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Democratizing International Education for Indian Students

IELTS FastTrack

Lecture 1
Introduction to IELTS
Table of Contents

Introduction

Page 3

Listening Module

Page 4

Reading Module

Page 6

Writing Module
Page 8

Speaking Module
Page 10

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Introduction
The International English Language Test (IELTS)
is designed to help you work, study or migrate to
a country where English is the native language.
This includes countries such as Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, the UK and USA.
- Your ability to listen, read, write and speak in
English will be assessed during the test. IELTS is
graded on a scale of 1-9.
- IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council
and IDP.

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 Listening Module Tips
✔ Learn to concentrate for 45 minutes
During the listening exam students need to focus and concentrate for
up to 45 minutes. For many students this is difficult to do because
they are not used to concentrating for so long. When you do practice
listening tests make sure you do tasks that take up to 45 minutes so
that you improve your ability to focus for long periods of time.
✔ Improve your active vocabulary
All parts of the IELTS exam test the vocabulary levels of students and
the listening exam is no exception. Increase your chances of getting
answers correct by having a wide range of vocabulary. Knowing the
meaning of a word is not good enough for IELTS, you need to know
the different forms of the word as well as the correct spelling. Find
useful IELTS vocabulary from practice IELTS reading exams.
✔ Identify keywords in the questions
It is possible to know what you need to listen for before you actually
listen. Use words in the questions to know what type of word the
answer will be. You should also use keywords to follow along with the
audio. When there are names or numbers given in the question then
when you hear those things you know you should get ready to hear
the answer to that particular question.
✔ Have fun with your preparation
Try to enjoy the experience of preparing for the IELTS exam. If you are
always serious and stressed out you are less likely to find time to
study. Try to make the experience enjoyable by studying with friends
and including study games as part of your preparation.
✔ Practice under real exam conditions
Many students do practice tests at home or in class and perform
quite well compared with when they do the real IELTS exam. The
reason for this is usually down to how they feel during the exam. It is
advisable to practice under real exam conditions so that you get used
to the strict exam environment. Do practice tests with other students,
without distractions, with real time limits and with answer sheets.

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 Reading Module
The Academic Reading test assesses a wide range of reading skills including your
ability to follow an argument, recognise a writer’s opinion, attitude or purpose. It
looks at how well you can read to understand main ideas, details, opinions and
implied meanings. Your reading comprehension skills are tested, covering
skimming, scanning and reading for detail.
The Academic Reading test is made up of 3 long texts which are taken from
current books, journals, magazines and newspapers. The texts are related to
topics you might face if you were to study at an undergraduate or postgraduate
level or apply for professional registration in an English-speaking environment.
You will have to answer 40 questions in the Academic Reading test. These
questions can range from multiple choice to identifying information or a writer’s
view, matching headings, features and sentence endings, as well as sentence,
summary, note, table and flow-chart completions, and short-answer questions.

Types of Questions

No. Task type What do I have to do?

1 Multiple Choice Choose one answer from alternatives A-D.

Choose one answer from alternatives A-E.
Choose one answer from alternatives A-G.

2 Identifying Information Say whether a statement is True, False or Not Given

(T/F/NG)

3 Identifying the writer’s Say whether a statement agrees or disagrees with claims or
views/claims (Y/N/NG) views or whether no information is given.

4 Matching information Match information to a paragraph in the text

5 Matching headings Match a heading from a list of possible answers to the correct
paragraph or section in the text.

6 Matching features Match a list of statements to a list of possible answers in a box

(e.g. specific people or theories or dates)

7 Matching sentence endings Complete a sentence by choosing a suitable ending from a box
of possible answers

8 Sentence completion Complete a sentence with a suitable word or words from the text
within the word limit given.

9 Notes/summary/table/flow Complete Notes/summary/table/flow chart completion with a

chart completion suitable word (or words) from a text.

10 Labelling a diagram Label a diagram with a suitable word (or words) from the text or
from a box of possible answers.

11 Short answer questions Answer questions using words from the text.

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Writing Module
The IELTS Academic Writing test is made up of two tasks, Writing Task
1 and Writing Task 2. The questions in the Academic Writing test are
different to those in the General Training Writing test.
In Academic Writing Task 1, you are shown a visual representation of
information: graph, table or diagram, and you’re asked to summarise,
or describe the information you see. Make sure you organise your
response into 3 main parts - the introduction, an overview and the
main features supported by figures from the diagram.
In Academic Writing Task 2, you will be presented with a point of
view, argument, or problem. The topics can range from the
environment to immigration, culture, and even technology. You might
be asked to, agree or disagree with a point of view or argument,
discuss two opposing views, write about the advantages or
disadvantages of a topic, or explain a given problem, or the cause of a
problem and offer a solution. Your response for Academic Writing
Task 2 will need to be in an essay format.

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 Speaking Module
In the Speaking test, you have a discussion with a certified Examiner. It is
interactive and as close to a real-life situation as a test can get.

What is the format?

The test is 11 to 14 minutes long. There are three parts.

1. Part 1 of IELTS Speaking consists of questions about you, family, work and your
interests. It is meant to relax you and get you talking.
2. Part 2 of IELTS Speaking consists of speaking about a given topic. The examiner
will give the candidate a task/cue card. The card asks you to speak about a
particular topic. There are points that you should cover in your talk. You will have
one minute to prepare. Then you will have to speak for one-two minutes. Don’t
speak for less time, you will lose marks. The examiner will stop you after two
minutes.
3. Part 3 of IELTS Speaking consists of a longer discussion that is related to the
topic of Part 2. This is the part where you get the lion’s share of your score. You
need to go into depth and provide reasons, examples and analysis.

What you need to do?

Basically, the IELTS speaking test gives you the opportunity to communicate
opinions and information on everyday topics and common experiences. You need
to speak at length on the given topic while using appropriate language for the
topic. You must organize your ideas in a coherent manner and justify your
opinions with suitable examples and analysis. It isn’t about being right!
Additionally, you need to demonstrate an ability to speculate as you might in a
university seminar or business meeting.

What are the topics like ?

There are dozens and dozens of topics; however, none of them require
specialized knowledge. You won’t be asked to describe an engineering or medical
process, for example. Topics tend to be based on issues that frequently appear in
English language media.
Remember, Part 1 topics are introductory in nature. They are the simplest part.
Part 2 topics tend to be of a personal nature. You may be asked to describe a
family member you admire or a festival in your country. Part 3 requires you
to discuss, speculate and explain, regarding the importance of family or how
festivals define our society. This section will make or break your score.
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