IELTS
International English Language Testing System
The International English Language Testing System, or IELTS /, is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment, and was established in 1989. IELTS is one of the major English-language tests in the world, others being the TOEFL, TOEIC, PTE:A and OPI/OPIc. IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian and New Zealand academic institutions, by over 3,000 academic institutions in the United States, and by various professional organisations across the world. IELTS is the only Secure English Language Test approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) for visa customers applying both outside and inside the UK. It also meets requirement for immigration to Australia, where TOEFL and Pearson Test of English Academic are also accepted, and New Zealand. In Canada, IELTS, TEF, or CELPIP are accepted by the immigration authority. No minimum score is required to pass the test. An IELTS result or Test Report Form is issued to all test takers with a score from "band 1" ("non-user") to "band 9" ("expert user") and each institution sets a different threshold. There is also a "band 0" score for those who did not attempt the test. Institutions are advised not to consider a report older than two years to be valid, unless the user proves that they have worked to maintain their level. In 2017, over 3 million tests were taken in more than 140 countries, up from 2 million tests in 2012, 1.7 million tests in 2011 and 1.4 million tests in 2009. In 2007, IELTS administered more than one million tests in a single 12-month period for the first time ever, making it the world's most popular English language test for higher education and immigration
IELTS test structure
Modules
There are two modules of the IELTS:
1. Academic Module
2. General Training Module
There is also a separate test offered by the IELTS test partners, called IELTS Life Skills:
● IELTS Academic 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 practise in an English-speaking country.
● IELTS General Training is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training or to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes.
● IELTS Life Skills is intended for those who need to prove their English speaking and listening skills at Common European Framework of Reference for Languages(CEFR) levels A1 or B1 and can be used to apply for a ‘family of a settled person’ visa, indefinite leave to remain or citizenship in the UK
The IELTS test has four parts
1. Listening: 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes' transfer time)
2. Reading: 60 minutes
3. Writing: 60 minutes
4. Speaking: 11–14 minutes
The IELTS test has four parts
1. Listening: 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes' transfer time)
2. Reading: 60 minutes
3. Writing: 60 minutes
4. Speaking: 11–14 minutes
The test total time is: 2 hours and 55 minutes. Listening, Reading and Writing are completed in one sitting. The Speaking test may be taken on the same day or up to seven days before or after the other tests. All test takers take the same Listening and Speaking tests, while the Reading and Writing tests differ depending on whether the test taker is taking the Academic or General Training versions of the test.