15 Things to Know About IELTS

15 Things to Know About IELTS

IELTS is an international exam, required for students, working professionals, and people who wish to migrate to other countries, to assess their level of English. There are certain things which a candidate must know before cracking the exam

• IELTS tests a candidate's four skills, namely listening, reading, writing and speaking. The score obtained is the indicator of a candidates proficiency in English.
• The scores are given from 9 band which correspond to the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for language)

• The duration of the test is 2 hours and 40 minutes, excluding the speaking which lasts for approximately 15 minutes. There are various centers across the globe and the test is held four times in a month.

• A candidate has to pay fourteen thousand seven hundred rupees in Indian currency to register for the exam. British Council and IDP are the two governing bodies which conduct the exam.

• A valid authentication document like passport is required to register for the exam. The registration of IELTS is done only through the official portals of British Council and IDP. The date is allocated according to the availability of the seat at the test center.

Also read: IELTS - Overview

• The scores of IELTS are valid for two years. The requirement of the scores is defined by the university/college one is applying to. For instance an average university in Canada requires 6 band in each module with an overall 6.5 band score.

• There are two versions of IELTS exam. Academic and General. Academic version is required for study abroad purpose, where as General training is taken by the candidates who wish to migrate to these countries. There is a slight difference in the exam pattern especially in the writing module.

• Moving on to the actual exam-First is the Listening module which tests the listening ability of a candidate. The duration is for forty minutes and the candidate needs to answer 40 questions. The test pattern and the marking criteria is similar.

• Next, the Reading module is for one hour. The candidate needs to answer forty questions based on comprehension passages. Academic version has three passages where as the General Training has five passages. Even the marking criteria is different. For a candidate to score 7 band in Academic Test would require 30 correct answers, but for a General training candidate, the score requirement goes up to 34-35 to get 7 band.

• Writing module checks the ability of the student to write in English. For both Academic and General Training Task-2, essay writing is same but Task-1 is different. In Academic , Task-1 requires a report writing whereas a candidate needs to write a letter for Task-1.

• Writing tasks are assessed for grammar, vocabulary, task response and coherence. The writing tasks must have a beginning, content paragraphs and ending. The letters should have proper salutations and closing sentences.

• Speaking module is same for both the versions. This lasts for 11-14 minutes. It is one-on one interview of the candidate with the examiner. Fluency, pronunciation, content, use of idiomatic structures will fetch a high band score.

• The result is declared after 13 days of the test. The test report form is sent on the candidate's postal address.

• For clearing this exam, a candidate needs to hone their skills in English. It is advised to concentrate on the basics of English language, be it grammar or vocabulary and fluency/pronunciation.

• There are many institutes in the region to prepare a candidate for IELTS exam. Canamprep is one of the leading names in this field which has successfully helped thousands of students to achieve their dream of going abroad.

• Start your dream of going abroad by immersing yourself in English language. Read books, listen to English songs, watch English movies and start speaking in English. Giving one to two hours daily to hone your English skills will make all the difference.

Also read : IELTS Exam Syllabus