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IELTS stands for the International English Language Testing System. It is an exam owned and managed by IDP Australia, The British Council, and Cambridge Examinations.
It is a test to measure the English ability of people who wish to study or work in countries, places or organisations where English is the main language of communication.
It uses a band scale of 1-9 to indicate ability, with 1 a virtual non-user of the language and 9 completely fluent, or expert.
You are tested under four criteria: speaking, listening, reading and writing. There is an Academic Test and a General Training Test (see below).
Previously, there was only a paper-based test, held mostly on Saturdays, which you would take along with other candidates in a room. Now though, some centres also have a computer-based IELTS test, which you can do on any day.
Age Limits
There are no age limits for the test but it’s not generally recommended for those under 16. Learn more here:
The Format of the Test
Both tests have the same scoring system and have four modules:
- Speaking
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing
Speaking (12-14 minutes):
The speaking is in three parts and an examiner will ask you questions in two of these parts and in the other you will have to do a short talk about a topic.
Listening (40 minutes):
There are four different sections, each one getting harder. You have to answer 40 questions whilst listening to the audio.
Reading (60 minutes):
There are three different sections and you have to answer 40 questions on various reading texts.
Academic and General vary in this module, with each having different kinds of readings.
Writing (60 minutes):
There is a Task 1 (20 mins) and a Task 2 (40 mins). Academic and General Training both have an essay for Task 2. However, for Task 1, in GT you have to write a letter but in Academic you have to describe some kind of graph, map, process. or diagram.
