Introduction to IELTS. What is IELTS? International English Language Testing System

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1 What is IELTS? International English Language Testing System

2 Who takes the IELTS test? Students planning to study in a school or a higher education institution People taking English-language learning program admissions and exits Scholarship and certification candidates English-language learners who want to track their progress Students and workers applying for visas What is your purpose? Which organizations accept IELTS scores? Over 9,000 organizations worldwide including: Universities and institutions Immigration departments and government agencies Multinational companies and professional bodies Organizations in the UK and the commonwealth nations (like Australia) prefer IELTS while those in the USA prefer TOEFL.

3 What is IELTS Academic? (A) IELTS Academic is for test takers wishing to study at undergraduate or postgraduate levels, and for those seeking professional registration. What is IELTS General Training? (G) IELTS General Training is for test takers wishing to migrate to an English-speaking country (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK), and for those wishing to train or study at below degree level. Reading and Writing components of the two types of test are different (the A test contains more questions and both the texts and questions are a bit more complex than those of G), but the Listening component is the same for A and G. As the majority of schools and universities require students to take IELTS Academic test, Acadsoc IELTS course will focus on IELTS Academic for most parts.

4 Currently, IELTS tests are only administered in the manner of traditional pen-and-paper testing. You will not be sitting the test on computer (though your answer sheet will be rated by both a human rater and automated scoring methods). Candidates have to use the pencils and erasers provided by the test centre. (You need to get used to writing with a pencil if you usually write with a pen in daily life, for IELTS allows only pencils for the test.) The Speaking component is conducted face-to-face with a human rater.

5 You will be tested on FOUR skills: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking: Component/Module Test Time Tasks (minutes) Listening (transfer time) = 40 Listen to lectures, classroom discussion and conversations, and then answer questions. Reading 60 Read 4-5 short factual texts and one longer complex text and answer questions. Writing 60 Write an at-least-150-word response based on reading tasks and a 250-word essay. Total Test Time: minutes Speaking Introduce yourself, talk about a particular topic and discuss more abstract issues and ideas. * The Listening, Reading and Writing components are always completed in the same day with no break. Depending on the test centre, the Speaking test may be taken up to 7 days either before or after the test date. Which component do you feel confident about and which component are you worried about?

6 IELTS Scores IELTS is scored on a NINE-band scale. Each band (score) corresponds to a specified competence in English. Overall Band Scores (the average band scores of the four components) are reported to the nearest half. For example: if you average score across the four components is 6. 25, your Overall Band Score is rounded up to 6.5; if your average score is 6.75, then your Overall Band Score is rounded up to 7.0. There is no pass or fail in IELTS. The band scores are for the purpose of assessing all levels of English proficiency. The IELTS Band Score Scale 9 Expert user 8 Very good user 7 Good user 6 Competent user 5 Modest user 4 Limited user 3 Extremely limited user 2 Intermittent user 1 Non user 0 Did not attempt the test Individual organizations set their own score requirements. Most universities require an overall 6 for undergraduate studies and 7+ for postgraduate studies. What is your targeted score?

7 IELTS Scoring System for Listening and Reading: Introduction to IELTS Listening Band score Raw score out of Academic Reading Band score Raw score out of General Training Reading Band score Raw score out of Overall Band Score = (Listening Band Score + Reading Band Score + Writing Band Score + Speaking Band Score)/4 (The round-up rule applies.)

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9 Sample of the Writing Answer Booklet (Page 1 and 2) 2014 Acadsoc Limited

10 Sample of the Writing Answer Booklet (Page 3 and 4) 2014 Acadsoc Limited

11 Sample of Questions in Listening Introduction to IELTS 2014

12 Sample of Questions in Listening Introduction to IELTS 2014

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14 Sample of Questions in Reading Introduction to IELTS

15 Sample of Writing Task 1 Introduction to IELTS

16 Sample of Writing Task 2 Introduction to IELTS

17 Sample of Speaking Introduction to IELTS

18 Our IELTS Course Structure: This course consists of 80 lessons, and each lesson is conducted in 50 minutes. This course covers all four components of the IELTS Test, namely, Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Each component is separated into 16 classes covering the following areas: 1. Test Strategies 2. Test Techniques 3. Question Patterns 4. Time Management 5. Sample Questions 6. Mock Test 7. Mock Test Review *Please note that assignments will be given from time to time as to maximize your experiences and knowledge on IELTS. It is essential and it is your responsibility to complete all given assignments on time.

19 For your next lesson, we will start with the Listening component of IELTS.