IELTS

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is conducted jointly by the British Council, the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (known popularly as the Cambridge ESOL) and IELTS Australia,

IELTS measures Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking skills of the candidates in English. About 5,000 government agencies, educational institutions and professional organisations around the world accept IELTS scores as proof of English proficiency of the candidates.

Over 9,38,000 people take this test across 120 countries. IELTS scores range from Band 1 to 9, with Band 1 score indicating the non-user and Band 9 indicating the expert user who has full command of the English language.

 

IELTS Test Format

All candidates need to complete four modules of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing to obtain an IELTS Test Report. Listening and Speaking modules are same for all candidates but students may choose to one of the following two versions of Reading and Writing Modules:

Academic Training Modules – It assesses whether the candidate can study undergraduate or postgraduate courses in English medium. The admission to academic programs of overseas institutions is based on the results of these modules.

General Training Modules – Though, this test does not test full range of formal language skills needed in academic environments, it emphasizes on survival skills of a candidate in broader areas of social and educational scenarios. These scores are meant for students who want to immigrate to Australia, Canada or New Zealand, complete their secondary education or undertake non-degree training programmes in English-speaking countries.

Important:

General Training modules may not be available at all the test centres.

Students have to specify their choice of test version at the centre and centres are not responsible for giving them this information.

In some of the selected test centres, candidates can opt to take computer-based IELTS test for Academic Training modules at the same cost as the paper-based test. The result of Computer Based IELTS can be expected in 13 calendar days from the day the candidate takes the test.

Skill Tested	No. of Sections/Tasks	No. of Items/Words	Alloted Time
Listening	4 Sections	40	30 minutes
Reading	3 Sections	40	60 minutes
Writing	2 Sections	1st for 150 words and 2nd for 250 words	60 minutes
Speaking	–		11 to 14 minutes
		Total Test Time	2 hours 45 minutes

Listening, Reading and Writing Modules have to be attempted in one day but the Speaking Module can be taken seven days before or after the other Modules, at the discretion of the test centre.

IELTS registration

You must apply to a test centre to take an IELTS test prior to the test date.

Submit the IELTS application form in the test centre with the test fee, two passport sized photographs and a photocopy of your passport.

The test centre will confirm the date and time when you want to take your IELTS test.

You will need to take the passport or other identification number, you have mentioned in the admission form, while taking the test.

Tips and Strategies

Like all exams, it is best to prepare for IELTS exam even if you are a master in the use of English language. The fees for the test is high and a person who achieves a low band score in IELTS will have to wait for at least three months, before he or she can appear for the test again. Thus, even if you have good level of English, it is best to spend at least two weeks for IELTS preparation.

Be aware of the format of the test and the types of questions that are usually asked in the IELTS test.

Work diligently through various IELTS practice tests and IELTS sample tests that are available online and as part of the various study material packages so that you can achieve a high band score. Here are some tips and strategies that will help you to better equip yourself for-

IELTS:

• IELTS does not penalize you for wrong answers, so attempt all questions.
• For people with medium-level English, it is a good idea to opt for a four-day IELTS preparatory course offered by the British Council. It is an intensive course and offers substantial practice sessions. However, people a very high level of English levels may not find it worth their money.
• There are no breaks between the different test sections. It is not advisable to waste time in the middle of the test. Hence, visiting the restroom before entering the examination hall is a wise thing to do.

Check all the documents that you need to carry for the exam before leaving for the test. This includes:

• Original and valid passport,
• Letter containing your roll number and test venue, and
• Fee receipt.
• You can use only pencils for listening and reading sections. So, do not forget to take sharpened pencils, a pencil sharpener and a good eraser along with you.
• Be aware of the time limit that you can spend on each question.
• Listening to a recording over speakers and through cordless headphones are two distinct experiences. It is best to check with your test centre to know beforehand what method do they use for the test and practice likewise.
• Listen very carefully as the recordings are played only once. Sections 1 and 3 are dialogues and conversations are generally faster than the monologues in sections 2 and 4.
• The voice on the tape tells you how many questions to read for a particular section. Underline the key words in each question in the time allotted to read and concentrate on them while listening to the section of the recording.
• Jot down the answers on the question sheet itself. In the end, you will have 10 minutes of time to transfer all your answers to the answer sheet.
• At the end of each section, you get time to re-check your answers. You may use this time to read the questions of the next section.
• Generally, in a conversation answers appear in the same order as the questions. A speaker may correct himself or herself while speaking something. So, be alert to note the corrections that have been made to judge the final answer correctly.

