IELTS Exam

IELTS (the International English Language Testing System) is the most popular English language test globally. This exam is designed to help you study, work, and migrate to a country abroad where English is the native language. IELTS is jointly managed by British Council, IDP: The IELTS Australia, and Cambridge ESOL. 

Many organizations consider IELTS Exam is a reliable indicator to check the life ability to communicate in English. It assesses a test taker’s proficiency in the English language across four skills: Listening, reading, writing, and speaking. IELTS preparation can be done after deciding the mode of test which is either a computer or paper-based test. 

Check out English Language Origin.

IELTS Exam Requirements

• The eligibility criteria for a candidate to take IELTS in India and across the globe is he/she must have completed 16 years of age or above.
• The conducting bodies haven’t fixed any upper age limit for IELTS preparation. 

IELTS Exam Passing Criteria

There is no pass/fail score in this exam. All IELTS scores will be between 0 and 9 where Band 1 is the lowest and Band 9 is the highest. Your overall band score is assessed based on IELTS preparation and individual band scores obtained from each of the 4 modules.

IELTS Exam Pattern

A candidate should know the exam pattern before planning for IELTS preparation. The syllabus of IELTS is categorized into four sections namely Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. 

For IELTS Academic and General Training, the Listening and Speaking modules are the same and the Reading and Writing modules differ. Ensure to prepare for the correct test type.  

The Listening, Reading, and Writing modules are scheduled on the same day without any breaks. The Speaking module will be scheduled up to a week before or after the other modules. 

IELTS Test Format

Listening Test 

In this module, the test taker should do IELTS preparation by listening to the recordings of native English speakers and writing the answers to a series of questions. In the IELTS listening practice, there are 4 parts with 10 questions each. 

• Part 1 – Conversation between two speakers.
• Part 2 – Monologue.
• Part 3 – Conversation with more than two people.
• Part 4 – Monologue based on an academic subject.

Duration: 30 Minutes (10 minutes transfer time).

Marks: 1 Mark for each question.

Reading Test

IELTS Academic Reading 

Three reading passages will be given with a variety of questions using a number of task types. The questions are taken from sources like books, journals, newspapers, and magazines. The passages will be written in different styles with simple glossaries and texts. 

IELTS General Reading 

There are three sections where section 1 contains several short texts, section 2 comprises two texts, and section 3 has one long text. Most of the questions will be asked in complex structures. 

Duration: 60 Minutes.

No. of Questions: 40 (No transfer time).

Marks: 1 Mark for each question.

Writing Test 

IELTS Academic Writing 

Task 1 visuals like graphs, tables, charts, or diagrams are presented to describe in 150 words. In task 2, a point of view or argument or problem should be elaborated in 250 words. 

IELTS General Writing

It includes letter writing which has to be given in 150 words and essay writing in 250 words. 

Duration: 60 Minutes

Marks: Assessed on grammar and accuracy, vocabulary, task response, coherence, and cohesion.

Speaking Test

There are three parts where in Task 1 general questions will be asked, Task 2 is a cue-card topic and Task 3 is a discussion round. 

Duration: 11- 14 Minutes

Marks: Fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and accuracy.

Thus, IELTS preparation should be done well as it is developed by an international team of experts who have undergone extensive research to make sure the test remains fair and unbiased for any candidate regardless of gender, background, nationality, lifestyle, or location.

Read also 15 Effective Steps to Speak English Fluently.