The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test
administered to evaluate the English language skills of non-English speaking
candidates who seek to pursue education programmes in, or immigrate to, English
speaking countries. The test is designed to assess the candidate's ability to
understand spoken and written English in academic and social contexts and also
to use the language to communicate in spoken and written forms.
The IELTS test is conducted by the following educational bodies in partnership:
1. University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate (UCLES)
2. The British Council
3. IDP Educational Body, Australia (its subsidiary is IELTS Australia Pvt.
Ltd.)
IELTS scores are accepted by educational institutes, professional bodies and
government undertakings, as well as for immigration processing, in Australia,
New Zealand, U.K., Canada and certain American universities (like Princeton and
Duke), where the IELTS scores are accepted in lieu of TOEFL scores.
The objective of the test is to assess a candidate's ability to understand and
communicate in English in academic and social contexts. To make this
assessment, the following skills are specifically tested.
1. The ability to read and comprehend written, academic or training language.
2. The ability to write assignments in a style that is appropriate for
university study or within a training context.
3. The ability to understand spoken language in lecture format as well as in
formal and informal conversational styles.
4. The ability to speak on general and given topics in formal and informal
situations.
Description of the Test:
The IELTS test has two versions:
1. The Academic Module - This module is intended for candidates seeking entry
to a university or institution of higher education for degree and diploma
courses (i.e. those seeking undergraduate or postgraduate courses).
2. The General Training Module - This module is intended for students seeking
entry to a secondary school or to vocational training courses. This module is
also meant for candidates seeking immigration to an English speaking country.
The two versions do not carry the same weight and are not interchangeable.
All candidates are tested on reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.
While the Speaking and Listening sections are common for the Academic and
General versions of the test, the Reading and Writing sections are different.
Test Format:
The IELTS has four parts:
No. of sections
Time allotted
Score
Listening
4 sections
30 min
0 to 9
Speaking
3 sections
15-20 min
0 to 9
Reading
3 passages
60 min
0 to 9
Writing
2 tasks
60 min
0 to 9
Total
3 hours(approx)
0 to 9
1. Listening Section - This consists of 4 parts with 10 questions each,
totalling 40 questions, to be completed in around 30 minutes. While the
recording is played you get time to read the questions and to write and check
your answers. You then have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer
sheet.
2. Reading Section (Academic or General) -This section consists of 3
reading passages with a total of 40 questions. The three texts , together,
contain between 2000 and 2750 words. The total time allotted is 60 minutes.
The Reading Test gets progressively tougher through the paper. In each section
of the Reading Test there will be 13 or 14 questions to each passage.
While the General Training reading has texts from notices, advertisements,
booklets, newspapers, magazines and books, the Academic reading has texts with
complex language and precise or elaborated expression, from newspapers,
magazines, journals and books.
3. Writing Section (Academic or General) -This section consists of two
writing tasks. The total time allotted is 60 minutes.
Writing-Task 1(Academic)
The IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 is an information transfer task related
to the factual content of an input - graph(s), table(s) or diagram(s). It can
be combinations of these inputs.
Sometimes you have to describe a process shown in a diagram.
Time allotted - 20 minutes
Word limit - 150 words
Writing-Task 1(General)
For the IELTS General Writing Task 1, you must write a letter elaborating on a
given problem.
The Letter will require an explanation of the situation, and often involves a
request for necessary information.
You should write in the style appropriate for the type of letter
required-either personal, semi-formal or formal.
Time allotted - 20 minutes
Word limit - 150 words
Writing- Task 2
In Task 2 , you are asked to write an essay on a given Topic
Time - 40 minutes
Word Length - 250 words at least
4. Speaking Section – The total time allotted to this section is 11 to
14 minutes.
The test consists of an interview between the examiner and the candidate, which
is recorded.
The Speaking Test is divided into 3 sections:
Section 1 begins with some general introductory questions. This is
followed by some questions on personal information similar to the type of
questions one would ask when meeting someone for the first time. Finally the
examiner asks a series of questions of 2 topics of general interest. (4 - 5
minutes)
Personal Questions - Family, Hometown, Interests, Job/Study, Ambitions,etc
Likes & Dislikes
Favourites
Questions to check familiarity with tenses.
