What is IELTS?

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the world’s largest English language proficiency test. It assesses the ability of a candidate to communicate in the English language. It comprises of four modules i.e. Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.

Who accepts/Recognize IELTS?

IELTS is trusted by more than 10,000 organizations across the globe so when you take the assessment you can be confident that it is recognized by educational institutions, employers, governments and professional bodies around the world.

Who conducts IELTS?

IELTS test is conducted by the British Council and IDP Education Australia Ltd in major cities worldwide every month on the days instructed by the council.

Who owns IELTS?

IELTS is owned by three partners, the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia Ltd.

How many IELTS tests are taken each year?

Over 3 million IELTS tests taken each year worldwide.

What are the Subjects in IELTS?

IELTS comprises of four elements of English language assessment which includes subjects like Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.

What are the types of IELTS?

IELTS include two types of test:

• Academic IELTS which is used for educational purposes.
• General training is used for immigration or work purposes.

What is the IELTS Academic?

Candidates who are planning to study in university/college in English speaking countries or countries where English language skill assessment is a pre-requisite, appear for IELTS Academic Exam. Besides, if a person wants to register with a professional organization like the nursing council, medical council, etc, in such cases sometimes they ask for IELTS Academic test.

What is the IELTS General?

Candidates who you intend to work or immigrate in an English-speaking country, taking IELTS General Training is compulsory. Apart from this many reputed organization worldwide has made it mandatory for taking IELTS General exam before joining the organization

What is UKV IELTS?

As a part of the UK Visa application, the IELTS exam has to attend in a test center approved by the UK Government. This called UKV IELTS.

Which types of IELTS test UK need?

For UK Visa and Immigration, IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training both meet the requirements of the UK Home Office. The only point to be kept in mind is that the candidate needs to take this test in a test center which is approved for this purpose by the UK Government.

Who accepts IELTS?

Educational institutions and Immigration authorities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, the UK, and the USA. Besides mentioned countries governments, employers and Professional bodies accept IELTS as it is a commonly used English test. Moreover many foreign Governments, Employers, Professional organizations and employers have also made it mandatory to take an English proficiency test.

Who conducts IELTS exam?

British Council manages the IELTS exam. It is designed by Cambridge University. British Council is a British organization which concentrates in international cultural and educational opportunities. It aims at promoting the English language knowledge in many countries. It is governed by the Royal Charter and is registered in England, Wales, and Scotland.

How do I book the IELTS exam ?

Booking IELTS is easy. IELTS test can be booked online in most countries. The candidates need to check the available IELTS test dates, choose an exam center from any of the hundreds of centers which are located around the world, and then register for the test. However, since the International Academy is an authorized IELTS registration center and a British Council platinum partner, you can book the IELTS test through us without any hassle. Contact your nearest International Academy branch for more details.

What is the IELTS exam pattern?

IELTS test are of two types: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.

Listening and Speaking are same for both the type of tests. But the Reading and Writing modules differs depending on the type of tests chosen. The Listening, Reading and Writing components of all IELTS tests are all conducted on the same day, with no breaks between them.

The Speaking module can be completed up to a week before or after the other tests, which will be advised by the center.

The total time taken to complete the test is 2 hours and 45 minutes.

What is IELTS Listening?

IELTS Listening is of 30 minutes duration.

Candidates are advised to write answers to a series of questions after making them listen to four recordings which are spoken by the native English speakers.

• Recording 1 – a conversation between two people set in an everyday social background.
• Recording 2 - a monologue recording of an everyday social context, e.g. a speech about local facilities.
• Recording 3 – a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training setting, e.g. a tutor and a student discussing on a given assignment.
• Recording 4 - a monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture.

During this task, the examiners look for certain abilities in the candidate such as the ability to understand the main idea and detailed accurate information, the opinions and the attitudes of speakers, the purpose of an utterance and evidence of the candidate’s ability to follow the development of ideas during the given conversations.

What is IELTS Academic Reading?

IELTS Reading is of 60 minutes duration.

The Reading exam consists of 40 questions, formatted in such a system through which candidates reading skills can be analysed. This contains, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, reading for gist understanding the logical argument and recognizing writers' opinions, attitudes and the purpose of the writing.

IELTS Reading comprises of three texts which are long and ranges from descriptive to factual to the conversational and analytical form. The texts are unusually taken from books, journals, magazines, and newspapers. The text is picked up for non-specialist audience but is apt for candidates who are planning to enter university/college programs or processing professional registration.

What is IELTS General Reading?

IELTS General Reading comprises of 40 questions and is designed in such a manner through which candidates reading skills can be tested efficiently. This contains, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, reading for gist understanding the logical argument and recognizing writers' opinions, attitudes and the purpose of the writing.

