IELTS stands for 'International English Language Testing System'. It is a test of English language proficiency. It is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia, and was established in 1989.
The IELTS has existed since 1989. Today, over 700,000 people from over 120 countries appear for this exam every year.
There are two versions of the IELTS: the Academic Version and the General Training Version:
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The Academic Version is intended for those who want to enroll in universities and other institutions of higher education and for professionals such as medical doctors and nurses who want to study or practise in an English-speaking country.
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The General Training Version is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training or to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes
IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, Irish, New Zealand and South African academic institutions, by an increasing number of academic institutions in the USA, and by various professional organizations. It is also a requirement for immigration to Australia and Canada. An IELTS result is valid for two years.
IELTS characteristics
The IELTS incorporates the following features:
- A variety of accents and writing styles presented in text materials in order to minimise linguistic bias.
- IELTS tests the ability to listen, read, write and speak in English.
- The speaking module - a key component of IELTS. This is conducted in the form of a one-to-one interview with an examiner. The examiner assesses the candidate as he or she is speaking, but the speaking session is also recorded for monitoring as well as re-marking in case of an appeal against the banding given.
Test Structure
There are four modules, to the IELTS test: Reading,Writing, Listening and Speaking for which students must appear. While all students take the same Listening and Speaking tests, they take different Reading and Writing tests, depending on whether they have selected the Academic IELTS test or the General Training IELTS test.
On the day of the test, the four subsections will be taken in the following order:
Total Test Time
2 hours 45 minutes
The Speaking test may even take place a day or two later at some centres.
IELTS listening test lasts for about 30 minutes. It consists of four sections, played on cassette tape, in order of increasing difficulty. Each section might be a dialogue or a monologue. The test is played once only, and the questions for each section must be answered while listening, although time is given for students to check their answers.
IELTS Reading test lasts for 60 minutes. Students are given an Academic Reading test, or a General Training Reading test. Both tests consist of three sections, and in both tests the sections are in order of increasing difficulty.
IELTS Writing test also lasts for 60 minutes. Again, students take either an Academic test, or a General Training test. Students must perform two writing tasks, which require different styles of writing. There is no choice of question topics.
IELTS Speaking test consists of a one-to-one interview with a specially trained examiner. The examiner will lead the candidate through the three parts of the test: An introduction and interview, an individual long turn where the candidate speaks for one or two minutes on a particular topic, and a two-way discussion thematically linked to the individual long turn. This interview will last for approximately 11-14 minutes.
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