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TABLE OF CONTENTS

About IELTS............................................................................................................................................................. 3

IELTS Test Formats ................................................................................................................................................. 3

How to interpret IELTS band score? ...................................................................................................................... 4

How to register for IELTS?...................................................................................................................................... 4

IELTS Test Fee ......................................................................................................................................................... 5

IELTS Results ........................................................................................................................................................... 5

IELTS Paper Pattern ................................................................................................................................................ 5

Listening ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Reading (Academic) .................................................................................................................................................... 6
Reading (General Training) ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Writing (Academic) ..................................................................................................................................................... 8
Writing (General Training) .......................................................................................................................................... 8
Speaking ...................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Preparation tips for IELTS ...................................................................................................................................... 9

Common mistakes made by students....................................................................................................................... 10

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About IELTS
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is a standardized international English test to check the
proficiency of the language. The exam is conducted jointly by IDP Education Private limited, the British Council and
University of Cambridge ESOL Examination. This test is taken by the people who want to work or study in an English
speaking country.

FAST FACTS
IELTS is accepted in more than 6,000 organizations across the globe that includes universities,
immigration authorities, employers etc.
In the United States alone, more than 3,000 academic institutions accept IELTS
More than 125 countries conduct IELTS examination every year
IELTS is conducted up to four times a week in certain countries
Usually the test is conducted on Thursdays and Saturdays

IELTS Test Formats

The IELTS examination comes in two different formats:
Academic
Academic format is for the candidates who want to pursue further or higher education in an English speaking
country. The students who go abroad for undergraduate and post graduate studies should take the Academic
format.
General training
This format is for those who go to an English speaking country for work experience, secondary education or training
programmes. The candidates who aim at migrating to the countries like New Zealand, Canada and Australia must
take this form of test.
What you want to do?

The test format for you

I want to go for post graduate studies in an

English speaking country
I want to join a professional organization in an
English speaking country

Academic

I want to immigrate to an English speaking

country
I want to study a below graduate course
I want to undertake a training in an English
speaking country

General Training

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How to interpret IELTS band score?

The final score of the test is known as Band Score that is calculated on a scale from 0 to 9. The IELTS band score
scale is given below:
Band Score
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Interpretation
Expert User
Very Good User
Good User
Competent User
Modest User
Limited User
Extremely Limited User
Intermittent User
Non User
Did not attempt the test

How to register for IELTS?

Follow the below given seven steps to register for IELTS:
Step 1
Find out the nearest IELTS test centre in your locality. Get the test dates of the centre and note down the
application deadlines.
Step 2
Confirm the test format that you need to take (Academic or General training)
Step 3
Click here to take the print out of the IELTS application form. Read the terms and conditions carefully and complete
the application form. Make sure that you have given a valid postal address in the form. Some centres offer online
application for the test. In that case, the candidate needs to go to the official website and apply online.
Step 4
Get two passport size photographs (not older than six months). You must not wear glasses while taking the
photograph and it needs to be taken against a white background.
Step 5
Take the photocopy of your passport (both front and back pages)

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Step 6
If you want to send your results directly to the universities, include the correct details of the institutes
Step 7
Visit your test centre with the completed application form and test fees. The candidates can also pay online or using
the debit/ credit card.

IELTS Test Fee

INR 8900 for all test dates till 30th June 2013
INR 9300 for all test dates from 1st July 2013

IELTS Results
The students will get the IELTS results after 13 days of the test. To view the results, the candidates need visit British
Council official website and provide the below given information:

Test date
Date o birth
Identification document number
Candidate number

The British Council will send the Test Report Form (TRF) to the candidate by post 13 days after the test.
If the candidate is unhappy about the results, he/she can retake the test as many times as possible.

IELTS Paper Pattern

Listening
Timing

30 minutes plus 10 minutes to transfer the answers to the answer sheet

Number of questions

40

Type of questions

Number of sections/parts

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Multiple choice
Matching
Form completion
Map/ diagram/ plan labelling
Table completion
Flow chart completion
Sentence completion
Summary completion
Short- answer questions

Four sections:

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Section 1: Conversation between two people related to a normal daily activity such as
finding an accommodation or getting a library card
Section 2: A monologue where a person explains about a common issue or speaks
about a topic such as the need of parks in residence area
Section 3: A conversation between four people on an academic topic
Section 4: A monologue on an academic topic
Skills assessed

Marks

Understanding factual information and main ideas

Recognizing options
Understanding the development of an argument
Identifying various pronunciations

Score out of 40. One mark for each correct answer. No negative marking

Conversion of listening score to band score

Score on 39-40 37-38 35-36 32-34 30-31 26-29 23-25 18-22 16-17 13-15
40
Band
9
8.5
8
7.5
7
6.5
6
5.5
5
4.5
Score

10-12

8-10

6-7

4-5

3.5

2.5

Reading (Academic)
Timing

60 minutes

Number of questions

40

Type of questions

Number of sections/parts
Skills assessed

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Multiple choice
Identifying information
Identifying writers views
Matching information
Matching headings
Matching sentence endings
Sentence completion
Summary completion
Diagram label completion
Short answer questions

Three sections (2,150 to 2,750 words)

Reading for gist

Reading for main ideas
Reading for details
Understanding inferences
Recognizing writers opinion and attitude

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Marks

Score out of 40. One mark for each correct answer. No negative marking

Conversion of reading score to band score (Academic)