IELTS General Training test consists of extracts from books, magazines, newspapers, notices, advertisements, company handbooks, and guidelines. The texts or material which are chosen for reading exams are usually topics which come across daily in an English-speaking environment.

What is IELTS Academic Writing?

IELTS Academic writing is of 60 minutes duration.

The IELTS Academic writing exams contains topics which are of general interest and are suitable for candidates who are processing/planning to enter universities and college programs and seeking professional registration too.

The test comprises of two tasks:

• Task 1 – During this task the candidate are given graphs, tables, charts or diagrams and is asked to describe, summarize or explain the information in their own words. The candidates can be asked an array of questions like to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a certain process, how something works or describe an object or event.
• Task 2 – During this task the candidates are asked to write an essay in response to a point of a certain view, argument or problem.

Answers to these tasks must be given in the formal style.

What is IELTS General Training Writing?

IELTS General Training is of 60 minutes duration

The test includes topics which are of general interest. Two tasks are given during the test:

• Task 1 – Candidates will be given a situation and asked to write a letter requesting some information, or explaining the situation. The style of the letter can be personal, semi-formal or formal.
• Task 2 – Candidates are asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or a certain problem. The essay can be partially personal in style.

What is IELTS Speaking & how it is conducted?

During this test, the examiner assesses the candidate’s use of spoken English and every test is recorded.

What is the validity of an IELTS score?

An IELTS report form is valid for two years.

How the IELTS band score is calculated?

The IELTS Academic and General Training test results are given using a nine-band scale. The Test Report provides the Overall Band Score and also the band scores for each of the four components that is the Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

Listening: This test contains 40 questions and one mark is given for a correct answer. The available score is then converted to the IELTS nine-band scale. Scores are given in whole and half bands, eg – 7 or 6.5.

Reading: This test contains 40 questions and for each correct answer one mark is given then a total score out of 40 is converted to the IELTS nine-band scale. Scores are given in whole and half bands, eg – 7 or 6.5.

Writing: During this test, the examiners use assessment criteria in order to award a band score:

• Task Achievement, Task Response
• Coherence and Cohesion
• Lexical Resource
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Speaking: During this test, the examiners use assessment criteria to award a band score.

• Fluency and Coherence,
• Lexical Resource,
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy
• Pronunciation

The candidates are scored as per the above-mentioned criteria and the score is the average which can be given in each criterion as per the examiner's analyses.

What are some tips for the IELTS Reading module?

Some of the points which the candidates should keep in mind while attempting IELTS Reading test are:

• Candidates should look out for the title, headings and any special features such as capital letters, underlining, italics, figures, graphs, and tables.
• The candidate should make sure that they have understood the questions and should follow the instructions carefully.
• Candidates should pay attention to timing; they should not spend too much time on one passage or question
• Candidate should not spend time trying to read every word in the given passage. You should remember that you are reading for a purpose.
• In a certain situation, if the candidate feels that he/she does not know the answer, he/she should attempt the next questions and should not waste the valuable time attempting it.
• Candidates should always keep in mind that answers to the questions are available in the text itself and hence there is no use to get panic thinking that you do not know a certain answer.
• The word(s) you use must be taken from the Reading text and you should not change the form of the word(s) in the text
• Do not forget to check spellings
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• Be careful while using singular and plural forms.
• Focus specifically on what you are instructed to do in ‘completion’ type questions
• In a certain situation – example, if the question asked, is to complete the note ‘in the…’ and the correct answer is ‘evening’, you should just use ‘evening’ as the answer; note that ‘in the evening’ would be an incorrect answer.
• Always keep an eye on the word limit; for example, if you instructed to complete a sentence using no more than two words if the correct answer is ‘denim jeans’, the answer ‘ jeans made of denim’ would be incorrect. Try attempting all questions as there are no negative markings.
• Before handing over the answer paper, try checking your answers for the last time.

What are some tips for IELTS Listening module?

Make the most of your Listening test and keep these points in mind while attempting this test:

• You should inform the staff in case you cannot hear the audio clearly.
• Follow the directions carefully; they may be different from the practice or previous tests that you are familiar with.
• Try listening to specific information which you want
• While listening to a recording, try and anticipate what the speaker might say next.
• While listening if you come across any word which you fail to understand, be sure not to use it for answering any question.
• During the exam, if you get any question which you fail to answer try attempting it last and move quickly to the next one. Be careful with your spelling and grammar
• In any situation, if you feel pain and feels that the speaker is too fast or the given topic is difficult to handle, just try relaxing and try to focus on the given topic.
• The candidate should try to read, write and listen at the same time.
• Try attempting all questions as there are no negative markings.
• Before handing over the answer paper, try checking your answers for the last time.

