What is IELTS?

IELTS or The International English Language Testing System, is an international test of English for non-native English speakers. In other words it is a test to determine how good you are at the English language. It is jointly managed by Cambridge English Language Assessment, the British Council and IDP Education Pvt Ltdand was established in 1989.

There are two versions of the IELTS: the Academic Version and the General Training Version.The academic version is for people who want to go to higher education or university. The general one is for people who want to do other training or want to get work experience. Most universities in Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand accept the IELTS. Many professional companies do as well.

A mark between 1.0 (non-user) to 9.0 (expert user), in 0.5 increments are issued to the candidates. A mark of 0.0 can be issued to candidates who did not attempt the exam. Each candidate are required to take four different parts of the exam; Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. Each part are given a score and the average is work out to issue the overall result.

Overall Band Scores are reported to the nearest whole or half band. For the avoidance of doubt, the following rounding convention applies; if the average across the four exams ends in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band, and if it ends in .75, it is rounded up to the next whole band.

Thus, a candidate achieving 6.5 for Listening, 6.5 for Reading, 5.0 for Writing and 7.0 for Speaking would be awarded an Overall Band Score of 6.5. On the other hand, a candidate achieving 6.5 for Listening, 6.5 for Reading, 5.5 for Writing and 6.0 for Speaking would be awarded band 6 (24.5 ÷ 4 = 6.125 = Band 6).

All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking exams, while the Reading and Writing Modules differ depending on whether the candidate is taking the Academic or General Training Versions of the Test. The first 3 parts are given without breaks.

Listening

The exam consists of four parts, with each part increasing in difficulty. The candidate will be given a question booklet and an answer sheet. The test is 40 minutes long which include 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. The recording is played only once.

Reading

The Reading test consists of 40 questions and lasts for 1 hour.  In the academic version three long texts are given to the candidates to read. The texts are authentic and are taken from books, magazines, journals etc. which are appropriate for candidates entering university courses or seeking professional registration. On the other hand, the texts used in the general training version are texts which are more likely to encounter on a daily basis in an English speaking environment.

Writing

The Writing test last for 1 hour and consists of two parts. The first part involve a graph, table, chart or diagram, where the candidate must use their own words to describe it. The second part the candidate 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 and part two are worth more marks

Speaking

The speaking test consists three parts and are taken with an examiner. The test last for about 15 minutes and every tests are recorded.  The first part the examiner will ask you some general questions about yourself, such as hometown, hobbies and family. This parts last about 5 minutes. The second part the examiner will give you a topic card. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. The third and final part the examiner will ask you further questions relating to part 2. This part will last for about 5 minutes.

The Speaking test is taken on a different day to the other three tests. Normally about 1 week before or after.

Each University or higher education will require a different score and will depend on what course you are taking as well. Generally speaking a score of 6.0 or higher is required. A score of 6.0 is described as a ‘Competent User:Has generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings. Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations.