IELTS Revelation and All The Conceptions

Those who are interested in study abroad have to give an exam by which his/her English proficiency can be known to the professor of the international universities. Such type of exam is IELTS and TOEFL.  But most of the international universities prefer IELTS instead of TOEFL. So, in my article I will brief and try to make a basic clear conception about IELTS.

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is an English language proficiency exam which measures the ability of candidates to communicate in the four basic language skills such as reading, writing, listening and speaking. The IELTS is managed by three main institutions: The British Council, IDP, IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL examinations (Cambridge ESOL). The IELTS has existed since 1989. Today, over 700,000 people all over 120 countries appear for this exam every year.

There are two versions of the IELTS exam. Each test lasts two hours and forty-five minutes. Candidates are required to pay a definite fee for the exam. Two versions are:

1. The Academic IELTS exam: It is more advanced test. It is for those people who are applying for higher education or professional registration in an English speaking environment. It reflects some of the features of academic language and assesses whether one is ready to begin studying or training.
2. The General IELTS exam: It is the simpler test. This test is for those who are going to English speaking countries for secondary education, work experience or training programs. It is also a requirement for migration to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.

The IELTS test has four parts. They are shortly briefed in order of the exam.

1. Listening Test: This part contains 40 questions. It takes 30 minutes and an extra 10 minutes to transfer the answers of the questions. This test is consists of four sections, with ten questions in each section. Difficulty level arises after passing each section. Each section begins with a short introduction telling candidates about the situation and the speakers. Then they have some time to look through the questions. The questions are in the same order as the information in the recording. The first three section has a break in the middle allowing test takers to look at the remaining questions. Each section is heard only once. Test takers will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.
2. Reading Test: The reading paper has three sections and this part contains 40 questions. It takes 60 minutes to answer all the questions. Difficulty will be increased after passing through each reading passage. The passages are taken from magazines, journals, books and newspapers. At least one text contained detailed logical argument. There will be a variety of question types such as multiple choice, short answer questions, identifying information, identifying writer’s views, labeling diagrams, completing a summary using words taken from the text. Candidates should be careful when writing down the answers as they will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.
3. Writing Test: The writing test has two tasks which must both be completed. In task 1 test-takers write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. In task 2 test- takers write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. Candidates will be penalized if their answer is too short or does not relate to the topic. Answer should be written in full sentences (candidates must not use notes or bullet points). In their first task, they may have to describe a graph, table, chart or diagram in their own words. In their second task, candidates discuss a point of view, argument or problem or they may be required to present a solution to a problem and justify an opinion.
4. Speaking Test: The speaking test is a face to face interview between the candidate and an examiner. This test contains three sections. It takes 11-15 minutes to complete all the sections. In the first section(4-5 minutes), candidates asked to tell about their personal life with a short introduction. In second section(3-4 minutes), candidates are given a task  card about a particular topic. Candidates have one minute to prepare to talk about this topic and after they finished taking about the topic, examiner may ask one or two questions. In the last section(4-5 minutes), it involves discussion between the examiner and the candidate, generally on questions relating to the theme which they have already spoken about in the second section.

Band scores in IELTS exam:

There is no pass or fail in this exam. IELTS is scored on a nine band scale, with each band corresponding to a specified competence in English. Overall band scores are reported to the nearest half band. Example: if the average across the four skills ends in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band and if it ends in 5.75, it is rounded up to the next whole brand. The nine bands are as follows:

Band score 9- Expert user

Band score 8- Very good user

Band score 7- Good user

Band score 6- Competent user

Band score 5- Modest user

Band score 4- Limited user

Band score 3- Extremely limited user

Band score 2- Intermittent user

Band score 1- Non user

IELTS score varies with the requirements of the different countries. Generally, a minimum overall band score of 6.5 is required with a minimum score of 6.0 in each component of the academic IELTS test in Canada. In case of New-Zealand, 5.5 is acceptable score for bachelors program and minimum 6.0 is needed for Master programs. Again, In Australia, 6.5 band score is required for Master programs. Simultaneously, for London, Germany, Singapure and France the least band score required for the Master program is 5.5, 6.0, 6.0 and 6.5 respectively. Again, in USA it differs from 6.0-6.5.