WHAT IS I.E.L.T.S?

WHAT IS IELTS?
International English Language Testing System

I.E.L.T.S stands for International English Language Testing System. It is used to measure the English ability of aspirants who want to persuade their education or immigrate overseas where the English language is a primary language.  It is being conducted for educational, immigration, and occupational purposes.

It’s the world’s biggest English language test with test centers in most countries and there are two bodies who conducted the IELTS exam i-e IDP (International Development Program) and BC (British Council).

IELTS is accepted by more than 10,000 institutions across 130 countries worldwide. The test includes a 1-9 proficiency level where 1 band score stands for non-user and 9 band score stands for expert or professional.  In the IELTS exam, each correct carries one mark.

IELTS has two tests.

IELTS Academic: – Aspirants who are seeking higher study overseas appear in IELTS Academics Test. It has four modules: – Listening, Writing, Reading, Speaking.

General Training: – People with a desire for immigration, Training program, or work experience to English speaking countries, appear in the General Training Test. It has also four modules: – Listening, Writing, Reading, Speaking.

Listening and Speaking are the same for both tests, but the subject matter of the Reading and Writing sections differs depending on which test you take.

The Listening, Reading and Writing sections of all IELTS tests are completed on the same day, with no breaks in between them.

The Speaking section, however, can be completed up to a week before or after the other tests. Your test center will advise. The total test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes.

IELTS MODULES:

Listening

30 minutes
you will listen to four recordings of native English speakers and then write your answers to a series of 40 questions. Each question is worth 1 mark. IELTS listening is the same for all test takers. In listening, approximately 30 Minutes and 10 Minutes for transferring the answers to the answer sheet.

Reading 

60 minutes
The Reading section consists of 40 questions, designed to test a wide range of reading skills. These include reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument and recognizing writers’ opinions, attitudes and purpose.

IELTS Academic test – This includes three long texts which range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. These are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers.  They have been selected for a non-specialist audience but are appropriate for people entering university courses or seeking professional registration. Its difficulty level increases as you progress from Passage 1 from Passage 3.

IELTS General Training test – this includes extracts from books, magazines, newspapers, notices, advertisements, company handbooks and guidelines. These are materials you are likely to encounter on a daily basis in an English-speaking environment.

Question Types

  • Multiple-choice questions
  • True/False/Not Given
  • Yes/ No/Not Given
  • Matching Paragraph Headings
  • Matching sentence endings
  • Sentence completion
  • Table completion
  • Diagram completion
  • Flowchart completion
  • Summary completion
  • Short answers questions
  • Choosing a title

Writing

Academic Writing

60 minutes
Topics are of general interest to, and suitable for, test takers entering undergraduate and postgraduate studies or seeking professional registration. There are two tasks:

  • Task 1 – you will be presented with a graph, table, chart, or diagram and asked to describe summaries or explain the information in your own words. You have to write at least 150 words.
  • Task 2 – you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. Responses to both tasks must be in a formal style. You have to write at least 250 words.

Types of Essay in writing task -1

  • Tables
  • Maps
  • Pie chart
  • Bar graphs
  • Line graphs
  • Process/Diagrams

Types of Essay in writing task -2

  • Opinion
  • Double question
  • Discuss both views
  • Problems/Solutions
  • Advantage/ disadvantage

General Training Writing

60 minutes
Topics are of general interest. There are two tasks:

  • Task 1 – you will be presented with a situation and asked to write a letter requesting information, or explaining the situation. The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal in style. You have to write at least 150 words.
  • Task 2 – you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. The essay can be fairly personal in style. You have to write at least 250 words.