What is IELTS Exam?
Many students (people) are conversant in daily life and their spoken English may be good, but the accuracy of their language often needs attention. For students, simply, IELTS Exam is an English test that essentially checks your reading, writing, listening, speaking skills to determine that you will be able to understand and cope with the course you are going to study
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Nature of the IELTS Exam: Paper Based Test (PBT)
Exam Fees: INR 11,100
Types of IELTS: Academic & General
Duration: Total 2 Hours 45 Minutes
IELTS Academic Training:
- Listening (40 questions)‒ 30 minutes (+ 10 Mins Transfer Time)
- Reading (40 questions) ‒ 60 minutes
- Writing (2 essays) ‒ 60 minutes
- Speaking ‒ 10 to 15 minutes
IELTS General Training:
- Listening (40 questions) ‒ 30 minutes
- Reading (40 questions) ‒ 60 minutes
- Writing (2 essays) ‒ 60 minutes
- Speaking‒10 to 15 minutes
IELTS Writing:
- 1st essay (150 words) 20 minutes
- 2nd essay (250 words) 40 minutes
Validity of IELTS exam: 2 Years
Score / Grade Range of IELTS exam: 0 ‒ 9, in 0.5 Band Increments
IELTS Result: A Test Report Form is posted to test takers 13 days after their test
Age Limit for taking IELTS Exam : IELTS is not recommended for students below 16 Years. However there is no age limit for giving the IELTS Exam.
Documents Required:
- Original and Valid Passport
- Duly filled application form (we do it online for you) with the following information at least
- 2 Photographs (earlier than 6 months old)
- Credit Card
Note: The original passport is also required on the day of the test. Do your passport application in advance!
When to Register for IELTS Exam: At least 10 days before the available test date. Check the IELTS dates in advance (at least a month before you wish to take the IELTS Exam)
Cancellation / Rescheduling: If a student’s decides to cancel or reschedule an IELTS Exam upto 5 weeks prior to Scheduled Test Date, the Test center will refund the Fee deducting a minimal administrative charge.
As on date the administrative charge is Rs. 2750/-
However, the Centre in charge will ask for supportive evidence in case of cancellation or transfer request. Once the transfer application has been approved for the selected test date, the student will be granted a transfer. Please note that students are only allowed to transfer their test date once.
IELTS Exam ‒ Repeat IELTS Test: One can take the test as many times as they want. But will that give a good impression to your University? And remember, each time you have pay the test fee
Note: You will have to register at least 10 days in advance. Thus, check the dates beforehand
IELTS Exam is also required for immigration purposes
Quick Tip from Admitworld: IELTS Exam Score is not compulsory to be submitted while applying to Universities in UK, Australia, New Zealand. Universities can provide a conditional offer letter advising on the required IELTS score, which can be updated later. Thus, while you are making applications to Universities, you can also simultaneously prepare for IELTS and appear for the IELTS Exam. This will save time!
General Training
IELTS Exam Structure
The difference between the Academic and General Training versions of IELTS EXAM is the content, context and purpose of the tasks. All other features, such as timing allocation, length of written responses and reporting of scores, are the same. We have listed some features of IELTS to give you an better understanding of these tests.
- IELTS Exams scale the ability of a individual to Listen, Read, Write & Speak in English
- Speaking is the most important component – Personal interview with the Examiner
- Variety of Accents taken into consideration – Minimum linguistic bias
- IELTS LISTENING –30 Minutes (Add
10 Mins. of Transfer Time)
IELTS Listening is the FIRST Stage of the IELTS Exam. IELTS Listening involves four sections, with ten questions in each section. It takes 40 minutes: 30 – for testing, plus 10 for transferring the answers to an answer sheet.
Sections 1 and 2 of IELTS Listening are about daily social situations.
- Section 1 of IELTS Listening has a conversation between two speakers (for example, a conversation about travel arrangements)
- Section 2 of IELTS Listening has one person speaking (for example, a speech about local facilities).
Sections 3 and 4 of IELTS Listening are about educational and training situations
- Section 3 of IELTS Listening is a conversation between four people set in an educational context (Eg. Discussion between trainer & Instructor or Academic discussion between two students.)
