About Academic IELTS
Basic Information about the Academic IELTS Exam
Are you planning to take the Academic IELTS Test or IELTS Course? Here is what you need to know.
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test that measures the language proficiency of people who want to study or work in environments where English is used as a language of communication. Many higher education providers and some employers require a language certificate from non-native speakers. IELTS is the four-skills test that has become the world’s most popular English language proficiency test.
IELTS exam assesses your receptive skills – reading and listening – and your productive skills – speaking and writing. It is designed to show how you will use English at study or at work. IELTS tests are graded using a unique IELTS 9-band scale which ranges from 0 (did not attempt to do the test) to 9 (expert user). Please find links to further information on the IELTS 9-Band scale at the end of the page.
The Advantage of Taking the IELTS Exam
Taking IELTS exam will greatly improve your work and higher or further education prospects both nationally and internationally. It will provide you with proof of your ability to communicate in English across all four language skills – speaking, listening, reading and writing, in real life situations.
General IELTS vs Academic IELTS Training
There are two versions of the test: Academic IELTS and General IELTS. Academic IELTS exam format is designed for candidates who wish to study or train in an English-speaking university or institution of higher or further education as well as professionals where a high standard of English language is required. General IELTS format is suitable for candidates who plan to undertake a non-academic training, gain work experience or for immigration purposes.
Academic IELTS Exam
The Academic IELTS Test Structure
LISTENING:
30 minutes + 10 minutes extra to transfer your answers to your answer sheet.
The test comprises of four recorded monologues and conversations.
READING:
60 minutes
The test comprises of three sections with three reading passages (descriptive, factual, discursive or analytical) followed by 13 – 14 questions per reading passage.
WRITING:
60 minutes (2 Tasks)
Task 1: The candidate has to summarise, explain or describe a diagram, graph, process or chart.
Task 2. The candidate has to respond to an argument in a short essay of at least 250 words.
SPEAKING:
11-14 minutes
The test comprises a face-to-face interview where the candidate will have to answer short questions, speak at length about a familiar topic and engage in a discussion with the examiner regarding the chosen topic (most of the times).
General IELTS Exam
LISTENING MODULE:
30 minutes + 10 minutes extra to transfer your answers to your answer sheet.
The test is comprised of four recorded monologues and conversations.
READING MODULE:
60 minutes
The test comprises three reading passages with tasks. It is divided in three sections, with the first two sections containing 2 – 3 short factual or work-related texts and the last section containing a longer text.
Task 1: The candidate has to summarise, explain or describe a diagram, graph, process or chart.
Task 2. The candidate has to respond to an argument in a short essay of at least 250 words.
WRITING MODULE:
60 minutes (2 Tasks)
Task 1: The candidate has a letter writing task of at least 150 words.
Task 2: The candidate has a short essay task of at least 250 words.
SPEAKING MODULE:
11-14 minutes
The test comprises a face-to-face interview where the candidate will have to answer short questions, speak at length about a familiar topic and engage in a discussion with the examiner regarding the chosen topic (most of the times).
For more information, take a look at what is the Academic IELTS exam on our blog.
Learn more about our Academic IELTS Test Training and Exam Preparation Courses
For more information about the Academic IELTS Exam we recommend:
www.ielts.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IELTS