The full form of the IELTS examination is the International English Language Testing System. It is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP, IELTS Australia, and Cambridge Assessment English and was established in 1989. IELTS is one of the major English language tests in the world.
IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, European, Irish, and New Zealand academic institutions, by over 3000 academic institutions in the United States, and by various professional organizations across the world. The test is conducted in almost all the cities in India for aspirants who wish to go abroad for their higher studies or seek PR visas in countries like Canada or Australia.
MODULES
There are two modules of the IELTS:
Academic module- This module is intended for those who want to enroll in universities and other higher education institutions and for professionals such as medical doctors and nurses who want to study or practice in an English-speaking country.
General Training module- This module is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training or gain work experience, or for immigration purposes.
There are primarily four sections in this examination and precisely READING, LISTENING, WRITING, and SPEAKING. Let us know a few details about these four sections:
READING: 60 minutes
LISTENING: 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer the answers)
WRITING: 60 minutes
SPEAKING: 11-14 minutes
The total test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Listening, Reading and Writing are completed in one sitting. The Speaking test may be taken on the same day or up to seven days before or after the other tests.
All the examinees take the same Speaking and Listening tests, while the Reading and Writing tests differ depending on whether the examinee is appearing for the Academic or General Training versions of the test.
BAND DESCRIPTORS:
The band descriptors for all four sections of the examination are assessed based on their respective band descriptor. Let us first learn about the band descriptors used for the Speaking test.
- Fluency and coherence
(b)Lexical resource
(c )Grammatical range and accuracy
(d)Fluency
On the other hand, the band descriptors for the Writing test are
(a)Task achievement
(b)Lexical resource
(c )Grammatical range and accuracy
(d)Coherence and cohesion
Overall Band Score
Candidates receive a Test Report Form setting out their Overall Band Score and scores on each of the four sub-tests: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Each of the sub-test scores is equally weighted. The Overall Band Score is calculated by taking the average of the total of the four individual sub-test scores.
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 skills 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.
IELTS Listening and Reading papers contain 40 items and each correct item is awarded one mark; the maximum raw score a candidate can achieve on a paper is 40. Band scores ranging from Band 1 to Band 9 are awarded to candidates based on their raw scores. Although all IELTS test materials are pretested and trialed before being released as live tests, there are inevitably minor differences in the difficulty level across tests. To equate different test versions, the band score boundaries are set so that all candidates' results relate to the same scale of achievement. This means, for example, that the Band 6 boundary may be set at a slightly different raw score across versions.
ABOUT ACADEMIC WRITING TEST
The IELTS Writing test is designed to assess a wide range of writing skills, including how well you
-write a response appropriately
-organize ideas
-use a range of vocabulary and grammar accurately
Format: Write in a formal style in the IELTS Academic Writing test. In Task 1 you will be presented with a graph, table, chart, or diagram. You will be asked to describe, summarize or explain the information in your own words. This might involve describing and explaining data, describing the stages of a process or how something works or describing an object or event. In Task 2 you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument, or problem. You should find the issues interesting and easy to understand.
Timing: The IELTS Writing test takes 60 minutes. Spend 20 minutes on Task 1, and 40 minutes on Task 2. You will need to manage your own time, so make sure you move on to Task 2 after 20 minutes.
ABOUT GENERAL WRITING TEST
Format: The topics used in the IELTS General Training Writing test are of general interest. In Task 1 you will be presented with a situation and asked to write a letter requesting information or explaining the situation. You can write the letter in a personal, semi-formal, or formal style. In Task 2 you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument, or problem. You can use a fairly personal style.
Timing: The IELTS Writing test takes 60 minutes. Spend 20 minutes on Task 1, and 40 minutes on Task 2. You will need to manage your own time, so make sure you move on to Task 2 after 20 minutes.