The International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

IELTS is owned and run by the British Council, IDP Education and Cambridge Assessment English. IELTS was one of the pioneers in developing four-skills English language testing, with the IELTS exam testing each of the vital areas of Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Today, IELTS continues to set the standard for English language testing internationally.

There are five steps to IELTS success. • Enquiry: You can obtain the application form and get contact information for every IELTS testing location across the globe at ielts.org. • Registration: Read through all the information you receive with the application form carefully. Complete the paper application form or online registration and submit it to your nearest test center. You will need to enclose the test fee or make the payment online. Make sure you enter the number of your identity document (your passport or national identity card) and attach a clear color photocopy or scanned copy of your identity document to the application form. The identity document must be valid at the time of registration and the same ID document must be presented on the day of the test • Confirmation: The test center will give you written confirmation of the date and time of the test. Your Speaking test time will be scheduled on the same day as the written tests or on a different day within a 7-day window before or after the written tests. The test center will confirm your Speaking test time. • Test day: Your identity will be checked on the day of the test and before the Speaking test. You must present the same identity document that you used when you registered for the test. Your photograph will be taken as an additional security measure, and it will appear on your IELTS Test Report Form. In addition a finger scan may be taken. • Results: Results will be available 13 days after the test. At some test centers test takers can collect their results on the 13th day. At other test centers results are mailed to test takers on the 13th day. Test centers are not permitted to give results out over the phone or by scan or email. A preview of your results is available online 13 days after the test. Results will remain online for 28 days. Please note that the online preview of your results should not be used as an official confirmation of your performance.

