A lot of people who want to study or travel to countries where English is the native language are often examined through IELTS. Hundreds of people, if not thousands, who have applied to study, work, or reside in any of these English-speaking countries keep wondering about the reason behind the IELTS examination. Wonder no more, as this article will go a long way in educating you on all you need to know about the IELTS tests.
IELTS is an acronym that means “International English Language Testing System”. Immigrants from most countries who are not English-speaking countries normally sit for the IELTS examination to check their proficiency in the English language. It is a test organized mainly for non-commonwealth countries. In short, IELTS is a high-standard English test for international studies, migration, or work to test the English language proficiency of people who want to travel to English-speaking countries.
Types of IELTS
There are four types of IELTS, namely:
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing and
- Speaking
- Listening: People who are interested in traveling to countries where English is the native language are tested in the area of listening to ascertain if they can understand the English language when spoken to. The listening module has four sections with ten questions each. Sections 1 and 2 are typical social situations. Sections 3 and 4 are education and training situations, which can come in the form of a discussion between two university students. During this section, test takers listen to a recording and then must answer questions that will be posted to them from what they have read.
- Reading: This is the aspect of the IELTS exam that helps to examine how proficient the intended students or travelers are in reading the English language. The reading module has three sections. Test takers will be meant to read three texts, which may come from books, journals, magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias, pamphlets, or other forms of print or electronic media. After reading the texts, candidates must answer multiple-choice and short-answer questions.
- Writing: Such persons are also tested to know if they understand the English alphabet and therefore ascertain how well they can write the English language.
The writing module is comprised of two tasks. Firstly, test-takers will be meant to write at least one hundred and fifty words in twenty minutes and secondly, test-takers shall write at least two hundred and fifty words in forty minutes. The tasks and topics differ depending on whether the test-taker is taking the Academic or General Training Exam.
- Speaking: Speaking a language is a vital aspect of it. This is because one cannot communicate orally in a language he/she cannot speak, and as a result, association in a country whose native language is English will be a tough one. This is why IELTS tests applicants in the area of spoken English. The speaking module of the IELTS is a face-to-face interview during which the test taker sits with an examiner and has a conversation. The module has three different sections, namely: introduction, long turn, and discussions.
(i). Introduction: The test-takers answer questions about their home, family, work, studies, hobbies, interests, strengths, weaknesses, reasons for taking the IELTS exam, as well as other general knowledge topics.
(ii). Long Turn: The candidates are given a task card about a particular topic with one minute given as preparation time to talk about the topic, then they must give a two-minute speech about the topic.
(iii). Discussions: Here, the examiner and candidate engage in a more in-depth discussion about the topics covered during the long-turn session.
IELTS Programs
It is important to note here that there are two different IELTS programs i.e. Academic and General Training. The speaking and listening tests are the same in both modules, but the reading and writing tests are different.
The English language has about three hundred and 79 million speakers worldwide, and those who are looking for work, those who want to study or live in an English-speaking country like the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, etc., must be able to demonstrate a high level of English language ability, hence, the IELTS test.
The individual’s ability to listen, read, write and speak in English will be assessed during the test, which is graded on a scale of 1-9. The IELTS is the most popular test for those looking to migrate to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK.
It is globally recognized by more than eleven thousand employers, universities, schools, and immigration bodies including but not limited to over 3,400 institutions in the United States of America. IELTS exam is jointly owned and conducted by IDP Education Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment.
What is the Eligibility to Write IELTS Examination?
The eligibility criteria for writing an IELTS exam is an indication of interest in residing, working, or studying in countries that require the IELTS tests. It is a condition precedent to traveling to those countries. Without writing the test, one will be denied access to reside, work or study in the said country. The IELTS exam can therefore be taken by anyone irrespective of the person’s age, gender, race, nationality, religion, or ideology.
However, the IELTS test is not recommended for those under the age of 16, evidence of nationality is also required since the IELTS administration organization has not established any minimum IELTS eligibility requirement. In the case of students, it is a language proficiency test that is given to those candidates who wish to be students in an English-speaking country and seek to acquire international exposure.
In the majority of colleges, universities, and educational institutions in the main English-speaking countries, solely the English language is used as the medium of instruction. Therefore, to properly pursue their further education, candidates need to have a foundational grasp of the language. The four IELTS exam criteria—listening, reading, writing, and speaking—are used to evaluate applicants.
