IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

Types: There are only two types

1. Academic
2. General

It is based on how well you can

1. Read
2. Write
3. Speak
4. Understand English.

Academic IELTS: For those who want to study abroad at a University in English speaking
country, either at Undergraduate or Postgraduate level.

Or

For those who want to join a professional organization in an English speaking country.

General IELTS: For those who want to work abroad in an English speaking country or
immigrate to an English Speaking country like Canada or UK.

Layout of the IELTS Exam: Regardless of whether you are taking the Academic Version or the
General Version the layout of the exam is exactly the same.

The IELTS exam has 4 sections/tests

1. Listening
2. Reading
3. Writing
4. Speaking

Listening, Reading & writing take place in one day. There is no break in between. The speaking
test can be 7 days before or after the three mentioned tests.

The listening and speaking test are the exact same for the academic and general IELTS exams.
There is no PASS or FAIL.

You are marked on a band scale of 1-9, in each of the four sections of the exam.
1 is the lowest mark and 9 is the highest mark.

Most university has a band score requirement that can range from 5.5 to 7.0. It is always better
to contact the University first to find out the band score needed for you.
 THE LISTENING PART OF IELTS
It is usually the first part of the IELTS test.

Total time is 30 minutes, with an additional 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer
sheet. It is important to remember that the tape will be played only once, so you need to listen
carefully.

There are 4 sections in the listening part of the IELTS exam.

Each section has 10 questions. (Total Questions 40)

Each question carries 1 mark. Listening test is worth a total of 40 Marks.

You may be asked to answer the following

• Multiple Choice Questions

• Label a plan, map or a diagram
• Fill in a form
• Complete a table
• Complete a flow chart
• Give short answers

Section 1 is the easiest section.

Section 4 is the hardiest section.

Section 1: You will hear a conversation between two people. It tests your Basic English like
names and numbers.

Section 2: You will hear one person talking (monologue). It will be on a general everyday topic.
For example, a speech on how to book a tour.

Section 3: You will hear anywhere between two to four speaker having a conversation in an
academic situation. For example you may hear a teacher and a student discussing an assignment
or a group of students chatting about an exam.

Section 4: You will hear one person speaking about an academic subject. For example listening
to a lecturer giving a lecture in a lecture hall.

You will have extra time at the end of each section to check your answers and to look at the
questions in the next section before it is played.

You will have 10 minutes at last to transfer your answers to answer sheet in paper based
IELTS or 2mins for computer based
(You may be listening to British, American,Canadian,Australian or New Zealand speakers)

The key to getting a high mark is understanding the layout of the exam.

Points:

1. Knowing the exam lasts for 30 minutes.

2. There are 4 sections in the exam.
3. Each section has 10 questions.
4. Each question is worth 1 mark.

The second key is to practice more and more.

Carefully read the instructions (no more than 2 words or numbers)

Look out for any spelling mistake or grammatical errors.

Beware of traps, distractors.

Always read, underline keywords and try to predict the answer before recording played by
utilizing time cautiously which is provided at each section before and after.
 THE READING PART OF IELTS
Academic Reading is different from the General Reading.

Test Duration: The test duration is 60 minutes.

It is the second part of the IELTS exam.

Sections: There are 3 sections.

Total Questions: There are 40 questions.

Each Question is worth 1 mark. Total marks = 40.

Important: You will not get extra time at the end of the exam to fill the answer sheet. You have
to fill the answer sheet during the 60 minutes of the test.

You should spend no more than 20 minutes on one section. (3 sections x 20 minutes = 60
minutes)

Text: The text is taken from

• Books
• Newspapers
• Journals
• Magazines

All the topics are of general interest and are relevant to the students entering University.

Section 1 is the easiest section and section 3 is the hardest. You should spend most of the time on
section 3 as it is the most difficult section.

Each section has 1 passage so there are 3 passages in total on the reading test.

Questions:

1. In section 1 you have 13 questions to answer.

2. In section 2 you have 13 questions to answer.
3. In section 3 you have 14 questions to answer.

TIP: Only read the title of the passage so that you know what the text is about, and then go and
read the questions. Underline keywords in the questions and then scan the text for answers.

