IELTS – The International English Language Testing System, is designed to assess the language ability of candidates who need to study or work where English is the language of communication.
IELTS FORMAT
The IELTS test consists of four components: Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing. You will always take the Listening, Reading, and Writing parts all on the same day one after the other, with no breaks between them. Your Speaking test is usually scheduled on the afternoon of the test day; however, it can be scheduled within seven days before or after that. You will be contacted by your local IELTS test center to inform you of the date and location of your speaking test.
| Paper | Content | Time |
| Listening | 40 questions | Approximately 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes’ transfer time) |
| Reading | 40 questions | 60 minutes |
| Writing | 2 tasks | 60 minutes |
| Speaking | 3 parts | 11–14 minutes |
IELTS Listening Test Format :
Your listening skills will be tested, logically, as you demonstrate your ability to understand the speech of native English speakers in this 40-minute exam. Each recording represents a different kind of speech: everyday conversation, monologues that occur in an everyday context (e.g. information), conversations in training/classroom settings, and formal monologues, like course lectures. IELTS exam content like for the listening test, Each recording has corresponding questions, 40 in total. They may be:
- multiple choice
- sentence completion
- matching
- plan/map/diagram labelling
- form/note/table/flow-chart/summary completion
IELTS Reading Test Format :
The reading section also requires you to correctly answer 40 questions, but this time, you’ll demonstrate your reading comprehension. The text types and passage lengths differ for the two versions of the test, but both have the same possible question formats, including:
- multiple choice
- matching
- sentence completion
- summary/note/table/flow-chart completion
- diagram label completion
- short-answer questions
IELTS Speaking Test Format :
The Speaking test lasts only 11-15 minutes and is broken down into three sections:
- Part One involves a general introduction during which you are verbally asked questions that invite you to share a little bit about your life.
- Part Two requires that you speak on a topic in what is called “the long turn.” What is IELTS test Speaking long turn like, in terms of topics and structure? The topic is given to you in written form. You will be allowed to make and use notes so that your thoughts are organized before you speak.
- Part Three involves a discussion in which the examiner will ask several questions to allow you to explore the same topic in a bit deeper or more broadly together.
IELTS Academic vs IELTS General Training
The two different types of IELTS are more similar than they are different. They each have the same very basic format. There are Listening and Reading sections with 40 questions each and 60 minutes each, a Writing section with two tasks, and an IELTS Speaking interview. Not only that, but as you’ve seen above, the Listening and Speaking tests are exactly the same in Academic and GT.
But how similar are these two exams, really? Well, if you want to measure it, you can say that IELTS Academic and IELTS GT are roughly 70% alike. By this, I mean that 70% of the content will be exactly the same on both exams.
In addition to the identical Listening and Speaking sections, these two versions of the IELTS have Writing sections that are half the same; Task 2 is the same on Academic and GT. You can also say that IELTS Academic Reading and IELTS GT Reading are 1/3 the same. There are three academic passages of equal length in IELTS Academic; IELTS GT has one such passage.
SOME TIPS FOR THE EXAM
Listening Section Tips:-
- Read the questions at the beginning of each section carefully before the recording starts. This will help applicants to follow the recording & identify the appropriate answer.
- Concentrate on the introduction of each section which will give you useful information about the situations & the speakers.
- Listen very carefully for clues that indicate which stage of the recording they are listening to for example words such as ‘Firstly’, ‘Lastly’.
- Write your answers clearly without any grammatical mistakes, otherwise you will not be awarded any marks.
Reading Section Tips:-
- Concentrate on the item as it may pass very fast, so make sure you don’t spend too much time on any questions or texts.
- Starting from the beginning of the exam, if you are unable to answer, do not waste your time and move on to the next one. You can re-visit the question later if you have time.
- Read instructions carefully and concentrate on the title of text subtitles & illustration to get a quick idea of what the text is for.
- Make sure to answer without any grammar mistakes. Copy words accurately so that you can avoid any spelling mistakes.
Writing Section Tips:-
- Make sure your ideas are relevant to the questions and your last paragraph should be a conclusion that is consistent with the arguments you have included in your essay.
- Avoid any spelling, grammar mistakes and write as clearly as possible.
- Organized and logically linked paragraphs and also make sure to have language used is in an academic style.
- Write with a required number of words and do not use bullet points.
Speaking Section Tips:-
- Make sure to involve in the conversation and concentrate on the questions being asked.
- Always answer the questions in a detailed manner.
- Always support your opinions with good examples.
- There are no right or wrong answers in the speaking test and this is just to assess how good
