Ielts Information
Ielts information
IELTS is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English. Furture information can be found on the IELTS official website at ielts.org.
What is the Test Format?
IELTS consists of four components. All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking tests. There is a choice of Reading and writing test according to whether a candidate is taking the Academic or General Training module.
|
Academic For candidates
wishing to study at undergraduate or
postgraduate levels, and for those seeking professional registration. |
General Training For candidates
wishing to an English-speaking
country and for those wishing to train or study below degree level. |
Listening
This
test consists of four parts, each with ten questions. The first two parts are
concerned with social needs. The first part is a conversation between two
speakers and the second part is a monologue. The final two parts are concerned
with situations related to educational or training contexts. The third part is
a conversation between up to four people and the fourth part is a monologue.
A
variety of question types is used, including: multiple choice, matching,
plan/map/ diagram labelling, form completion, note completion, table
completion, flow-chart completion. summary completion, sentence completion and
short-answer questions.
Candidates
hear the recording once only and answer the questions as they listen. Ten
minutes are allowed at the end for candidates to transfer their answers to the
answer sheet.
Reading
This
test consists of three sections with 40 questions. There are three texts, which
are taken from journals, books, magazines and newspapers. The texts are on
topics of general interest. At least one text contains detailed logical
argument.
A
variety of question types is used, including: multiple choice, identifying
information (True/False/Not Given), identifying the writer's views/claims
(Yes/No/Not Given), matching information, matching headings, matching features,
matching sentence endings, sentence completion, summary completion, note
completion, table completion, flow-chart completion, diagram-label completion
and short-answer questions.
Writing
This
test consists of two tasks. It is suggested that candidates spend about 20
minutes on Task 1, which requires them to write at least 150 words, and 40
minutes on Task 2, which requires them to write at least 250 words. Task 2
contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score.
Task
1 requires candidates to look at a diagram or some data (in a graph, table or
chart) and to present the information in their own words. They are assessed on
their ability to organise, present and possibly compare data, and are required
to describe the stages of a process, describe an object or event, or explain
how something works.
In Task 2, candidates are presented with a point of view, argument or problem. They are assessed on their ability to present a solution to the problem, present and justify an opinion, compare and contrast evidence and opinions, and to evaluate and challenge ideas, evidence or arguments.
Candidates
are also assessed on their ability to write in an appropriate style. More
Speaking
Part
1
The
candidate and the examiner introduce themselves. Candidates then answer general
questions about themselves, their home/family, their job/studies, their
interests and a wide range of similar familiar topic areas. This part lasts
between four and five minutes.
The candidate is given a task card with prompts and is asked to talk on a particular topic. The candidate has one minute to prepare and they can make some notes if they wish, before speaking for between one and two minutes. The examiner then asks one or two questions on the same topic.
Part
3
The
examiner and the candidate engage in a discussion of more abstract issues which
are thematically linked to the topic in Part 2. The discussion lasts between
four and five minutes.
The
Speaking test assesses whether candidates can communicate effectively in
English. The assessment takes into account Fluency and Coherence, Lexical
Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation. More information
on assessing the Speaking test, including Speaking assessment criteria (public
version), is available at ielts.org.
HOW IS IELTS
SCORED?
IELTS
results are reported on a nine-band scale. In addition to the score for overall
language ability, IELTS provides a score in the form of a profile for each of
the four skills (Listening. Reading, Writing and Speaking). These scores are
also reported on a nine-band scale. All scores are recorded on the Test Report
Form along with details of the candidate's nationality. first language and date
of birth. Each Overall Band Score corresponds to a descriptive statement which
gives a summary of the English-language ability of a candidate classified at
that level. The nine bands and their descriptive statements are as follows:
9
Expert user- Has
fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent
with complete understanding.
8
Very good user-Has
fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic
inaccuracies and inappropriacies. Misunderstandings may occur in unfamiliar
situations. Handles complex detailed argumentation well.