Section 2 is a monologue by the candidate. The examiner gives the candidate a
Cue Card with a subject and a few guiding questions on it. The student talks
for 1 to 2 minutes on this subject, as the examiner may decide. The student
gets 1 minute to prepare his talk and is provided with paper and a pencil to
make some brief notes. After the candidate's talk, the examiner asks 1 or 2
brief questions to finish the section. (3 - 4 minutes)
Section 3 - Here the examiner asks some more questions generally related
to the subject spoken about in section 2. These questions are more demanding
and require some critical analysis on the part of the candidate.
The duration of the entire test is around 2 hours 45 minutes.
Scoring:
The result consists of a score in each of the four skills (Listening, Reading,
Writing and Speaking) which is then arranged to give the Overall Band Score or
final mark. Performance is rated in each skill on a scale of 9 to 1. The nine
overall Bands are as follows:
9 Expert user
4 Limited User
8 Very good user 3 Extremely limited user
7 Good
user 2
Intermittent user
6 Competent user 1 Non user
5 Modest user 0 Did
not attempt the test
For instance:
In Reading / Listening
Score out of 40
Band Score
39-40
9
37-38
8
32-36
7
25-31
6
17-24
5
10-16
4
4-9
3
2-3
2
1
1
Pass Mark:
There is no fixed pass mark in IELTS. The acceptability of a score is totally
at the discretion of the institute applied to, or govt. body (in case of
immigration). However, as a general rule, scores below Band 5 are considered to
be too low and above Band 6 are deemed to be Adequate to Good. Band 5 to Band 6
scores are borderline scores. An overall score of Band 6.5 is mostly accepted
as a good score. The individual module's Band score is considered as per the
requirement.
For example, an Engineering Institute will emphasise on a good Band Score (6.5
or above) in the Listening Module, as the institute's mode of teaching is
lecture-oriented, whereas if a person is seeking a job in public-relations,
then greater weightage is given to a good Band Score (6.5 or more) in the
Speaking Module.
In the Listening module and the Reading module, each question carries one mark
and there is no negative marking for incorrect answers. The overall score is
converted into a Band score from 9 to 1. The other two modules (Writing and
Speaking) are rated as per the effectiveness, language skills, communication
ability, clarity, fluency and spontaneity of the candidate. The candidate must
try to gauge and given comply with the examiner's assessment method.
Test Dates:
For latest test dates, contact the nearest BRITISH COUNCIL office or visit
www.ielts.org. The Listening, Reading and Writing Modules are conducted on the
same day as the test date, but the Speaking Module is conducted either 2 days
before or after the examination date for the other three modules. This
is at the discretion of the test centre, subject to the availability of slots.
The candidates can appear as many times as they want. The test is a PBT
(Paper Based Test) but some selected centres offer CBT (Computer Based Test) on
request of the candidate.
How to Apply:
The IELTS application form can be procured free of cost from the British
Council. This, along with the necessary documents (as prescribed in the
application form), needs to be submitted to the nearest British Council, along
with a Demand Draft for Rs 7200/- in the name of "British Council Division"
payable at British Council, Chennai (for South-India region).
The D.D. should be payable at British Council,
New Delhi - for North India
Mumbai - for West India
Chennai - for South India
Kolkata - for East India
Registration can now be done online as well, the websites are
It is better to register at least 2-3 weeks before the exam date. Based on your
performance, our tutors will recommend the exam date
If you register online through the British council, the payment of the
examination fees can be made either through demand draft or by cash payment at
ICICI bank. The payment should reach the British council within 3 days of the
online registration at the latest. You can also pay the exam fees by credit
card when you register online.
If registering through IDP Australia, the demand draft has to be drawn in
favour of IELTS India Project, payable at New Delhi. If registering online, Rs.
7,400/- is payable by Credit card / Debit card.
Results:
The results reach the candidates two weeks after the test, by post. In case a
candidate needs to obtain the results within a week, an extra amount is to be
paid, as mentioned in the application form.
The IELTS exam result is available online 13 days after the date of
exam. The Test Report Form (TRF) will be mailed to your postal address.
Validity of Scores:
The Band score obtained is valid for two years. For applications for admission
to an educational institute, the latest IELTS score is considered.
Eligibility Criterion:
Any one who has attained the age of 18 can write the test. It is compulsory to
hold a passport to register for the examination.
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