20-01-2025, 05:13 AM
The IELTS exam pattern is designed to evaluate your proficiency in English across four essential skills: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. It is divided into two main formats: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training, depending on your goals, whether for higher education, work, or migration. Here’s a detailed breakdown:
Listening Section
Reading Section
Writing Section
Speaking Section
Scoring
Test Formats: Paper-Based vs Computer-Based
Purpose of the IELTS Exam
By thoroughly understanding the IELTS exam pattern, you can tailor your preparation strategy to meet the test’s requirements effectively and achieve your desired score.
Listening Section
- Duration: 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes for transferring answers in the paper-based test).
- Format: 4 recordings with 40 questions.
- Recording 1: A conversation between two people in a social context.
- Recording 2: A monologue on an everyday topic.
- Recording 3: A conversation among up to four people in an academic context.
- Recording 4: A monologue on an academic subject.
- Recording 1: A conversation between two people in a social context.
- Question Types: Multiple choice, matching, plan/map/diagram labeling, form/note/table completion, sentence completion, and short-answer questions.
Reading Section
- Duration: 60 minutes.
- Format: 3 sections with 40 questions.
- Academic: Extracts from books, journals, and newspapers.
- General Training: Texts from advertisements, manuals, and notices, focusing on workplace or social contexts.
- Academic: Extracts from books, journals, and newspapers.
- Question Types: Matching headings, multiple choice, summary completion, true/false/not given, and matching information.
Writing Section
- Duration: 60 minutes.
- Format: Two tasks.
- Academic Writing:
- Task 1: Describe a graph, chart, or diagram (minimum 150 words).
- Task 2: Write an essay in response to an argument or problem (minimum 250 words).
- Task 1: Describe a graph, chart, or diagram (minimum 150 words).
- General Training Writing:
- Task 1: Write a letter (formal, semi-formal, or informal).
- Task 2: Write an essay similar to the Academic format.
- Task 1: Write a letter (formal, semi-formal, or informal).
- Academic Writing:
Speaking Section
- Duration: 11–14 minutes.
- Format: Face-to-face interview with an examiner.
- Part 1: Introduction and general questions (4–5 minutes).
- Part 2: A long turn where you speak on a topic for 2 minutes using a cue card (3–4 minutes).
- Part 3: Two-way discussion on abstract topics related to Part 2 (4–5 minutes).
- Part 1: Introduction and general questions (4–5 minutes).
Scoring
- The IELTS uses a band score system ranging from 0 to 9, with scores reported for each section and an overall band.
Test Formats: Paper-Based vs Computer-Based
- The IELTS exam pattern is consistent across both formats, but the computer-based test offers quicker results (3–5 days) and a more user-friendly interface.
Purpose of the IELTS Exam
- Academic IELTS: For students applying to universities.
- General Training IELTS: For work or immigration purposes.
By thoroughly understanding the IELTS exam pattern, you can tailor your preparation strategy to meet the test’s requirements effectively and achieve your desired score.