English Language
Assessment Guide
for Postgraduate Applicants
STRUCTURE
SECTION TIME
Speaking 11 - 14 minutes (Approximately)
Listening 30 minutes
Reading 60 minutes
Writing 40 minutes
TIP
In the Speaking section, you should spend roughly 4-5 minutes on the first
part, 3-4 minutes on the second part and 4-5 minutes on the third part.
When it comes to the Listening, Reading and Writing sections, you MUST
complete the sections within the times given. Once your time is up on a
section, you will not be allowed to carry on and will be moved on to the
next part.
1. SPEAKING TEST
PART TIME CATEGORY
Introduction & Interview on
1 4-5 minutes Familiar Topics
2 3-4 minutes Individual Long Turn or Extended
Speaking or Monologue
3 4-5 minutes Two-Way Discussion or Topic Discussion
TIPS
Do not try to give a prepared speech, or talk about a different topic from
the one you are asked to discuss.
Whenever you reply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the examiner’s questions, add more
details to your answer. In each case, aim to explain at least one point.
Remember that you are not being tested on your general knowledge but
on your ability to communicate effectively.
Organise and link your ideas and sentences appropriately, talking clearly
at normal speed and using a wide range of structures and vocabulary.
NOTE: Before you click START, please check the name which can be seen on the
top left side of the page is the correct spelling of your name.
2. LISTENING
The Listening part of the test consists of 4 sections and there are 10 questions in
each section. You will begin by reading the instructions and then you will read
the questions for section 1, listen to section 1, and answer the questions.
This procedure is repeated for sections 2, 3 and 4.
TIPS
You can only listen to the audios ONCE so make sure that you read the
instructions and questions carefully before you press play.
Answer the Listening questions in the order they appear. Remember that
they normally follow the order of the information in the recording.
Once you pressed PLAY, you CANNOT pause or play back the audio.
Once you clicked NEXT, you CANNOT go back to the previous page.
Read the instructions carefully, and DO NOT write more words/or
numbers than required.
In Multiple-Choice Questions, just write the letter for each option, not the
whole phrase or sentence (e.g. If the given option is “ A. Lived in London
in 2000 “, and this is your chosen answer, just write “A”).
You can always check the remaining time of your test for each component
on the top left side of the page you are on.
Read, write and listen at the same time
Attempt all questions; there are no penalties for incorrect answers
Be careful with your spelling and grammar
Check your answers
3. READING
The Reading part of the test consists of 3 passages and there are 40 questions
in total. A variety of question types is used. You may be asked to:
fill gaps in a passage of written text or in a table
match headings to written text to diagrams or charts
complete sentences
give short answers to open questions
answer multiple choice questions
Sometimes you will need to give one word as your answer, sometimes a short
phrase, and sometimes simply a letter, number or symbol.
TIPS
Look out for the title, headings and any special features such as capital
letters, underlining, italics, figures, graphs and tables
Make sure that you understand the questions and follow instructions
carefully
Pay attention to timing; do not spend too long on one passage or question
Do not try and read every word; remember, you are reading for a purpose
If you do not know the answer to a question, attempt it but do not waste
time; move quickly onto the next one
Do not panic if you do not know anything about the subject of the text; all
the answers can be found in the text
The word(s) you use must be taken from the Reading text; you must not
change the form of the word(s) in the text
Do not worry if there is a word that you do not understand – you may not
need to use it
Check your spelling
Focus precisely on what you are asked to do in ‘completion’ type questions
If the question asks you to complete the note ‘in the…’ and the correct
answer is ‘evening’, just use ‘evening’ as your answer
Pay attention to the word limit; for example, if you are asked to complete
a sentence using no more than two words, if the correct answer is ‘silk
shirt’, the answer ‘shirt made of silk’ would be incorrect
Attempt all questions; there are no penalties for incorrect answers, so you
have nothing to lose
Check your answers
4. WRITING
In the Writing task, you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of
view, argument or problem. There is only ONE essay you will need to complete
and you will need to write no less than 250 words.
TIPS
Use paragraphs clearly; put one idea in each paragraph
Do not repeat ideas using different words
Do not copy whole sentences from the question – you will receive no marks
for this
Keep to the topic; do not write about unrelated subjects
Pay attention to the number of words required for the writing; you will lose
marks if you do not write at least 250 words.
Learn to recognise how long 250 words look; you will not have time to
count during the test
You must write your answers in full; answers written in note form or in
bullet points will lose marks
Pay attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation; you will lose marks
for mistakes
Avoid informal language
Do not memorise model answers; examiners are trained to recognise them
and your test will be invalid
Spend several minutes re-reading and correcting your answers
Online IELTS Practice Tests:
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