What is IELTS? Updated Syllabus, Pattern & Preparation

Have you ever thought why “IELTS” is so popular? Why are so many aspirants across the globe taking the test either to study abroad or work in an English country?

What is IELTS ? Here I’m sharing you all the information related to IELTS exam syllabus. Most of my students across countries followed my step by step guide to crack their IELTS exam.

What is IELTS ?

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. A joint venture of The British Council, IDP Australia and Cambridge University. A standardized test of an individual’s English proficiency. It is necessary for a non-native speaker to go abroad for studies, work, and immigration purpose.

IELTS Eligibility Criteria

Candidates who are above 16, falls under the IELTS eligibility criteria. So, if you are planning to take higher education or wish to work abroad can apply for IELTS test.

IELTS test has two variants:

• Academic Test – if you aim to study abroad for higher education.
• General Training – if you wish to work or immigrate abroad.

IELTS – Academic

Many students want to study abroad through IELTS exam. In this blog, I have shared everything that will help you in getting a good band score in IELTS. What is a good band score in IELTS Academics?

Generally, most universities accept an overall band score of 6.5 with 6 bands in each Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. Though the score may slightly vary from university to university, yet 7 is a handsome score and opens great avenues of a bright future abroad.

Also, you can read how to get a good band score in IELTS exam.

IELTS – General Training

If you want to go abroad for work or immigration purpose, you need a band score of 7 or more in IELTS General Training. You can choose your fields of interest like aviation, nursing, engineering, medical, management among other lucrative sectors. These days most of the people are planning to apply for a PR (Permanent residency) in Canada through IELTS.

Usually, a band score in IELTS GT of 8 7 7 7 i.e. Listening 8, Reading 7, Speaking 7 and Writing 7 is mandatory to apply for PR. Most of my students have achieved this IELTS 8777 score by using my useful tips, and are happily settled in Canada now.

IELTS Syllabus

IELTS Syllabus consists of four modules in both Academic and General Training. The IELTS exam pattern of both the Listening and Speaking tests in Academic and General Training is the same. However, there is a slight difference in Reading and Writing section.

• Listening 
• Reading
• Writing
• Speaking

There is no difference in Speaking and Listening modules in both the IELTS exams. But on the day of test , you get absolutely no gap between the three modules. It all begins with Listening, followed by Reading and Writing. Besides, it includes an hour or so for getting familiar with the venue and the test procedure.

So, keep patient!

You still have an option to choose your Speaking test either a couple of days before or after the LRW.

Listening consists of 30 minutes of listening and 10 minutes to write your answers on the answer sheet. Which has an hour each for Writing and Reading, making it 2 hours and 40 minutes on the first day of IELTS test.

IELTS Exam Pattern

There are basically two kinds of skills –

• Receptive: Listening and Reading
• Productive: Speaking and Writing

There are 40 questions each in Listening as well as Reading with “no negative marking for a wrong answer“. Whereas, Speaking and writing in IELTS have certain band descriptors (on a scale of 0-9) on the basis of which an examiner determines your band score.

Don’t forget, you are penalized for incorrect grammar, spelling mistakes among other factors.

IELTS Listening (40 mins)

 

In this Listening test, you will listen to four recordings of native English speakers and then write your answers to a series of questions.

All the sections have 10 questions each. You will get 30 minutes to listen to the audios and 10 minutes to transfer the answers onto the Answer-sheet.

Section	I	II	III	IV
No. of Tasks	1-2	2	Up to 3	Up to 3
Listening Type	a conversation between two persons	a monologue	a conversation between 3-4 people	Typically has a discussion or conversation between two individuals
Context	Talking about a familiar topic.	Related to a social event/social facilities	Discussing an argument/ educational or training	on a specific topic/ academic subject
Task Categories	Form/Note Completion	Flowchart/Table/Sentence Completion	Map/Plan/Diagram Labelling	Matching/ Multiple Choice/ Short Answer
Difficulty Level	Easy	Moderate	Tough/Very Touch	Tough/Very Tough

IELTS Reading (60 minutes)

If you think your English is good enough for IELTS. Let me tell you, Reading section can prove you wrong.

