International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, is the world's most popular high stakes English language test. It is designed to assess the language ability of people who need to study or work where English is the language of communication. The IELTS test is accepted by over 10,000 organisations in 140 countries, and is recognised by universities and employers in many countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US.

IELTS can be taken for the following purposes:

Study abroad:

Students planning to study in English speaking countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, the US, Ireland or wherever the medium of instruction is English need to take an English language test that approves their language proficiency.

Work abroad:

IELTS score is acknowledged by employers and professional bodies from English-speaking countries in various fields such as engineering, law, nursing, medicine, accountancy, teaching, and more.

Immigration:

If you are planning to immigrate to an English speaking country, it is mandatory for you to take IELTS. Migration authorities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, US, and the United Kingdom use IELTS to process immigration.

Test structure

There are two modules for IELTS

General Training	Academic
Accredited for daily use of language and is mostly applicable in cases of immigration	Usually taken by students planning for education abroad or professionals who are exploring work opportunities overseas.

IELTS is delivered via two mediums:

IELTS on computer	IELTS on paper
Take your IELTS Listening, Reading and Writing test on the computer. Choose your own test date – up to 7 days a week and 3 times a day.	Take your IELTS Listening, Reading and Writing test on paper. Choose from up to 4 test dates a month or 48 dates available throughout the year.

Listening, Reading and Writing tests are taken on the same day, one after the other, without any break in between. The Speaking test may either fall on the same day or any day up to a week before or after the test date. Test takers opting for paper-based IELTS can book a slot for the Speaking test on a preferred date and time. In case you fail to choose a slot within the stipulated period of time, a time slot will be allotted automatically.

Listening test (30 minutes)	You will have to listen to four recordings and then answer the questions asked. The recordings are of native English speakers and the duration of the test is 30 minutes.
Reading test (60 minutes)	The IELTS Reading test requires you to answer 40 questions and is designed to test you on an array of reading skills. You would have to read for gist, main ideas, details, logical arguments, skimming, and figuring out the writers’ attitudes, opinions and intentions.
Writing test (60 minutes)	The IELTS Writing test requires you to complete two tasks and covers topics of general interest based on the module you are taking.
Speaking test (11-14 minutes)	The IELTS Speaking test assesses your spoken English skills. The test is recorded and conducted in three parts.

The Listening and Speaking tests remain the same for both, Academic and General. However, questioning differs in case of the Reading and Writing tests. In the computer-delivered Listening test, the timings are slightly different from the paper-based test.

The total test time is 2 hours 45 minutes.

Scores

Test takers receive a score for each test component – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The individual scores are then averaged and rounded to produce an overall Band Score.

In IELTS, scores are graded on the 9-band system. Each educational university or school sets its own minimum IELTS scores to meet its individual requirements. Mostly, an average of 6.5, with a band score above or equal to 6 in each of the 4 sections, is welcomed in most universities and schools.

Fees

IELTS Exam Fee is INR 15,500

For further information on IELTS, click here