- Introduction -
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) assesses the English language proficiency of people who want to study or work where English is used as the language of communication. IELTS is jointly managed by the British Council, Cambridge ESOL Examination, and IDP Education Australia. There are two versions of the test:
- Academic, is for students wishing to study at undergraduate or postgraduate levels in an English-medium environment.
- General Training, is for people who wish to migrate to an English-speaking country, it measures English language proficiency in a practical, everyday context.
- The Test -
There are four modules:
- Listening: 30 minutes, plus 10 minutes extra for transferring answers to answer sheet. The audio is heard only once. 40 questions in four sections.
- Reading: 60 minutes, 3 texts taken from authentic sources, on general, academic topics. 40 questions, may include multiple choice, sentence completion, completing a diagram/graph/chart, choosing headings, yes/no, true/false questions, classification and matching exercises.
- Writing: 60 minutes, 2 tasks. Task 1: description of a table, chart, graph, or diagram (150 words minimum). Task 2: an essay in response to an argument or problem (250 words minimum)
- Speaking: 11 - 14 minutes. A three-part face-to-face oral interview with one examiner. Part 1: introductions and general question (4-5 minutes). Part 2: individual long turn - the candidate is given a task, has one minute to prepare, then talks for 1-2 minutes, with some question from the examiner. Part 3 two-way discussion - the examiner asks further questions on the topic from part 2 and gives the candidate the opportunity to discuss more abstract issues or ideas.
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| photo credit: www.visionaus.com.au |
Listening, Reading and Writing must be taken on the same day, and in the order listed above. Speaking can be taken up to 7 days before or after the other modules.
- Scoring -
Each section is given a band score, the average of the four scores produces the Overall Band Score. You do not pass or fail IELTS, you receive a score. This table contains the general description for the band scores 1-9:
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| Photo credit: www.rmielts.com |
The CERF, Common European Framework of Relevance, shows the level of the learner and is used for many English as a Foreign Language examinations. the table below shows the approximate CERF level and the equivalent IELTS Overall Band Score:
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| Photo credit: www.oxfordjo.com |
Reference: Aish, Fiona, and Jo Tomlinson. Listening for IELTS. London: HarperCollins, 2011
