Every year, more and more students leave their home countries to seek higher education overseas. In addition to completing all other formalities, passing examinations is also a mandate for international students. The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is one among several exams required to be cleared with a high score to be eligible for a foreign university.

So, whether you are going to study in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States of America, or the United Kingdom, you need to clear the IELTS exam with flying colors to apply to a university of your choice.

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is designed to help international students realize their dream of working, studying, or relocating to English-speaking countries. IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP IELTS, and Cambridge University Press and Assessment.

IELTS – Where to take

One is offered a choice of different ways to take the IELTS test at test centers, and in some cases, remotely online. Educational institutions may choose to accept results from IELTS Academic tests that have been taken online. All tests that are taken to secure a visa for UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) must be taken at an official IELTS test center. You have the choice to take your test on paper or a computer. There is no difference to the test questions, or format, only the way you complete your answers.

Results for IELTS on the computer are available 3–5 days after test completion. Results for IELTS on paper are available 13 days after test completion.

In some countries, IELTS Online is available wherein the IELTS Academic test can only be taken and one is allowed to take the test at home or a suitable private location with a stable internet connection. The test has the same format, questions, timing, and marking criteria as completing the IELTS at a test center. Test results are available 6–8 days after taking the test.

IELTS – Types of Exam, Questions

With the variety of tests that IELTS offers, you can select the one that best suits your requirements.
IELTS offers two tests – General Training and Academic tests.

The IELTS Academic test is probably the best option for you if you intend to study in an English-speaking nation while the IELTS General Training test is suitable for those wishing to migrate to a country where English is spoken.

IELTS GENERAL TRAINING

The IELTS General Training test is suitable for those wishing to migrate to a country where English is spoken (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK), and for those wishing to train or study at below degree level. The test assesses everyday English language skills that you will need in social situations and workplace environments.

In IELTS, there are four papers: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The Speaking and Listening tests are the same in both the Academic and the General Training tests, but the Reading and Writing tests are different.

IELTS ACADEMIC EXAM

The purpose of the IELTS Academic exam is to evaluate your proficiency in the English language, particularly in areas that are important for undergraduate or graduate study. Verify the IELTS test acceptance policies of the colleges and universities as well as the minimum scores needed to get admitted to their degree programs.

Vocabulary from the IELTS Academic test is frequently used in academic contexts and may also be necessary to register with professional associations. You can take the exam on paper or a computer at our designated testing locations. It might also be possible to take the exam online.

The IELTS Academic test is made up of four sections: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.

Listening

The paper has four parts, with ten questions in each part. The questions are in the same order as the information in the recording, so the answer to the first question will be before the answer to the second question, and so on.

Parts 1 and 2 deal with everyday, social situations. There is a conversation between two speakers in Part 1 (for example, a conversation about travel arrangements). Only one person speaks in Part 2 (for example, a speech about local facilities).

Parts 3 and 4 deal with educational and training situations. In Part 3 there is a conversation between two main speakers (for example, two university students in discussion, perhaps guided by a tutor). In Part 4 only one person speaks on an academic subject.

You will hear the recordings once only. Different accents, including British, Australian, New Zealand, and North American, are used.

You will need to transfer your answers to an answer sheet. You will have 10 minutes at the end of the test to do this. You should be careful when writing your answers on the answer sheet because you will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.

The time allowed is approximately 30 minutes plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet. In total, there are 4 parts in the paper totaling 40 questions. Each correct answer receives 1 mark. Your final score is given as a band score in whole or half bands, e.g. 5.5 or 7.0.

Academic Reading

Texts come from books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and online resources, written for a non-specialist audience. All the topics are of general interest to students at the undergraduate or postgraduate level.

The texts may be written in different styles, for example, narrative, descriptive, or argumentative. At least one text contains a detailed logical argument. Texts may also contain diagrams, graphs, or illustrations. If texts use technical vocabulary, then a simple dictionary definition is provided.

You will need to transfer your answers to an answer sheet. You must transfer your answers during the hour you are given for the Reading test. Unlike the Listening test, no extra transfer time is given. You should be careful when writing your answers on the answer sheet because you will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.

The time allowed is 60 minutes and there are in total 3 sections in the exam paper. There are 40 questions, and each correct answer receives 1 mark. Your final score is given as a band score from 1–9 in whole or half bands, e.g. 4 or 6.5.

Academic Writing

There are two Writing tasks and both must be completed. In Task 1, you have to describe some visual information in your own words (a graph, table, chart, or diagram). You need to write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes.

In Task 2, you are given a point of view, argument, or problem that you’ll need to talk about. You need to write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes.

You must write your answers using full sentences. You must not write your answers as notes or bullet points. You must write your answers on the answer sheet. You are allowed to write notes on the question paper, but the examiner will not see these.

The time allowed is 60 minutes within which 2 tasks have to be completed. While Markings, Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score.

Speaking

The Speaking test is a face-to-face interview between the test taker and an examiner. The Speaking test is recorded. There are three parts to the test, and each part follows a specific pattern of tasks to test your speaking ability in different ways.

In Part 1 you will be asked about yourself and familiar topics, such as home and family, studies, or interests. In Part 2 you are shown a card asking you to talk about a particular topic. After a minute to prepare, you must speak for up to two minutes and then answer general questions on the topic. In Part 3 further questions will be asked about the topic in more detail.

There are 3 parts to this test and the time allowed is 11–14 minutes.

IELTS Exam Update

There’s some good news for international students applying to universities in Canada. On August 10, 2023, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the country’s immigration authority brought about a big modification in IELTS Academic score requirements for the Canada Student Direct Stream (SDS) visa program.

To apply for Canada Student Direct Stream, there is no longer a minimum score requirement for each skill. To apply to the Canada Student Direct Stream, you only need to receive a band score of six in each of the four skills (speaking, reading, writing, and listening). So, effectively, you need to get an overall band score of 6 on the IELTS Academic.