Ielts Information

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) has quickly become one of the first steps in the world of English proficiency for those who aspire to study or work in the Anglo-Saxon. Used by more than 1 million people per year and 6,000 educational institutions, faculties, government agencies and professional organizations worldwide, IELTS continues to set the standard for English proficiency.

IELTS is accepted by most universities in Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and South America, and more than 2,000 schools and various professional organizations in the United States.

History and presentation of IELTS

Once composed of six modules covering information in five broad areas of education in the UK, IELTS has been revised in 1989 and launched for global use. International teams of writers and researchers update the test regularly to ensure it remains relevant and balanced. For example, the new version of the test offers a wide variety of accents and writing styles in an effort to minimize bias language.

The IELTS test is offered at 500 locations each year. Exam candidates can choose between two test modules, higher education or general education. The test of education is geared toward prospective students and practitioners in some areas, such as law or medicine. The test of general training is designed for those seeking temporary or permanent immigration in an English speaking country.

IELTS covers four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The listening and speaking sections are part of the standard test given to all candidates, but reading and writing sections vary depending on the module the candidate is taken (academic or general training).

The IELTS test takes a total of 165 minutes (two hours, 45 minutes) to complete. The distribution of time allocation for each section:

Listening: 30 minutes

Reading: 60 minutes

Writing: 60 minutes

Speaking: 11-14 minutes (oral test is conducted face-to-face with an examiner, and can be taken at the same time as the other sections or up to seven days before or after the test day)

Rating

As the scores are recorded, each of the four sub-skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking) is assigned a “band” score. The scale of the band varies from 0 to 9, each digit represents a level of competence for English. For example: 2 = intermittent user 5 Modest user =, 8 = very good user; scores etc can be presented in integers or half and they are recorded on IELTS Test Report Form (TRF). IELTS are valid for a maximum of two years….

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