IELTS stands for ‘International English Language Testing System’. It is a test of English Language proficiency. It is jointly managed by university of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia. IELTS is accepted by almost all Australian, British, Canadian, Irish, and New Zealand and more than 1800 US academic institutions. It is the only acceptable English test for immigration to Australian, UK and Canada.
There are two modules of the IELTS; Academic Module and General Training Module:
IELTS Academic is intended for those who want to enroll in universities and other institutions of higher education and for professionals such as medical doctors and nurses who want to study or practice in an English-speaking country.
IELTS General Training is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training or to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes. The IELTS test comprises of four parts – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. An IELTS result or Test Report Form is issued to all test takers with a score from “band 1” (“non-user”) to “band 9” (“expert user”). There is also a “band 0” score for those who did not attempt the test. Scores are reported in the range of band from 1 to 9 for each part of the test – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The average produces the overall band score. You can score whole (e.g., 5.0, 6.0, 7.0) or half (e.g., 5.5, 6.5, 7.5) bands in each part of the test for individual module and overall test. All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking Modules, while the Reading and Writing Modules differ depending whether the candidate is taking the Academic or General Training Versions of the Test.
Listening, Reading and Writing are completed on in one sitting. The Speaking test may be taken on the same day or up to seven days before or after the other tests.
