Familiarising yourself with the format of the IELTS exam contributes to your overall preparedness come test taking time. As you may have already been informed, the IELTS is a comprehensive, multi-faceted language proficiency exam, and knowing about its components allows you to be aware of what to expect, what to prepare for, and how to appropriately equip yourself for this widely recognized English proficiency assessment.
To start, it must be mentioned that there are two IELTS tests available, the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training, and which between the two you will take wholly depends on the requirement of your desired program or institution. Both exams have the same four sections, with some portions (Reading and Writing) specialised for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.
IELTS Listening
The first portion of the IELTS is the Listening Test, which will take around 30 minutes to finish, and is the same for both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training exams. This section is designed to assess your listening skills, which include comprehending main ideas and factual information, recognising the opinions and purpose of the speaker, and grasping the development of a given argument.
The format of the IELTS Listening Test comprises four recordings, upon which you will base your answers to a series of questions thereafter, which will total to 40 items.
- 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 with 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
After the allotted time of 30 minutes, you will be allowed an extra 10 minutes, within which you will transfer your answers from the question booklet to the answer sheet provided.
IELTS Reading
The next portion of the IELTS is the Reading Test, which varies for the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training exams. While the content will differ, both the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training allot a total of 60 minutes for this portion of the assessment. Each test taker will read three long texts, which range from factual and descriptive to methodical, discursive, and analytical. A total of 40 questions will be asked thereafter, with the items ranging from multiple choice questions, to sentence completion, to matching, among others.
To do well, it is vital that you do not only train yourself to read fast, but you also have to be able to read efficiently with proficient understanding. You must be able to draw out the main idea in each text, read for detail, and recognise the writer’s opinion, attitude, and purpose in writing the text.
IELTS Writing
Divided into two tasks, the IELTS Writing Test is the third portion of the exam, which also varies for the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. Task 1 requires a minimum of 150 words, while Task 2 will be slightly longer, with a word count of at least 250. Both tasks should last for a total of 60 minutes, so you better not spend too much time on the first so as to sacrifice the quality of your work in Task 2. As in all portions of the IELTS, time management is key for the IELTS Writing Test.
If you are taking the IELTS Academic Test, make sure to write in a more formal style, which, of course, should go well with the specific writing theme at hand. For the IELTS General Training, on the other hand, you can be a little more informal, even fairly personal, if the theme calls for it. Just remember that apart from being mindful of the writing style, be regardful of your grammar, spelling, and sentence construction, as these factors will, most certainly, heavily affect your Writing marks.
IELTS Speaking
Lastly, the IELTS Speaking Test is that portion of the exam where you will have to converse with a certified examiner. This section is highly interactive, and the examiner will be evaluating you based on your ability to communicate your opinions on everyday topics and experiences, speak extensively (without sounding repetitive, of course) on a certain subject, organise your ideas and express them coherently, justify your opinions, and analyse and discuss a particular issue.
The IELTS Speaking Test consists of three parts, Part 1 being the more general among the three. Later on, you will prepare a brief speech based on the task card given by the examiner. After speaking uninterruptedly, the last portion is where the examiner will ask further questions, in relation to your speech in Part 2. This allows you to elaborate on your ideas, as well as justify and discuss further those that need elucidation.
Each test taker will be given roughly 11 to 14 minutes for the IELTS Speaking Test, and it is important to relax, speak naturally, and talk fluently all throughout.