Score on 39-40 37-38 35-36 33-34 30-32 27-29 23-26 19-22 15-18 13-14
40
Band
9
8.5
8
7.5
7
6.5
6
5.5
5
4.5
Score

10-12

8-9

6-7

4-5

3.5

2.5

Reading (General Training)

Timing

60 minutes

Number of questions

40

Type of questions

Number of sections/parts

Multiple choice
Identifying information
Identifying writers views
Matching information
Matching headings
Matching sentence endings
Sentence completion
Summary completion
Diagram label completion
Short answer questions

Three sections
Section 1: Two to three texts that contains factual information about a general
topic
Section 2: Two or three texts that contain information about the general issues that
come across in an English speaking country
Section 3: A long text on a topic that is of common interest

Skills assessed

Marks

Reading for gist

Reading for main ideas
Reading for details
Understanding inferences
Recognizing writers opinion and attitude

Score out of 40. One mark for each correct answer. No negative marking

Conversion of reading score to band score (General Training)

Score on 40
40

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39

37-38

36

34-35

32-33

30-31

27-29

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23-26

19-22

15-18

1214

911
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6-8

Band
Score

8.5

7.5

6.5

5.5

4.5

3.5

2.5

Writing (Academic)
Timing

60 minutes

Number of tasks

Two tasks
Task 1: The candidate needs to explain a diagram, graph or illustration and explain the
information given in the same
Task 2: The candidate needs to write an essay explaining his/ her viewpoint to a point or
argument given as the topic

Skills assessed

Marks

Writing ability
Organization of ideas
Compare the data and present effectively
Present and justify an opinion
Compare and contrast evidence
Evaluate and challenge ideas, argument or evidence

Assessment is based on four criteria:

Task achievement/ response

Coherence and cohesion
Lexical resource
Grammatical range and accuracy

Writing (General Training)

Timing

60 minutes

Number of tasks

Two tasks
Task 1: The candidate is presented with a situation and asked to write a letter seeking
information or explaining the situation. The letter could be formal or informal.
Task 2: The candidate needs to write an essay t an argument or point of view that is
more personal in nature as compared to Academic module

Skills assessed

Marks

Writing ability
Organization of ideas
Ability to provide information in an engaging mode
Express opinion
Evaluate and challenge ideas
Outline a problem and suggest a solution

Assessment is based on four criteria:

Task achievement/ response
Coherence and cohesion

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 Lexical resource
Grammatical range and accuracy

Speaking
Timing

11 to 14 minutes

Number of parts

Three parts in which the candidate will have a face-to-face interaction with the
examiner
Part 1 (4-5 minutes): This is the general introduction part where the candidate
introduces himself/ herself to the examiner
Part 2 (3-4 minutes): In this part, the examiner gives the candidate a score card with a
topic to speak on. The candidate will get some time to prepare points.
Part 3 (4-5 minutes): This part consists of a discussion between the examiner and the
candidate on the topic.

Skills assessed

Marks

Ability to communicate opinions and information on a general topic

Answering a range of questions
Ability to speak at length
Ability to express opinion and justify it

Assessment is based on four criteria as per IELTS Speaking Test Band Description:

Fluency and coherence

Lexical resource
Grammatical range and accuracy
Pronunciation

Preparation tips for IELTS

IELTS is the only test of this type which has a face-to-face speaking test, which enables test-takers to show their
skills in real-life interactions.
Say no to learning by rote
Often there are perfect bits of writing, which test-takers have memorised, and very incorrect bits which are clearly
the test-takers true level, making it very obvious to the examiner. This is a serious mistake that can backfire
because examiners are trained to look for memorised essays or scripts. When an individual memorises chunks of
language without a context, there is very little flexibility to fit new or unfamiliar situations.
How must you learn?
To learn a language really well, it would be ideal to have as much exposure to it as possible. So, a word of advice
would be to read and listen to English as much as possible as this will also help with the skills of writing and
speaking.

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Tips to prepare for each section

Listening and Reading

Read questions carefully first, underline keywords and then answers

While listening, make a note of answers on the question paper
Read, write and listen at the same time
Often the speaker will give you an answer, then correct themselves - watch out for this
If you think the topic is difficult or the speaker is too fast, relax and tune in

Writing

Highlight/circle keywords in the questions

Plan your answer before you write
Stick to the topic
One paragraph = one idea
Make sure you write at least the minimum number of words required
Make sure there is time to check spelling, punctuation and grammar

Speaking
Try to relax, listen carefully to the examiners questions & instructions.
Give full answers to the questions.
Aim to speak more than the examiner.
Use the preparation time to plan your talk.
A fewgeneral
tips...
Before the test, practise speaking for full 2 minutes and try to use all of this time in your turn.
Spelling is important
Use of informal language, abbreviations and slang is not acceptable
Dont leave blank answers you do not lose marks for wrong answers, but you will if you do not try at all
Whatever happens, dont panic. Keep calm and do your best

Common mistakes made by students

1. Preparing by rote method
2. Focusing only on the test rather than improving English skills. A wide exposure to English is recommended,
not just narrowly focusing on test items
3. Not managing time well, especially in reading. Its essential to get an overall understanding and be able to
scan for specific information (also important to transfer answers to the answer sheet within the given time)
4. Not answering all parts of the question in speaking and writing parts. It is essential to really listen and focus
on each part of the question or topic, as missing one part will mean you did not answer the question
completely, and thus cause loss of marks

The students can download IELTS practice papers for free! Click here to download now!
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