ABOUT IELTS

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is the most popular English language proficiency test in the world for higher education and global migration. Globally, this exam has a very high reputation and is accepted by over 9000 institutions in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Apart from the purpose of study abroad , it is the also the required as the proof of English language abilities for immigration to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The exam has two categories - Academic and General Training . The academic module is chosen by the candidates who wish to pursue higher education while the General training module is chosen by the candidates who wish to immigrate permanently or for work. The exam is divided into four modules - Listening, Reading, Writing & Speaking While listening and speaking are common to both the categories; the reading and writing modules are based on the candidates’ choice of category. The Exam is conducted by two organizations - IDP and British Council. It is conducted 4 times a month.

About Modules

The tests are designed to cover the full range of ability from non-user to expert user. Listening, Reading and Writing modules must be completed in one day. The Speaking module may be taken, at the discretion of the test center, in the period seven days before or after the other modules.

Speaking (11 – 14 minutes)

The speaking test contains three parts. The first part takes the form of an interview during which candidates may be asked about their hobbies, reasons for taking IELTS exam as well as other general topics such as sports, singing, dancing, internet, communication, transportation and many more.. In the second part candidates are given a cue card and then have one minute to prepare after which they must speak about the given topic maximum for 2 minutes. The third part involves a discussion between the examiner and the candidate, generally on questions relating to the cue card which they have already spoken about in part2.

Listening (40 minutes)

The module comprises four sections of increasing difficulty. It takes 40 minutes: 30 – for testing, plus 10 for transferring the answers to an answer sheet. Each section is heard only once.

Writing (60 minutes)

In the Academic module, there are two tasks: in Task 1 candidates describe a diagram, graph, process or chart, and in Task 2 they respond to an argument. In the General Training module, there are also two tasks: in Task 1 candidates write a letter or explain a situation, and in Task 2 they write an essay.

Reading (60 minutes)

In the academic module the reading test comprises three sections, with 3 texts normally followed by 13 or 14 questions for a total of 40 questions overall. The General test also has 3 sections. However the texts are shorter, so there can be up to 5 texts to read.

Duration

The total test duration is around 2 hours and 44 minutes for Listening, Reading and Writing modules.