IELTS is one of the most popular English competency tests which evaluates candidates’ abilities of reading, listening, speaking, and writing.
If you want to join institutions or organizations in the most important English-speaking country, then aiming for the IELTS 9-band system is a prerequisite for you.
Scoring 6 points or above is considered sufficient for most of the universities even though some might demand score more than 7. Test or not, IELTS Exam is a first big step towards your international dreams, let us go through some of the important aspects concerning your needs.
Which IELTS should I give?
In the rush to do this, don’t forget to consult with the institution of your interest to confirm which IELTS score they require. The IELTS exam mainly consists of two types.
• IELTS Academic is designed for professional registration purposes and students who wish to study in an English-speaking environment.
• IELTS General Training is attempted by candidates who want to study below degree level or aim for migration in countries like Australia, New Zealand, UK, and Canada.
Between IELTS Academic and IELTS general, reading and writing modules minorly differ by type of contents in questions.
IELTS EXAM OVERVIEW
The average test time is 2 hours 45 minutes, which is divided into sections according to the following table:
| SKILL | NUMBER OF SECTIONS | TIME (minutes) |
| Listening | 4 | 30+10 (transfer time) |
| Reading | 3 | 60 |
| Writing | 2 | 40 |
| Speaking | 3 | 11-14 |
You will have to complete three modules – listening, reading and writing on the same day, while the speaking test, which is an oral interview, can be taken seven days before or after completion of other modules.
Being good at only some of the skills is not going help you climb the ladder of successful admission or migration. It is better to study for each section and work on your weaknesses, as the IELTS score is distributed in all sections equally. How? Let’s see.
LISTENING
In the listening module, you will have to answer 40 questions by listening to four recordings – all of which are played only ONCE.
It would be best if you remain vigilant, listen closely and write your answers on your question paper as soon as you hear them and write your answers on the answer sheet in the transfer time (10 minutes).
Pro tip: Watch Hollywood movies, series or YouTube videos with and without subtitles to understand the difference and to exercise your listening and interpreting skills.
READING
In the reading module, you will be given 60 minutes to crack 40 questions. It is divided into three sections, which usually consist of texts from magazines, newspapers, books and journals.
The question types will range from sentence completion, multiple-choice, short answers to name diagrams, table completion, etc.
Pro tip – A daily reading practice of articles from newspapers, the Internet and other authentic sources works on your speed, the processing of words and brings accuracy in reading.
WRITING
The writing section expects you to fill in gaps with your thoughtful input on topics like education, current news, environment and more.
In the ongoing situation, it could either be your keyboard and screen or pen and paper to take this test.
Divided into two sections, the writing modules includes questions like verbalizing diagrammatic representations, defending your opinion on a general topic via a letter or essay in 150-250 words.
Pro tip: Pick some current topics, some familiar topics and test your writing skills after reading on your chosen topic. Bring novelty to your essays to impress the examiner, but use grammatically sound English.
SPEAKING
The speaker module is like a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” of the IELTS test. Although it takes the least test time (11-14 minutes), it holds the same points as any other module.
The talk section includes a one-on-one interview with a certified IELTS examiners. Sessions would mainly include your introduction (4-5 minutes), individual talk about a personal topic (3-4 minutes) and discussion with the examiner on a general topic (4-5 minutes).
Pro tip: Practice speaking with your near and dear ones on current topics in English. Nowadays, even conversing with virtual artificial intelligence assistants such as Alexa, Siri, etc. can help you improve in your speech.
At PTE, we make sure that you get enough practice and acquire the right skills to qualify your IELTS test sections for the desired band score. Contact our experts today to help you clear Level 1 towards your dream.