hi there it's asiya which ielts test is easier computer-based or paper-based i've taken both
and in this video i'd like to talk about each section and compare the advantages and
disadvantages of each format to help you choose the right test for you okay let's get started
and the very first factor that may to a great extent determine
which test you take is what tests are available where you live if you go to the ielts.com website
you can see all the test centers in your country and city for example in almaty
my hometown and the largest city in kazakhstan both formats are available however
those who live in a smaller town of atyrau have to take a paper-based test or travel
to another city unfortunately test centers in some smaller cities only offer paper-based tests
if you can take a computer-based test you get your results faster in just five to seven days versus
up to 13 days with a paper-based test just know that if you take ielts for ukvi to get a uk
visa all results take up to 13 days now let's talk about each section of the test starting with ielts
listening just to confirm computer and paper-based tests have absolutely the same level of difficulty
the difference is only in the format of delivery and i'm not gonna beat around the bush the biggest
advantage of computer-based ielts listening is that you are guaranteed to have efos so you can
make the recording as loud as you wish to hear everything and isolate yourself from other sounds
some centers offer earphones for paper-based tests too but some don't in london i took my
paper-based test in a huge hall with loudspeakers and probably 100 other candidates and i must say
the quality of the sound was so so and i really had to concentrate to hear the recording that's
not good if you're taking a paper-based test and you have several centers in your city give them
a call and find out which ones offer earphones by the way you can keep them on i mean earphones
for the reading and writing sections too the next difference is the extra time after the test
the listening part lasts for 30 minutes then in the paper-based test you get 10
minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet that's a lot of time when you can check
all your answers in the computer-based test you select answers directly and don't need to transfer
them anywhere therefore you only get two minutes to look through your answers i find that that's
just enough to check the spelling of words in the filling the gap questions and think about a couple
of questions you weren't sure about but not more as for the answer selection it's hard to say which
format is more convenient in the paper-based test you can easily cross out incorrect answers or put
question marks if you're hesitating between two options in the computer-based test you can't
really do that yes you're given a sheet of paper and a pen but there is not enough time to
drop the mouse take the pen take a note and then get the mouth again there is also an option to
highlight words on the screen but again you need to click several times to do that so in my opinion
there is no time for that in the listening section that's a disadvantage in the computer-based test
there are several ways to select answers depending on the type of questions sometimes you just click
on the correct answer that's easy sometimes you need to type a word or two while still listening
to the recording so if you don't type fast and have to look for letters that may be a bit
problematic in some questions you're required to drag your answer to the correct place if you later
discover that your answer is incorrect you should be able to quickly get it back or replace with the
correct answer that's not a problem but you should definitely practice using the computer platform
before your test to learn how all these things work because there will be no training at the
beginning of the test luckily idp offers a free computer-based practice test on their website
i'll link it below when you're taking it remember that in the real exam the recordings will play one
after another you won't be able to stop them or take a break between them and there will be 40
questions not 24 like in the practice test in other regards this practice test is the same
i remind you to take it later oh yes and one more thing if you are not sure about any of your
answers in the computer-based test you can click to review and come back to those questions in the
two minutes after the test now let's talk about ielts reading to be honest the first time i was a
bit apprehensive about doing the reading section on the computer but i was wrong first of all
all ielts centers i've been to were equipped with large monitors where i could see almost
all the text and questions next to each other in the paper-based test you work in the
question sheets and you have to turn pages quite often which isn't perfect
oh yeah by the way if you notice that on that print screen there was 41 question in the reading
section that's a practice test and i have no idea why they added so many you will have 40 questions
another advantage of the computer-based test is that you can select answers directly on the screen
in the paper-based test you work on the question sheets and then you need to transfer your answers
to the answer sheet but unlike in ielts listening you're not given any extra time to do that
so basically if you take a computer-based test you have a couple of minutes more to find your answers
and time management is easier too in the paper-based test you have to control time yourself
you're not allowed to have your own watch there is a clock on the wall and you need to remember
when the section starts to know how much time is left invigilators only tell you when you have
as far as i remember 10 minutes 5 minutes and 2 minutes left if you take a computer-based test
the timer is on the screen and you can actually place your mouse above the timer to see seconds
we've already discussed that in the paper-based test it's easier to underline words and
cross out incorrect or used answers but in the reading section you can at least use
the highlight function on the computer and you can also copy paste words just press ctrl c to
copy and ctrl v to paste but i don't wanna write your host hi ctrl f to find words doesn't work
what about ielts writing well the main question is how fast do you type
i personally type faster than i write with a pen and definitely faster than the right with a pencil
and if you take your exam on paper you have to use a pencil in listening and
reading in writing some centers allow bringing your own pen but some don't
and for me writing essays with a pencil is a pain like literally my hand is in pain
however if typing takes you more time or you have to concentrate on the process of typing instead
of thinking about what you want to write you may be better off sticking to the paper-based exam
of course typing may be preferable if your handwriting isn't clear and you
think examiners may struggle reading your answers there are some other considerations too
one of them is correcting typos when we type we make unintentional mistakes
so it's even more important to proofread your answers which means that you need time for that
of course when you're proofreading on the computer it's easier to correct things by the way if you're
wondering if mistakes are underlined like in the word document the answer is no there is no spell
check the two good things about computers are that words are counted on the screen so
you don't have to worry about that and there is a timer at the top just like in the reading section
if you like planning your answers on paper you can still do that throughout your exam you'll be given
sheets with instructions for each section and a pencil which you can use to plan your essay
i personally plan on the computer and then just delete my plan when the essay is ready
the speaking exam is the same for everyone this is a face-to-face interview with an examiner
so which test or which test format is more convenient i think it depends on how confident you
are using computers if you type fast it can give you a real advantage in ielts writing and you're
guaranteed to have earphones for ielts listening on the other hand if you have to think about
how to use different features or look for each letter to type then you may be better off with
a traditional paper-based exam just try to find a center that does give earphones i have a more
detailed video demonstrating how to use the ielts computer platform and the computer-based practice
test is linked in the description i hope this video will help you choose the right test format
for you thank you so much for watching me today good luck with your preparation and your exam