If your dream is to work, study or live abroad, taking an IELTS test can help you make that dream come true.
What is IELTS
IELTS(International English Language Testing System) is an English language exam that is required to be taken by international candidates considering studying or working in a country where English is the main language of communication. Most popular countries where IELTS is accepted for university admissions are the UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA, and Canada. The exam mainly measures the ability of test-takers to communicate in the four basic English language skills – listening, reading, speaking, and writing. IELTS exam is jointly owned and conducted by IDP Education Australia, British Council, and Cambridge English Language Assessment.
You can choose to take your IELTS test either on paper or computer, depending on your convenience. There is no difference in the content, format or level of difficulty between the two options.
Types of IELTS:
There are two IELTS tests available – IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training. The test you choose should be based on what it is you want to do.
IELTS Academic – measures whether your level of English language proficiency is suitable for an academic environment. It reflects aspects of academic language and evaluates whether you’re ready to begin training or studying. It is intended for those who want to enroll in universities and other institutions of higher education and for professionals such as medical doctors and nurses who want to study or practice in an English-speaking country.
IELTS General Training – measures English language proficiency in a practical, everyday context. The tasks and tests reflect both workplace and social situations. It is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training or to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes.
There’s also a separate test offered by the IELTS test partners, called IELTS Life Skills. It is intended for those who need to prove their English speaking and listening skills at Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) levels A1 or B1 and can be used to apply for a ‘family of a settled person’ visa, indefinite leave to remain or citizenship in the UK.
Format and Duration:
IELTS has been developed by some of the world’s leading language assessment experts and will test the full range of English skills needed for success in your new job or study placement abroad.
You’ll be assessed on the following subskills:
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking
For the Speaking test, you can book a slot online on your preferred date and time. If you fail to choose a slot within the stated time period, a time slot will be automatically allocated to you. The total test time is under three hours.
Listening test (30 minutes) | You will have to listen to four recordings and then answer the questions asked. The recordings are of native English speakers and the duration of the test is 30 minutes. |
Reading test (60 minutes) | The IELTS Reading test requires you to answer 40 questions and is designed to test you on an array of reading skills. You would have to read for gist, main ideas, details, logical arguments, skimming, and figuring out the writers’ attitudes, opinions and intentions. |
Writing test (60 minutes) | The IELTS writing test requires you to complete two tasks and covers topics of general interest based on the module you are taking. |
Speaking Test (11-14 minutes) | The IELTS Speaking test assesses your spoken English skills. The test is recorded and conducted in three parts. |
Listening
The module comprises four sections, with ten questions in each section. It takes 40 minutes: 30 – for testing, plus 10 for transferring the answers to an answer sheet.
- 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.
Reading:
The Reading paper has three sections and texts totaling 2,150-2,750 words. There will be a variety of question types, such as multiple-choice, short-answer questions, identifying information, identifying writer’s views, labeling diagrams, completing a summary using words taken from the text and matching information/headings/features in the text/sentence endings. In IELTS Academic, the three reading texts, which come from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online resources written for non-specialist audiences. All the topics are of general interest to students at the undergraduate or postgraduate level. In General Training, Section 1 contains two or three short texts or several shorter texts, which deal with everyday topics. Section 2 contains two texts, which deal with work. For example, job descriptions, contracts, training materials and Section 3 contains one long text about a topic of general interest. The text is generally descriptive, longer and more complex than the texts in Sections 1 and 2. The text will be taken from a newspaper, magazine, book or online resource.
Writing
The writing paper has two tasks. In task 1, you describe a graph, table, chart or diagram in your own words. In task 2, you may be required to discuss a point of view, argument or problem. Depending on the task, test takers may be required to present a solution to a problem, present and justify an opinion, compare and contrast evidence, opinions, and implications, and evaluate and challenge ideas, evidence or an argument. You should write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. In task 2, you should be able to write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes.
In IELTS General Training in Task 1, you would write a letter in response to a given everyday situation. In Task 2, test takers write an essay about a topic of general interest.
Speaking
The speaking test is a face-to-face interview. The speaking test contains three sections.
- Section 1: introduction and interview (4–5 minutes). Test takers may be asked about their home, family, work, studies, hobbies, interests, reasons for taking the IELTS exam as well as other general topics such as clothing, free time, computers and the Internet.
- Section 2: long turn (3–4 minutes). Test takers are given a task card about a particular topic. Test takers have one minute to prepare to talk about this topic. The task card states the points that should be included in the talk and one aspect of the topic which must be explained during the talk. Test takers are then expected to talk about the topic for 2 minutes, after which the examiner may ask one or two questions.
- Section 3: discussions (4–5 minutes). The third section involves a discussion between the examiner and the test taker, generally on questions relating to the theme which they have already spoken about in Section 2.
The validity period of the result:
While it is up to each organization to set a validity period that works for their purposes, the IELTS partners recommend a 2-year validity period for IELTS test results based upon the well-documented phenomenon of second language loss or ‘attrition’.
Test Dates:
The IELTS test dates in India are available four times a month or 48 times a year (for paper-based) and are generally held on Saturdays and Thursdays to provide flexibility and convenience to the test seekers. With the computer-delivered IELTS, you can choose from multiple dates and time slots in a day and get your results within 5-7 days. However, the availability of the IELTS dates may differ as per the test type and module you have opted for – Academic or General Training.
Scoring:
Listening
The IELTS Listening test contains 40 questions. Each correct answer is awarded one mark. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS nine-band scale and reported in whole and half bands.
Reading
The IELTS Reading test contains 40 questions. Each correct answer is awarded one mark. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS nine-band scale. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.
The Academic and General Training Reading tests are graded on the same scale. The distinction between the two tests is one of genre or text type. However, Academic Reading tests may contain texts which feature more difficult vocabulary or greater complexity of style. It is usual that a greater number of questions must be answered correctly on a General Training Reading test to secure a given band score.
Writing
- Task Achievement (for Task 1), Task Response (for Task 2)
- Coherence and Cohesion
- Lexical Resource
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Speaking
- Fluency and Coherence
- Lexical Resource
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- Pronunciation
Top websites for preparation:
- IELTS.org.
- IELTS-simon.
- IELTS Buddy.
- IELTS Liz YouTube channel
- IH London blog.
Summing up:
Therefore, if you wish to make get a foothold in the UK, Canada, Australia, the USA for academic or career purposes, fine-tune your proficiency in English Language and get a dipstick into the IELTS exam.
That would serve as a litmus test for your proficiency in the language.
