International English Language Testing System
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) measures the language proficiency of people who want to study or work where English is used as a language of communication. It uses a nine-band scale to clearly identify levels of proficiency, from non-user (band score 1) through to expert (band score 9).
IELTS treats all test takers with the utmost fairness and respect by actively avoiding cultural bias, and accepting all standard varieties of native-speaker English, including North American, British, Australian and New Zealand English.
IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training: IELTS is available in two test versions: Academic – for people applying for higher education or professional registration, and General Training for those migrating to Australia, Canada and the UK, or applying for secondary education, training programmes and work experience in an English-speaking environment. Both versions provide a valid and accurate assessment of the four language skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking.
Test Format
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The IELTS test assesses your abilities in listening, reading, writing and speaking in less than three hours.
There are two types of the IELTS test: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. Listening and Speaking are the same for both tests, but the subject matter of the Reading and Writing components differs depending on which test you take.
The Listening, Reading and Writing components of all IELTS tests are completed on the same day, with no breaks in between them.
The Speaking component, however, can be completed up to a week before or after the other tests. Your test centre will advise.
The total test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Section Details
Speaking
The speaking component assesses your use of spoken English. Every test is recorded. the examiner will ask you general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies and interests. This part lasts between four and five minutes.
Reading
Academic: this includes three long texts which range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical.+ General: this includes extracts from books, magazines, newspapers, notices, advertisements, company handbooks and guidelines.
Writing
Academic: Test takers are asked to describe some visual information (graph/table/chart/diagram) in their own words. General: test takers are asked to respond to a situation, for example, by writing a letter requesting information or explaining a situation
Listening
There are four sections with ten questions each. The questions are designed so that the answers appear in the order they are heard in the audio.The first two sections deal with situations set in everyday social contexts.