The four components of the IELTS test • Listening: Timing: Approximately 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes’ transfer time). Questions: There are 40 inquiries. Multiple choice, matching, plan/map/diagram labelling, form completion, note completion, table completion, flow-chart completion, summary completion, sentence completion, and short-answer questions are some of the question types that are employed. Test Parts: There are 4 sections: In Section 1, two persons are having a chat in a typical social setting (such as an accommodation agency). The second section consists of a monologue placed in a typical social setting (such as a speech promoting nearby amenities or a discussion about conference dinner arrangements). In Section 3, a maximum of four individuals have a conversation in an educational or training setting (for example, a group of students organising a research project, or a university tutor and a student talking about an assignment). A monologue on an academic topic (such as a university lecture) is presented in Section 4. Every segment is only played once. There is a range of tones and accents from native speakers. Skills assessed: A broad variety of listening abilities are evaluated, such as: • comprehending the major ideas; • comprehending particular factual facts; • identifying the thoughts, attitudes, and intent of a speaker • tracking the progression of an argument. Marking: There is one mark given for each correct answer. The 9-band IELTS scale is used to calculate scores out of 40. Whole and partial bands scores are given. • Reading: Timing: Timing 60 minutes (no extra transfer time). Questions: There are forty inquiries. We use a range of question types, selected from the following: multiple choice, matching information, matching headers, matching features, matching sentence endings, flow-chart completion, diagram label completion, flow-chart completion, matching information (True/False/Not Given), matching information, summary completion, matching table completion, matching sentence completion, and short-answer questions. Test Parts: There are 3 sections. The total text length is 2,150–2,750 words. Academic Reading: There is one lengthy text in each segment. The texts are real and sourced from newspapers, periodicals, books, and journals. They cover scholarly subjects of general interest and were written with a non-specialist readership in mind. Test takers pursuing professional registration or enrolling in undergraduate or graduate programmes would find the texts suitable and easily readable. Texts might be factual and descriptive or discursive and analytical. Nonverbal elements like graphs, pictures, and diagrams can be found in texts. When technical terminology are used in texts, a basic glossary is supplied. General Training Reading: Section 1 contains two or three short factual texts, one of which may be composite (consisting of 6–8 short texts related by topic, e.g. hotel advertisements). Topics are relevant to everyday life in an English-speaking country. Section 2 provides two brief factual texts focused on work related concerns (e.g. applying for jobs, corporate regulations, wages and conditions, workplace facilities, staff development and training). Section 3 contains one lengthier, more difficult text on a topic of general interest. The texts are real and sourced from official documents, books, periodicals, newspapers, notices, ads, and company handbooks. Skills assessed: A wide range of reading skills are assessed, including: • reading for gist • reading for main ideas • reading for detail • understanding inferences and implied meaning • recognizing writer’s opinions, attitudes and purpose • following the development of an argument. Marking: Every right response is worth one mark. IELTS 9-band scale is applied to scores out of 40. Results are given in full and half bands. • Writing: Timing: 60 minutes Tasks: There are 2 tasks. You are required to write at least 150 words for Task 1 and at least 250 words for Task 2. Test Parts: There are 2 parts. Academic Writing You are required to describe, summarise, or explain the data in Task 1 after being shown a graph, table, chart, or diagram. You can be required to explain and characterise data, the steps in a process, the operation of an item, or an occasion. You must write an essay in Task 2 in response to a problem, argument, or point of view. The topics covered in the test are generally interesting, appropriate for undergraduate or graduate students, or those pursuing professional registration; they are also easily understood. Responses to Task 1 and Task 2 should be written in an academic, semi-formal/neutral style. General Training Writing In Task 1, you are given a scenario and instructed to write a letter outlining the circumstances or seeking more information. The letter's style can be neutral, semi-formal, or personal. You must compose an essay in Task 2 in response to a problem, argument, or point of view. The essay may have a little more intimate tone than the one required for Academic Writing Task 2. The subjects are broadly interesting. Skills assessed: In both tasks, you are assessed on your ability to write a response which is appropriate in terms of: • content • the organization of ideas • the accuracy and range of vocabulary and grammar. Academic Writing Depending on the type of task, you are evaluated in Task 1 on your ability to describe an object, event, or series of events; to explain how something works; to arrange, present, and maybe compare data. Depending on the type of activity, you are evaluated in activity 2 on your ability to: propose a solution to a problem; present and defend an opinion; compare and contrast opinions, evidence, and consequences; and analyse and refute concepts, arguments, or pieces of evidence. General Training Writing You are evaluated on your ability to participate in personal correspondence in Task 1, depending on the type of task, in order to: elicit and supply general factual information; express needs, wants, likes, and dislikes; and express ideas (views, complaints, etc.). Task 2 evaluates your ability to give general factual information, to define an issue and offer a solution, to express and potentially defend a viewpoint, and to assess and refute concepts, arguments, or supporting data. Marking: The IELTS Writing test evaluation criteria (Task Achievement/Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range, and Accuracy) are used by certified IELTS examiners to evaluate your performance on each task. The assessment criteria are available to the public at ielts.org/criteria. The Writing score is influenced by Task 2 twice as much as Task 1. Whole and partial bands scores are given. • Speaking Timing: 11–14 minutes Test Parts: There are 3 parts. The IELTS Writing test evaluation criteria (Task Achievement/Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range, and Accuracy) are used by certified IELTS examiners to evaluate your performance on each task. The assessment criteria are available to the public at ielts.org/criteria. The Writing score is influenced by Task 2 twice as much as Task 1. Whole and partial bands scores are given. Skills assessed: A wide range of speaking skills are assessed, including: • the ability to communicate opinions and information on everyday topics and common experiences and situations by answering a range of questions • the ability to speak at length on a given topic using appropriate language and organizing ideas coherently • the ability to express and justify opinions and to analyze, discuss and speculate about issues. Marking: Certified IELTS examiners evaluate your performance based on the IELTS Speaking test evaluation criteria (Pronunciation, Lexical Resource, Fluency and Coherence, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy). The assessment criteria are available to the public at ielts.org/criteria. Whole and partial bands scores are given.

• 9 Expert user • 8 Very good user • 7 Good user • 6 Competent user • 5 Modest user • 4 Limited user • 3 Extremely limited user • 2 Intermittent user • 1 Non user • 0 Did not attempt the test

140 countries accept the IELTS. IELTS is necessary in English-speaking nations like Australia for employment, education, and immigration. • Australia • Canada • France • Ireland • New Zealand • UK • US

A lot of applicants want to know if the exam is simple or complex. To that, there is only one possible response: Depends. You'll probably have a hard time achieving a high band score on the IELTS if you take the test without any preparation and don't have a strong command of the language.

The registration fee for those wishing to take the IELTS Academic is INR 16,250. INR 16,500 is the registration fee for candidates wishing to sit for the IELTS General Test.

You won't ever have to wait longer than two weeks to get your IELTS results, regardless of how you take the test.

Checking your IELTS results online is simple. We'll send you an email notification with a link to examine your scores as soon as your results are available. A preview SMS notice can also be sent straight to your phone by some testing locations. Please be aware that they are unable to provide your IELTS results over the phone or via email. To view your scores online, click the provided link. When your findings are announced, you can view them online as well. But, these do not offer an official validation of your performance; you will want your IELTS Test Report Form for that.

The validity of your IELTS score will last for two years after your test date.