IELTS

 What is IELTS?

Answer-

 IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System.

IELTS is being conducted by to two bodies i.e IDP and British Council the main body being Cambridge. The Cambridge sets the exam and the other two are responsible for the conducting the exam

Overview of Ielts-

How many modules are there?

Answer- 

There are two modules-
1. General training- for the work permit/ PR
2. Academic- for studies.

How many sections are there in IELTS?

Answer-

 IELTS consist of four parts i.e Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking.
The test total time is: 2 hours and 55 minutes.
Listening, Reading and Writing are completed in one sitting. The Speaking test may be taken on the same day or up to seven days before or after the other tests.

The IELTS exam is been checked by the Skilled and Trained professionals by IDP and BC. IELTS exam is organised all over the world in different countries on the same day. The exam is held four times in a month. The General exam is held two times whereas Academic is held four times in a month.

The Fee of the Test varies from $215-240 depending on which country you live and this fee is subject to change every year.

Video Clipping for Ielts

 What are the different parts?

Answer- 

#Listening is same for both the modules.Listening consists of four section i.e 1-4 with 40 questions and every section consist of 10 ques each. Listening section takes around 40 mins to complete. First 30 mins an audio will be played, students have to listen to it and jot down the answer. Last 10 mins are for transferring the answer to the original answer sheet.
Remember no extra time will be provided to transfer the answer to the answer sheet other than 10 mins. At the start of each section short introduction will be played between the speaker so that the test takers get the idea what is going.
The audio will be played only once so please listening carefully.The first two sections are of conversation between either two or more persons.
The test taker are also given time to read the question before the audio is played for each sections and there is a break after some questions in first three sections but not in the last one.The next two sections are monologue.
The questions are like filling the blanks with one or two words, multiple choice, map/diagram labeling, flow chart etc..
Reading comprises of three sections with 40 questions and any two section will have 13 questions and one will have 14 questions.
There are a variety of question types, such as multiple choice, short-answer questions, identifying information, completing a summary using words taken from the text and matching information/headings/features in the text/sentence endings,identifying writers views, labeling diagrams,. Test takers should be careful when writing down the answers as incorrect spelling and grammar will be considered as wrong answer.

Here are best listening tips


#Reading section is for 1 hour and candidate must transfer the answer to the answer sheet side by side as no extra time will be provided unlike listening section.

For Academic takers-
Three long reading passage which come from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online resources. All the topics are of general interest.

For IELTS General Training
Section 1 contains two or three short texts or several shorter texts, which usually have topics on everyday topics. For example, timetables or notices

Section 2 contains two texts, which deal with work.

Section 3 contains one long text about a topic of general interest. The passage is longer and more complex than the texts in Sections 1 and 2. The passage will be taken from a newspaper, magazine, book or online resource.

For best reading tips visit here

#Writing section have two tasks. Task 1 is different for both the modules whereas task 2 is same.
Writing section is of 1 hour, there is no rule on doing section 1 first or second later. It all depends on your time management.
For Academic- Test takers have to describe the graph/diagram/chart/table in their words and the word limit is of at least 150 words.

For General Training- test takers write a letter in response to a given everyday situation. for eg writing a letter to newspaper for deveploping a local aiport.
Task 2 which is an essay writing and word limit of at least 250 words. The topics are on generl interests only.


#Speaking consists of three sections and is face to face interview between the test taker and the examiner. It is of 11-14 mins and is same for both the modules.
1. Speaking Part I- Introduction and interview(4-5 minutes) Questions asked are about their home, family, work, studies, hobbies, interests and on general topics like computer, sports,clothing etc..)

2. Speaking Part II- Cue Card(3-4 mins) One minute to think on the topic and next 2-3 minutes to speak. Test taker are given a topic on which they have to think and speak, along with the topic there are some questions which the test takers must include while speaking. After that examiner may ask one or two questions.

3. Speaking Part III- Discussion(4-5 mins) Questions asked are generally on the topics the have spoken in their cue cards.

For some of the best speaking tips visit here

Test Centers and dates

Test takers can take IELTS in more than 140 countries and in over 1,200 locations.

In a month there are four test dates for academic module and 2 test dates for general training that means there are total 48 test dates for academic in a year and 24 dates for general training.
Test are usually on Thursday or Saturday.

Result-

Result is declared after 13 days from the exam date and TRF will be delivered within 7 to 10 days after the result.

Scoring and Band Scale-

The takers are given score in each sections. Then the individual scores are averaged and rounded to produce the overall band score. for example - one get 8 bands in listening, 7 in reading, 7 in writing and 6.5 in speaking then overall band will be calculated as follows- (8+7+7+6.5)/4 which will be 7.125. So the overall band will ne 7 because the band is round off to the nearest number, has it been 7.35 then the band would be 7.5.
There is no pass or fail in the test, they are only given band according to their performance.

The nine bands are described as follows:

9           Expert User                         Has full 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, inappropriateness 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                  No real communication is possible except for the most basic                                                           information using isolated words or short formulae in familiar                                                           situations and to meet immediate needs. 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    No assessable information provided at all.