Dates and Deadlines

Every year, students can take IELTS on one of the 48 fixed test centers. Local test centres may offer the test on some or all of these dates. You will need to contact your test centre to known on which dates they will be offering IELTS.

PTE

(Pearson Test of English)

ABOUT PTE

PTE Academic assesses listening, reading, speaking and writing all via computer in a single 3 hour test session.

To complete a PTE Academic test, you will need to attend a secure Pearson test centre. You will use a computer and headset to listen to, read and respond to questions.

TOEFL Test Format: Internet Based Test

Section	Type of Question	No. of Question	Duration
Reading	3-5 passages; approximately 700 words long; 12-14 questions per passage.	36-70	60-100 minutes
Listening	4-6 lectures, some with classroom discussion; each 3-5 minutes long; 6 questions each. 2-3 conversations; each 3 minutes long; 5 questions each.	34-51	60-90 minutes
Speaking	2 tasks to express an opinion on a familiar topic; 4 tasks to speak based on what is read and listened to.	6 tasks	20 minutes
Writing	1 task to write based on what is read and listened to; 1 task to support an opinion on a topic.	2 tasks	50 minutes
Total score	–

Test Score:

Scores are posted online and mailed approximately 15 business days after your test date. The iBT version of the TOEFL test is scored on a scale of 0 to 120 points and a good score is 90+.

TOEFL Test Format: Paper Based Test

The duration of the test is approximately 3½ hours. It measures your listening, structure (grammar), reading and writing skills. It is a paper based test (using paper and pencil) and you can take it 6 times a year at test centers where TOEFL iBT is not available.

Section	No. of Question	Approx. time	Score Range
Listening Comprehension	50	30-40 minutes	31 to 68
Structure and Written Expression	40	25 minutes	31 to 68
Reading Comprehension	50	55 minutes	31 to 67
Writing (Test of written English)	1 topic	30 minutes
Total	–	–	310 to 677

• Listening Comprehension tests your ability to understand North American English.
• Structure and Written Expression tests your ability to identify language that is appropriate for standard written English.
• Reading Comprehension tests your ability to understand non-technical reading material.

TOEFL Test Score

Scores are mailed to the student as well as to the selected institutions after 5 weeks from the test date. The final PBT score ranges between 310 and 677. Unlike the iBT, the score of the Writing section (referred to as the Test of Written English, TWE) is not part of the final score; instead, it is reported separately on a scale of 0–6 points and a good score is 4+.

Validity of TOEFL scores

The TOEFL score is valid for two years. Colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent score

Tips and Strategies

• Aspiring applicants can undertake an English language training program which will emphasize on communication using all 4 skills as well as provide integrated knowledge pertaining to reading, listening, writing and speaking.
• In order to improve your reading skills you can depend on internet or consider reading lot of books and even newspapers
• While reading scan for information and highlight the key points which are ideally 5 W’s and 1 H i.e. who, what, why, where, when and how. Practice this frequently to increase your speed and become habitual of this exercise
• Increase your diction by learning new words every day and make an attempt at sentence formation using the new learned words
• Try to time yourself using a clock watch. Instead of reading the entire passage with concentration try to skim through the entire passage looking for essential facts
• Build a habit of drawing conclusions and making inferences depending upon the meaning of the passage as a whole
• In order to enhance the listening skills you can watch movies and television
• Additionally, it is also a great idea to listen frequently to a wide spectrum of different types of material in numerous subject areas. Different websites such as www.npr.org and www.bbc.co.uk/radio will help you to grow accustomed to listening to varied accents
• Practice pronunciation, focusing on word stress, pauses and intonation patterns
• Work extensively on tenses so as to ensure correct sentence formation
• Learn to write in an organized and coherent manner by identifying one core idea and other points to support that idea before beginning with the essay
• Study the principles of spelling, punctuation, and layout

TOEFL Registration

You can register for the TOEFL online or by phone or post and make the payment through your credit card or through the bank draft.