IELTS

About IELTS:

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test administered to

evaluate the English language skills of non-English speaking candidates seeking to pursue
education programmes or immigration to English speaking countries. The test is designed to
assess the candidate's ability to understand spoken and written English in academic and
social contexts and also use the language to communicate in the spoken and written forms.
IELTS scores are accepted by educational institutes, professional bodies, government
undertakings and for immigration processing in Australia, New Zealand, U.K., Canada and
certain American universities (like Princeton and Duke), where the IELTS scores are
accepted in lieu of TOEFL scores.

What does the IELTS Test:

The objective of the test is to assess a candidate's ability to understand and
communicate in English in academic and social contexts. To make this assessment, the
following skills are specifically tested.
 The ability to read and comprehend written, academic or training language.
 The ability to write assignments in a style that is appropriate for university study or within
a training context.
 The ability to understand spoken language in both lecture format as well as formal and
informal conversational styles.
 The ability to speak on general and given topics in formal and informal situations.

A Description of the Test:

The IELTS test has two versions:

1. The Academic Module - This module is intended for candidates seeking entry to a
university or institution of higher education offering degree and diploma courses (i.e. those
seeking undergraduate or postgraduate courses).
2. The General Training Module - This module is intended for students seeking entry to a
secondary school or to vocational training courses. This module is also meant for
candidates seeking immigration to an English speaking country.

The two versions do not carry the same weight and are not interchangeable.
All candidates are tested on reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Whereas
the speaking and listening sections are common for the Academic and General versions of
the test, the Reading and Writing sections are different.

Test Format:
The IELTS has four parts:

LISTENING:
 the test takes around 40 minutes
 there are 40 questions
 the first two sections are concerned with social needs
 the final two sections are concerned with situations related more closely to educational or
training contexts
 the text is recorded and is heard once only

READING:
 the test takes 60 minutes
 there are 40 questions
 there are three sections of increasing difficulty (with a total of 2,000 to 2,750 words)
 texts are taken from magazines, journals, books and newspapers

WRITING:
 the test takes 60 minutes
 task one requires at least 150 words and should take about 20 minutes
 task two requires at least 250 words and should take about 40 minutes

The total duration of the test is 2 hours 45 minutes.

SPEAKING:
 the test consists a of 15 minute interview with a Cambridge examiner

Scoring:
The result will consist of a score in each of the four skills (Listening, Reading, Writing
and Speaking) which is then arranged to give the Overall Band Score or final mark.
Performance is rated in each skill on a scale of 9 to 1. The nine overall Bands are as
follows:

9 Expert user 4 Limited User

8 Very good user 3 Extremely limited user

7 Good user 2 Intermittent user

6 Competent user 1 Non user

5 Modest user 0 Did not attempt the test

Pass Mark:
There is no fixed pass mark in IELTS. The acceptability of a score is totally at the
discretion of the institute-applied or govt. body (immigration). However, as a general rule,
scores below Band 5 are considered to be too low and above Band 6 are deemed to be
adequate to good. Band 5 to Band 6 scores are borderline. An overall score of Band 6.5 is
mostly accepted as a good score. The individual module's Band score is considered as per
the requirement.

Test Dates:
For latest test dates, contact the nearest BRITISH COUNCIL office or visit
www.ielts.org. The Listening, Reading and Writing Modules are conducted on the same day
as the test date, but the Speaking Module is conducted on any date between the period
starting from seven days before to seven days after the examination date for the other three
modules. This is at the discretion of the test centre, subject to the availability of slots.
The test can be taken up to a maximum of four times in a year, as there must be a
gap of at least 90 days between the two tests. The test is a PBT (Paper Based Test) but
some selected centres offer CBT (Computer Based Test) on request of the candidate.
 IELTS IN A THUMBNAIL

The first three modules – Listening, Reading and Writing – must be completed in one day. There is
no break between the modules. The Speaking Module may be taken, at the discretion of the test
centre, in the period seven days before or after the other modules.

Listening
Time: approximately 30 minutes
Candidates listen to a number of recorded texts, which increase in difficulty as the test progresses. These
include a mixture of monologues and conversations and feature a variety of English accents and dialects. The
recording is heard only once, but candidates are given time to read the questions and write down and check
their answers.

Academic Reading General Training Reading

Time: 60 minutes Time: 60 minutes
There are three reading passageswith tasks. Texts The texts are based on the type of material candidates
are taken from books, magazines, journals and would be expected to encounter on a daily basis in an
newspapers, all written for a nonspecialist audience. English speaking country. They are taken from sources
At least one of the texts contains a detailed such as newspapers, advertisements, instruction
argument. manuals and books, and test the candidate’s ability to
understand and use information. The test includes one
longer text, which is descriptive rather than
argumentative.

Academic Writing General Training Writing

Time: 60 minutes Time: 60 minutes
For the first task, candidates write a report of around The first task requires candidates to write a letter of
150 words based on material found in a table or around 150 words either asking for information or
diagram, demonstrating their ability to describe and explaining a situation. The second task is a short essay
explain data. For the second task candidates write a of around 250 words, and is written in response to a
short essay of around 250 words in response to an given point of view or problem. Candidates are
opinion or a problem. They are expected to expected to be able to present their own ideas and
demonstrate an ability to discuss issues, construct an challenge other ideas, using appropriate tone and
argument and use the appropriate tone and register. register.

Speaking
Time: 11–14 minutes
The test takes the form of a face to face interview. Candidates are assessed on their use of spoken English to
answer short questions, speak at length on a familiar topic, and also to interact with the examiner.