The International English Language Testing System is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP and Cambridge English, and was established in 1989. IELTS is one of the major English-language tests in the world. The IELTS test has two modules: Academic and General Training. IELTS One Skill Retake was introduced in 2023, which allows a test taker to retake any one section (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking) of the test.
IELTS characteristics
IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training are designed to cover the full range of abilities from non-user to expert user. The Academic version is for test takers who want to study at the tertiary level in an English-speaking country or seek professional registration. The General Training version is for test takers who want to work, train, study at a secondary school or migrate to an English-speaking country.
The difference between the Academic and General Training versions is the content, context, and purpose of the tasks. All other features, such as timing allocation, length of written responses, and reporting of scores, are the same.
IELTS Academic and General Training both incorporate the following features:
IELTS tests the ability to listen, read, write and speak in English.
The speaking module is a key component of IELTS. It is conducted in the form of a one-to-one interview with an examiner. The examiner assesses the test taker as they are speaking. The speaking session is also recorded for monitoring and for re-marking in case of an appeal against the score given.
A variety of accents and writing styles have been presented in test materials in order to minimize linguistic bias. The accents in the listening section are generally 80% British, Australian, New Zealander and 20% others (mostly American).
IELTS is developed by experts at Cambridge English Language Assessment with input from item writers from around the world. Teams are located in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and other English-speaking nations.
Band scores are used for each language sub-skill (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking). They are averaged out to derive the overall band score for each test taker.
IELTS test structure
Modules
There are two modules of the IELTS:
Academic Module and
General Training Module
There’s 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 practice 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 four parts of the IELTS test
Listening: 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes’ transfer time)
Reading: 60 minutes
Writing: 60 minutes
Speaking: 11–14 minutes
The total test time is: 2 hours and 45 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.
Listening
The module comprises four sections, with ten questions in each section. It takes 40 minutes: 30 – for testing, plus 10 for transferring the answers to an answer sheet.
Sections 1 and 2 are about everyday, social situations.
Section 1 has a conversation between two speakers (for example, a conversation about travel arrangements)
Section 2 has one person speaking (for example, a speech about local facilities).
Sections 3 and 4 are about educational and training situations
Section 3 is a conversation between two main speakers (for example, a discussion between two university students, perhaps guided by a tutor)
Section 4 has one person speaking about an academic subject.
Each section begins with a short introduction telling the test taker about the situation and the speakers. Then they have some time to look through the questions. The questions are in the same order as the information in the recording, so the answer to the first question will be before the answer to the second question, and so on. The first three sections have a break in the middle allowing test takers to look at the remaining questions. Each section is heard only once.
At the end of the test students are given 10 minutes to transfer their answers to an answer sheet.[20] Test takers will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.
Reading
The Reading paper has three sections and texts totalling 2,150–2,750 words. There will be a variety of question types, such as multiple-choice, short-answer questions, identifying information, identifying writer’s views, labelling diagrams, completing a summary using words taken from the text and matching information/headings/features in the text/sentence endings. Test takers should be careful when writing down their answers as they will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.
Texts in IELTS Academic
Three reading texts, which come from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online resources written for non-specialist audiences. All the topics are of general interest to students at undergraduate or postgraduate level.
Texts in IELTS General Training
Section 1 contains two or three short texts or several shorter texts, which deal with everyday topics. For example, timetables or notices – things a person would need to understand when living in an English-speaking country.
Section 2 contains two texts, which deal with work. For example, job descriptions, contracts, training materials.
Section 3 contains one long text about a topic of general interest. The text is generally descriptive, longer and more complex than the texts in Sections 1 and 2. The text will be taken from a newspaper, magazine, book or online resource.
Writing
The Writing paper has two tasks which must both be completed. In task 1 test takers write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. In task 2 test takers write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. Test takers will be penalised if their answer is too short or does not relate to the topic. Answers should be written in full sentences (test takers must not use notes or bullet points).
IELTS Academic
Task 1: test takers describe a graph, table, chart, map, process, pie chart or diagram in their own words.
Task 2: test takers discuss a point of view, argument, or problem. Depending on the task, test takers may be required to present a solution to a problem, present and justify an opinion, compare and contrast evidence, opinions and implications, and evaluate and challenge ideas, evidence or an argument.
IELTS General Training
Task 1: test takers write a letter in response to a given everyday situation. For example, writing to an accommodation officer about problems with your accommodation, writing to a new employer about problems managing your time, or writing to a local newspaper about a plan to develop a local airport.
Task 2: test takers write an essay about a topic of general interest. For example, whether smoking should be banned in public places, whether children’s leisure activities should be educational, or how environmental problems can be solved.
Speaking
The speaking test is a face-to-face interview between the test taker and an examiner.
The speaking test contains three sections.
Section 1: introduction and interview (4–5 minutes). Test takers may be asked about their home, family, work, studies, hobbies, interests, reasons for taking IELTS exam, and other general topics such as clothing, free time, computers, and the Internet.
Section 2: long turn (3–4 minutes). Test takers are given a task card about a particular topic. Test takers have one minute to prepare to talk about this topic. The task card states the points that should be included in the talk and one aspect of the topic which must be explained during the talk. Test takers are then expected to talk about the topic for one to two minutes, after which the examiner may ask one or two questions.
Section 3: discussions (4–5 minutes). The third section involves a discussion between the examiner and the test taker, generally on questions relating to the theme which they have already spoken about in Section 2. These questions usually consist of two sets of four or five questions.