International English Language Testing System (IELTS), is an international standardised test of English language proficiency, designed to assess the language ability of candidates wishing to study or train in the foreign countries where it is used as a medium of communication. More than 120 countries across the world, Close to 5,000 education institutions, faculties, government agencies and professional organizations accept IELTS scores for admission, training programs as well as for immigration purposes.

 In Australia, the IELTS is mandatory to obtain a student visa, and the scores are also accepted by some US & UK Universities, Canada, New Zealand, Dubai, Singapore etc.

Test is jointly conducted by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia, and was established in 1989.

Eligibility

Anybody who wishes to pursue under graduation and graduation studies or wishes to migrate abroad for better job prospects can take the test. However IELTS is not recommended for candidates under the age of 16

Test Pattern:
There are two versions of the IELTS:

I. Academic Version:
It is intended for those who want to enroll in universities and other institutions of higher education and for professionals such as medical doctors and nurses who want to study or practice in an English-speaking country.

II. General Training Version
It is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training or to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes.
The two versions do not carry the same weight and are not interchangeable

all candidates are tested on writing, listening, reading and speaking skills. Whereas the speaking and listening sections are common for the Academic and General versions of the test, the reading and writing sections are different

TOTAL TIME: 2 Hrs 45 Minutes.

Scoring:

The result will consist of a score in each of the 4 skills (writing, listening, reading and speaking skills) which is then arranged to give the overall brand score or a final mark. Performance is rated in each skill on a scale of 9 to1, the nine overall bands are 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
1- Non user
0- Did not attempt the test

• Read instructions carefully, don’t just glance at them. They are not always the same as in the practice or previous tests.
• Try and anticipate what the speaker will say. This requires concentration, which is easy in your own language, but more difficult in English.
• Don’t be surprised if you hear a range of accents and dialects, as IELTS is an international test.
• Often speakers will give you an answer and then correct themselves, watch out for this. It’s a common trick.
• Remember if you want a high score you should aim to get all questions in parts one and two correct. Don’t make any careless mistakes in the easier sections.
• Small errors such as spelling, omitting ‘s’ or incomplete representation of time e.g. 1.30 instead of 1:30 PM can lead to a low score.
• Don’t panic if you think the topic is too difficult or the speaker is too fast. Relax and tune in.
• Read, write and listen at the same time. Practice doing this.
• Don’t leave blanks, you might as well guess as you won’t be penalized for incorrect answers.

READING

• Look at ways paragraphs are organized.
• Try and predict the content of the paragraph from the opening sentence.
  Don’t panic if you don’t know anything about the passage. All the answers are in the passage and don’t need any specialist knowledge.
• Only give one answer if that is all that’s needed.
• Leave a question if you can’t answer. To spend a long time on one answer is disastrous.
• Go back to it later if you have time and guess the answer if you have to.
• Remember you have no extra time to transfer your answers. Because they have extra time in listening, many candidates think they will be able to do this in the reading module too. You can’t.
• Don’t concentrate on words you don’t know. It wastes valuable time.
• Careless mistakes cost many marks. Copy the answer correctly if it     is in the passage.
  Check spelling.

WRITING

• Plan and organise your answers in paragraphs.
• Don’t repeat ideas in a different way.
• Write to the topic.
• Don’t write too many words. Keep to the word limit for each task.
• Learn to recognise how long 150/250 words are in your handwriting. You don’t really have time to count.
• Avoid informal language.
• Be careful with timing, don’t rush Task 2, it’s longer and carries more marks.
• Don’t memorize model answers, they won’t fit the question and you will make careless mistakes.
• Always spend several minutes re-reading and correcting your essays.

SPEAKING

• It tests your ability to communicate effectively not just your grammatical accuracy.
• Refrain from using prepared answers. The examiner is trained to spot this and will change the question.
• Develop your answers as much as possible.
• Ask for clarification if necessary.
• Remember it is not a test of knowledge and there is no single answer, but ensure that you give your opinion.
• Do not worry about the tape recorder as interviews are recorded for monitoring purposes.
• Practice recording ideas onto a tape recorder at home.