IELTS TEST FORMAT

There are two modules to choose from, the academic module and the general training module.
Which one's right for you depends on what you want to do. The academic module is mostly for
people who want to study at university. The general training is mostly for people who want to
either move to another country and need an English qualification to do that, or who want to study
at a level below university. If you have a definite plan to use an IELTS qualification, be sure to
check which one you need, academic or general training.

Whichever module you take, you will be tested on all four language skills-- listening, reading,
writing, and speaking. Everyone takes the same listening and speaking tests, but there are
different reading and writing tests for the academic and general training modules. You do the
listening, reading, and writing tests all on the same day, but the speaking test is on a different
day. It could be before or after the other three parts.

Let's start with the speaking test. This part of the test lasts for about 13 minutes and there are
three parts. In the first part you talk about yourself, your family, your work, things like that. In the
second part you'll be given a topic to talk about, and then some time to prepare yourself and then
give your talk. In the third and final part, the examiner will ask some questions connected to the
topic in part two.

Now moving on to listening test, this part of the test lasts around 40 minutes, and you have to
answer 40 questions that might be multiple-choice, note completion, matching, things like that.
There are four sections, and you hear each section only once.
So on to the writing test. As I said there are different modules for academic and general training,
but either way, the test takes 60 minutes and there are two parts to the test, so you have to write
two things. You have to write at least 150 words for part one and at least 250 words for part two.
The type of task depends on the paper. The academic paper gives you the sort of task you might
have to do in university studies.
Finally, the reading part of the test. Again there are different modules, but whether you're doing
academic or general training, you'll have to answer 40 questions in one hour. These might be
multiple-choice questions or matching parts of sentences or completing notes, things like that.
There are three sections and different types of text.

Marking the Speaking test

Fluency and coherence:

This describes how fluent and connected your English sounds. Do you speak without
much hesitation and do you use a range of different ways to connect your ideas?

Lexical resource:
This describes how wide your vocabulary is. Can you talk accurately about any topic
and use idiomatic language?

Grammatical range and accuracy:

This describes both the range of different grammatical structures you can use and
how well you use them.
Pronunciation:
Can you be easily understood at all times?

The marking criteria

Fluency and coherence

 A Band 9 “speaks fluently with only rare repetition or self-correction”

 A Band 6 “is willing to speak at length, though may lose coherence at times due to
occasional repetition, self-correction or hesitation”

 A Band 3 “speaks with long pauses”

Lexical resource

 A Band 9 “uses vocabulary with full flexibility and precision in all topics”

 A Band 6 “has a wide enough vocabulary to discuss topics at length”

 A Band 3 “uses simple vocabulary to convey personal information” but “has

insufficient vocabulary for less familiar topics”

Grammatical range and accuracy

 A Band 9 “uses a full range of structures naturally and appropriately”

 A Band 6 “may make frequent mistakes with complex structures though these rarely
cause comprehension problems”

 A Band 3 “makes numerous errors except in memorised expressions”

Pronunciation

 A Band 9 “uses a full range of pronunciation features with precision and subtlety”

 A Band 6 “uses a range of pronunciation features with mixed control”

 A Band 4 “uses a limited range of pronunciation features”

Tips for the Speaking test - Part 1

Part 1 lasts between four and five minutes. The examiner will introduce
him/herself and asks you to introduce yourself and confirm your identity. The
examiner will ask you some simple ‘getting-to-know-you’ questions on familiar
topics, e.g. home, family, work, studies and interests. These questions will
help the examiner find out a little bit about you and help put you at ease.

Look at these tips:

  Explain your answers by giving reasons for what you say.

I like my job because it’s varied and it gives me the opportunity to travel.

 Ask for clarification if necessary.

I’m sorry, could you repeat the question, please?

 Develop your answers. Give full, relevant answers to the examiner’s

questions. This will help get the interview off to a good start.

Q: Where are you from? 

A: I’m from Buenos Aires. (Don’t stop there!) It’s the capital city of Argentina and is
also the largest city in the country. It has a lot of history and is famous for having a
rich culture. I really like living there.

 Express your opinions; the examiner is assessing your ability to communicate.

Q: Do you prefer reading or watching TV? 

A: I prefer watching TV. When I come home from work I’m usually quite tired so I
feel like relaxing. I find sitting with my family in the living-room watching TV is
relaxing because we watch TV and chat together. For me, this is a great way to
unwind.