- Section 4 of IELTS Listening has one monologue on an academic subject.
Each section begins by listening to all the instructions telling the test taker about the situation and the speakers. Then they have some time to look through the questions. The questions are in the same order as the information in the recording, so the answer to the first question will be before the answer to the second question, and so on.
Each section in IELTS Listening is heard only once.
At the end of the test students are given 10 minutes to transfer their answers to an answer sheet. Test takers will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar
- Concentration:Attentiveness is the key. Listen > Concentrate > Write: this is the key. You may panic if you miss the sequence (also check point 3)
- Answer All:Answer all questions. There is no negative marking
- Gap and Sequence:At the beginning of each section of the recording, time is provided to read the questions. The 30 seconds gap between the sections is most important. Check the sequence of the questions. The communication gets played in the same sequence. Time is also provided at the end of each section to check your answers. Use this time also to read the questions for the next section
- Stick to Basics:Do not exceed the word limit (like you may be asked to write the answer in 2 to 3 words), do not writ in plural if singular is required, currency symbol should be written before the value, transfer all answers in capital letters, follow the correct date format, use universal abbreviations wherever appropriate to save time
- Answers Corrections:The speaker often changes the answer to the question. Ensure that you collect the correct answer. Eg. Question: What did you have for breakfast today? Answer: Oh no, I think I actually had some cereals. Thus, the correct answer is cereals
- Missed an Answer:Don’t mull if you miss an answer. Concentrate on the next one and move on
- Noting the Answers:Write the answers quickly on the question sheet itself. Do not memorize them or write it on the answer sheet. The 10 minutes provided at the end of the test are sufficient to transfer the answers to the answer sheet
How about watching a few good English movies before going for the test? It’s an interesting way of hearing some different English accent if you are not used to it
We advise pay as much attention as possible and read as much as possible. It could be anything from newspapers, articles to good novels, etc. Furthermore, like the listening test, no additional time is provided at the end to transfer answers to your answer sheet. The reading section in the IELTS Exam lasts for an hour and most times this is not enough for students, especially whose reading habits are not good.
IELTS Reading Test in IELTS Academic
- Three reading texts, which come from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online resources written for non‒specialist audiences. All the topics are of general interest to students at undergraduate or postgraduate level.
IELTS Reading Test in IELTS General Training
- Section 1 contains two or three short texts or several shorter texts, which deal with general topics. For example, Advertisements or notices – things a person would need to understand when living in an English‒speaking country.
- Section 2 contains two texts, which deal with work. For example, offer letters, job descriptions, contracts, training materials.
- Section 3 contains one long text about a topic of general interest. The text is generally descriptive, longer and more complex than the texts in Sections 1 and 2. The text will be taken from a newspaper, magazine, book or online resource.
IELTS Academic
Task 1: Test Takers describe a table/ Chart in their own words. This might involve describing and explaining data, describing the stages of a process or how something works, or describing an object or event.
Task 2: Test takers have to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. The situations presented are interesting and easy to understand.
IELTS General
Task 1: The Test takers will be asked to write a letter requesting information or explaining the given situation. The format of the letter can be in personal or semi formal style.
Task 2: An essay in response to a point of view, argument or general situations. The writing format can be personal.
