Ahmedabad |
Coimbatore |
Kottayam |
Ranchi |
Aizwal |
Dehradun |
Lucknow |
Siliguri |
Amritsar |
Goa |
Ludhiana |
Surat |
Anand |
Gurgaon |
Madurai |
Thimphu |
Angamaly |
Guwahati |
Mangalore |
Thrissur |
Bangalore |
Hyderabad |
Moga |
Trichur |
Baroda |
Indore |
Mumbai |
Trichy |
Bhatinda |
Jaipur |
New Delhi |
Trivandrum |
Bhopal |
Jalandhar |
Patiala |
Vadodara |
Bhubaneswar |
Jammu |
Patna |
Vijayawada |
Calicut |
Jamshedpur |
Pondicherry |
Visakhapatnam |
Chandigarh |
Karnal |
Pune |
Vizag |
Chennai |
Kochi |
Raipur |
|
Cochin |
Kolkata |
Rajkot |
|
Test Sections |
Time Duration |
IELTS Academic/General |
Listening |
30 Minutes |
It encompasses four recorded monologues and Conversations |
Speaking |
11 to 14 Minutes |
Face-to-face interview includes short questions, speaking at length about a familiar topic and a structured discussion |
Reading |
60 Minutes |
Three long reading passages with tasks. Texts range from descriptive and factual to discursive, and analytical includes non-verbal material like diagrams, graphs and illustrations texts are authentic (taken from books, journals and newspapers) |
Writing |
60 Minutes |
A writing task of at least 150 words where the candidate must summarise, describe or explain table, graph, chart or diagram, and another short essay task of at least 250 words |
IELTS is designed to assess English language skills at all levels. One will receive IELTS scores based on each for the four skills on a scale of 1 to 9, and one will also be awarded an overall band score. One can score whole (For example: 5.0, 6.0, 7.0) or half (For example: 5.5, 6.5, 7.5) band in each part of the test.
Band |
Skill Level |
|
Meaning |
Band 9 |
Expert user |
Aspirant |
has fully operational command of the language |
Band 8 |
Very good user |
Fully |
operational command of the language with only occasional |
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unsystematic inaccuracies |
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Band 7 |
Good user |
Has operational command of the language, though with occasional |
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inaccuracies and misunderstandings in some situations |
|
Band 6 |
Competent user |
Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in |
|
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familiar situations |
|
Band 5 |
Modest user |
Has partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning |
|
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in most situations, though is likely to make many mistakes |
|
Band 4 |
Limited user |
Have frequent problems in understanding and expression. Is not |
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able to use complex language |
|
Band 3 |
Extremely limited user |
Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar |
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situations. Frequent breakdowns occur in communication |
|
Band 2 |
Intermittent user |
Has great difficulty understanding spoken and written English |
|
Band 1 |
Non-user |
Essentially has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a |
|
|
|
few isolated words |
|
Band 0 |
Did not attempt the test |
No assessable information provided |
IELTS Results
One won’t have long to wait for his/her results – IELTS test results are released online 13 calendar days after one sits for the test. One will receive an email when his/her scores are available. One can log in to his/her IELTS account on the IELTS Results website to see his/her scores. One should select the test- date and enter his/her candidate number, identification number and date of birth for checking the result. The system will not display results for more than 28 days after one’s test date. Candidates will be sent only one copy of the Test Report Form. For IELTS, both human raters and automated scoring methods are used. This is done in order to offer a complete and accurate picture of the candidate’s ability. While automated scoring method has the advantage of being unbiased, they do not measure the effectiveness of the language and content. Human raters are required to attend to a wider variety of features, such as the quality of ideas and content as well as form.
IELTS Syllabus
- READING:
The reading module consists of three texts of general interest dealing with issues which are appropriate for candidates entering postgraduate or undergraduate courses. Both reading modules consist of three passages or sections with forty questions. Question types include multiple choice, sentence or summary completion, identifying data for short-answer questions, matching lists or phrases and identifying writers’ views/attitudes.
Total no. of questions: About 40
Total time: 30 minutes
- WRITING:
Candidates take academic writing module. Responses for the academic writing module are short essays or general reports, addressed to an educated non-specialist audience. There are two compulsory tasks. Task 1 requires 150 words, and candidates are asked to look at a diagram, table or data and to present the information in their own words. Task 2 requires at least 250 words, and all candidates are presented with a point of view, argument or problem and asked to provide general factual information, present a solution, justify an opinion, evaluate ideas and evidence etc.
Total no. of questions: 2
Total time: 60 minutes
- LISTENING:
This test is divided into four sections. The rst two conversations are concerned with social needs, while the last two are concerned with situations more closely related to education. They will all be around three minutes long. The conversations could be both monologues and dialogues. These conversations can be heard once only. A variety of question types are asked, like multiple choice, short-answer questions, notes completion, sentence completion, labelling a diagram etc.
Total no. of questions: 40+
Total time: 30 minutes
- SPEAKING:
The Speaking section is like a structured interview with emphasis on general speaking skills. It assesses whether candidates have the required knowledge and skills to communicate effectively with native speakers of English.
Total no. of questions: 3 parts – Personal Interview, Little Speech and a Discussion Total time: 11 to 14 minutes
How to prepare for IELTS?
There are two ways students can prepare for IELTS: Self study and coaching classes. Both these options have unique benefits and no one method of studying may be considered better than the other. These two methods can’t be compared as they both serve different audiences. If money is a consideration yet one is confident enough of preparing well without the support of a tutor, then self-study may be the better option. You could save money on personal tuitions and classes, but you need to keep in mind other factors too. To be able to study on your own effectively, you need a good resource of books and study material, along with motivation and self-discipline. On the other hand, if time is a constraint and you feel you need professional guidance to perform your best in the test, then coaching classes are the better option. You will have access to a better resource of study materials, and will have a team of experts guiding you. Your time will be better managed as being regular to classes would be part of your routine.
Moreover, being around other students will increase your motivation levels. To choose the best method of study you first need to look at your criteria and decide accordingly.
Skill Bifurcation
- Reading:
Texts for the reading tests are usually taken from books, magazines, journals and newspapers. Questions could be in varied forms:
Multiple choices
Identifying information
Identifying writer’s views/claims
Matching headings
Matching features
Table completion
Diagram label completion
Short-answer questions
Matching sentence endings
Sentence completion
Summary completion
Note completion
Matching information
Flow-chart-completion
- Writing:
The writing test is 60 minutes long and has two writing tasks – one of 150 words and the other of 250 words. In Task 1 candidates are asked to describe some visual information (graph/ table/chart/diagram), and to present the description in their own words and have about 20 minutes to complete the task. In Task 2 candidates are presented with a point of view, argument or problem and have about 40 minutes to complete the task.
- Speaking:
In the Speaking test, a certified examiner will have a discussion with you. It is an interactive session and is very close to a real-life interaction. The test is 11 to 14 minutes long with three parts.
In Part 1, you answer questions about yourself and your family.
In Part 2, you are asked to speak on a topic.
In Part 3, you have a longer discussion on the topic.
Each part fulfils a specific function in terms of interaction pattern, task input and candidate output
- Listening:
The Listening test is 30 minutes long. Four recorded monologues and conversations are played.
Recording 1 – Form Completion
Recording 2 – Multiple choices
Recording 3 – Short-answer questions
Recording 4 – Sentence completion