What are some tips for IELTS Writing module?

Make the most of your Writing test and keep the following points in your mind while attempting this test :

• Try analyzing the task at hand and spend some time making some mental notes
• Highlight or underline keywords within the tasks to be certain that you concentrate on what you've to do. Try planning your answers
• Use paragraphs to segregate content clearly; Ensure that you limit one idea to each paragraph.
• Try not to repeat ideas in different words
• If you copy a whole sentence from the question – you will receive no marks for this
• Be sure to stick to the given topic and not to mention unrelated topics.
• Try managing your time correctly. Always remember that Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1.
• The candidates on an approximate level should spend 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2
• You should keep in mind the number of words required for each task; you can lose marks if you do not write at least 150 words for Task 1 and at least 250 words for Task
• Learn to recognize how long 150 and 250 words look in your handwriting as in a given time you will not get a chance to count your words during the test
• You should write your answers in full sentences and avoid writing in note form or in bullet points as it can make you lose marks
• Always pay attention to spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• Try avoiding informal language
• Trying to memorize model answers is a waste of time as the examiners are well versed in them.
• Try spending some minutes to re-read and correct your answers

What are some tips for IELTS speaking?

You can definitely score a high band score in your IELTS test if you keep the following tips while practising for the test. It is always recommended to practise with a certified professional trainer while preparing for the test as he/she can spot inaccuracies and help you develop your overall speaking skills required for the actual test.

• The Speaking test is an in-person conversation with a certified examiner. It is as close to real-life as a test can get.
• The examiner will ask you about topics such as about your home, work or studies in part 1. This will help the candidate to feel comfortable when speaking. Try to be calm and confident so that you can speak as naturally as possible.
• If possible take time before the test to practice speaking with a partner, friend or teacher.

Make the most of your Speaking test and keep the following points in mind while attempting this test:

• Try to talk as much as possible.
• Talk fluently and try to be spontaneous
• Relax, be confident and enjoy being able to use your newly honed English skills
• Develop your answers.
• Speak more than the examiner
• Ask for clarification if necessary
• Do not learn prepared answers; a trained examiner can immediately notice this and will reduce points.
• Feel free to express your opinions; you will be evaluated on your ability to communicate.
• The questions asked by the examiner are mostly predictable; practice at home and record yourself to avoid surprises

Where is the IELTS exam conducted?

The candidates can take the IELTS exam four times a month. In the IELTS website, the candidate can choose their country and the closest examination Centre which is convenient to them along with the kind of exam they want to take (choose between IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training). They can see the test dates that are available and click apply by filling up the application form. Both IDP and the British Council offer the test on 48 fixed dates a year, running into four times a month. The yearly schedule is available on their website.

Important Tip: Register one month prior to secure your place on your preferred day at your chosen test center.

In how many days IELTS results are out?

IELTS results come out in13 days after taking the test. You can also check the results online, and some centers will keep you updated by SMS.

IELTS results will be recorded on the candidates Test Report form. Candidates receive just one Test Report form and replacement is offered, so kindly remember to keep it safe.

What is the eligibility for the IELTS exam?

For taking the IELTS, the minimum age should be at least 16 years & the candidate must have a valid passport.

What is the passing score of IELTS?

There is no pass or fail with IELTS.

The overall band score is the average marks you get from each module of the test out of a band 9 which is the highest score. You can score whole (e.g., 5.0, 6.0, 7.0) or half (e.g., 5.5, 6.5, 7.5) bands in every test you take.

What is a good IELTS score?

If you are taking the IELTS for immigration, what constitutes a good IELTS score will depend on the kind of visa you need (e.g. work, business, for investors, for students, etc.). If you’re taking the IELTS as an international student, both the government and the institution may have a say about what IELTS results are acceptable. In this post, we’ll help you figure out whether you have a good IELTS score or an average IELTS score, explain what the IELTS scores mean, and which universities and countries will accept your IELTS results.

Let’s first look at the British Council’s official descriptions of the different bands to give you a general idea:

Is IELTS difficult?

IELTS isn't difficult than any exam you have encountered throughout your life. The questions which are asked during the exam are straightforward and designed to assess how well the candidate can use their English.

How can I score more in IELTS?

To achieve a high IELTS score it takes more than the understanding of basic English language, you would also need thorough knowledge IELTS exam patterns and modules. Consistency is required as the aim the IELTS preparation is to make sure you are really fluent in handling the English language in all spheres of life. Preparation to sit for IELTS is not simply about obtaining a high score. The most important point is improving your English language skills.

