What is IELTS Test? Essential Facts You Should know About it

If IELTS is one of your official English exam options, here are the ten essential facts you should know about the exam.

We advise you to inform yourself of all the options available timely. 

1. What is the IELTS

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is a worldwide, highly recognized official English exam. The IELTS is administered by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, and Cambridge English Language Assessment.

It aims to evaluate the English level of the people that take it. This is one of the most accepted English exams by higher education institutions to certify English language proficiency.

2. Types of IELTS

There are two types of IELTS. The General IELTS and the Academic IELTS. General IELTS is the exam you should take if your objective is to migrate to an English-speaking country for work or training reasons; At the same time, the Academic IELTS would be a better option for you is you intend to study in an English speaking country, especially if it is an undergraduate or postgraduate program.

The Listening and Speaking sections are the same in both exams. Still, the Writing and Reading sections differ as to the texts you will have to read. The essays you will have to write in the General IELTS are more related to daily life subjects, while the Academic IELTS ones are about more analytical topics.

3. Type of English in the IELTS

Maybe you have heard the myth that the IELTS is a British English exam. However, if you decide to take it, you must know that the IELTS is an international exam; hence, during the different sections, you will deal with a wide variety of English accents like American English, British, Australian, and New Zealander.

4. Sections of the IELTS

The IELTS measures your English proficiency level in four skills: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.

The Listening section has four parts and a total of 40 questions, during which you will have to listen to four conversations and monologues, and once each record finishes, you will have to answer some questions about what you heard.

During the Reading section, you will have to answer 40 questions. Depending on the type of IELTS you take, you will have to read between 3 and 5 passages.

In the Academic IELTS, you will read three long texts taken from books and academic journals, while in the General IELTS, you will read up to 5 short readers taken from newspapers and other news sources.

In the Writing section, you will have 60 minutes to write two texts. The Academic IELTS, you will first have to do a book summarizing the information of a graphic, diagram, or table that will be given to you; then, you will have to write an essay. In the General IELTS, you will have first to write a letter explaining a situation or requesting information; then, you will have to write an essay.

The Speaking section has three parts. In the first part, you will have to speak about you and the topics you are related to. After that, in the second part of the section. You will have to answer some questions about a particular subject that will be asked to you.

Finally, in the third section, you will have a general discussion about part two. It is essential to highlight that this section of it is in contrast to the speaking section of other English exams, is made a face to face with an examiner.

5. Duration of the IELTS

In total, the duration of it is 2 hours and 44 minutes. These are divided into 30 minutes for the Listening section, 60 minutes that last the Reading section, another 60 minutes to write the Writing section’s texts, and between 11-14 minutes to answer the Speaking area’s three parts. You need to know that the Speaking team is done differently from the other three groups.

6. Scores of the IELTS

The first thing you should know about it is that the exam does not approve or fail format. The result of the exam will show you your proficiency level in English. The exam has a band scale from 1 to 9, 1 the lowest band, and nine the highest. Results can be shown in a full band (ex. 6.0) or half band (ex. 6.5).

According to the European Common Reference Framework for Languages, the crews from 1 to 3.5 correspond to the A1, and A2 levels, which is a basic knowledge of the language, the bands between 4 and 5 are equivalent to the intermediate B1 level, the bands between 5.5 and 6.5 are similar to the B2 level with is intermediately advanced, the bands between 7.0 and 8.5 correspond to the advanced C1 level, and finally, the band 9 is a C2 level which is master in the language.

The IELTS results show a score for each section and a general score for the whole exam. The score for each cell is given according to four criteria: how right questions were solved, the coherence and cohesion of the answers, how complete is the vocabulary of the test taker and how the grammar level is. Each of these criteria has a similar weight in the final score the test taker gets for each section.

7. Which institutions accept the IELTS

Many people think that it is an exam that is only valid in the United Kingdom or Australia and that, for example, it is not accepted in the United States or Canada.

This is also a myth. It is a global exam of international recognition received by more than 8000 institutions in 135 countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and more than 1100 universities and colleges in North America.

8. Validity of the IELTS results

Once you have taken the IELTS, you will receive a copy of the results 13 days after completing the written exam. During your registration for the exam, you can ask for copies of your products to be sent directly to five academic institutions.

Please keep in mind that the products you obtain will be valid for two years. In case you get a lower score than the one you needed, you will be able to retake the exam at any moment.

9. How to register for the IELTS

You can take the Academic of it in 48 dates each year and the General IELTS in 24 dates. These are fixed dates that take place four times per month, usually on Thursdays and Saturdays.

It is possible to register for the exam by going to the test center or online, but it will depend on each center’s politics. The IELTS can be taken in more than 900 centers worldwide.

To register for the exam, you will have to fill the application form and attach a copy of your ID and two passport-sized photos.

10. Price of the IELTS

Although the Academic and General IELTS have the same price, this varies according to the country and center where you will take the exam. We recommend you to check out the information about your country on the web page.

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