What is IELTS 2019 How to prepare for IELTS exam

What is IELTS 2019? How to prepare for IELTS exam?

IELTS 2019 Exam

IELTS 2019 is a worldwide examination for English language which is required to be taken by international applicants and aspirants throughout the world in order to work, study or research in official English-speaking nations or the countries where language of communication is English.

International English Language Testing System is abbreviated as IELTS. USA, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand are the most desired and sought after countries where IELTS is expected to be taken for university admissions. This prestigious exam is conducted jointly by Cambridge English Language Assessment, British Council and IDP Education Australia. This exam is conducted to check the ability of English communication of non-English speakers through basic English skills like speaking, writing, reading and listening.

Recent updates in IELTS

More than 3,400 institutions in United States and Thousands of universities and institutions in English speaking countries has recognize it. And almost all the universities in UK, Canada, Australia has accepted this exam.

In the year 2018, it has been recorded that almost 3.5 million aspirants worldwide has attempted this exam.

● Why IELTS Exam is required?

IELTS exam is the only test for English language approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) for the visa applicants to apply in the United Kingdom. For all the academic causes like studying and doing research in universities abroad and migrating to English speaking nations like US, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand IELTS 2019 exam is a must. IELTS scores are essentially required as visa granting authorities and universities abroad need to be sure that you will not have the issues regarding communication during your stay in the country. To clear the IELTS exam, one needs to show the sound understanding and firm command of English language. Although, there are several universities which might not demand IELTS scores to get admit in. Thus, not all the universities require IELTS for admission, therefore it’s not a compulsory exam. But for sure, you may find difficulties in getting the student visa as the visa policies and officers may be doubted about your English communications and proficiency. So, it is usually securer and safer to appear for IELTS exam and target to at least get an average score.

British Council and IDP Australia has made it allow to take the exam upto once a week (four times a month). As par global schedule, the test dates are 48 days per year.

Types of IELTS

Two categories of IELTS exams are there:

IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.

Both these test sets have the same listening and speaking sections, but reading and writing sections are differ depending on which test you take. The three IELTS test sections of Reading, Writing and Listening are accomplished at the same day of the test date having no break at all. While you can complete the speaking section either a week before or after the other tests date.

IELTS Academic Test:

IELTS Academic Test is for those applicants who either apply for professional registration or higher studies abroad.

IELTS General Test:

IELTS General Test is usually for those applicants who need to migrate to the English speaking nations like UK, Australia and Canada. Those who either wants to gain work experience or enlist yourself in any training programs or secondary education where English is the main official language used for communication purposes, this test is a must.

IELTS Highlights

Exam name IELTS

IELTS full form International English Language Testing System

Official website

https://www.ielts.org/

Most popular for Study, work, and migration to English speaking countries like Australia, New Zealand, and the UK/p>

Also accepted by Canada and USA

Conducted by British Council and IDP Education Ltd

Mode of exam Computer and paper-delivered test

IELTS fee Rs.13,250

Score range On a scale of 1 (the lowest) to 9 (the highest)

IELTS contact British Council

0120-4569000 / 0120-6684353, Mon-Sat 09.00 to 18.00

Email: ExamsCustomerCare@britishcouncil.org

IDP Head Office

+91-124-4445999/ 1800-102-4544

Email: ielts.india@idp.com

IELTS VS TOEFL

As IELTS is more preferred and demanded in the countries like United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, whereas TOEFL is usually familiar among the applicants applying to universities within US and Canada.

Worldwide students are often seen in dilemma to pick up the one between IELTS and TOEFL as foreign universities ask for the scores of either exams. So as par your choice and needs you may decide that which one to take.

IELTS Eligibility

Any applicant worldwide can appear for IELTS exam regardless of any age, gender, nationality, religion, race, however, the exam is not recommended for those under 16 years of age.

What is the age limit to appear for the IELTS exam?

