The process of filling out university applications overseas is exciting; after all, the prospect of studying in a foreign nation is enough to pique anyone’s interest.
The sheer volume of papers you must provide, however, may make the process seem overwhelming. If you want to attend college in a nation where English is the official language, you’ll need to provide evidence that you’re proficient in the language.
Tests of English proficiency, such as the TOEFL and IELTS, are given often throughout the year in many different countries for this same reason.
In this post, we’ll talk about the IELTS, the many kinds of IELTS, and how to choose the right kind of IELTS for your graduate school application.
We’ll talk about what to expect on test day, how the scores are calculated, and all the ways in which a high IELTS score may help you.
More than three million people take the International English Language Testing System exam each year, which is often shortened as IELTS.
Those whose first language is not English but who hope to live, work, or study in one of the many English-speaking countries around the world must take this exam, which is offered in conjunction with the British Council.
The applicant is graded on a scale from 0 to 9 depending on how well they do in four different language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The final band score will be determined by adding together the points from the four subscores.
Colleges and universities that need the IELTS test publish their minimum score criteria on the official website, making it easy to set realistic goals. While minimum scores may vary per institution, most want an overall score of 6.5 or above.
Types Of IELTS Exams
The IELTS has two parts, the Academic and the General, reflecting its dual aim in higher education and immigration.
The Academic appeals to those who want to attend college in a nation where English is the official language. Therefore, a strong knowledge of the English language is required, since the test’s purpose is to evaluate how well you can interpret academic language. Those in the medical or nursing fields who want to start their own businesses in English-speaking countries are another target audience.
Those seeking job experience or non-academic training choose the General module. It is also required to enter some countries. The General exam measures your ability to carry on a conversation in English in everyday social and professional settings.
Different About Exams
There is no difference between the Listening and Speaking tests for the IELTS General and Academic candidates. The Reading and Writing portions are the distinguishing features. Let’s check out a few of the variations.
Differentiating between the academic and general IELTS is easiest to see in the writing portion. If you choose the Academic track, your first assignment will be to describe, summarize, or explain a visual aid (such as a graph, table, or diagram) in as few words as possible (about 150-200). The goal of this exercise is to test the candidate’s ability to prioritize information, convey the facts, and draw meaningful conclusions from data sets.
The first assignment for the General module is a letter. Candidates are given an issue or circumstance (such as applying for a job or requesting time off from work) and asked to respond in writing by expressing an opinion, starting a discussion with the reader, and providing relevant facts.
The second component of the Writing subscore is shared across the two modules; applicants will be given a short statement or viewpoint and asked to elaborate on it using their own knowledge and experience. Statements in the General Module tend to be less daunting.
The Reading part of the IELTS assesses the examinee’s capacity to absorb and process information presented in written form, draw appropriate conclusions, and apply that information in new contexts. While both modules need you to complete three reading assignments, the ones in the academic module will be lengthier and will feature a wider variety of text types (from descriptive and factual to discursive and analytical) and even non-verbal material (such as graphs, charts, and diagrams). There are two or three shorter factual texts in the first segment of the General Module Reading component, two shorter factual texts related to work in the second section, and one longer text on a subject of general interest in the third section.
The Format Of Ielts Academic Exam
The total time allotted for the test is 2 hours and 45 minutes, and it is divided into three parts (with the Speaking element being administered on a different day).
Listening: The listening phase consists of 40 questions to be completed over 30 minutes (plus ten extra minutes to transfer your responses onto the sheet). The applicant will be asked to respond to a series of questions after listening to four separate recordings. In the first clip, two individuals have a casual talk about mundane topics, whereas in the second, one person speaks at length about a component of common social settings. The third recording is a lecture with an audience of up to four people, while the fourth is another one-person show, this time covering a topic of academic interest. Each question is worth one point, although marks may be deducted for errors in spelling and grammar. This section evaluates your listening comprehension, vocabulary, and vocabulary use, as well as your ability to comprehend and react to both literal and figurative language.
Reading: This section lasts for 60 minutes, and there are 40 questions, each earning one mark. There will be multiple choice questions based on your comprehension of three lengthy reading sections. Multiple-choice, short-answer writing, recognizing the author’s goals, views, and assertions, and sentence completion are only some of the question types that may be on the exam. The articles come from a broad variety of publications, including periodicals, dailies, and novels. The purpose of the Reading portion is to evaluate not only your ability to read carefully and thoroughly, but also your ability to skim quickly and pick up the essential information in times of time pressure.
Again, you’ll have 60 minutes to complete two writing assignments during the Writing part. In Task 1, you will be provided some type of visual material (graphs, charts, diagrams, tables, etc), and based on your knowledge of the data, you will be asked to describe the information in your own words. You must respond in paragraph form; no bullet points or notes will be accepted. Answers that employ bullet points or are too short (at least 150 words) will get a lower grade. Aside from receiving a lower grade, you will also be punished for providing an answer that is not supported by the evidence provided. No more than 20 minutes should be spent on this.
In the second part of the assignment, you will be asked to elaborate on a certain viewpoint or theory presented to you. Give yourself plenty of time for this job since it counts for twice as much toward your band score as the first. If you fail to produce at least 250 words, your chances of getting a high grade will suffer. The response must be nuanced and subjective; if the question asks about one facet of air pollution, for example, you shouldn’t write about air pollution in general, but rather about how you feel about that one facet. This exercise tests your critical thinking, communication, and writing skills, as well as your ability to provide an argument that is both reasonable and well-reasoned. A time limit of 40 minutes has been set for this assignment. Plagiarism, short responses, and use of bullet points will all result in severe penalties.
Speaking: The three-part speaking section is structured like an interview with the examiner and is meant to gauge the examinee’s ability to understand and respond to the examinee’s questions. Part 1, which lasts for around four to five minutes, consists of the examiner introducing himself and asking the applicant general questions about his background, interests, and activities. Part 2 lasts for two to three minutes and consists of the applicant reading from a card that invites him to elaborate on a specified subject. Part 3 is a follow-up discussion between the examiner and the candidate on the subject matter covered in Part 2.