What is IELTS?

IELTS stands for the International English Language Testing System. IELTS is for people planning to move to an English-speaking country for study, work, or immigration. Some of the main places are Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA.

It’s a reliable English test and is accepted by over 12,000 organizations around the world, including institutions, government agencies, and employers. Scoring goes from 1 to 9, and it checks your speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in English.

There are different types of tests, like the IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, and IELTS Life Skills (A1 or B1). Which test you need to take depends on what you want to do? If you’re looking to enroll in a higher education program in an English-speaking country, you’ll likely need the IELTS Academic test.

IELTS is managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, and Cambridge English.

IELTS Types

Based on why you want to move abroad, you can pick one of these IELTS tests:

• IELTS Academic - To study at universities or sign up with professional organizations in English-speaking countries.
• IELTS General Training - If you want to study secondary education, work, or move to an English-speaking country, the IELTS General Training test could be a good fit.
• IELTS Academic for UKVI - It's just like the IELTS Academic test but needed for a UK student visa under UKVI rules.
• IELTS General Training for UKVI - It's just like the General Training but specifically accepted for UK visa and immigration needs.
• IELTS Life Skills (A1 or B1) - For UK visas requiring proof of basic speaking and listening skills only.

IELTS Academic

The IELTS Academic test checks your English skills to see if you're ready for college or a job in fields like medicine, teaching, or law.

It evaluates your abilities in Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The Listening and Speaking sections are the same for both Academic and General Training versions of the test, but the Reading and Writing sections are different.

IELTS Academic test format

If you're taking the Academic or General Training version of the IELTS, you'll have the same Listening and speaking tests, but the Reading and Writing tests will be different. So, make sure you know which version you're preparing for.

You'll take the Listening, Reading, and Writing tests all in one day, with no breaks at all.

The Speaking test is a bit different; it can be scheduled up to a week before or after the other parts. If you're doing the IELTS Online, your Speaking test usually happens before the other sections. Altogether, the Listening, Reading, and Writing tests take about 2 hours and 45 minutes.

IELTS Academic: Listening part

The Listening test will check how well you can understand important points, details, opinions, and the goals of the speakers. It will also see how well you keep up with the flow of ideas in a conversation.

IELTS Academic: Reading part

The IELTS Academic Reading test checks your reading skills in different ways. It looks at how well you can follow an argument and spot the writer’s opinions and intentions. You'll need to understand the main ideas, details, opinions, and some meanings that aren't directly stated. It tests your ability to skim, scan, and read closely.

You'll see 3 long texts in the test, and they come from books, journals, magazines, and newspapers. The topics in these texts are similar to what you'd deal with in university or when applying for jobs in English-speaking places.

IELTS Academic: Writing part

The IELTS Academic Writing test has two parts: Writing Task 1 and Writing Task 2.It have different type of questions.

IELTS Academic: Speaking part

The speaking test is done in person with an IELTS-certified examiner, and they record it just in case it needs to be reviewed later. It lasts around 11 to 14 minutes and is made up of three parts where you'll discuss about different topics with the examiner.

How is the IELTS Academic test marked?

Your results show band scores, which represent your level of English proficiency from 1 to 9. You’ll get a score for each part of the test—Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking—as well as an overall score.

IELTS scores are straightforward. They use a 9-band scale, where 1 is the lowest and 9 is the highest. All IELTS formats stick to the same scoring system.

Where to book your IELTS test

If you know what test you need and have your documents ready, just head over to online booking system to find a place and time that works for you.