In this topic, I will attempt to tell you about IELTS. Let's begin, shall we?
IELTS - International English Language Testing System.
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is designed to help you work, study or migrate to a country where English is the native language. This includes countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA.
Your ability to listen, read, write and speak in English will be assessed during the test. IELTS is graded on a scale of 1-9.
IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, and Cambridge Assessment English.
If you are looking to work, live or study in an English-speaking country, then you must be able to demonstrate a high level of English language ability.
English is the third most spoken language in the world, with 379 million speakers worldwide.
Being able to communicate in the native language of the country you wish to work or study in, has a wide range of benefits. It is also essential for job opportunities as well as integration into the community.
IELTS is the most popular test for those looking to migrate to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. It is globally recognized by more than 11,000 employers, universities, schools, and immigration bodies including 3,400 institutions in the USA.
What are the two most popular types of IELTS test?
There are two types of IELTS to choose from depending upon if you are an immigrant moving over to work or a student looking to pursue higher education or secondary education.
IELTS Academic: This is a very popular test recognized by most educational organizations and professional organizations. If you are a student looking to pursue higher education (for example, a Bachelor's or Master's degree) or if you are a professional immigrant looking to have professional registration (for example, be recognized as a doctor or engineer), then the Academic version is the way to go.
IELTS General Training: This test focuses on basic survival skills. It is a visa requirement in countries like Australia and Canada. If you are moving to an English-speaking country to work or train or as a student in secondary education, this test proves that you have the necessary English skills to be able to communicate in the new environment.
What is the format of the IELTS test?
Regardless of which type of IELTS test you are taking, the test is divided into 4 sections. The test is 2 hours and 45 mins. The Listening, Reading, and Writing sections have to be completed in a single day with no breaks in between, however, the Speaking section can be taken within a week before or after the test date.
Listening - 4 Parts, 40 Questions - 30 min
Reading - 3 Sections, 40 Items - 1 hour
Writing - 2 Tasks (150-250 words) - 1 hour
Speaking - 3 Parts 11 to 14 minutes
All 4 sections of the test have equal weightage. IELTS uses a 9-band scale to show the score. Each individual question is checked for accuracy and the raw score from each section is then converted to an individual component band score which is rounded off to the nearest half band (0.5) or full band (.0). These component band scores are then added and divided by 4 to get an average which is the overall band score. The final band score is also rounded off to the nearest half or full band.
IELTS score scale listening
IELTS score scale listening
Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2) - 25%
Coherence and Cohesion - 25%
Lexical Resource - 25%
Grammatical Range and Accuracy - 25%
IELTS score scale listening speaking
Fluency and Coherence
Lexical Resource
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Pronunciation
IELTS score has no validity period.
It is at the discretion of each organization to set their own validity period but IELTS recommends a validity period of 2 years.
On average, most test-takers score better in Listening and worst in writing.
55% of the test takers score more than 6.0 (academic test taken for higher education courses with a duration of more than 3 months).
There are no restrictions on re-taking IELTS. If you don't get the result you wanted, you can register for another test as soon as you feel you are ready to do so.
In my next post, we will consider listening, reading,speaking,and writing. I'll divide it all up into four parts, so it's going to be easy for you to understand. Between them, I'll post some help tips for it.
