes a broad
range of activities from student advisory services and educational publications to project
consultancy and English language teaching and testing.
Want to prepare for IELTS Online?? Buy Now and get registered