Few tips:

Realize that this has more to do with your own ability to speak and write English effectively. If you are not able to communicate clearly the best method would be to listen to English conversations by native speakers. You may be able to listen to the radio, TV or maybe to read dialogues written in English.

Regular practice helps you to be familiarized with the pattern of the exam. makes perfect. Get recommended study material and go through the given examples and tests.

Practice as many hours as you can

Practice attentive listening without being distracted from the start to the end.

Improve your reading speed by using good IELTS reading module questions and general reading.

While taking the IELTS exam:

In the listening part of the test, keep along with the speaker, and don’t just try to commit to memory what the speaker said a little while ago.

Take a quick look at the questions given before you attempt to read the text also while doing so look for specific keywords like when, where, why, how, whom, how many, which, and so on.

Keep in mind that the text can be a lot to read and comprehend word by word, so use alternate speed reading methods like skimming and scanning in particular.

Writing correct and simple sentences is not enough.

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• Accurate punctuation plays a significant role in achieving the score you hope to
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• It is a good idea to keep sentences short as it helps to articulate your thoughts on the subject. Remember to answer the question asked, in order to do this you need to listen to the examiner carefully.
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• When attempting the speaking module, talk as normal as you can, as if you are interacting with somebody in your regular life.
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• Relax when you speak, don't fill the gaps with ellipses. Keeping a bit of gap between your words is fine, but practice to be fluent throughout.

How can I prepare for IELTS at home?

We all aware of the fact that the IELTS is not the easiest English proficiency test out there. The goal to study or work abroad itself is a big preparation and clearing the IELTS with a good score is one the biggest achievement which paves a candidate’s way of achieving their goal.

1. Practice using your English skills in four ways – listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Take every opportunity to communicate in English, orally and in writing.

Enrich your vocabulary. This doesn’t happen overnight. Aim to learn at least 15 new words from different subject areas daily

Read longer texts specialized in different subject areas – management, finance, culture, history, sciences, etc.

Listen to the news and watch documentaries on various topics in English.

Practice talking with other English speakers about yourself – your hobbies, interests, everyday life, family, job, dreams and professional aspirations.

Even if you are well versed in the English language, it’s not necessary that scoring a good band in the IELTS exam will be a smooth procedure.

IELTS exam is all about:

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• Understanding the questions well – You need to know to understand the system on which IELTS exams work and what kind questions are expected.
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• Answering as per the realm – Answers have to precise and to the point. There is a proper trait which the examiner looks for while you give your exams. If you know how to tackle your system for sure is the winner.
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• Time management – One of the most essential elements. Only a restricted time period is provided for answering questions in each band. You have to be totally focused and systematic while attempting the exam. In such a situation, time plays a vital role.

If you lag in any of these, you can have a bad experience. If you are confused whether you are ready to start preparing for the IELTS exam, take a mock test and get feedback from an experienced instructor on your proficiency level. Keeping all these points we always suggest candidates who are well versed in the English language or has a poor English language knowledge to join an IELTS course or work with a professional IELTS tutor. During the IELTS exam, the examiner follows a proper procedure for each band, without knowing that procedure, attempting the IELTS exam is a sheer waste of time and money. IELTS training lets you get exposure to the type questions and the correct answers within a restricted time limit. IELTS training helps you to inculcate the confidence which is required to attempt the exam.

Candidates who really need IELTS training before appearing for the exam: If you feel that you lack the necessary speed, accuracy and focus when multitasking in English, you need an IELTS preparation course.

If you can’t listen, read and write all at once or sustain your attention to conversations by native speakers which is required in the listening module of the IELTS test you will need learn the necessary techniques required from an experienced IELTS trainer.

If you haven’t familiarized yourself with the different types of questions, or if you are attempting to read these texts as you normally read a book, an IELTS course will definitely help you achieve a higher score in this band.

If you don’t know what a formal style is like, or if you feel like you know the answer but struggle to find appropriate and assertive English terms, you will benefit from taking an IELTS preparation course.

If you lack fluency or coherence in direct communication, you will need rigorous practice. This module is all about repetition. Repetition, repetition, repetition!

If you cannot finish each module due to the time limitation, or if you cannot concentrate accordingly due to the timing pressure, you need an IELTS course.

Most common mistakes during IELTS exams:

If you struggle to refrain from making these mistakes, you definitely need expert guidance by your side.

At International academy we provide you with all the services required each step of the way to make your IELTS taking experience a cakewalk. From registering you to the test and finding the nearest convenient test centre for you, we also have experienced certified professional IELTS trainers who assesses your skill level, to enrol and train you so that you get the high band score which will help you fast track your dreams abroad.