IELTS Back-To-Basics

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is an English language proficiency exam which measures the ability of test-takers to communicate in the four basic language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking.

IELTS READING - SCORING 

In both the General and Academic Reading Modules, one mark is awarded for each correct answer. A special table converts the scores out of 40 into a band score on the IELTS band scale. You may receive a whole band or a half band. Your overall score is the average of the band scores you receive in the four modules. This final score itself may be represented as a whole band or a half band.

There are 10-11 types of questions on both the Academic or General Reading Module:

• Multiple choice
• Multiple matching
• Short-answer
• Sentence completion
• Tables, diagrams, flow charts
• Summary completion
• Paragraph headings
• Locating information
• Identifying writer's views or claims
• Classification
• Matching 

Specifically, three key reading skills will help you do the above most effectively: 

skimming,scanning and reading for detail

The first two strategies, skimming and scanning, involve reading very quickly, but each strategy has a different purpose. Skimming means reading quickly to get the main idea of a text. Scanning means reading quickly to look for a specific piece of info or specific words. The third approach, reading for detail means reading every word in order to really understand the message of the text.

On the IELTS, you will need to use all three techniques at different stages. For example, you may start by skimming through the entire text to get a general idea of the passage. Next, you may look at the questions to see what kind of information is required. Then, you may scan the text for a specific piece of information or read a particular section in greater detail to discover the information you need to answer the question correctly.

IELTS Writing - Overview

The IELTS Academic and General Writing Modules are similar in some ways and different in others. Whichever test you do, you have one hour to complete two tasks. It is the nature of the tasks that makes them different. You can see this clearly in the chart below:

	General	Academic
Task 1	Minimum 150 words Writing a letter in response to a situation – informal, semi-formal, or formal	Minimum 150 words Interpreting, describing, or comparing information presented in graphic form - a diagram, bar chart, line graph, pie chart or table
Task 2	Minimum 250 words Writing a more personal essay – possible informal style	Minimum 250 words Writing an essay on a general academic topic – formal style

In both cases, your score is based on three fundamental criteria:

• Content: How well do you r present your arguments, ideas and evidence?
• Quality: How effectively are you able to communicate your ideas and thoughts?
• Technical Aspects: How correct is your grammar? How rich is your vocabulary? How varied are your sentences?

IELTS Listening

The IELTS Listening Test is the same for the Academic and General Training modules. You listen to language spoken in a social or academic context and answer a series of questions. The tape is played only once so you have to practice sufficiently beforehand to pick up what’s being said the first time around.

The listening test is divided into four sections with 10 questions in each part (a total of 40 questions). This module lasts about 30 minutes. You get an extra 10 minutes at the end to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

IELTS LISTENING - QUESTION TYPES
The listening test measures how well you can listen for main ideas, specific information, supporting information, facts and opinions. You will find a variety of question types:

• multiple choice
• short answer
• sentence completion
• notes/diagram/flow chart completion
• matching
• Classification

SPEECH STYLES

Each of the four sections of the IELTS Listening Test focuses on a different type of speech, as shown below:

• Section 1 – A social or transactional dialogue – 2 speakers
• Section 2 – A topic or short speech on a general topic – 1 speaker
• Section 3 – A conversation in an academic context – 2-4 speakers
• Section 4 – An academic lecture – 1 speaker

IELTS Speaking

The Speaking Module of the IELTS rates your ability to communicate clearly, correctly and meaningfully in English in a variety of situations. You are interviewed alone by an examiner and the conversation is recorded.

Speaking Structure

Part	Time	Category
1	4-5 minutes	Introduction & Interview on Familiar Topics
2	3-4 minutes	Individual Long Turn  or Extended Speaking  or Monologue
3	4-5 minutes	Two-Way Discussion  or Topic Discussion