IELTS Registration
To register for the IELTS examination, interested applicants are to visit the IELTS website, on the home page there are options for IELTS for study, IELTS for migration, and IELTS for work. The applicants are to choose the option which best suits their reason for the application for the test and proceed with the registration.
What is the IELTS Examination Fee?
The price range differs from one country to the other, it must not be the local country’s equivalent to that of the USD. But it has an average cost of between $140 and $310 in most IELTS centers across the globe. The IELTS USA test center network is comprised of over forty official test centers and venues located in US community college, university, and language school campuses in major metropolitan cities across the country. The cost to take the test in the USA ranges between $245-$255 United States Dollar.
What is the IELTS Exam Format?
We stated earlier that there are four distinct parts of the IELTS exam, the total test time is two hours forty-five minutes. Three sections (Listening, Reading, and Writing) are completed in one sitting. The last section which is Speaking can be completed on the day of taking the three sections or can take up to seven working days before or after the other sections. Let’s quickly note that all test-takers are to take the same Listening and Speaking tests. The reading and Writing sections differ depending on whether the test-taker is to take the Academic or General IELTS test.
What Score is Enough in the IELTS Examination?
A vast majority of educational institutions around the world require a band score of 7.0 and a section score of 6.5 band. The higher one’s IELTS score, the more effective and proficient one’s English communication skills are. Specific IELTS score criteria will apply to each university, immigration body, job, or other institution. Whether one wants to study or work in the country, all these things have to be put in place to determine the score an applicant needs, but scoring higher indeed increases one’s chances of success.
Is There a Limit for IELTS Examination?
Another question begging for an answer is whether there is a limited number of times an applicant can write the IELTS exam. The answer to this question is that there is no limit to the number of times one can sit for the exam, one can choose to write as many as possible and choose later the best out of all to use during his/her applications.
Countries That Need IELTS Tests for Admission
A lot of people are not aware of the countries that need IELTS tests before admitting students into institutions or employing any immigrants located in these areas. Under this section, we will list the countries where one must write the IELTS exam before such a person can be considered for either admission, scholarship opportunity, or employment.
According to jobreaders, such countries are:
- United States of America (USA)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain (UK)
- Canada
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Poland
- Holland (Netherlands)
- Germany
- Norway.
Note: From the above, one may likely ask why the IELTS exam is required in Germany since the native language of Germans is not English. But since Germany is a choice destination for international students, there is a need to have IELTS exams. English language proficiency in the form of IELTS, therefore, is not an eligibility requirement for work visas or admission in Germany. However, having an IELTS certification will significantly increase your chances of securing a job and an edge over other international students.
European Countries that do not Need IELTS Tests for Admission
There are countries in Europe whose native language or primary language is not English. As a result, they do not need the IELTS tests to employ prospective employees or for admission purposes. Jobreaders listed these countries as being the following:
- France
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Norway
- Finland
- Poland
- Romania
- Belarus
- Kazakhstan
- Greece
- Bulgaria
- Hungary
- Portugal
- Austria
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Cyprus
- Germany
- Georgia
- Turkiye (Turkey)
- Switzerland
- The Netherlands.
Note: What applies to Germany as we exemplified earlier also applies to Poland, Norway, and the Netherlands mutatis mutandis (with little or no modifications). IELTS is an asset that presents more opportunities to individuals in top countries, additionally, the majority of the time, for one to start a dream job overseas as a non-native English speaker and job seeker in a nation that speaks the language, you must pass the IELTS exam.
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Conclusion
IELTS exams are taken by persons who want to travel to countries that have English as their native or common language to ascertain the person’s proficiency in the English language. As we discussed earlier, before a person can apply to gain admission to the universities located in this English-speaking jurisdiction, he must have attained some level of efficacy in both written and spoken English.
It started in the year 1980 as a joint venture of Cambridge English Language Assessment and the British Council, in that year it was called UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate). The IELTS exam is said to be a welcome development by so many scholars while others have criticized it to be a factor that hinders people from accessing various countries of their choice, some have also criticized it that most citizens of English-speaking countries are also required to write the test as though they do not have the English language as their lingua franca.
For questions you think were not addressed here, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions for more information concerning the IELTS test.
