Overview of the IELTS Academic Test
IELTS stands for The International English Language Testing System. This standardised test evaluates your English language ability and is useful for purposes of migration, employment, and education. There are two versions of the test: Academic or General Training. The test looks at your English-language proficiency across the four skillsets of listening, reading, writing, and speaking,
This overview of the IELTS Academic Test provides the most essential information about the test and gives a general idea of what to expect. Be sure to follow up as more helpful information is added.
Overall Format of IELTS
4 parts:
- listening
- reading
- writing
- speaking
Total Time:
- 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Score:
- Your IELTS results will be represented by a band score from 0 to 9
- 0 is the lowest score, while 9 is the hightest score
- Each test section (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking) receives a separate band score
- The 4 section band scores are averaged to give you an overall band score for your test.
IELTS Test – Listening Section
Time: 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes transfer time).
40 questions, 1 mark each.
Answering: Test takers listen & write their answers on the question sheet. At the end of the listening they have 10 minutes to transfer their answers to an answer sheet.
Recording 1 – an everyday conversation between two people
Recording 2 – an everyday monologue or speech
Recording 3 – a group conversation in an educational institution
Recording 4 – an academic monologue or speech
Task types:
- Multiple choice
- Matching
- Plan, map, diagram labelling
- Form, note, table, flow-chart, summary completion
- Sentence completion
- Short-answer questions
IELTS Test – Reading Section
60 minutes, 40 questions, 1 mark each.
Format: Three reading passages
Task types:
- Multiple choice
- Identifying information
- Identifying writer’s views/claims
- Matching information
- Matching headings
- Matching features
- Matching sentence endings
- Sentence completion
- Summary, note, table, flow-chart completion
- Diagram label completion
- Short-answer questions
IELTS Test – Writing Section
60 minutes, 2 Tasks
Task 1 – describe a graph, table, chart, or diagram.
Length: 150 words
Time: 20 minutes.
Task 2 – Respond to a point of view, argument or problem.
Length: 250 words
Time: 40 minutes.
IELTS Test – Speaking Section
11–14 minutes, 3 parts
– an oral interview between the test taker and an examiner. Tests are recorded.
Part 1 – Introduction and interview
Time: 4-5 minutes
General questions on everyday topics and common experience
Part 2 – Long turn
Time: 1 minute preparation, 1-2 minutes speaking
Speak at length on a given topic
Part 3 – Discussion
Time: 4-5 minutes
Discuss issues related to Part 2’s topic in a general and abstract way
