A Beginner’s Guide to Know Everything about IELTS

Are you planning to move to the UK and have been asked to provide an IELTS score? You have come to the right place. In this comprehensive guide, we will tell you everything from scratch about the world’s most popular English language assessment test so that you can facilitate your immigration successfully.

What is IELTS?

The International English Language Testing System, commonly known as IELTS, is formulated to assess the English language skills of a non-native speaker migrating to the country for study or work where English is the primary language.

IELTS was founded in 1989 and today, jointly run by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English. A widely popular choice amongst students, the IELTS is accepted by most countries globally and is valid for two years.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has approved the IELTS test to be the only Secure English Language Test for the visa application procedure.

Types of IELTS Exam

There are two types of exams available–IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training–to gauge your ability in speaking, writing, listening, and reading to adapt to the English-speaking country. According to your requirement, you can take either of them.

IELTS Academic

The test is structured for the international students looking to take admissions for undergraduate or postgraduate levels in colleges or universities in English speaking countries like the UK, Canada, Australia. It aims to identify the candidate’s command over the English language in an academic environment and how easily they can understand and interact with others.

IELTS General Training

The test is for the people looking to emigrate, undertake work-related training, or study below degree level in an English speaking country. It examines the English language proficiency in a social or business setting.

Registration Process

• Visit the IELTS India website and select the option ‘Register for IELTS’.
• Choose whether you want to give a paper-based or computer-delivered IELTS Test.
• Select your module–Academic or General Training
• Pick the nearest test centre.
• Select your desired time slot and date.
• Fill up the other details. Also, you have to upload a clear colour copy of your passport.
• Pay the test fee and complete the application process.
• You will get an acknowledgement message on your registered email or phone number.

Eligibility Criteria

• Everyone can take the test regardless of their age, gender, nationality, religion, or ethnicity. Nevertheless, anyone below the age of 16 years is not recommended.

• There is no limit to attempting the test, and one can give as many retakes as they want. It happens multiple times in a year. So pay the fee and secure your test’s date, time, and location.

Exam Format

The IELTS exam is conducted into four categories, namely: Speaking, writing, listening, and reading, to evaluate the candidate’s capability to adjust comfortably in an English speaking country. The total span of the test is 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Listening

The listening module comprises four sections with ten questions in each and takes 40 minutes to complete.

Section 1 and section 2 deal with social situations, whereas section 3 and section 4 is about educational and training situations. During the entire test, the candidate listens to the recordings and answers the questions based on what they have perceived. The recordings will be played once, so paying rigorous attention throughout the module is advisable. The recordings will be played once, so paying strict attention throughout the module is advisable.

Reading

The reading module contains three sections: multiple-choice questions, labelling diagrams, short-answer questions, identifying information, etc. The span of the entire test is 60 minutes. There should be no grammatical errors in your answers, as your marks will be deducted.

Writing

The writing module consists of two tasks and must be completed within 60 minutes.

In task 1, the candidate must write more than 150 words in 20 minutes. In task 2, the candidate should write at least 250 words in 40 minutes. The tasks vary according to the type of test–whether Academic or General Training–the candidate appears for.

Speaking

While the reading, listening, and writing tests are held on the same day, the speaking test can be taken on the same day or up to seven days before and after the other modules. It is a personal interview with the examiner containing three sections of about 11-14 minutes.

Round 1: Introduction and Interview

The examiner asks the candidate several questions about their home, family, work, interests, studies, hobbies, reasons for taking the IELTS exam, etc.

Round 2: Long Turn

The candidate is given a task card about a topic they have to speak about for 1-2 minutes.

Round 3: Discussions

It is an in-depth discussion where the examiner asks the candidate several questions about the subject they discussed in the Long Turn section.

IELTS Test Scores

After completing your test, you will receive your IELTS result or Test Report Form, in which you get a score based on the average of all test modules ranging from band 1 to 9.

Band 9 denotes the highest proficiency, and Band 1 represents the non-competency of the language. Score 0 is for the candidates who failed to appear on the test day.

Band 9: Expert User

Band 8: Very Good User

Band 7: Good User

Band 6: Competent User

Band 5: Modest user

Band 4: Limited User

Band 3: Extremely Limited User

Band 2: Intermittent User

Band 1: Non User

Band 0: Did not attempt the test

No minimum score is required to qualify for the test, as all universities have their criteria for accepting a particular score.

Accommodation

When you are planning to study overseas, it becomes imperative to book your accommodation in advance. It not only helps you to avoid that last-minute hurdle but also increases the possibility of securing a university dormitory or private student housing before it gets sold out.

Private rentals are the most popular choice amongst international students in the UK, and there are many affordable options available for private student accommodation in London near most universities with excellent transport connectivity. You can also choose to stay alone or in shared accommodation, depending upon your preference.

So be it settling in or shared student flats in Birmingham with your college peers, don’t forget to book your accommodation beforehand to enjoy a smooth transition into your new life.