Take each question 1 at a time but spend no longer than 15 minutes on each section to ensure
you answer all the sections.
You should try really hard not to leave any blank answers as the examiner cannot give you marks
if you write nothing.

Types of Questions:

• Multiple choice questions

• Short answer questions
• Sentence completion
• Write about a writers view or claims
• Fill in or label diagrams
• Match a heading with the correct paragraph, or
• Match phrases
 THE WRITING PART OF IELTS
You have three tasks to complete.

• Task 1
• Task 2

Task 1: You will be given either;

A graph

A pie chart

A diagram

A table

That shows information about a topic. You will be asked to write a report on what you see in at
least 150 words. It must be a minimum of 150 words.

To get the highest possible score in your report you should;

• Give an introduction
• Summarize the most important points in the diagram
• Compare and contrast the most important changes in the diagram
• Give a conclusion.

To get the highest score on task 1, you need to understand how you are being marked.

You will be marked on;

• The ability to answer the question

• Grammar & Vocabulary
• Ability to structure your answer (introduction, summary of most important points,
compare and contrast changes)
• Use of connective words (words that link sentences and paragraph e.g. “To begin with”,
“However”, “For instance”.)

The writing exam is 60 minutes in total so you should spend 20 minutes on task 1 as it is worth
150 marks.

You should spend other 40 minutes on task 2 as it is worth a lot more marks, 250 marks to be
precise.

Task 2: You have to write a response to the question giving reasons and examples to support
your answer.
It is an essay style question.

The topics are always of General interest.

You have 40 minutes to write your essay and you must write at least 250 words.

Do not try to memorize the model answers for the writing test as it will not help you.

The examiner will see that you are not answering the questions that you are being asked and will
fail you.
 THE SPEAKING PART OF IELTS
The speaking test is same for both the IELTS Academic and General test.

The IELTS speaking test is a one-to-one conversation between you and the examiner.

It is basically an interview whereby the interviewer will ask you a series of questions.

The test takes 11-14 minutes and is recorded.

There are 3 parts to the speaking test.

Part 1: The examiner introduces himself/herself and checks your name. The examiner asks you a
series of question about;

• Yourself
• Your Family
• Your work
• What you study
• Your friends
• Your hobbies

The types of questions you will be asked are;

• Where are you from?

• Describe yourself.
• Tell me about your family.
• Why are you studying English?

Part 1 usually lasts for about 4-5 minutes and the easiest part of the test.

Part 2: The examiner will give you a written task card which will ask you to speak about a
particular topic.

You will get one minute to prepare for your talk before you have to speak.

You will then speak for 1-2 minutes and after this your examiner will ask you one or two
questions.

Task Card: Talk about a subject you are studying. In this task you are asked to talk about a
subject you are studying and underneath are four points to include in your talk on the topic.

• What subject are you studying?

• What is the subject about?
• How do you feel about it?
 • Explain why you are interested in it.

Part 2 usually takes about 3-4 minutes, this include your minute to prepare.

Part 2 is harder than part 1 as it tests your ability to;

1. Talk about a particular topic

2. Develop your ideas about this topic
3. Use relevant grammar and vocabulary

In expressing your opinion.

Part 3: The examiner will ask you questions linked to the topic you spoke about in part 2.

The types of questions you may be asked, based on the example task card in this lesson are;

• What are the pros and cons of the current educational system in your country?
• Do you think the students respect their teachers?
• How would you like to change the education system?

Part 3 is a two way discussion but you are expected to do most of the speaking.

TIPS:

1. Give a friend a list of exam style questions to test you.

2. Keep eye contact with the examiner.
3. Be confident.
4. Expand your answers.
5. Use expression like “In my opinion”, “I really feel”.
6. Practice.
TIPS

1. Practice
2. Watch your timings
3. Be confident
4. Know the layout of the exam

LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST ALWAYS TELL A LIE. KEEP ON DRAGGING AND BRAG.