The International English Language Testing System, or IELTS , is an international standardised
test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers.
It is jointly managed by Cambridge English Language Assessment, the British Council and
IDP Education Pvt Ltd, and was established in 1989.
IELTS is one of the two major English-language tests in the world, the other being the TOEFL.
There are two versions of the IELTS: the Academic Version and the General Training Version:
The Academic Version is intended for those who want to enroll in universities and other
institutions of higher education and for professionals such as medical doctors and nurses who want
to study or practise in an English-speaking country.
The General Training Version is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training
or to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes.
IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, Irish, New Zealand and South African
academic institutions, over 3,000 academic institutions in the United States, and various
professional organisations across the world.
It is also a requirement for immigration to Australia and New Zealand.
In Canada, IELTS, TEF, or CELPIP are accepted by the immigration authority.
No minimum score is required to pass the test.
An IELTS result or Test Report Form is issued to all candidates with a score from "band
1" to "band 9" and each institution sets a different threshold.
There is also a "band 0" score for those who did not attempt the test.
Institutions are advised not to consider a report older than two years to be valid, unless
the user proves that he has worked to maintain his level.
In 2007, IELTS tested over a million candidates in a single 12-month period for the first
time ever, making it the world's most popular English language test for higher education
and immigration.
In theory tests performed on native English speakers must show 9.0 results in 100%.
This result however was never achieved.
In 2009, 1.4 million candidates took the IELTS test in over 130 countries, in 2011 there
were 1.7 million candidates whereas in 2012, 2 million candidates were tested.
IELTS characteristics The IELTS incorporates the following features:
A variety of accents and writing styles have been presented in test materials in order
to minimise linguistic bias.
IELTS tests the ability to listen, read, write and speak in English.
Band scores are used for each language sub-skill.
The Band Scale ranges from 0 to 9.
The speaking module is a key component of IELTS.
It is conducted in the form of a one-to-one interview with an examiner.
The examiner assesses the candidate as he or she is speaking, but the speaking session
is also recorded for monitoring as well as re-marking in case of an appeal against the
banding given.
IELTS is developed with input from item writers from around the world.
Teams are located in the USA, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and other English-speaking
nations.
IELTS test structure All candidates must complete four Modules
- Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking - to obtain a band score, which is shown on
the IELTS Test Report Form.
All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking Modules, while the Reading and Writing
Modules differ depending on whether the candidate is taking the Academic or General Training
Versions of the Test.
First 3 parts are given without breaks.
Which makes IELTS the longest test without breaks.
Such test structure provokes Absent-mindedness and according to statistics results of second
and third parts are gradually lower than results of the first part.
Listening The module comprises four sections of increasing
difficulty.
It takes 40 minutes: 30 - for testing, plus 10 for transferring the answers to an answer
sheet.
Each section, which can be either a monologue or dialogue, begins with a short introduction
telling the candidates about the situation and the speakers.
Then they have some time to look through the questions.
The first three sections have a break in the middle allowing candidates to look at the
remaining questions.
Each section is heard only once.
At the end of this section students are given 10 minutes to transfer their answers to an
answer sheet.
Reading In the academic module the reading test comprises
three sections, with 3 texts normally followed by 13 or 14 questions for a total of 40 questions
overall.
The General test also has 3 sections.
However the texts are shorter, so there can be up to 5 texts to read.
Writing In the Academic module, there are two tasks:
in Task 1 candidates describe a diagram, graph, process or chart, and in Task 2 they respond
to an argument.
In the General Training module, there are also two tasks: in Task 1 candidates write
a letter or explain a situation, and in Task 2 they write an essay.
Speaking The speaking test contains three sections.
The first section takes the form of an interview during which candidates may be asked about
their hobbies, interests, reasons for taking IELTS exam as well as other general topics
such as clothing, free time, computers and the internet or family.
In the second section candidates are given a topic card and then have one minute to prepare
after which they must speak about the given topic.
The third section involves a discussion between the examiner and the candidate, generally
on questions relating to the theme which they have already spoken about in part 2.
This last section is more abstract, and is usually considered the most difficult.
Duration The total test duration is around 2 hours
and 45 minutes for Listening, Reading and Writing modules.
