What is IELTS?
The test that can change your life carrier
The International English Language Testing System(IELTS) is an international standardized English Language proficiency test. This test is especially designed for non native English language speakers. It was established in the year 1989, and is one of the major English language tests in the world. IELTS in Bhutan has become popular amongst those who studied abroad and those wishing to travel abroad for studies and work. The following details will help you to understand what IELTS is.
- Knowing IELTS Better
An overview of IELTS module
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is mainly designed to guide people to study, work or migrate to countries where English is their native Language. The countries include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and UK. The test assesses your language proficiency based on four skills; speaking, writing, listening and reading and is graded on a scale of 1-9. The test is a must if you are not from native English Speaking country mentioned above.
British Council, IDP Education and Cambridge Assessment English jointly own this system. IELTS in Bhutan is administered by British Council India and the registrations are centralised and processed at British Council offices in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata and Mumbai.
- The Four Language Skill Test format
I already mentioned that IELTS tests four language skills-listening, writing, reading and speaking- of those who wish to study, work or migrate abroad to English speaking countries. All the Test takers perform same Listening and Speaking tests, Reading and writing tests differs based on IELTS option you chose.The four tests are described briefly below;
- Listening
The golden 30 minutes for your listening test
The time duration for this test is 30 minutes. Within this period, you will get four audio recordings of a native speakers taking on various subjects as shown below;
- Recording 1- a conversation (two people talking) about an everyday social context
- Recording 2- a monologue about an everyday social context
- Recording 3- a conversation(about four people talking) about an educational or training context
- Recording 4- a monologue about an academic subject.
You can only listen once to all these recordings. For this test, there will be 40 different questions, each question with 1 mark. You will be given another 10 minutes to transfer your answers. These questions are in the form of multiple-choice, matching, plan/map/diagram labelling, form / note/ table/ flow/ chart/ summary completion and sentence completion.
- Speaking
Talking naturally during test is the best way to impress your examiner
Speaking test can either be taken within a week before or after the other tests. Whereas, rest of the tests should be taken on the same day. The duration for this test is 11- 14 minutes. Everything considered as a part of the test is recorded. There are 3 parts for the test;
- Part 1- The examiner asks general questions such as your introduction, your background information etc. this takes about 4-5 minutes.
- Part 2- In this part, your examiner will provide you a question written on a card. You will be given a minute to prepare on that particular question and will be allowed to speak about it for 2 or 3 minutes. Depending on the nature of the question, the examiner may ask you a few additional questions in connection to the original one.
- Part 3- In this part, you and the examiner will discuss a more general and abstract way in depth regarding the questions mentioned in part 2. This part of the test focuses on the ability to express and justify opinions.
The marking and assessment for this test will be based on;
- Fluency and coherence
- Lexical Resource
- Grammatical range and accuracy and
- Pronunciation
- Reading
Highlighting keywords has proven to be an effective tips for the test
Depending on the type of visa you are applying for, the reading test differs. Academic reading test and general training test are two of these tests. The former test is for those wishing to study abroad and the latter is for those going to work and migrate to an English speaking country. However, the test format is the same for both while the nature of questions differ depending on their specificity.
The test is for 60 minutes, consisting of 40 questions, each carrying 1 mark. It will assess the wide range of reading skills such as gist, reading for main idea, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument, recognising writer’s opinion etc. For both the papers, there will be three sections and the reading sources will be from books, magazines, newspapers, company handbooks, journals and guidelines.
- Writing
Writing takes time, be prepared- Keep on practising
As mentioned earlier, writing tests are of two types based on academic and general category. The test is for 60 minutes and it has two tasks. The tasks will be based on the test takers choice of the test. If he or she is applying for overseas study, the academic reading test will be based on things that suit their purpose. Similarly task patterns for general test takers will be of general interest. A brief description of the tasks are mentioned below;
- Academic writing
Task 1- Test takers will be presented with a graph, table,chart or diagram. Then you will be asked to summarise or explain in your own words. They may even ask you to explain the process and your understanding from the given information.
Task 2- In this task, you have to write an essay depending on the type of question. The responses for both the tasks should be in formal style.
- General Training Writing
Task 1- Test taker will be provided with a situation and will be asked to write a letter requesting for information or explaining the situation. The style of your writing can be personal, semi-formal or formal.
Task 2- The test taker will be provided to write an essay depending on the types of question. The response can be in personal style.
IELTS is a standardized English language proficiency test that is globally recognised, many people take it to go abroad for better opportunities. Some do it to continue their studies overseas, some do it to work abroad and some for migration. This only applies if you are travelling to english language speaking countries such as Australia, Canada, The UK and USA. This test assesses the test taker’s listening, speaking, writing and reading skills, and their performances are rated on the scale from 1-9. IELTS in Bhutan is directly linked to British Council India based on different regions.
Looking for your IELTS guide? Get in touch with Chhundu Training Institute (CTI). We have helpful resources that you need for IELTS preparation.
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