- Structured Format:This requires some practice. It is appealing to think what you will write than actually writing it. Ensure that you practice writing because during the test, you must ensure that your writing is structured so that you finish both tasks in the time allotted and within the word limit
- Time allotment to both tasks:Take 20 minutes for task 1 and 40 minutes for task 2 (Note: Task 2 carries more marks as compared to Task 1)
- Attempting Task 2 First:It would be a good idea to attempt task 2 first since its difficulty level is higher and also carries more marks. However check your comfort levels
- Write down your ideas:For both writing tasks, it is a good idea to jot down your ideas on the question sheet so that you know the outline of what you will be writing. It may take 2 or 3 minutes but the time spent is worth it
- Paragraph:Write different ideas in different paragraphs. It would make your and examiner’s work easy
- Avoid Repetition:Writing about the same information again and again will do not good. Avoid repetition. While analyzing your paragraphs, writing the flow should help
- 150 words:Learn to recognize 150 words before the IELTS Exam date since during the test you may not have the time to count the words. If you write less than 150 words, you lose marks. If you write more, you are likely to make more mistakes. Try and stick to around 150 words
- Flow of Writing (Task 1):Do not leap in to start writing. Ensure that you know what each axis resembles and to which units. The recommended structure / flow is: a. describe the graph / table in one sentence, b. describe important trends shown, c. describe the relevant and most significant parts of the data since describing all data may not be possible (compare trends between two graphs, if more than one graph is given), d. concluding sentence that summarizes the data
- Flow of Writing (Task 2): Ideas are best developed when you read newspaper editorials and / or magazines on existing trends and topics. Besides, most importantly, every print media has a word limit and thus the usage of words is apt (in general). A recommended structure of writing IELTS Writing Task 2 is: a. always introduce the topic and state your stand, whether you agree or disagree, b. provide arguments supporting your viewpoint possibly with relevant examples, c. state the contrary viewpoint and provide reasons why you disagree with the same, d. conclude with a short concluding paragraph (summarize it) and e. if you have more time, revise your answers and correct any spelling or grammatical errors
Section 1 of IELTS Speaking: The Examiner and the test taker exchange a brief introduction for about 4‒5 minutes. Test takers may be asked about their home, family, work, studies, hobbies, interests, reasons for taking IELTS exam as well as other general topics such as clothing, free time, computers and the internet.
Section 2 of IELTS Speaking: The Examiner will give a task card talk wherein the Test Taker will be given a topic, including points to be included in their talk. A time Test taker will be given a minute to compile notes and will be then asked to talk for 1‒2 Mins. Once started, the test taker is not interrupted in between. In the end, the Examiner may ask a few questions on the same topic.
Section 3 of IELTS Speaking: Two way discussion ‒ The examiner will ask further questions which are connected to the topic of Part 2. These questions are designed to give you an opportunity to discuss more abstract issues and ideas. The last section would generally last for 4‒5 Mins
- Do Speak:Some students fumble. They tend to get nervous. Remember you have paid a price to test your English language skills. Why not enjoy the test?
- Speak Clearly:The topic could be any and you will be speaking for an average of 11 minutes. Don’t worry about your accent. Significance of the test is on whether the examiner on that day understands you. Do not be afraid to apologize if you make a mistake. Don’t fret, simply move on with what your mind says and translate in to clear English words and sentences
- Language and Words:Many students feel using high end vocabulary will get them a good score. That’s a myth. Be simple, clear and ensure that you use correct words rather than difficult ones. Remember, it ’s someone else examining you and you are not the one who is taking the examiner’s test. It ’s understood that the examiner may know much more than you. Thus, use simple, easy to understand language. However, you may want to improve up on your existing skills before the test. For eg. another way of saying ‘coming back’ can be ‘returning’‘very happy’ can be substituted by ‘delighted’; and such other possibilities
- Steady Pace:Maintain a pace. Avoid being too fast or too slow. Check if your examiner is understanding you
- Never Memorize:Don’t learn your sample answers in way that you are only going to answer that. Answer that occurs to your mind because the topic could be any and importantly, develop a one way conversation. It’s easier!
- Focus on the Topic:Changing the topic could be one of the most crucial mistakes that you can make. Ensure that you are to the point
- Practice:The ideas in the speaking are fairly covered and not exhaustive. You must possibly record your own answers while preparing for the test and identify errors beforehand
Band scores are used for each language sub–skill (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking). The Band Scale ranges from 1 (“Non User”) to 9 (“Expert User”) the four Band Scores, one for each section are added together and averaged for an Overall Band Score. Each Band has a statement giving a summary of the English at that level.
The first three modules– Listening, Reading and Writing ‒ must be completed in one day. The Speaking Module may be taken, at the discretion of the test centre, in the period seven days before or after the other Modules. The tests are designed to cover the full range of ability from non-user to expert user
The Nine Bands are described as follows:
| 9 | Expert User |
| 8 | Very Good User |
| 7 | Good User |
| 6 | Competent User |
| 5 | Modest User |
| 4 | Limited User |
| 3 | Extremely Limited User |
| 2 | Intermittent User |
Additional TRF postage charges per TRF
- 250/– (including Service Tax) dispatched by Registered Post to the organization requested by the Student.
