What is ielts test

The paper has four parts, with ten questions in each part. The questions are in the same order as the information in the recording, so the answer to the first question will be before the answer to the second question, and so on. Parts 1 and 2 deal with everyday, social situations. There is a conversation between two speakers in Part 1 for example, a conversation about travel arrangements. Only one person speaks in Part 2 for example, a speech about local facilities. Parts 3 and 4 deal with educational and training situations.

In Part 3 there is a conversation between two main speakers for example, two university students in discussion, perhaps guided by a tutor. In Part 4 only one person speaks on an academic subject. You will hear the recordings once only.

You will have 10 minutes at the end of the test to do this. Each correct answer receives 1 mark. Your final score is given as a band score in whole or half bands, e. This type of question may be a question with three possible answers or the first half of a sentence with three possible sentence endings.

You have to choose one correct answer, A, B or C, then write the correct letter on the answer sheet. Sometimes you are given a longer list of possible answers and you have to choose more than one answer. You should read the question carefully to check how many answers you need to choose.

In this type of question, you have to match a list of items from the recording to a list of options on the question paper, then write the correct letter on the answer sheet. In this type of question, you have to fill in gaps in an outline of part or all of the recording. In this type of question, you have to read sentences that summarise important information from either all of the listening text or from one part of it.

You have to fill in a gap in each sentence using information from the recording. In this type of question, you have to read a question and write a short answer using information from the recording.

Write your answer on the answer sheet. Sometimes you are given a question which asks you to write two or three different answers. The Speaking test is a face-to-face interview between the candidate and an examiner. The Speaking test is recorded. There are three parts to the test, and each part follows a specific pattern of tasks in order to test your speaking ability in different ways.

Fluency and coherence assesses how well you can speak at a normal speed without too much hesitation. It also includes putting your sentences and ideas in a logical order and using cohesive devices including linking words, pronouns and conjunctions, etc. Lexical resource assesses the range of vocabulary you use and how accurately and appropriately you use vocabulary to express meaning. Grammatical range and accuracy assesses the range of grammar you use and how accurately and appropriately you use it.

Pronunciation assesses your ability to speak in a way which can be understood without too much effort. Then the examiner asks you general questions on some familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies or interests.

Part 2 is the individual long turn. The examiner gives you a task card which asks you to talk about a particular topic. The card tells you what points you should include in your talk and instructs you to explain one aspect of the topic. You have one minute to prepare your talk, and the examiner will give you a pencil and paper to make notes.

By using the points on the task card and making notes during the preparation time, you should be able to think of appropriate things to say, and have time to structure your talk so that you keep talking for 2 minutes. The examiner will then ask you to begin talking and will stop you when the time is up.

They may then ask you one or two questions on the same topic. In Part 3, you and the examiner discuss issues related to the topic in Part 2 in a more general and abstract way and, where appropriate, in greater depth. There are three sections of increasing difficulty. Section 1 may contain two or three short texts or several shorter texts. Section 2 contains two texts. In Section 3, there is one long text. The texts in Section 1 deal with everyday topics, and they are the sort of texts that a person would need to be able to understand when living in an English-speaking country.

You will need to pick out important information, e. The texts in Section 2 focus on work topics, for example, job descriptions, contracts, staff development and training materials. The text in Section 3 deals with a topic of general interest.

The style of writing in Section 3 is generally descriptive containing detailed information and instructive telling you how to do something. This Section 3 text is longer and more complex than the texts in Sections 1 and 2. Section 3 texts are taken from newspapers, magazines, books and online resources.

In Task 1, you have to respond to a situation by writing a letter, for example, asking for information or explaining a situation. You are allowed to write notes on the question paper but these will not be seen by the examiner.

In General Training Writing Task 1, you are given a situation and you need to write a response of at least words in the form of a letter. Depending on the task, the letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal in style. The question paper tells you what information to include in the form of three bullet points. The situations you need to write about are common, everyday situations such as:. The style of writing that you use depends on who you are asked to write to and how well you are supposed to know them.

You need to choose a style that is appropriate for your audience and will help you achieve your purpose for writing, e. You need to write at least words and will be penalised if your answer is too short.

While candidates will not be penalised for writing more than words, you should remember that a longer Task 1 answer may mean that you have less time to spend on Task 2, which contributes twice as much to your Writing band score. This task tests if you are able to write a letter which is well organised and appropriate in its register and style.

The instructions for Task 2 give information about an opinion, argument or problem. The instructions then tell you what you should discuss in your essay. You should make sure that you write your answer carefully so that you give a complete response that is also relevant.

To do this you will need to organise your ideas clearly and make sure you use relevant examples which can be from your own experience, if relevant or evidence. For this task, you need to be able to discuss more abstract and complex ideas and use a variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures. Depending on the task type, you will be assessed on your ability to:.

Academic module Choose this if you wish to study at undergraduate or postgraduate levels, or if you are seeking professional registration, e. General Training module Choose this if you wish to migrate to an English-speaking country, e. What's in the exam? Summary Time allowed: 60 minutes including transfer time Number of sections: 3; the total text length is 2,—2, words Number of questions: 40 Marking: Each correct answer receives 1 mark.

Your final score is given as a band score from 1—9 in whole or half bands, e. Types of question Question Type 1 — Multiple choice What's involved? This type of question may be a question with four possible answers or the first half of a sentence with four possible sentence endings.

You have to choose one correct answer A, B, C or D , then write the correct answer on the answer sheet. The questions are in the same order as the information in the text: that is, the answer to the first question will be before the answer to the second question, and so on.

What skills are tested? This type of question tests many different reading skills including: detailed understanding of specific points or general understanding of the main points of the text. IELTS test dates are offered 36 times in a year. You should be able to find dates every month although this may differ for test types and modules. In addition, we also conduct a Thursday test each month in Subang Jaya. You deserve a fair chance to do your best. IELTS also recognises that people have different approaches to answering questions.

You can also make changes to your Reading answers during the hour of the Reading test and adjust your Writing responses during the hour of the Writing test. This means that after completing your studies, you may need to take the test in order to gain professional registration in an English-speaking country. It is the test for migration — IELTS scores are required by governments in more countries than any other English language test as a requirement for permanent residency.

They may misunderstand some things in unfamiliar situations. They handle complex and detailed argumentation well. They generally handle complex language well and understand detailed reasoning. They can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations. They should be able to handle basic communication in their own field. They frequently show problems in understanding and expression.

They are not able to use complex language. There are frequent breakdowns in communication. Learn more about the test. The test taker has fully operational command of the language.