Listening: 40 minutes, 30 minutes for which a recording is played centrally and additional
10 minutes for transferring answers onto the OMR answer sheet.
Reading: 60 minutes.
Writing: 60 minutes.
Speaking: 11–15 minutes.
(Note: No additional time is given for transfer of answers in Reading and Writing modules)
The first three modules - Listening, Reading and Writing - are completed in one day, and
in fact are taken with no break in between.
The Speaking Module may be taken, at the discretion of the test centre, in the period seven days
before or after the other Modules.
The tests are designed to cover the full range of ability from non-user to expert user.
Band scale IELTS is scored on a nine-band scale, with
each band corresponding to a specified competence in English.
Overall Band Scores are reported to the nearest half band.
The following rounding convention applies: if the average across the four skills ends
in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band, and if it ends in .75, it is rounded
up to the next whole band.
The nine bands are described as follows: A 6.5 IELTS score lies roughly between B2
and C1 levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and scores higher
than band 8 are C2.
A score of 5~6 in IELTS lies in B2 of Common European Framework and less than that of 4
lies roughly between A1 and A2.
Conversion table This table can be used for the Listening tests
to convert raw scores to band scores.
This chart is a guide only, because sometimes the scores adjust slightly depending on how
difficult the exam is.
Locations and test dates There are up to 48 test dates available per
year.
Each test centre offers tests up to four times a month depending on local demand.
There used to be a minimum time limit of 90 days before which a person was not allowed
to retake the test.
However this restriction has been withdrawn and currently there is no limit for applicants
to retake the test.
Global test scores Countries with highest academic averages
In 2012, of the 40 most common places of origin, the top 5 countries for mean band scores for
the Academic IELTS test were: Results by first language of candidate
Of the 40 most common self-reported first language backgrounds, the top 5 highest average
scores in the Academic IELTS test were from test takers whose first languages were:
IELTS level required by academic institutions for admission
Just over half of candidates take the test to enter higher education in a foreign country.
The IELTS minimum scores required by academic institutions vary.
As a general rule, institutions from English-speaking countries require a higher IELTS band.
United States The highest IELTS Band required by a university
is 8.5, by the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University; the only US institution
to require this band.
While Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law is listed as requiring an 8.5 on the
IELTS website, the school lists an 8.0.
United Kingdom The highest IELTS Band required is 8 by the
Master of Science degree in Marketing at the University of Warwick.
Most IELTS requirements by universities fall between 5.5 and 7.0.
For example: Argentina
The University of Buenos Aires requires an IELTS minimum of 7.5 for entry into the School
of English as a foreign language.
Finland Sibelius Academy requires an IELTS minimum
of 5.5 to a Bachelor's and Master's degree and 6.0 to a Master's degree.
France Pantheon-Sorbonne University requires an IELTS
minimum of 7.5 for entry into its four-year French and English law course with King's
College London.
Germany University of Bamberg requires an IELTS minimum
of 7.0.
Most German universities require an IELTS minimum of 6.0 or 6.5 for their master's students.
Turkey Bilkent University requires an IELTS academic
test - minimum of 5.0 for each field and an average of 6.5 of all fields.
IELTS is no longer considered equivalent to TOEFL and their own YDS exam by the Turkish
government.
Hong Kong The Law Society of Hong Kong requires applicants
to achieve a minimum score of 7.0 for entry into the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws
course, taught at University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong and City University
of Hong Kong.
Chinese University of Hong Kong requires an overall band score of 7.0 for entry via Early
Admission Scheme into two of its business subjects, "Global Business Studies" and "International
Business and Chinese Enterprise".
Italy Both Polytechnic University of Milan and Polytechnic
University of Turin require an IELTS minimum of 5.0.
Most Italian universities generally require an IELTS minimum of 4.5 for their undergraduate
students and 6.5 for their master's students.
Kazakhstan Nazarbayev University requires an IELTS minimum
of 6.5 for entry into The Schools of Medicine, Engineering and Science & Technology and 7.0
for entry to The School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
KIMEP requires an IELTS minimum of 6.0.
The Netherlands TU Delft requires an IELTS minimum of 5.5
for all BSc courses except Aerospace Engineering and Nanobiology, for which a 6.5 overall band
score is required.
