All about IELTS Test
Do I really need IELTS? – this is the one question that every student has in their mind while thinking about overseas education.
Know more about the IELTS test in this article.
What is IELTS Test
IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is one of the standardised English language tests that tests the proficiency level of the test taker.
It is owned by the British Council and IDP.
Who accepts the test score
The test score is accepted in more than 130 countries and 11000 institutions and business houses.
Test variations and modes
IELTS has two types of tests: 1) Computer-based and 2) Paper-pencil based. However, both modes have the speaking part as interview-based.
The types of IELTS tests are:
- Academic
- General
- UKVI
- Life skills.
Each type has its own purpose.
What is the test duration
The IELTS test is a 2.30 hrs test conducted on 2 different days. It tests four skills namely Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
The Listening module runs for 30 minutes while the reading and writing modules are for one hour each. These three The Speaking module is for 11 to 14 minutes on a separate day.
Format of the IELTS test
IELTS Listening module:
The listening test is the first module and runs for about 30 minutes with 40 questions to answer. It includes 11 different types of questions. The test taker has to listen to 4 audio conversations. Among these 4 audio,
Section 1 is a conversation between 2 people in an academic setting.
Section 2 is a monologue about an everyday social issue.
Section 3 is a discussion between no more than 3-4 people in an educational or training context.
Section 4 is a monologue about a subject or academic topic.
IELTS Reading module:
The reading module is the second section that runs for 60 minutes with 40 questions to answer. It includes 10 different types of questions and has 3 sections with approximately 2700 words to read.
Each section has 13 to 14 questions that have to be answered in 60 minutes. Reading involves several reading sub skills such as Skimming, Scanning, Intensive reading, Top-down reading, Predictive and inference reading and more.
IELTS Writing Module:
Writing task involves two writing tasks that need to be completed in 60 minutes. In academic writing, task 1 is a picture usually a bar chart, pie diagram, process chart, flow chart, or graph that has to be inferred and summarised in about 150 words in 20 minutes, whereas in General writing, it is usually an email writing.
Writing task 2 is a critical thinking argumentative task based on any social issue in both academic and general tests. It has to be completed in 40 minutes with at least 250 words with suitable explanation and examples.
IELTS Speaking module:
The speaking module is conducted separately which may be 3 days before or after and even on the same day of the main test. This is an interview section with the examiner for about 11-14 minutes. There are 3 parts in the speaking module.
Scoring
IELTS score is calculated by bands from 0 – 9. Each module is scored between 0 to 9 and the overall score is given out of the average of all 4 modules between 0 to 9.
The official score is released in 3- 5 days in CBT and in 13 – 15 business days for PBT. Online TRF will be available in the IELTS candidate account online in the form of a PDF. Galaxy supports registering for the test and downloading the TRF for the students.
Test Fee
As of April 2023, the IELTS test fee is Rs.16250/- A valid passport is the only document accepted for registering the test.
Requirement of this test score
IELTS test score is required in almost all English-speaking countries. Some exceptions are France, Italy, and some European countries with the provision of a Medium Of Instruction certificate. The UK gives a waiver of IELTS score based on certain eligibility criteria which could be checked with your admission consultant.
For countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, and Spain, IELTS or any similar standardised test is mandatory.
Cancellation and refund
Cancellation or rescheduling of the IELTS test is possible. The test can be rescheduled prior to 5 weeks of the main test. A small reschedule fee is applicable.
If the test taker cancels the tests 5 weeks before the test date and provides a compelling reason refund is made after a 25% deduction. If there is no valid reason for the cancellation, no refund will be made.