IELTS ACADEMIC
Well, if you
want to study or work in native English speaking countries, then you need to
give English assessment exams which is either IELTS or TOEFL. Now, what’s that
IELTS and TOEFL. IELTS stands for “International English Language Test System” and
TOEFL stands for “Test of English as a Foreign Language”. Both the exams are
considered as an international standardized assessment conducted to check the
English proficiency of non-native English speakers. In this article, only IELTS
is discussed.
IELTS is
established on 1980 and is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS
Australia and Cambridge Assessment English. Though IELTS and TOEFL is for same
purpose, the former is recognized in the countries where British English is
used while the latter is recognized in the countries which follows American
English.
This IELTS exam
has two different modules or types: IELTS Academic and IELTS General. Let’s see
in detail about this.
IELTS Academic vs IELTS General:
If you want to study abroad or seek professional registration in English
speaking countries, then you need to give IELTS Academic. On the other hand, if
you want to migrate to English speaking countries where English proficiency is
a must, then you need to give IELTS General. Both IELTS Academic and General is
recognized by more than 10,000 colleges and 140 countries across the globe. International
universities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK and USA have lots of
opportunities through IELTS and it has become a mandatory for students to clear
the exam in order to get student visa.
IELTS
Academic and General is somewhat similar to each other but the former and
latter differ in the content of the examination and also in the score band. In
this article we’ll discuss the syllabus, test format and score band for IELTS
Academic in below sections.
Syllabus:
IELTS has
four sections:
1. Reading
2. Writing
3. Listening
4. Speaking
In IELTS
General, Listening and Speaking sections is same no matter which exam you are
giving. The only difference is in the reading and writing part. Of course, the
format for both IELTS is same but the difference lies in the question part
where IELTS Academic test is relevant to professional way of reading and
writing skills while the IELTS General concentrates on advertisements,
magazines or what working professionals deals with.
Syllabus
format for IELTS Academic is as follows:
In IELTS
Academic Reading:
·
Passages related to academic topics
·
Text
Journals which has some innovative information on academics
In IELTS
Academic Writing:
·
Describe
some data
·
Analyze
the data from the different graph diagrams
Listening: [Common
for both the exam]
·
Understanding
the speech of native English language speakers from the audio or video
recording
Speaking:
[Common for both the exam]
·
General
Introduction
·
Speech
about some particular topics
·
Discussion
Forum
That’s all
about the syllabus for IELTS. If you wish to give IELTS Academic exam, then focus
on books or journals or magazines which has relevant information on the
academics. If you wish to appear for IELTS General exam, then focus on
newspaper and some articles which is based upon the current situation on job
opportunities in the marketplace and work oriented information.
Test Format
Let’s see
about the test format. IELTS has separate test format which is totally
different from other exams like GRE. Before taking the test, examine the test
format. Check previous year test papers and analyze the types of questions
asked and its difficulty level and then start preparing for the exam. This
suits not only to IELTS but also to other competitive exams.
As per the
latest pattern, the format for IELTS 2019 is mentioned in the below table:
|
Skill
|
Time Allotted
|
No. Of Questions
|
Paper Format
|
Answering
|
Marks Allotted
|
|
Listening
|
30
minutes and +10 minutes for transferring the answers
|
40
|
Four
Sections:
The
first two sections consist of situation sets. The final two sets consist of
academic oriented recording.
|
Answers
are to be marked on the question paper at the last 10 minutes given.
|
Each
question carries 1 mark. For every wrong answers marks will be penalized.
|
|
Academic
Reading
|
60
minutes
|
40
|
3
passages which is taken from journal, magazines or books which are related to
UG or PG courses and it can be of any written styles.
|
Answers
should be transcribed in answer sheets and no extra time is given.
|
Each
question carries 1 mark. For every wrong answers marks will be penalized.
|
|
Academic
Writing
|
60
minutes
|
2
|
Two
tasks are given. The first task is to decode the graph given in your own
words and word count should be 150. The second task is to write some
solutions or arguments for given problem in 250 words.
|
Answers
should be transcribed in answer sheets and no extra time is given.
|
Each
question is allotted differently and 2nd task has higher weightage
than 1st task.
|
|
Speaking
|
11-14
minutes
|
3
|
Three
tasks are there. The 1st one is Intro part. The 2nd is
about speaking on some particular topic and the 3rd is to discuss
deeply on some issues.