From June, 2015, for those applicants, who want to migrate to Canada, the age is required to be within the range 14-64 and all these applicants are required to meet language requirements set by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Also, minimum age requirement has been relieved to meet the language requirements for Canadian citizenship, according to the changes in Citizenship Act in Canada.

How many attempts can be given for IELTS?

For those applicants who wish to appear for IELTS exams can take it limitless no. of times as there is no limit set by the conducting authorities (British Council and IDP Education Australia). Though, every time you appear for IELTS, you need to pay the fee.

What is the educational eligibility to appear for IELTS Exam?

Whosoever dream about working abroad and anyone who wishes to attend any university abroad for higher studies can appear for IELTS exam (both categories) as there is no such minimum eligibility criteria set by the conducting authorities to appear for this exam. However the candidates are suggested to check the eligibility criteria set by their organization and university/ educational institutions.

How does IELTS work?

This is the exam which has been evolved to check and meet the requirement of accessing the English language communication skills of an applicant via their basic skills like Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing skills.

This exam is set for the following purposes:

IELTS to immigrate abroad:

Every single country has its own set of rules and guidelines for immigration, so for IELTS. Like, in Canada, those applying for a work visa, professional objectives or permanent residency (PR) are required to appear for IELTS General Test. And in countries like Australia, it is acknowledged for PR and other visa categories.

IELTS to work abroad:

Multiple working organizations and employers worldwide recognize IELTS and accept this exams in order to take the right candidate when it comes to selection. IELTS is also considered and accepted as language proficiency test for candidates by multiple industries worldwide.

IELTS to study abroad:

It is with no doubt beneficial for candidates to choose IELTS when it comes to study abroad as it is the most recognized test and is accepted by more than 10,000 education institutes and universities worldwide.

Who conducts IELTS?

IELTS exam is jointly owned by three conducting authorities:

British Council

IDP IELTS Australia (International Development Program)

Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)

You can appear for IELTS exam conducted by any of three above agencies. Applicants usually have this dilemma where to take this exam from or which one is best British Council or IDP, however, there is no difference at all, they all are equal and authentic.

IELTS Registration

At the time of registration, applicants are required to keep their passport with them as you need your passport number while registering officially. Also, the candidates are required to carry their passport on the day of exam.

And the steps for registering yourself for IELTS exam are below:

● At first, visit the official registration page of British Council.

● Create your own account with British Council.

● Find your nearest test center.

● Register yourself for the IELTS test.

● Pay the fee online.

For those applicants, who are below the age of 18 years, in that case, their parents or guardians need to book the test for them. After completing the registration, the test center which you have chosen will send you the written confirmation informing you about all the details regarding exam date and time and all other required instructions.

IELTS Exam Fees

The fee for IELTS registration is Rs. 13,250.

What is IELTS Cancellation Fees?

● Cancelling your IELTS exam application more than 5 weeks before the date of test will make you able to receive the refund excluding 25% administrative fee.

● Cancelling your IELTS exam application less than 5 weeks ahead of the date of test will make you unable to receive the refund as par policies.

● Failing to appear for the test also will make you unable to receive any refund. This is also considered as the cancellation.

Those applicants who can produce the medical certificate within 5 days of the date of test can receive the refund after the deduction of local administrative cost.

What is IELTS Rescheduling Fee?

If an applicant want to change the test date, then he/she is advised to request for a test day transfer at least five weeks before his/her already booked test date after deducting the cancellation fee. Also, make sure the new test date must be within three months of the original test date.

IELTS Scholarships

Due to high, expensive tuition fees and other expenditure abroad, many meritorious students end up to settling down for other alternative options. But various IELTS scholarships and education loans are available for those needy students who are unable to afford to pay the costly tuition fees in foreign currency abroad. All these IELTS scholarships are available on official website of every college along with other fellowships and grants for meritorious students to make their dream comes true.

