All about the IELTS examination

All about the IELTS examination

What is the IELTS?

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It was created by Cambridge University, the British Council, and IDP: IELTS Australia.

• IELTS is required for immigration to the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Canada.

• It is accepted by thousands of academic institutions, including all of the Ivy League universities in the US.

Can be a requirement if you wish to pursue higher education in an English-speaking country. It tests your English knowledge in academic contexts.

Academic

Is required to migrate to and work in the aforementioned countries. It tests your English knowledge in everyday and work contexts.

General Training

How is the IELTS structured?

You will be given 60 minutes to complete two writing tasks. The types of texts you will write vary depending on which examination you take.

Writing

You will be given 60 minutes to read four texts and complete forty activities based on them. The texts are different depending on which examination you take.

Reading

How is the IELTS structured?

You will listen to 30 minutes' worth of recordings and will have an additional 10 minutes to complete activities. There are forty questions to answer.

Listening

You will be given between 11–14 minutes. There are three parts to the speaking section. The tasks are common to both the GT and Academic examinations.

Speaking

How is the IELTS structured?

What are bands?

Bands are the way in which the IELTS examination is graded. You can get a score between 1-9. You will be scored on each language skill individually and your final band will come from the final average of your four scores.

Multiple Choice

Which skills are tested in the IELTS exams?

• Listening, Reading, Writing and Vocabulary

• Speaking, Writing, Reading, Listening, Vocabulary and Grammar

• Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking

• Writing, Reading and Listening

Multiple Choice

What is the maximum band score that you can get in the IELTS exam?

• Band 6

• Band 9

• Band 10

• Band 12

Multiple Choice

How many questions are there in each of the Listening and Reading exams?

• 20

• 30

• 36

• 40

Multiple Choice

How many tasks are in the Writing exam?

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 6

Multiple Choice

How long is the Writing exam?

• 30 minutes

• 45 minutes

• 60 minutes

• 90 minutes