The IELTS has two modules addressing two different target groups: The ‘Academic Training-Module’ is primarily designed for students, whereas the ‘General Training-Module’ predominantly addresses employed people who plan a stay-abroad.
IELTS Academic Test Format
IELTS Academic has Four Sections
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking
IELTS Academic - Listening Test
This is a 30 minute test. At test centre you will listen to four recordings of native English speakers and then write your answers to a series of questions.
- Recording 1 – a conversation between two people set in an everyday social context.
- Recording 2 - a monologue set in an everyday social context, e.g. a speech about local facilities.
- Recording 3 – a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment.
- Recording 4 - a monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture.
No. of Questions: 40
Marks awarded for each correct answer: 1
IELTS Academic – Reading Test
This is a 60 minutes test designed to assess your English reading skills.
You will be provided three long texts which range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. Text materials are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. These include reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument and recognising writers' opinions, attitudes and purpose.
Total No. of Questions: 40
Marks awarded for each correct answer: 1
IELTS Academic – Academic Writing
The duration of test is 60 Minutes. Two writing tasks will be given.
Task 1 - you will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to describe, summarise or explain the information in your own words. You may be asked to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a process, how something works or describe an object or event.
To complete Task 1 you need to write 150 words in about 20 minutes.
Task 2 - you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. Responses to both tasks must be in a formal style.
To complete Task 2, you need to write 250 words in about 40 minutes.
Both the tasks are compulsory.
IELTS Academic – Speaking
This is 11–14 minutes TestThe speaking component assesses your use of spoken English. Every test is recorded.
Part 1 - The examiner will ask you general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies and interests. This part lasts between four and five minutes.
Part 2 - You will be given a card which asks you to talk about a particular topic. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. The examiner will then ask one or two questions on the same topic.
Part 3 - You will be asked further questions about the topic in Part 2. These will give you the opportunity to discuss more abstract ideas and issues. This part of the test lasts between four and five minutes.
IELTS General Training
IELTS General Training – Listening
This section has same format as of IELTS Academic
IELTS General Training – Speaking
This section has same format as of IELTS Academic
IELTS General Training – Reading
This is a 60 Minutes test. There are three sections.
- Section 1 may contain two or three short texts or several shorter texts.
- Section 2 comprises two texts.
- In Section 3, there is one long text. The test material is taken from books, magazines, newspapers, notices, advertisements, company handbooks and guidelines.
Total Number of Questions Asked: 40
Marks awarded for each correct answer: 1
IELTS General Training: Writing
This is a 60 Minutes test. You need to complete two task.
Task 1 - you will be presented with a situation and asked to write a letter requesting information, or explaining the situation. The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal in style.
Task 2 - you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. The essay can be fairly personal in style.
How IELTS Test looks like?
Test takes specially those appearing for the first have one question in common, how the examination / question paper / test structure looks like? To help you the administering authority has designed sample tests.
See IELTS Sample Test Questions at official website https://ielts.org/
More articles about IELTS