Millions of aspirants prepare for the IELTS test every year to get a visa. This is because many countries accept the visa application on the basis of IELTS score. So, it is important for every test taker to score well in the IELTS.
However, it is important to understand the format of the paper to make a good study plan for IELTS. In addition, knowing the test format also helps in better preparation in several ways. So, let’s know the IELTS test format and types of questions in this article.
Types of IELTS Tests and Their Differences
There are two types of IELTS test people generally prepare for. These are IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. Let’s know the difference between the both.
- IELTS Academic Test- The IELTS academic exam tests your English language proficiency. It is mainly given by students to get admission to the top institutes to study abroad. In addition, people who want to work in English-speaking nations or companies also take this test.
- IELTS General Training- People who want to get visas for migrating to an English-speaking nation take this IELTS exam. In other words, the IELTS general training test is given for nonacademic purposes. However, it also has 4 sections. But, it is easy to answer the reading and writing sections in this test.
Know The IELTS Test Format and Types of Questions
People generally appear for the IELTS academic exam. So, let’s know it’s test format. Test takers have to give four sections to prove their proficiency in IELTS academics. However, these sections are English speaking, listening, writing, and reading. Test takers have to complete all these sections in a given time. So, let’s know the time limit and types of questions to understand the IELTS test format.
IELTS Listening
The IELTS listening section tests the aspirant’s concentration in English listening. Test takers have to listen to four audios in this section and answer forty questions. There are a variety of questions like
- Multiple choice
- Matching
- Plan/map/diagram/labeling
- Form/note/table/flow chart/summary completion
- Short answer questions
Each correct answer carries 1 mark, which further changes into a 9-band scale. However, test takers must complete this section in 30 minutes.
IELTS Reading
The IELTS reading section tests the reading efficiency of a test taker. Test takers have to read three paragraphs. These paragraphs contain nearly 2150 to 2750 words. However, it also has a variety of 40 questions, which are
- Matching Headings
- Matching Paragraph Information
- Matching Features
- Matching Sentence Endings
- True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given
- Multiple Choice
- List of Options
- Choose a Title
- Short Answers
- Sentence Completion
- Summary Completion
- Table Completion
- Flow Chart Completion
- Completion Diagrams
In this section, for each correct answer, test takers get 1 mark, which further converts into a band scale of 0 to 9. However, test takers get 60 minutes to complete this section.
IELTS Writing
When we talk about the trickiest section in the IELTS test, is the writing section. Test takers have to write two paragraphs in 400 words by understanding the given information. The first paragraph has a diagram or graph that test takers have to understand and write about 150 words related to the given information. In the same way, test takers have to write an essay of at least 250 words on their point of view on problems they should discuss. However, this task tests your imaginative power. So, you get a time of 60 minutes to complete both the tasks in this section.
Note: You will be given marks on the basis of task achievement, coherence and cohesion, Lexical resource you used, Grammatical range, and accuracy on a band scale of 0 to 9.
IELTS Speaking
This is the interview round for the IELTS exam. In this section, an examiner will test your English language speaking skills. This part has 3 sections. In the first part, test takers have to give a brief introduction of them. Now, after the introduction, the test taker will give you a cue card that has a topic. You have to prepare for that topic in 1 minute and speak for 2 minutes. After this, the test taker will ask you certain questions related to your cue card topic in the third part to end the interview and speaking section. However, you get marks on a 0 to 9 band scale based on your fluency and coherence, the Lexical resource used, and the grammar and pronunciation of words.
Note- you have to complete this task in 11 to 14 minutes.
How To Master the IELTS Exam
There are many ways to master the IELTS test. Among all the practices, the best practice is to join IELTS classes. Trainers help test takers understand the test pattern. In addition, trainers assist students in preparing for all the sections and clearing the doubts in classes. Thus it helps test takers to get a step closer to mastering the IELTS exam. However, the best practice every trainer follows is to take regular mock tests. It helps the aspirants to know the level of the paper, where they stand and their weaker sections to practice. Moreover, these mock tests also help aspirants to prepare for possible questions for the exam. Thus this practice helps the aspirants to build confidence and it ultimately results in a good score in the IELTS exam.
Final Thought
Lastly, the IELTS paper pattern is very easy. It just has 4 sections that contain several tasks. However, it is important for test takers to prepare well for all sections. This is because the overall score is the average of performance in all the sections. So, many test takers join classes to prepare for all the sections because there is no IELTS syllabus to study. However, it helps the test takers to build confidence. This is because of the practices that trainers follow to prepare the aspirants. One of the practices that trainers widely follow is to prepare aspirants through mock tests. It helps the test takers to know their level of preparation and the types of questions in the exam. Thus, test takers with proper guidance can get the desired band score on the IELTS exam.