IELTS GENERAL OVERVIEW (INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING SYSTEM) WHAT IS IELTS? 2 TYPES OF IELTS TEST 1. ACADEMIC 2. GENERAL 4 SECTIONS OF IELTS TEST 1. LISTENING 2. READING 3. WRITING 4. SPEAKING IELTS TEST FORMAT 1. LISTENING 2. READING 3. WRITING 4. SPEAKING IELTS SCORING 1. IELTS BAND SCORE 2. IELTS VS. CERF (COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF REFERENCE) SCORE SAMPLE IELTS QUESTIONNAIRE SAMPLE IELTS ANSWER SHEET IELTS MOCK TEST 1. LISTENING 2. READING 3. WRITING 4. SPEAKING IELTS GENERAL OVERVIEW (INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING SYSTEM) WHAT IS IELTS? IELTS in its full form stands for the International English Language Testing System – an English Language proficiency test developed and run by the British Council in partnership with IDP Education and Cambridge Assessment English. The IELTS system is highly regarded and widely recognized as the world’s most popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration. IELTS can pave the way, whether you are looking to study, develop your career, or settle in an English-speaking country. 2 TYPES OF IELTS TEST 1. ACADEMIC Take IELTS Academic if you want to: study at an undergraduate or postgraduate level in an English-speaking country apply for Student Route visa (Tier 4) to study at a UK university that is a Student Route (Tier 4) Sponsor work for a professional organization in an English-speaking country. 2. GENERAL Take IELTS General Training if you want to: train or study below degree level work or undertake work-related training in an English-speaking country emigrate to an English-speaking country get another job in your own country where a recognized proficiency in the English language is required. 4 SECTIONS OF IELTS TEST 1. LISTENING The IELTS Listening test is designed to assess a wide range of listening skills, including how well you: understand main ideas and specific factual information recognize the opinions, attitudes and purpose of a speaker follow the development of an argument. You will listen to four recordings of native English speakers and then write your answers to a series of questions. Format Recording 1: a conversation between two people set in an everyday social context. Recording 2: a monologue set in 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 context, e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment. Recording 4: a monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture. Duration The IELTS Listening test takes approximately 30 minutes, and you are allowed an extra 10 minutes to transfer your answers from your question booklet to your answer sheet. Number of questions 40 questions. Task types A variety of question types are used, chosen from the following: multiple choice, matching, plan/map/diagram labelling, form/note/table/flowchart/summary completion, sentence completion. Marks Each correct answer receives one mark. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale. Scores are reported in whole and half bands. 2. READING You will need to read quickly and efficiently, and manage your time. You will be asked to read three different passages and respond to related questions in your IELTS Reading test. The content of the Reading test is different for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests. The IELTS Reading test is designed to assess a wide range of reading skills, including how well you: read for the general sense of a passage read for the main ideas read for detail understand inferences and implied meaning recognize a writer’s opinions, attitudes and purpose follow the development of an argument. Format Three long texts which range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. These are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. They have been selected for a non-specialist audience but are appropriate for people entering university courses or seeking professional registration. Duration The IELTS Reading test takes approximately 60 minutes, including the time it takes to transfer your answers from your question booklet to your answer sheet. Number of questions 40 questions. Task types Fill gaps in a passage of written text or in a table, match headings to written text to diagrams or charts, complete sentences, give short answers to open questions, answer multiple choice questions. Marks Each correct answer receives one mark. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale. Scores are reported in whole and half bands. 3. WRITING The IELTS Writing test is designed to assess a wide range of writing skills, including how well you: write a response appropriately organize ideas use a range of vocabulary and grammar accurately. Format Write in a formal style in the IELTS Academic Writing test. In Task 1 you will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram. You will be asked to describe, summarize or explain the information in your own words. This might involve describing and explaining data, describing the stages of a process or how something works, or describing an object or event. In Task 2 you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. You should find the issues interesting and easy to understand. Duration The IELTS Writing test takes 60 minutes. Spend 20 minutes on Task 1, and 40 minutes on Task 2. You will need to manage your own time, so make sure you move on to Task 2 after 20 minutes. Number of questions 2 questions. Task types Two tasks: Task 1 and Task 2. You will be asked to write at least 150 words for Task 1 and at least 250 words for Task 2. Marks Your Writing test will be marked by a certificated IELTS examiner. Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1 in the IELTS Writing test. Scores are reported in whole and half bands. 4. SPEAKING You will talk to a certified examiner in the IELTS Speaking test. The test is interactive and as close to a real-life situation as a test can get. A variety of accents may be used, and the test will be recorded. The content of the IELTS Speaking test is the same for both the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests. The IELTS Speaking test is designed to assess a wide range of skills. The examiner will want to see how well you can: communicate opinions and information on everyday topics and common experiences; to do this you will need to answer a range of questions speak at length on a given topic using appropriate language organize your ideas coherently express and justify your opinions analyze, discuss and speculate about issues. Make sure that you relax and talk fluently. You will need to speak naturally. Format Part 1: The examiner will introduce him or herself and ask you to introduce yourself and confirm your identity. The examiner will ask you general questions on familiar topics, e.g. home, family, work, studies and interests. This section should help you relax and talk naturally. Part 2: The examiner will give you a task card which asks you to talk about a particular topic, including points to include in your talk. You will be given one minute to prepare and make notes. You will then be asked to talk for 1-2 minutes on the topic. You will not be interrupted during this time, so it is important to keep talking. The examiner will then ask you one or two questions on the same topic. Part 3: The examiner will ask you further questions which are connected to the topic of Part 2. These questions are designed to give you an opportunity to discuss more abstract issues and ideas. Duration 11-14 minutes. Marks You will be assessed on your performance throughout the test by certificated IELTS examiners. You will be marked on the four criteria: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, pronunciation. Scores are reported in whole and half bands. IELTS SCORING 1. IELTS BAND SCORE The individual IELTS scores for Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking are all equally weighted. They are rated from 0 – 9, with increments of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75. The overall band score is calculated by taking the mean result for all four parts of the test. This is calculated to the nearest whole or half band, with scores ending in .25 rounded up to the next half band and scores ending in .75 rounded up to the next whole band. Band score Skill level Description Band 9 Expert user You have a full operational command of the language. Your use of English is appropriate, accurate and fluent, and you show complete understanding. Band 8 Very good user You have a fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriate usage. You may misunderstand some things in unfamiliar situations. You handle complex detailed argumentation well. Band 7 Good user You have an operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally, you handle complex language well and understand detailed reasoning. Band 6 Competent user Generally, you have an effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings. You can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations. Band 5 Modest user You have a partial command of the language, and cope with overall meaning in most situations, although you are likely to make many mistakes. You should be able to handle basic communication in your own field. Band 4 Limited user Your basic competence is limited to familiar situations. You frequently show problems in understanding and expression. You are not able to use complex language. Band score Skill level Description Band 3 Extremely limited user You convey and understand only general meaning in very familiar situations. There are frequent breakdowns in communication. Band 2 Intermittent user You have great difficulty understanding spoken and written English. Band 1 Non-user You have no ability to use the language except a few isolated words. Band 0 Did not attempt the test You did not answer the questions. 2. IELTS VS. CEFR (COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF REFERENCE) SCORE The CEFR is an international standard for describing language ability. It marks an individual's language skills along a six-mark scale ranging from A1 (beginners) to C2 (advanced). The highest CEFR level in IELTS would be band 9. You can map your students’ IELTS scores against this framework to help them gauge their language ability. The CEFR rankings also help other teachers and examiners to compare IELTS skills and scores with those of other language tests and qualifications. IELTS MOCK TESTS 1. LISTENING 2. READING 3. WRITING 4. SPEAKING