The Graduate School of Social Sciences, part of the University of Amsterdam, requires a
minimum band score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 for each test component for all its international
master programmes.
This criterium also applies to local students who want to participate in the international
master programmes.
Belgium KU Leuven requires an IELTS minimum of 6.5-7.5
for most master programmes.
Ghent University requires an IELTS minimum of 5.5-6.5 for most master programmes.
Doctoral programmes may require 7.0.
Thailand Chulalongkorn University requires an IELTS
minimum of 6.0 for all international Bachelor courses and requires a minimum band score
of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 for each test component for all its international master
programmes.
This criterium also applies to local students who want to participate in the international
programmes.
IELTS use for immigration purposes A number of Commonwealth countries use IELTS
scores as a proof of prospective immigrants' competence in English.
Australia Australia's immigration authorities have used
IELTS to assess English proficiency of prospective migrants since May 1998, when this test replaced
the access: test that had been previously used.
As of July 2012, applicants for Australia's Independent Migrant visa must either score
at least 6 on each of the modules of IELTS, or score at least "A" on Australia's Occupational
English Test.
One can receive a "partial credit" for having merely a "competent" level of English, which
requires scoring at least 6 on each of the modules of IELTS.
Prospective migrants who are citizens of the majority-English-speaking countries may choose
to automatically receive the credit for the "competent" level of English merely by virtue
of their citizenship, without taking tests; however, if they desire to show the "proficient"
level they still must take the IELTS or OET.
New Zealand New Zealand has used the IELTS test since
1995.
Initially, level 5 scores in each of the four modules were required of the prospective applicants;
those who could not achieve required scores could pay a NZ$20,000 fee instead, which would
be fully or partially refunded later if the migrant were able to successfully take the
test within a certain period after his or her arrival to the country.
A few years later, the policy was changed: the fee was reduced, and, instead of being
potentially refundable, it became treated as a "pre-purchase" of post-arrival ESL tuition.
Presently, applicants desiring to achieve permanent residence in New Zealand via the
"Entrepreneur Category" migration programme must prove a "reasonable" level of competence
in English.
Unless the applicant has studied and/or worked for a sufficiently long period in New Zealand
or other English-speaking countries, this normally should be demonstrated by achieving
the overall band of 6.5 on the IELTS.
Canada Citizenship and Immigration Canada uses the
results of IELTS and/or TEF as a conclusive evidence of one's ability to communicate in
English and/or French.
For the purposes of the skill-based immigration points test, one receives separate points
based on his or her performance on each of the four modules or IELTS; the score of 4
on a particular IELTS module is sufficient to earn the maximum points for this particular
capacity, except for the listening module, which requires the score of 8 to earn the
maximum points.
The CELPIP test scores are mentioned by the Canadian immigration application forms as
an alternative to IELTS.
Submitting one's IELTS scores is also one of the several ways to evidence one's proficiency
in an official language when applying for Canadian citizenship.
United Kingdom Under the UK's "Points Based System Tier 1"
programme, applicants can receive 10 points for their English language qualification if
it is deemed "equivalent to the Council of Europe's Common European Framework for Language
Learning level C1", which is said to be approximately equivalent to IELTS level 7.5, or GCSE Grade
C. Having gained a university degree from an English-medium institution is an acceptable
alternative proof of one's English level.
Other English proficiency tests TOEIC, Test of English for International Communication
TOEFL, Test of English as a Foreign Language TSE, Test of Spoken English
ITEP, International Test of English Proficiency.
UBELT University of Bath English Language Test.
Cambridge English Language Assessment Trinity College London ESOL
STEP Eiken, Test of English ECPE, the Examination for the Certificate
of Proficiency in English MUET, Malaysian University English Test
TELC, The European Language Certificates STEP, Saudi Standardized Test for English
Proficiency See also
English as a Foreign or Second Language International Student Admissions Test
List of admissions tests National Accreditation Authority for Translators
and Interpreters Pearson Test of English Academic Academic
Standardised test Teaching English as a foreign language
Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program
References
External links Official IELTS website
IELTS Essentials - IDP: IELTS Australia's official site for IELTS test takers
Take IELTS - The British Council's official site for IELTS test takers
IELTS - International English Language test - British Council