IELTS Full form – What is IELTS? | IELTS Material

What is the full form of IELTS?

IELTS abbreviation: The full form of IELTS is – International English Language Testing System.

IELTS, established in 1989, is the most popular English language proficiency test for work, study or migration. The exam is designed to assess the English language ability of applicants who plan to study or work in a foreign country where English is one of the languages of communication.

What is IELTS?

The IELTS Exam is a test of all four language skills, i.e. the ability to listen, read, write and speak in English. The test is then graded on a 9-band scale (1 being the lowest and 9 being the highest).

Types of IELTS

There are 2 versions of the IELTS exam as given below:

1. IELTS Academic

The Academic version of the IELTS examination is for those who plan to travel for education or registration for professionals like doctors, nurses engineers, etc. who are willing to serve abroad.

2. IELTS General Training

The general training test is taken by those not traveling for educational purposes, but for immigration purposes or to gain work experience in foreign countries.

Eligibility Criteria for IELTS Examination

• IELTS age limit: For Canada, it has been recently confirmed that the age limit is 14- 64. For the rest of the world, the minimum required age to take the IELTS examination is 16 years with no upper age limit. 
• You should be holding a valid passport.
• You have to choose your type of IELTS exam, based on your purpose of migration.

IELTS Test Pattern

The IELTS test syllabus includes 4 sections, that is speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

IELTS Duration: The test will be 4 hours 45 minutes long.

• The Listening section of the IELTS test will take around 30 minutes and it is divided into 4 parts. The students will be required to answer 40 questions within the time frame.
• The Reading part consists of 3 sections and involves issues faced by postgraduate/ undergraduate students during their study. Even this section will be of 30 minutes and consist of 40 questions.
• The Writing part of the IELTS exam is having the highest time limit that is 60 minutes. And you’ll have to use this one hour wisely to complete two tasks. In task 1 you have to make sure to write at least 150 words while for task 2, the examiner will give you a topic for essay writing for which you’ll have to write at least 250 words
• The Speaking section will take around 12-14 minutes and this test is to assess your ability to speak the English language fluently.

IELTS Registration

Paper-based and computer-delivered IELTS: The IELTS exam can be taken online as a computer-delivered test or offline as a paper-based test.

British council Vs IDP: You can register for the IELTS exam via British council and IDP.

While registering for the IELTS examination, keep your passport ready as your passport number will be required. You’re also asked to carry your passport while coming to the examination hall. To register for the IELTS examination, you need to follow the steps below:

• Visit the official site of the British Council Registration.
• Create an account with the British Council.
• Register and pay online.
• Find out the nearest examination centre.

Click here for IELTS Registration detailed information

Click here on detailed information on IELTS exam dates

IELTS Preparation

Click here to find tips on IELTS preparation

Advantages of taking an IELTS preparation course

Here are some benefits that you get if take a preparation course before actually attending the test.

• Taking a preparation course will make you more confident, which will, in turn, make a great difference in your score.
• You may be comfortable in your language proficiency but you could still get confused if you’re not familiar with some questions that are asked in the test. So then taking this preparation course will help you in time managing.
• This preparation course will help you improve your speaking skills which will be useful abroad, while you migrate.
• This course not only improves your vocabulary and grammar in the exam but also in natural conversations.

IELTS Fees

IELTS Fees vary based on the country you are sitting the test. IELTS Fees in some countries are listed below:

IELTS exam fee in India: Rs. 17,000 for registrations from 22nd-Jan-2024
IELTS exam fee in Canada: $309.00 (Kitchener, Ontario only) and $319.00 (For all locations outside of Kitchener, Ontario)
IELTS exam fee in Australia: $410 from 2024

Scoring Pattern of IELTS

In the Speaking and Writing sections of the IELTS examination, the questions will be subject-related, and the scores for the same are given based on the sentence structure and usage of vocabulary. 

For both, Reading and Listening, you will have 40 questions, and each question will carry a mark that will be converted to the IELTS band score.

Each section will have a separate band score and based on the marks that you receive the band is awarded to you.

IELTS certificate

IELTS certificate is the TRF which will be given within 5-7 days of a computer-delivered test and after 13 days of a paper-based test. It contains details on the marks obtained by the candidate.

Full form of TRF in IELTS: Test report form

IELTS Validity

IELTS results are valid for a period of two years from the date of issue of the result.

Also check :

• IELTS vs OET
• IELTS vs PTE