IELTS

The international English language testing system (IELTS) is the world’s most popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration, with over 2 million tests taken through more than 800 test centers and locations in over 130 countries last year. IELTS is one of the two major English-language tests in the world, the other being the TOEFL.

IELTS assesses all of your English skills — Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking, and is designed to reflect how you will use English at study, at work, and at play, in your new life abroad.

Versions of the IELTS

The Academic Version

The Academic Version 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.

The General Training

The General Training Version is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training or to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes.

IELTS Listening – Duration 30Minutes

IELTS listening test lasts for about 30 minutes. It consists of four recorded sections, played on cassette tape, in order of increasing difficulty. Each section might be a dialogue or a monologue. These include questions which test your ability to understand main ideas and detailed factual information, ability to understand the opinions and attitudes of speakers, ability to understand the purpose of an utterance and the ability to follow the development of ideas. A variety of voices and native-speaker accents are used and the test is played once only, and the questions for each section must be answered while listening, although time is given for students to check their answers.

IELTS Reading – Duration 60Minutes

Reading is the second part of the IELTS test, and takes 60 minutes. It consists of three or sometimes four reading passages of increasing difficulty, and there are a total of 40 questions to answer. A variety of question types is used in order to test a wide range of reading skills. These including reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument, recognizing writers’ opinions, attitudes and purpose. Though you can mark and write on the Question Paper, you must enter your answers on the Reading Answer Sheet, and be aware that no extra time is given for transferring your answers from the test booklet to the Reading Answer Sheet.

International English

IELTS recognizes both British and American English in terms of spelling, grammar, and choice of words. It also incorporates a mix of native speaker accents from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and US in the Listening component.

WHY CHOOSE IELTS EXAM?

The IELTS test is developed by some of the world’s leading experts in language assessment. It has an excellent international reputation and is accepted by over 8,000 organizations worldwide, including schools, universities, employers, immigration authorities and professional bodies. IELTS is the most widely accepted English language test that uses a one-on-one speaking test to assess your English communication skills. This means that you are assessed by having a real-life conversation with a real person. This is the most effective and natural way of testing your English conversation skills.

IELTS TEST FORMAT

All candidates must complete four Modules – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking – to obtain a band score, which is shown on the IELTS Test Report Form (TRF). All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking Modules, while the Reading and Writing Modules differ depending on whether the candidate is taking the Academic or General Training Versions of the Test.

IELTS Writing – Duration 60Minutes

IELTS Writing Test lasts for 60 minutes, and you will need to complete two writing tasks, each of which requires different text types (description, report, discussion, argument, opinion text).

IELTS Writing Task 1

In the first part, you are given a task based on some graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to describe, summarize or explain the information in your own words. You may be asked to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a process, how something works or describe an object or event. You are expected to write a descriptive report of at least 150 words on the information provided.

IELTS Writing Task 2

The second task is more demanding. You are expected to produce a written argument on a given topic and to organize your answer clearly, given some examples to support your points. You will have to write at least 250 words and, as Task 2 is longer than Task 1, you are advised to spend approximately 40 minutes on this task and 20 minutes on the first task. Responses to both tasks must be in a formal style.

IELTS General Writing

If you are planning to take the GT module, the Writing test is different. You are allowed one hour to complete two tasks, of 150 and 250 words, as in the Academic module. However, Task 1 is always a letter, while Task 2 is an essay based on a given topic.

IELTS Speaking – Duration: 11 to 14 Minutes

IELTS Speaking is a one-to-one interaction between the candidate and an examiner. The Speaking section assesses your use of spoke English. The three parts give the candidate the opportunity to use a range of different speaking skills. IELTS Speaking is recorded. The Speaking section is delivered in such a way that it does not allow candidates to rehearse set responses beforehand.