Which Countries accepts IELTS 5.5 Band Score
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Presently, every student aspires to pursue their higher education in a foreign country. This trend of travelling to a different country for higher studies is mainly due to better educational facilities and lucrative employment opportunities. Typically, students plan their further studies in a significant English speaking country to avoid language barriers as English is the dominant language in the professional and academic spheres.
One of the basic requirements for non-native speakers of English to study in an English speaking country is language proficiency. Individuals need to appear for English language proficiency tests like IELTS and PTE to prove their eligibility to study and reside in a major English-speaking country with ease. Such people often enquire about countries that accept mid-range IELTS scores. Therefore, in this article, we have considered the countries that accept an IELTS Band 5.5.
Countries Accepting IELTS Band 5.5
It is often challenging for non-native speakers of English to prepare for an English language proficiency test such as the IELTS exam. The standards of the IELTS examination require years to master and such a grasp of the language cannot be attained with a few weeks of practice and preparation.
People often lose marks in the Speaking and Writing portions of the exam since such communicative skills need to be significantly advanced to tackle the question asked in IELTS successfully. Thus, candidates often fail to score a band score above 6 even after rigorous preparation. For such candidates, here is a list of countries and universities that accept an average IELTS band score.
- The United Kingdom – The UK provides an IELTS waiver for international students in many cases, especially if the candidate is Indian.
- France – Many universities in France do not require language proficiency and prefer to take an interview to understand the language ability of the candidate.
- Singapore – Another country where language proficiency is not mandatory, Singapore colleges and universities prefer to take their assessments and tests.
- Poland – Some European countries like Poland do not require students to have an IELTS or a TOEFL score to study in their universities. Students can apply to courses that are taught in English without having to give the IELTS examination. Another such country is Hungary.
Candidates can also apply to specific universities that do not have high language proficiency requirements, like a great IELTS score. Here are some universities that accept students with an average IELTS band score can apply to:
- Karlsruhe University of Technology (Germany)
- Charles Sturt University
- Washington State University (USA)
- St. Clair College for Applied Arts and Technology·
- Ohio University(USA)
- University of Missouri (USA)
- Niagara College Canada, Well and Campus·
- Capilano University (Canada)
- Canadore College (Canada)
- University of Essex (UK)
- Budapest Metropolitan University (Hungary)
For some of you who might not be aware of the scoring system, let us have a look.
IELTS Scoring System
IELTS is one of the most favoured, if not the most popular, English language proficiency tests worldwide. People from all over the globe appear for IELTS in order to emigrate to major English-speaking countries for education, employment and even permanent residence. Thus, a good IELTS score can significantly improve a person’s chances of processing their visa application. The IELTS score of a person signifies their level of expertise and comfort in using the English language as means of communication in daily life.
| IELTS Band Score | User Skill Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Expert user | Candidate has a fully operational command of the language. Their use of English is appropriate, accurate and fluent, and shows complete understanding. |
| 8 | Very good user | Candidate has fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and improper usage. They may misunderstand some things in unfamiliar situations. They handle complex and detailed argumentation well. |
| 7 | Good user | Candidate has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings in some situations. They generally handle complex language well and understand detailed reasoning. |
| 6 | Competent user | Candidate has an effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, improper usage and misunderstandings. They can use and understand fairly complex language, especially in familiar situations. |
| 5 | Modest user | Candidate has partial command of the language and copes with overall meaning in most situations, although they are likely to make many mistakes. They should be able to handle basic communication in their own field. |
| 4 | Limited user | Candidate’s basic competence is limited to familiar situations. They frequently show problems in understanding and expression. They are not able to use complex language. |
| 3 | Extremely limited user | Candidate conveys and understands the only general meaning in very familiar situations. There are frequent hindrances in communication. |
| 2 | Intermittent user | Candidate has great difficulty understanding spoken and written English. |
| 1 | Non-user | Candidate has no ability to use English except for a few isolated words. |
| 0 | Did not attempt the test | Candidate did not take the test/ answer the questions. |
Overall Band Score Calculation
In IELTS, each section of the exam is scored separately for each candidate and the overall band score is the average of the four sections’ scores, rounded to the nearest whole or half band. All the section scores are weighted equally. For each section and question type, there is an assessment criterion that examiners use to score candidate responses. Given below is the assessment criteria for both Writing and Speaking in IELTS.
- Writing
- Task Achievement (for Task 1), Task Response (for Task 2)
- Coherence and Cohesion
- Lexical Resource
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- Speaking
- Fluency and Coherence
- Lexical Resource
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- Pronunciation
The criteria are weighted equally and the score on the task is the average.
IELTS Score Validity
One of the most common yet crucial questions among IELTS candidates is the duration for which their IELTS scores are valid. This information is necessary for candidates to ascertain the time period before which they need to retake the exam. Although the validity of IELTS scores is dependent on the concerned organization to a certain extent, the partner organizations of IELTS recommend a 2-year validity period for IELTS test results. This period is decided based on well-documented research on second language loss or ‘attrition’.
Students need to understand that obtaining an average IELTS score is not the end of their dreams and they can still pursue their ambition of studying abroad. Hopefully, this article will help students understand the scoring system of IELTS and inform them of their options with an IELTS score of Band 5.5.
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Akanksha Tripathi
Kasturika Samanta
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