7
Good user-Has
operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies,
inappropriacies and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally handles
complex language well and understands detailed reasoning.
6
Competent user-Has
generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies,
inappropriacies and misunderstandings. Can use and understand fairly complex
language, particularly in familiar situations.
5
Modest user-Has
partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning
in
most situations, though is likely to make many mistakes. Should be able to
handle basic communication in own field.
4
Limited user-
Basic competence is limited to familiar situations. Has frequent problems in
understanding and expression. Is not able to use complex language.
3
Extremely limited user-Conveys and understands only general meaning in very
familiar situations. Frequent breakdowns in communication occur.
2
Intermittent user-Has
great difficulty understanding spoken and written English.
1
Non-user-
Essentially
has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a few isolated words.
0
Did not attempt the test - Did not answer the questions.
MARKING THE PRACTICE TESTS
Listening
and Reading
Each
question in the Listening and Reading tests is worth one mark.
Questions
which require letter / Roman numeral answers
For
questions where the answers are letters or Roman numerals, you should write
only the number of answers required. For example, if the answer is a single
letter or numeral, you should write only one answer. If you have written more
letters or numerals than are required the answer must be marked wrong.
Questions which require answers in the form of words or numbers
•
Answers may be written in upper or lower case.
•
Words in brackets are optional - they are correct, but not necessary.
•
Alternative answers are separated by a slash (/).
•
If you are asked to write an answer using a certain number of words and/or (a)
number(s) you will be penalised if you exceed this. For example, if a question
specifies an answer using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS and the correct answer is
'black leather coat, the answer 'coat of black leather' is incorrect.
•
In questions you are expected to complete a gap, you should only transfer the
necessary missing word(s) onto the answer sheet. For example, to complete 'in
the.... where the correct answer is 'morning, the answer 'in the moming' would
be incorrect.
•
All answers require correct spelling (including words in brackets). -
•
Both US and UK spelling are acceptable and are included in the answer key.
•All
standard alternatives for numbers, dates and currencies are acceptable.
•
All standard abbreviations are acceptable.
•You
will find additional notes about individual answers in the answer key.
Writing
The
sample answers are on pages 129-138. It is not possible for you to give
yourself a man for the Writing tasks. We have provided sample answers (written
by candidates), showing their score and the examiners' comments. These sample
answers will give you an insight into what is required for the Writing test.
HOW
SHOULD YOU INTERPRET YOUR SCORES?
At
the end of each Listening and Reading answer key you will find a chart which
will help you assess whether, on the basis of your Practice Test results, you
are ready to take the IELTS test.
In
interpreting your score, there are a number of points you should bear in mind.
Your performance in the real IELTS test will be reported in two ways: there
will be a Band Score from 1 to 9 for each of the components and an Overall Band
Score from 1 to 9, which is the average of your scores in the four components.
However, institutions considering your application are advised to look at both
the Overall Band Score and the Band Score for each component in order to
determine whether you have the language skills needed for a particular course
of study. For example, if your course involves a lot of reading and writing,
but no lectures, listening skills might be less important and a score of 5 in
Listening might be acceptable if the Overall Band Score was 7. However, for a
course which has lots of lectures and spoken instructions, a score of 5 in
Listening might be unacceptable even though the Overall Band Score was 7.
Once
you have marked your tests, you should have some idea of whether your listening
and reading skills are good enough for you to try the IELTS test. If you did well
enough in one component, but not in others, you will have to decide for
yourself whether you are ready to take the test."
The
Practice Tests have been checked to ensure that they are the same level of
difficulty as the real IELTS test. However, we cannot guarantee that your score
in the Practice Tests will be reflected in the real IELTS test. The Practice
Tests can only give you an idea of your possible future performance and it is
ultimately up to you to make decisions based on your score.
Different
institutions accept different IELTS scores for different types of courses. We
have based our recommendations on the average scores which the majority of
institutions accept. The institution to which you are applying may, of course,
require a higher or lower score than most other institutions.
N.B Cambridge authentic information
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