IELTS Important Dates

Applicants can appear for IELTS exam throughout the year conducting by the two authentic bodies named as British Council and IDP IELTS. Thus, there is no deadline to apply for the test. However, the applicants are advised to book an IELTS Test Date that is most convenient to them, keeping the university admission timeline in mind. Apart from that, the applicants who want to appear for IELTS exam are advised to choose an exam date 3-4 months before their application deadline.

IELTS Exam Pattern and Syllabus

As you know, there are four sections in IELTS exam namely Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. And applicants are required to score well in their IELTS exam to pass the exam. You get marked in all these four sections and you got the IELTS total score as well. The total score you get is the sum of the scores in the four skill areas. The total duration of the test is 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Here is the IELTS Paper Pattern- At a Glance

The IELTS exam consists of four sections listed below:

● IELTS Listening section

● IELTS Reading section

● IELTS Writing section

● IELTS Speaking section

How is IELTS scored?

IELTS is developed and designed to check English language skills at the four level as shown above. In IELTS, total score will be a combination of the separate scores of all the four sections. The applicants will receive their overall IELTS scores based on each of the four skills on a band of 1-9, and you will also be awarded an overall band scores. The applicants can score whole (for example 5.0, 6.0, 7.0) or half (for example 5.5, 6.5, 7.5) in each sections of the test.

How to get your IELTS Exam Result?

The result of the IELTS exam is usually declared every two weeks from the date of examination. It means, if you have appeared for computer-based exam, your result will be declared within 5-6 days from the test date.

● Offline Mode:

In case of offline or paper-based test, candidate will receive their result within 13 calendar days from the day of your test.

● Online Mode:

In case of online test, on the day of your result, you will receive an intimation from your Test Center about your result. Applicants are simply required to log in using their ID, password, passport number and test date information to get their result on the screen. From the time of declaration of result, their result will be available online for the next 28 days.

IELTS Band Scale

The table mentioned below shows how the IELTS Band Scale reads.

Band Skill Level Meaning

Band

9 Expert user Has fully operational command of the language

Band

8 Very good user Has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies and misunderstandings in some situations

Band

7 Good user Has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies and misunderstandings in some situations

Band

6 Competent user Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations

Band

5 Modest user Has partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning in most situations, though is likely to make many mistakes

Band

4 Limited user Have frequent problems in understanding and expression. Is not able to use complex language

Band

3 Extremely limited user Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations. Frequent breakdowns occur in communication

Band

2 Intermittent user Has great difficulty understanding spoken and written English

Band

1 Non-user Essentially has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a few isolated words

Band

0 Didn’t attempt the test No assessable information provided

IELTS Score Validity Period

IELTS score is valid for two years from the time the applicant gets his/her result.

IELTS Results

The applicants don’t need to wait for a long time for their results as IELTS results are released within a week in case of online exam and within 13 calendar days in case of offline exam. Candidates are informed receiving an email when their scores are available. You can visit the official IELTS website to get your results.

IELTS Cut-Off

Applicants appearing for IELTS test can never fail the test. The exam score is based on each of the four section on a scale of 1-9 and apart from this score, applicants would also be awarded an overall band score. Although IELTS cut-off scores can may varies from different colleges and programs based on their reputation worldwide. And there are multiple universities and organizations who do not demand for IELTS exam to qualify.

Colleges accepting IELTS

IELTS is one of the most recognized and demanded exam across the whole world. More than 3 million aspirants appear for IELTS exam yearly. There are more than 10,000 organizations and institutions across 140 countries accept IELTS scores. It monitors the applicant’s level and ability for English skills and communication which indicates how the candidate will manage to communicate at abroad.

Countries accepting IELTS Scores

As this is the most recognized and demandable exam worldwide, hence, more than 140 countries like USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, France and New Zealand accept this exam. It is valid and granted immigration, study and work worldwide. Applicants are requested to check the country/university requirements for IELTS before appearing for the test.