Preparing for and sitting the IELTS exam can be a nerve-racking time for language learners. With many questions running through a learner’s head: have I studied enough? Is my writing good enough? Is my pronunciation accurate? One question that often comes up is what to expect from the IELTS exam.
What is the IELTS exam?
IELTS stands for the International English Language Testing System, and it is the most popular English proficiency test. The IELTS exam will test your speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills.
Academic or General Training IELTS?
If you have been looking into taking the IELTS exam, you may have seen that it is split into the general or academic exam. Before you start studying for the IELTS, it is essential to think about why you plan to sit the exam. This will help you to determine whether you should work towards the general IELTS exam or the academic IELTS exam. In general, if you are planning on studying at university, you will need to take the academic exam. It is vital that you research any requirements to make sure that you select the correct test. The speaking and listening sections are the same for the Academic and General Training exams. However, the reading and writing sections are different, so you must prepare for the correct exam.
Overview
The IELTS exam is split into four parts; speaking, writing, listening, and reading. In total, it lasts around 2 hours and 45 minutes. The reading and writing sections take one hour each, and the listening lasts for 30 minutes, whilst the speaking section lasts between 11 and 14 minutes. You will sit the listening, reading, and writing sections on the same day, whilst the speaking exam may be scheduled for a different day.
Timing
You are not allowed to take a watch into the IELTS test room, but you must remain aware of your timing throughout the exam. There will be a clock in the test room, and the online test will have a clock on the test screen. It is important that you practice under timed conditions to improve your confidence. It is also important to note whether or not you get transfer time. In the paper version of the IELTS listening test, you will be given 10 minutes to transfer your answers to your answer sheet. However, no transfer time is given if you are taking the online IELTS exam, as it is not needed.
IELTS Scores
Scores are given as bands on a scale from 1 to 9, with 1 being the lowest score. You will get a score for each test- reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The average of these scores is then rounded to the nearest half-band to create the overall score.
If you are planning on taking the IELTS for university, you may be aiming for around a band 6 to 7; depending on the university, a band 7 is referred to as a good user.
A closer look at the writing Exam
The academic IELTS writing exam lasts around one hour and is split into two tasks. In task 1, you need to write a summary of around 150 words in response to a graph or pictorial information. This might be a line graph, bar graph, pie chart, chart, diagram, or map.
In task two, you will need to write an essay. The main types of essay questions you will face are:
- Opinion
- Discussion
- Solution
- Direct
- Advantages and Disadvantages
You should spend around 20 minutes on task 1 and approximately 40 minutes on task 2.
What to do next?
Are you planning to take the IELTS exam? Are you looking to improve your IELTS writing score? Are you looking to write with more confidence?
If you answered yes to these questions, then the Skill Up: IELTS Writing Preparation Course running in April is for you!
The course is packed full of tips and expert guidance on what to expect from the exam, with a focus on exam skills.
The course includes 4 1-hour group sessions with personalised feedback after each session, downloadable audio, video and written course materials, plus a guest masterclass from an IELTS expert!
This is the ultimate intensive course to get your writing IELTS-ready!
For more information about how we can help you smash your English goals, or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at hello@intrepidenglish.co.uk
