Test Format
There Are two modules to Choose from: Academic and General Training.
IELTS Academic:
IELTS Academic is for test takers wishing to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, and for those seeking professional registration.
IELTS General Training:
IELTS General Training is for test takers wishing to migrate to an English-Speaking country (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK), and for those wishing to train or study at below degree level.
Each organization sets its own entry requirement. In some cases, either Academic or General Training may be accepted. If you are in doubt as to which to take, you should contact the organization you are applying to in order to check their requirement.
You are tested on all four language skills-listening, reading, writing and speaking, unless you have an exemption due to a disability (see section on special requirement). Everyone takes the same listening and speaking test. There are different Reading and writing test for IELTS Academic and General Training.
The Listening, reading and writing test must be completed on the same day. The order in which these tests are taken may vary. There are on breaks between these three tests. The speaking test may be taken up to seven days before or after the other tree tests.
The four components of the IELTS test
Listening
Timing
Approximately 30minutes (plus 10minutes’transfer time).
Question
There are 40 question. A variety of question types are chosen from the following: multiple choice. Matching, plan/map/diagram labelling, from completion, not completion, table completion, flow-chart –completion, summary completion, sentence completion, short-answer question.
Test Parts
There are 4 section:
Section 1 is a conversation between two people set in an everyday social context (e.g. a conversation in an accommodation agency).
Section 2 is a monologue set in an everyday social context (e.g. a speech about local facilities or a talk about the arrangement for meals during a conference).
Section 3is a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context (e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment, or a group of student planning a research project).
Section 4 is a monologue on an academic subject (e.g. a university lecture).
Each section is heard once only.
A variety of voice and native-speaker accents are used.
Skills assessed
A wide range of listening Skills are assessed, including:
· understanding of main ideas
· understanding of specific factual information
· recognizing opinions, attitudes and purpose of a speaker
· following the development of an argument.
Marking
Each correct answer receives 1 mark. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale.
Scores are reported in whole and half bands.
Reading
Timing
60 minutes (no extra transfer time).
Question
There are 40 questions. A variety of question types are used, chosen from the following: multiple, choice, identifying information (true/false/not given),identifying a writer’s views/claim(yes/no/not given), matching information matching heading, matching features, matching sentence ending, sentence completion, summary completion, note completion, table completion, flow-chart completion, diagram label completion, short-answer question.
Test parts
There are 3 sections. The total text length is 2150-2750 words.
Academic Reading
Each section contains one long text. Texts are authentic and are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. They have been written for a non-specialist audience and are on academic topics of general interest. Texts are appropriate to, and accessible to, test takers entering undergraduate or postgraduate courses or seeking professional registration. Texts range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. Text may contain non-verbal material such as diagrams, graphs or illustration. If texts contain technical terms, then a simple glossary is provided.
General Training Reading
Section 1 contains two or three short factual texts, one of which may be composite (consisting of 6-8 short text related by topic. (e.g hotel advertisements). Topics are relevant to everyday life in an English-speaking country.
Section2 contains two short factual focusing on work-related issues (e.g. applying for jobs, company policies, pay and condition, workplace facilities, staff development and training).
Section 3 contains one longer, more complex text on a topic of general interest.
Texts are authentic and are taken from notices, advertisements, company handbooks, official documents, books, magazines and newspapers.
Skills assessed
A wide range of reading skills are assessed, including:
. Reading for gist
. Reading for main ideas
. Reading for detail
. Understanding inferences and implied meaning
. Recognizing writer’s opinions, attitudes and purpose
. Following the development of an argument.
Marking
Each correct answer receives 1 mark. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale.
Scores are reported in the whole and half band.
Writing
Timing
60 minutes
Tasks
There are 2 tasks. You are required to write at least 150-word for tasks 1 and at least 250 word for task 2
Test parts
There are two parts.
Academic Writing
In Task 1, you are presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and are asked to describe, summaries or explain the information in your own words. You may be asked to describe and explain data, describe the stage of a process, how something works or describe an object or event.
In Task 2, you are asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem.
The issues raised are of general interest to, suitable for and easily understood by test takers entering undergraduate or postgraduate studies or seeking professional registration. Responses to task 1 and task 2 should be written in an academic, semi-formal/neutral style.
General Training Writing
In Task 1, you are presented with a situation and are asked to write a letter requesting information or explaining the situation. The letter may be personal or semi-formal/neutral in style.
In task 2, you are asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. The essay can be slightly more personal in style than Academic Writing Task 2 Essay.
Topics are of general interest.
Skills Assessed
In both Task, you Are assessed on your ability to Write a response Which is appropriate in term of:
. Content
. the organization of ideas
. the accuracy and range of vocabulary and grammar.
Academic Writing
In Task 1, depending on the task type , you are assessed on your ability to organize, present and possibly Compare data; to describe the stage of a process or procedure; to describe an object or event or sequence of events; to explain how something works.
In Task 2, depending on task type, you are assessed on your ability to present a solution to a problem; to present and justify an opinion; to compare and contrast evidence, opinion and implication; to evaluate and challenge ideas, evidence or an argument.
General Training Writing
In Task 1, Depending on the task type, you are assessed on your ability to engage in personal correspondence in order to; elicit and provide general factual information; express needs, wants. Like and dislike; express opinion (views, complaints etc.)
In Task 2, you are assessed on your ability to provide general factual information; to outline problems and present a solution; to present and possibly justify an opinion; to evaluate and challenge ideas, evidence or an argument.
Marking
You are assessed on your performance on each task by certified IELTS examiners according to the IELTS Writing test assessment criteria(Task Achievement/response, coherence and cohesion, lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy). The public version of the assessment criteria can be found at ielts.org/criteria.
Task 2 contributes twice as much as task 1 to the Writing score
Scores are reported in whole and half bands.
Speaking
Timing
11-14 minutes
Test parts
There are 3 parts
Part 1 introduction and interview (4-5 minutes)
The examiner introduces him/herself and asks you to introduce yourself and confirm your identity. The examiner asks you general questions on familiar topics, e.g. home, family, work, studies and interests.
Parts 2 individual long turn (3-4 minutes)
The examiner gives you a task card which asks you to talk about a particular topic and which includes points you can cover in your talk. You are given 1 minute to prepare you talk, and are given a pencil and paper to make notes. You talk for 1-2 minutes on the topic. The examiner may then ask you one or two questions on the same topic.
Part 3 two-way discussion (4-5 minutes)
The examiner asks further questions which are connected to the topic of part 2. These questions give you an opportunity to discuss more abstract issues and ideas.
Skills assessed
A wide range of speaking skills are assessed, including:
. The ability to communicate opinion and information on everyday topic and common experience and situation by answering a range of question
. The ability to speak at length on a given topic using appropriate language and organizing ideas coherently
. The ability to express and justify opinions and to analyses, discuss and speculate about issues.
Marking
You are assessed on your performance throughout the test by certificated IELTS examiner according to the IELTS speaking test assessment criteria (fluency and coherence, lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, Pronunciation). The public version of the assessment criteria can be found at irlts.org/criteria.
Scores are reported in whole and half bands.