The International English Language Testing System, more commonly known as IELTS has become a universally accepted testing system of English language proficiency for students who are planning to continue their higher education in countries where English is the medium of instruction, and for people who are seeking to immigrate to countries where English is the native language. IELTS is jointly managed by the University of Cambridge, the British Council and the IDP Education Pty Ltd.
There are two versions of the IELTS test, the Advanced Version and the General Version. Students who plan to continue their studies are required to clear the Advanced Version of the test and people seeking to immigrate are required to clear the General Version. The IELTS tests are scored on a band of one to nine. One is the lowest scale which indicates that the person can only speak and understand a few words of English. Nine indicates that the person has full command over English and can speak, read, write and communicate easily.
The IELTS test is accepted in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland. Over 3,000 universities in the United States also accept the IELTS test to judge the English language skills of students. The IELTS tests are conducted in over 500 centres located worldwide. Generally, in countries where British Council has its head- and regional-offices, these tests are conducted by them.
The IELTS test consists of four sections, which are; reading, writing, listening and speaking. The reading, writing, and listening tests are conducted on the same day and the speaking test may be conducted at any time seven days before or after the main test. The IELTS test dates are advertised in the newspapers and on the internet; or an aspirant candidate can call up the test conducting body and find out when the next IELTS test shall be conducted.
The total duration for the reading, writing and listening tests of IELTS is approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes. In the reading test for the advanced module, there are three sections of test to be read and 13 or 14 questions to be answered for each section. The total number of questions to be answered is forty. For the general section, there are three sections, however the text passages are shorter and there can be five sections that have to be read. The writing test consists of two sections and in the second section an essay has to be written.
The listening module contains four sections. Each section starts with an introduction of the situation and the speakers. The candidates can look at the questions. The listening modules can only be listened to once and then the candidate has to answer the questions. The speaking test consists of three sections.
In the first section, the examiner conducts an interview of the candidate asking about their interests, hobbies and other general questions. In the second section, the candidate is asked to speak about a specific topic and the last part involves a discussion.
Candidates are advised to practice IELTS test and there are plenty of free IELTS tests on the internet. The more a candidate gets IELTS test practice, the better prepared he will be for the actual test. The internet has many websites from where practice IELTS test can be downloaded or taken. Free IELTS tests are also readily available and IELTS testing is very important especially for students who do not want to miss a year in their studies. Candidates should avail all free IELTS test opportunities in order to be fully prepared to score well on the actual test.