- 1250/–(including Service Tax) dispatched by Courier to the organization requested by the Student.
In India IELTS Exam centres are available at:
Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Baroda, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Calicut, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Jamshedpur, Kochi, Kolkatta, Kottayam, Lucknow, Ludhiyana, Madurai, Mangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Patiala, Patna, Pondicherry, Pune, Raipur, Rajkot, Rudrapur, Siligiri, Surat, Thimpu, Thrissur, Trichur, Trichy, Trivandrum, Vadodara, Vapi, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Vizag
There are up to 48 test dates available per year. Each test centre offers tests up to four times a month subjected to availability of dates. The Academic version is available on all 48 dates per year and the General Training version is available on 24 dates. In short you can plan your IELTS according around your application schedule provided you plan in advance!
British Council IELTS is not different from IDP IELTS and the IELTS result has nothing to do with where you register or give the test.
You need not appear for both: IELTS and TOEFL. Both are English language tests and are widely acceptable in most countries and nearly all universities. We would want to look at both as simple, but important “English exams”, which can be easily cracked.
GRE English (Verbal) or GMAT English (Verbal) cannot replace a test of English like IELTS or TOEFL. Students whose course require a GRE or a GMAT must also appear for one of the English exam ie. IELTS or TOEFL.
Final Suggestions:
Do not reach late at the exam centre. You do not want to lose money and time on taking another IELTS Exam date.
You have done enough to prepare and appear for the IELTS Exam. Do not lose your score report. Many students face problems later only to find that they nearly missed an intake because they could not apply for their student visa timely.
Find some practice tests for IELTS before the IELTS exam. You will find many online sample tests for all modules: IELTS Reading, IELTS Writing, IELTS Speaking, IELTS Listening. Remember, whatever score you get during IELTS practice tests, in general believe that you will score .5 lesser in the actual test. Thus, if your score is not coming out well enough, practice more
Admitworld also provides last minute mock tests (if you are already prepared but want to ensure, everything is in place before you go for the test)
Admitworld’s IELTS Coaching ‒ Secure top IELTS Result!
- Original IELTS Material ‒ Official Cambridge University IELTS preparation books
- Faculty with Specialization in Test Preparation ‒ Over 10 years of Training Experience
- Personal support of the Faculty with IELTS Prep for each module
- Includes Interactive CD‒ROM with Full Practice Test
- Intensive Mock IELTS Speaking Sessions
- Information and Strategies for Each Section of the IELTS Test ‒ Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking
- Audio Scripts Played in Classroom for Listening Practice
- Critical Test‒Taking Techniques
- Query Sessions with Faculty
- Realistic Practice Tests in Classroom
- Limited Batch Size for Excellent Results – Personal Attention Guaranteed!
- One‒on‒one IELTS coaching facility available. Class size: 5 students or less (always)
- Batch flexibility to suit your timings ‒ Weekdays, Weekends, Evening Batches available
Call Admitworld at 9000133877 to ask any questions
IELTS Training is conducted during the week, weekends and in the evenings for working students. The IELTS classes are small batches (not more than 3 to 5 students) and can also be done as a one‒on‒one coaching
Many students may require coaching for IELTS and IELTS prep could be important too. Remember, you can take the test as many times as you want. But focused students would want to crack the IELTS Exam in the first attempt. Obviously, Admitworld will be delighted to train you for the IELTS Exam. Many of our students have scored 7.5 Band, 8 Band and even 8.5 Band and we believe you can do it too. It just requires some determination for IELTS scoring. Lots of IELTS material, IELTS sample tests, IELTS practice test are available at Admitworld. Make use of our IELTS coaching. Classes for IELTS are available during the week, on weekends, and in the evenings too for working students.
Each IELTS class time duration could be between one hour to three hours depending on the work required. While some students are not good at spoken English but can manage English grammar well when it comes to writing, while for some speaking English could be easy, but use of newer English vocabulary could be required. All aspects are identified during the course of IELTS training. Coaching for IELTS is not essential but is always useful especially for the ones where application deadlines are near.