IELTS

Now you know what kind of test are available for you. Each test has its own advantage and purpose. But in this post, I will only discuss regarding IELTS.

IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, is designed to assess the language ability of candidates who need to study or work where English is used as the language of communication. IELTS is required for entry to university in the UK and other countries.

Who is it for?

IELTS is recognised by universities and employers in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA. It is also recognised by professional bodies, immigration authorities and other government agencies.
More than 1.4 million people a year take the test.

What is the IELTS test like?

You can choose between the Academic or General Training versions of the test. All candidates do the same Listening and Speaking sections.
The test has four sections:
Listening - 4 sections, 40 questions, 30 minutes
Speaking - interview, 15 minutes
Reading - different for Academic or General Training - 3 sections, 40 questions, 60 minutes
Writing - different for Academic or General Training - pieces of writing, 60 minutes

IELTS is a multi-level exam. You get a score between 1 and 9 for each section. Half scores such
as 6.5 are possible. Universities often demand an IELTS score of 6 or
7. They may also demand a minimum score in each of the 4 sections.

IELTS Listening marking schemes

For the listening test, which contains 40 questions, the approximate band scores can be calculated using this table.

Band Score	9	8.5	8	7.5	7	6.5	6	5.5	5	4.5	4	3.5	3	2.5
Score / 40	39-40	37-38	35-36	32-34	30-31	26-29	23-25	18-22	16-17	13-15	10-12	8-10	6-7	4-5

 

IELTS General Reading marking schemes

For the general reading test, which contains 40 questions, the approximate band scores can be calculated using this table.

Band Score	9	8.5	8	7.5	7	6.5	6	5.5	5	4.5	4	3.5	3	2.5
Score / 40	40	39	37-38	36	34-35	32-33	30-31	27-29	23-26	19-22	15-18	12-14	9-11	6-8

 

IELTS Academic Reading marking schemes

For the academic reading test, which also contains 40 questions, but is more difficult, the approximate band scores can be calculated using this table.

Band Score	9	8.5	8	7.5	7	6.5	6	5.5	5	4.5	4	3.5	3	2.5
Score / 40	39-40	37-38	35-36	33-34	30-32	27-29	23-26	19-22	15-18	13-14	10-12	8-9	6-7	4-5

 

IELTS Writing marking schemes

The two writing questions are marked out of 9 according to the following criteria:

• Task Achievement
• Coherence and Cohesion
• Lexical Resource
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy

IELTS Speaking marking schemes

The speaking test is also marked out of 9 according to the following criteria:

• Fluency and coherence
• Lexical resource
• Grammatical range and accuracy
• Pronunciation