IELTS

IELTS i.e. International English Language Testing System is a standardized English proficiency test. It assesses English Language skills in the areas of listening, reading, writing and speaking. It is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP- Australia and University of Cambridge ESOL EXAMINATIONS. IELTS has two types of modules - Academic and General Training. Academic Module is required to be given by students who plan to study at undergraduate or postgraduate levels. While, General Training Module is generally a prerequisite for the people who either want to pursue vocational studies or plan to immigrate.

Listening

It has 4 sections and 40 questions in all. It lasts for 40 minutes including the time one gets for transferring the answers to the main answer sheet.

Reading

Reading has 3 passages, 40 questions in all. Candidates are given only 1 hour to complete reading, which means that time management is very important. One must give 20 minutes per passage.

Writing Academic Module

Task 1 is primarily Report writing (explaining diagrams and charts). Essay on task 1 must not be less than 150 words. Students are advised to spend 20 minutes on this task.

Task 2 is Argumentative essay. Essay on task 2 must not be less than 250 words. Students are advised to spend 40 minutes on the same. In all, time allotted for writing is 1 hour.

General Training Module

It also has 2 writing tasks. Task1 presents a Letter Prompt (formal or informal). Students must write at least 150 words for the same. Task2 is same as that of Academic Module. Speaking has 3 parts and lasts for 11-14 minutes. It is done on one-to-one basis with the student.

Part1: Examiner asks general questions to the student, which relates to his/her work, studies, hobbies etc. This part lasts between 4 and 5 minutes.

Part2: The candidate is given a topic to speak, which is printed on a task card. Students have to speak for 1 minute at least and are given one minute to think and write down some points. This part lasts between 3 and 4 minutes.

Part3: It's a two way discussion with the examiner (questions mostly related to part 2 topic will be asked).The discussion lasts between 4 and 5 minutes

Scoring

IELTS is graded on a scale of 0 – 9, known as Band Scale. Generally, a score of at least 6 bands for UG & 6.5 bands for PG is required in each section. The result is available in 15 working days.