 Always expand your answers to simple, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ closed questions.

(Questions beginning ‘Are you…’, ‘Do you …’, etc).

Q: Do you like listening to music? 

A: Yes. I listen to music everyday on my way to work. I like lots of types of music but
my favourite is rock music. I’m a big fan of U2. I really like Bono’s singing voice.

 Talk as fluently as possible and be spontaneous.

 Speak more than the examiner.
 Relax, be confident and enjoy using your English!

Giving full answers

Always expand your answers to simple, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ closed questions. (Questions
beginning ‘Are you…’, ‘Do you …’, etc).

Think about how you would expand your answers to these questions:

 Do you like your job?

 Do you hope to do this job for a long time?

  Do you still live in the town where you grew up?

 Do you think it has changed since you were young?

 Do you like reading?
 Do you think people will continue to read books in the future?

Tips for the Speaking test - part 2

Part 2 of the Speaking test is the individual long turn where you have to speak on
your own for up to two minutes. This part of the test lasts for between three and four
minutes. The examiner will give you a card which asks you to talk about a particular
topic. It will include the key points you should cover in your talk. You are given one
minute to prepare your talk, and also a pencil and paper to make short notes. You
then have to talk for one to two minutes on the topic, after which the examiner will
ask you one or two questions on the topic.

Look at these tips:

 Always use your one minute preparation time - make notes of the points you’d
like to talk about, ideally three points for each question on the task card.
Practice making notes quickly with example questions, until you can do this
easily.

 Use the task card to structure what you want to say. It will provide you with a
simple beginning, middle and end structure.

 Begin by telling the examiner what you’re going to talk about, so that they
know what to expect.

e.g. If the task card asks you to talk about a special place you might begin: “I’m
going to talk about a place that is special for me. This place is where my family come
from…”

 Try to imagine the topic of your talk in your head when you’re preparing.
Always try to talk about a real experience, as this is much easier than trying to
invent something.

 Don’t forget to give the examiner some detail about your topic. This will also
help you to have enough to talk about for two minutes.

 The last point on the task card often asks you to express your opinion. Make
sure you answer this question as it’ll help you to talk for the full two minutes.

 This is a chance for you to talk about something that is familiar to you. Make
sure you show off your vocabulary!
  Practise. Prepare by practising speaking with a friend or by recording yourself.
Do this a few times until you’re happy you can speak easily for two minutes.

Look at this list of topics that could come up in Part 2: 

- Describe a restaurant you enjoyed visiting. 
- Describe a meal you remember. 
- Describe a teacher who had an influence on you. 
- Describe a film you have seen which left a strong impression on you. 
- Describe a friend you have had for a long time. 
- Describe an event from your childhood that you remember well.

Tips for the Speaking test - part 3

In Part 3 of the Speaking test the examiner will ask further questions which are
connected to the topic discussed in Part 2. This part of the test is designed to give
you the opportunity to talk about more abstract issues and ideas. It is a two-way
discussion with the examiner, and will last four to five minutes. Because Part 3 is a
discussion you’ll be expected to give more detailed answers than in Part 1. It’s
therefore good to have a strategy to help you give longer answers.

Look at these tips:

1. Answer the examiner’s question

2. Give some reasons why
3. Provide examples
4. Offer an alternative opinion

Q: Do you think advertising influences what people buy?

A: I think advertising affects the things that people buy, whether they are aware of it
or not. (Why) The reason for this is that everywhere we go we see advertisements
on the street or on the side of buses. Even when we are at home we see adverts on
the TV or on the Internet. (Second reason) Also, the amount of things that people
buy nowadays has increased as society has become more consumerist. (Example)
Take, for example, mobile phones. Almost everyone has a mobile phone that works
but many people still want to upgrade their phone to get the newest or latest model. I
think this is because advertising encourages us to buy. (Alternative) Despite this, I
still think we have the choice to decide what to buy or whether to buy. Advertising
can influence us, but it can’t control us.

We use ‘for instance’ to give an example and ‘in particular’ to talk about a specific
example. We use ‘namely’ to give specific detailed information about a subject that
we are discussing. After ‘although’ we use a subject and a verb, whereas after ‘in
spite of’ we just use a noun or pronoun.