IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It’s an international standardized English language proficiency test for non-native English language speakers
The IELTS test which is similar to the TOEFL is one of the most distinguished standardized tests of English language proficiency in the world that can be used in most countries and universities worldwide.
The British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, and Cambridge Assessment English jointly own this test. In the US, IELTS USA manages the test’s recognition and the US network of test centers.
There are currently more than 1200 centers in over 140 countries, which administer IELTS tests for non-native English speakers.
Types of IELTS tests
There are two types of IELTS tests, the IELTS Academic & the IELTS General Training.
IELTS Academic is for people applying for admission at a college or university in an English-speaking country.
IELTS General Training is for individuals moving to an English-speaking country (usually the UK, Australia, or Canada) and/or applying to training programs or jobs in said countries.
Both Tests are graded on a nine-band scale. For each test section, you will receive a score from 1 to 9. The average of this score will form your overall IELTS score.
Structure of the IELTS Test?
The IELTS test assesses participants in four different skills, which include listening, reading, and writing, respectively. They hold a speaking section one week before the test and sometimes after it, depending on the test’s time.
Listening
In this section, you will listen to four different recordings and answer 40 questions. This test takes about 30 minutes, and you will have another 10 minutes to transfer answers to the answer sheet. You only hear the audio once. They use a variety of voices and native-speaker accents in these recordings.
The first and second part of the test covers social issues and conversations between people. In the third and fourth parts, academic matters are concerned. A conversation between four people and a conference make up this section.
Reading (General)
The second part of the IELTS exam is reading, and they give you 60 minutes to answer a total of 40 questions. This part includes three or four passages of increasing difficulty.
The reading tests in both general and academic tests are graded to the same level. Unlike the audio section, this section does not include extra time to write in the answer sheet.
The first part of the IELTS reading test is about daily social activities. The second part is about the educational booklets and welfare needs that have been selected for the participants. The third part consists of a long text with a general theme.
Reading (Academic)
The academic reading test includes three long texts and 40 questions to answer in 60 minutes. In this section, unlike the listening test, you will not have extra time to write in the answer sheet.
The second part of this exam contains a scientific text that has been selected for the participants. In the third part, a scientific or argumentative text has been chosen for the participant; if this text contains specialized words, short dictionaries will accompany it.
Writing
In the IELTS writing section, you should write about two topics. You will have about 60 minutes to answer them.
The first topic will ask you to describe a hypothetical problem in a text of at least 150 words. Keep in mind that if the number of terms used in this text is less than the minimum required, you will lose the score.
In the second topic, you must express your opinion for or against a topic; keep in mind that this part must contain at least 250 words if you use fewer words than allowed. Be in proportion to the score you will lose.
Speaking
IELTS Speaking is a face-to-face, informal discussion with an IELTS examiner, and is the same for both Academic and General Training. The test duration is 11 to 14 minutes.
The test is divided into three parts and is designed to test your pronunciation, fluency, grammar, and vocabulary. The applicant must answer general and personal questions about their residence, work status, family status, and interests in the first part of the test.
In the second part, a topic will be selected for you by the IELTS examiner, and you will have about one minute to think about this topic and take a photo. Talk about it for two minutes and then answer one or two questions about it. In this part, you do not have to answer all the items on the card, but you must answer them in two minutes.
In the third part of the IELTS Conversation test, you should have a conversation with the interviewer for 4 to 5 minutes, keeping in mind that the subject you are talking about in this part is as same as the topic in the second part.
How do They Score IELTS Exam?
The scoring system of the IELTS test is in the range of 1 to 9. There is no such thing as a passing score in this test, and the score obtained by you is a certificate of your language skills.
This score is not a reason for your acceptance or rejection, but according to your desired score’s expectations, these scores will be evaluated.
In general, according to this evaluation, a score of 5 is considered an average score, and a score of 6 and above is regarded as a good score.
The result of the IELTS test will be prepared in the form of a transcript delivered only to the person taking the exam. The score of all your skills is displayed separately.
Source: www.Abroadin.com