|
Answers
are to be given orally and this will be recorded by the interviewer
|
Marks
will be allotted on the basis of Fluency, Grammar and Pronunciation.
|
|
Skill
|
Marks Secured
|
Band Score
|
|
Listening
|
16-22
|
5
|
|
Reading [Academic]
|
23-29
|
6
|
|
Writing [Academic]
|
30-35
|
7
|
|
Speaking
|
36-38
|
8
|
Band Score:
The most
important part in IELTS test is the scorecard. In IELTS the scorecard is called
as Band Score. The band score for IELTS varies from the scale of 0-9. All the
marks will be converted into the scale range of 0-9.
The Band
Score for IELTS unofficially is released on Wikipedia which is based on the
official IELTS score calculator. Though it’s unofficial, the band score can be
found accurately. The official band score for IELTS is not calculated from
below table. Instead it is calculated from the marks scored in each section and
that marks are converted into 0-9 scale. I’ve also given some examples for
Official Calculation of IELTS Score in above table. Please check it.
That’s all about
band score. We’ll see some important FAQ’s in the next section.
FAQ’S:
Which is easier – IELTS Academic or
IELTS General?
Well, all the good things come only when you work hard. No matter what
exams you give but how you give that exams matters a lot. Both IELTS Academic
and General are somewhat alike. If you are giving IELTS Academic, concentrate
on academic oriented contents and collect the resources from the net and
prepare accordingly.
Whether to choose IELTS Academic or
General?
If you are applying for any UG or PG courses or seeking a professional
registration go with IELTS Academic. In case, you are moving to abroad take
IELTS General examination.
Who are eligible to attend IELTS
Exams?
Anyone who is willing to study or work or migrate to abroad can apply for
this exam. Candidates should be of minimum 16 years old and he/she should have
a valid passport at the time of application.
Will I be able to clear IELTS Exams
or not?
Yes, of course. IELTS Exam is very much similar
to all other competitive exams. The thing is that you need to be strong in
English vocabulary. If you feel your English grammar is not good, you can also
go for training institutes. Or else, you can enroll yourself in any genuine
website which helps you to clear the IELTS exams.
1 If there is any chance of getting
scholarships based on IELTS marks?
Indeed, it is yes. IELTS Council offers scholarships based on the IELTS
marks and high academic performance. The scholarship amount differs from
country to country and year to year.
Which country should I prefer – UK or
Canada?
To answer this question, let’s take $1 and $2. Which you will prefer?
Obviously, its $2 since it has more values. Similarly, compare the
opportunities in both the countries and analyze whether you can afford it or
not and then go with your choice of preference.
3 I am migrating to USA which exam
should I give?
As I said, if you are migrating to any native English speaking countries,
then you need to give IELTS General exam.
4 Which websites are good enough to prepare
for IELTS?
There are lots of resources available in the
net. Surf through all the websites and enroll in any of the genuine websites.
Few resources which I found are: IELTS.org, IELTS-simon, IELTS Buddy and IELTS
Liz YouTube Channel.
Is clearing an IELTS exam a tedious
process?
No, not at all. IELTS mainly tests your English vocabulary. So, be strong
in vocabulary and grammar part. Attempt mock tests to find where you are
lagging and improve it. Analyze the weaker section after giving mock test and practice
more on that sector. Even a small difference can help you to secure good marks.
So, proper planning along with hard-work is definitely required to achieve
success in the exams.
What’s the amount to register for
IELTS exam?
The registration fee to apply for IELTS is Rs. 13,250. You can also
search in IELTS.org to know the test fee in your area.
Can I get refund after cancellation?
If you wish to apply for cancellation within few days of registration or
more than five weeks before the commencement of the exam, you will be penalized
25% from the total amount. If you generate cancellation and refund request in
the last five weeks before the test date, you are not eligible to get the
refund amount. Also, if you did not appear in the examination and if you raise
refund request, no refund will be given. In case, you have sufficient medical
certificate proofs that can be submitted within five days of the test date,
then refund will be given after the deduction of local administrative cost.
What is the validity of IELTS exam?
IELTS exam is valid up-to 2 years. IELTS exams
are conducted 48 times in a year where more than 3 million students take part
in the examination.
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