Understanding the IELTS Test

What is the IELTS test and how is it relevant to you?

Here is the low-down on the test before we get into the details in later articles

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System

Why the test is conducted or taken?

The IELTS test was created by University of Cambridge to help colleges and universities, companies, countries and other institutions identify an applicant's understanding of and ability to use English language. A very important thing to keep in mind is that the IELTS test only checks your ability to converse in English, i.e. listen, read, write and speak, and not your knowledge of the world or any other subject. To put it in other words, even if you are not an Einstein but can share clearly what you want to say you will definitely perform well on the test. And here is another fact, with the right mind-set and guidance, IELTS will probably be the easiest test you will ever appear for!

You will need to take the test if you want to study abroad, apply for jobs overseas or settle in a different country, particularly in an English speaking country. So people who want to study, work or settle in countries such as United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, UAE and USA will appear for the IELTS test.

How are you scored?

You will be tested for all four language skills i.e., Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. You will then get a Band score between 0 and 9 for each of the skills and the overall score is then calculated by adding the 4 and dividing by 4. The higher the band score the better! Band score should not be confused with marks as they are totally different (We will understand the difference in a different article).  Most universities will ask for an overall band score of 6.5 with minimum of band 6 on all 4 skills and if you are appearing for Canada PR then you need a score of 8,7,7,7 (8 for listening, 7 for reading, 7 for writing and 7 for speaking)

The types of IELTS test:

There are two types of IELTS tests, Academic and General Training. 

Academic test if for test takers who are appearing for the IELTS test because they want to study in a university abroad. It can also be taken by some people who are looking to apply for jobs abroad, particularly in technical fields such as medicine, engineering, flying, teaching or senior management corporate jobs.

General Training test is for test takers who are appearing for the test because they want to settle in an English speaking country such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand or England. Most people applying for jobs abroad will appear for this test. 

In general, appearing for the General training test is easier than the Academic test, but in most cases a higher score is expected on the General Training test, as compared to the Academic test. That being said, always confirm, with the institution you are applying to, which test you need to appear for.

How to appear for the test?

Though the test was developed by The University of Cambridge, it does not conduct the test. Instead, British Council and IDP conduct the test, in hundreds of cities around the world. You can easily find the closest center to you, on their respective websites. Please note that as per a recent notification, all IELTS tests in India will now be delivered exclusively by IDP.

You can appear for the test in two ways, the Paper based Test or the Computer delivered Test. The cost for both is identical and they are conducted by both the organizations at almost all their major Paper based Test locations. The tests are identical in terms of the content and questions asked but differs in a couple of ways. Let's discuss the difference between the two and which one should you choose in a separate article because this topic needs a lot more discussion.

So this was the low-down on the IELTS test and I hope you found it useful. You will find that tons of useful articles and free and paid courses are published on IELTS by Manil to help you prepare for the IELTS test, so keep following us here or on Facebook and Instagram for daily updates. See you in the next one but before I conclude I want to share the most important thing for your test.  

To do well on the IELTS test, Keep it simple and stick to the basics!

Ciao!