It is designed to test the variety of your reading skills. Skimming and scanning are two very different strategies for speeding up your reading skills.

Skimming is one of the technique you can use to read main or general ideas in lesser time.

Scanning is another useful technique for speed up your reading ability.Look only for a specific detail in the  information without reading everything. You will get 60 minutes to answer 40 questions.

You can also check: IELTS Reading Tips & Strategies: General & Academic

Reading Type	Academic	General Training
Taken from	Books Journals Magazines Newspapers	Books Magazines Newspapers Notices Ads Company handbooks  & guidelines
Passage Types	Three long reading passages with a variety of questions.	Two or more short texts in section 1, two texts in section 2 and the third one is a long text.
Topics	Generally for a non-specialized audience, yet interesting, appropriate to be recognized. Sometimes include diagrams, graphs etc.	First one is mainly about retrieving and providing general factual information. Second passage focuses on the workplace context. The third involves more extended prose with a more complex structure.
Question Types	Multiple choice Matching headings Identifying information Identifying author’s Opinions or claims (Yes No Not Given)	Matching information and a few others. You need to understand IELTS reading and the tips to solve these types of questions
Styles of Passages	A variety of styles like narrative, descriptive or discursive/argumentative.	Descriptive and instructive

IELTS Writing (60 minutes – Two Tasks)

IELTS Writing section consists of two tasks. you will be given 20 minutes for Writing task 1 and 40 minutes for Writing Task 2.

Your IELTS score will be assessed on four marking criteria. Each accounts for 25% marks –

• Task Achievement
• Coherence and Cohesion
• Lexical Resource
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy

IELTS Writing Task – 1

Writing Type	Academic	General Training
Question Type	Line graph Pie chart Bar chart Table Mixed Maps Diagram	Letter:  Formal  Semi-formal  Informal
Style of Writing	Academic or semi-formal/neutral styles. Should include the most important and the most relevant points.	It depends who they are asked to write: A friend – (informal) A manager – semi-formal or formal)
Word Limit	Min. 150 words	Min. 150 words
Marks	1/3rd of 9 bands in Writing	1/3rd of 9 bands in Writing

IELTS Writing Task – II

Writing Type	Academic	General Training
Question Type	Essay: Opinion (Agree or Disagree)  Advantages and Disadvantages.  Problem and Solution.  Discussion (Discuss both views) Two-part Question.	Essay: Opinion (Agree or Disagree)  Advantages and Disadvantages.  Problem and Solution.  Discussion (Discuss both views) Two-part Question.
Style of Writing	Academic or semi-formal/ neutral style. Answers should be a discursive consideration of the relevant issues	Can be fairly personal, semi-formal/neutral discursive in style.
Word Limit	Min. 250 words	Min. 250 words
Marks	2/3rd of 9 bands in Writing	2/3rd of 9 bands in Writing

IELTS Speaking (11–14 minutes)

Are you tensed about IELTS Speaking Test?

Better don’t be!

The examiners are well trained to make you comfortable and I’m sure you’d enjoy the speaking session with them. This test is an assessment of your spoken English skills. The test is recorded.

Don’t forget to carry your passport!

• Part 1 (4-5 mins): General questions about yourself and other familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies and your interests.
• Part 2 (2 mins): It’s a cue card section wherein you have to talk about a particular topic. You will be given one minute to prepare before speaking followed by one or two related questions.
• Part 3(4-5 mins) : Further detailed questions about the topic in Part 2. Your task is to discuss more abstract ideas and issues.

IELTS Exam Preparation

How to prepare for IELTS? This is probably the million dollar question. I believe, you first need to analyze your existing level of proficiency in English in all the four modules. