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IELTS - English Language Test

There are two kinds of IELTS tests:

IELTS Academic
IELTS General Training

For both tests, listening and speaking components are the same; however the major difference lies in the writing and reading parts.

FORMAT OF IELTS

The reading, writing, and listening components are to be completed one after the other on the same day of the exam. But, the speaking component may be completed in up to a week, before or after all the other components. The total time limit of the test is allotted to be 2 hours and 45 minutes, which is divided as follows:

Listening - 30 minutes

You will be made to listen to recordings of 4 native English speakers and then you will have to answer a series of some questions.

Reading - 60 minutes

This will include reading for summary, reading for lead ideas, reading for details, understanding logical arguments, and recognizing readers’ opinions and ideas. To test your excellence, 40 questions will then be asked in this section.

Writing - 60 minutes

IELTS Academic:

In the first task, you will be presented a diagram or a chart, and asked to summarize the information in your own words.
In the second task, you will have to write an essay based upon an argument or a problem.

IELTS General Training:

In the first task, you will be presented with a situation, and asked to write a letter requesting explanation of the situation.
In the second task, you will be asked to write an essay in response to an argument or opinion.

Speaking - 11 to 14 minutes

This section is divided into three parts.

In the first part, questions about you, your parents, family and friends may be asked by the examiner. Topics which interest you like hobbies and fun things you do may also be discussed.

In the second part, you will be given a particular topic to speak about. A preparation time of about one minute will be given for this purpose.

In the last part, you will be asked more on the topic you spoke about in the second part.

IELTS Preparation

The preparation standards may vary from person to person. However, some general guidelines are as follows:

Improving the level of your general English :

  • To get 6.0 or above in IELTS exam, you need to be at the intermediate level. So improve your everyday reading and writing skills. Try to build up your vocabulary as much as you can, and this is only possible if you read a lot. Also, engage yourself in some writing activities. Get into the habit of writing a journal or diary.
  • Read a lot of the IELTS style material and listen to loads of IELTS audios. This will help you improve the level of your English, at the same time making you familiar with the style of the exam. Specifically, focus on topics relating to environment, health and education, as these come up frequently in the exams.
  • Understand the IELTS:
  • Read through the preparation material which you can easily find online or in bookshops. Try to gather everything you can about the test, and get as familiar as you can with the exam format.
  • Practice makes perfect.
  • At first, don’t worry if you’ll be able to finish the exam in time or not. Instead, try to absorb as much as you can, learning slowly and calmly. Carefully think about the questions, analyze your mistakes and learn from them. Don’t be in a hurry.
  • After doing this for a good period of time, start practicing the smart way. Try and time yourself. Because efficient time management is extremely important in order to clear any examination.
 

About the Author

Jessica Williams

Jessica Williams

Jessica Williams is an on-line tutor for Ielts7band since almost 9 years. Ielts7band.net is an on-line IELTS training providers along with Video streamed classes, Tutor assistance, 100's of practice papers. It trains for both Academic IELTS & General IELTS including all the IELTS modules :  IELTS Listening Test, IELTS Reading Test, IELTS Writing Test, IELTS Speaking Test.

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