IELTS
(THE INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING SYSTEM)
IELTS is an internationally accepted English language proficiency test designed to assess the language ability of candidates who need to study or work, where English is used as the language of communication. IELTS stands for the "International English Language Testing System" . It is recognized by various immigration authorities, governments of various countries, universities, and institutes as an eligibility criterion.
IELTS is jointly owned by British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English. You can choose to give IELTS in pen and paper or a computerized test depending on your convenience.
The IELTS has two versions of the exam:
IELTS Academic
If you have a dream to get higher education or professional registration in various foreign English speaking countries then you need to clear the IELTS Academic test. It contains the features of academic language. Also, it will help to evaluate that, are you ready to begin studying or training or not
IELTS Generals
Candidates who want to go to the English speaking countries for work experience or training programs, they need to clear the IELTS General Training test. Also it is required when any individual wants to migrate to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. This test is taken to examine the candidate's original survival skills in broad social and workplace contexts.
IELTS TEST PATTERN
Listening
Listening tests duration is of 40 minutes, with Scoring scale of 0-9 bands. IELTS Listening has four sections, each with 10 items (or questions), each item is worth one mark.
Question types of the listening module:
- Matching
- Plan/map labelling
- Diagram labelling
- Form, note, table, flow-chart, summary completion
- Multiple choice questions
- Short answer type questions
Reading
Reading - is 60 minutes duration with Scoring scale of 0-9 bands. Reading has 3 passages and 40 items (questions). Each item is worth one mark.The reading paper has three sections and texts approximately 2,000 – 2800 words. There will be a variety of question type, for example:
TYPES OF QUESTIONS:
- Match the heading
- Fill in the blanks
- Multiple choice questions,
- Identify information (True/False/Not Given)
- Identify information (Yes/No/Not Given)
- Matching information,
- Matching headings,
- Matching sentence endings,
- Sentence completion,
- Summary completion
- Note completion
- Table completion,
- Flow-chart completion,
- Diagram label completion,
- Short answer type question.
Writing
Writing skills assessment duration is 60 minutes, with Scoring scale of 0-9 bands. It consists of 2 tasks (Writing Task 1 and Writing Task 2) and candidates must attempt both tasks.
- Task 1 (Ielts Academic) – Report writing, candidates are presented with a diagram or some data( e,g Bar graph, Line graph, Table, Pie chart, Map or Development, Process) and asked to describe, summary or explain the information in their own words.
- Task 1 (Ielts General)-The IELTS General Writing Task 1 measures your ability to communicate about common practical issues. You have 20 minutes to respond to a question prompt, by writing a letter to a person, company, or institution.
- Task 2 –Essay writing, candidates will be asked to write in response to a task, point of view, argument or problem, the solution to a problem.Responses to both tasks must be in a formal style
Speaking
Speaking duration is 11-14 minutes with Scoring scale of 0-9 bands. IELTS Speaking is a one-to-one interaction between the candidate and an examiner
- The speaking module has three parts: Part 1 –( INTRODUCTION) the examiner will ask general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, (e.g home, family, work, studies likes, dislikes and interests) this part lasts between four and five minutes and the number of questions varies.
- Part 2 –(CUE CARD) A candidate will be presented with a cue card which asks you to talk about a particular topic. You will have one minute to prepare about this topic before speaking and you have to speak for up to two minutes. The examiner will then ask one or two questions on the same topic. ( e.g interesting place, favourite hobby etc.)
- Part 3 –(FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS) A candidate will be asked further questions related to the topic of Part 2. These will allow you to discuss more abstract ideas and issues. This part of the test lasts between four and five minutes.
Band Score Description
| BAND SCORE | USER PROFICIENCY | EXPLANATION |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Expert user | The candidate has a fully operational command of the language with complete understanding. |
| 8 | Very good user | The user makes only occasional inaccuracies, however, can handle complex argumentation well. |
| 7 | Good user | Can speak fluently with the help of complex sentence structures with misunderstanding in some situations. |
| 6 | Competent user | The candidate uses fairly complex sentence structures in familiar events. There is an occasional use of inappropriate vocabulary. |
| 5 | Modest user | Has only partial command of the language with meaning conveyed in most of the situations. |
| 4 | Limited user | Does not use complex sentences showing basic competence in familiar situations. |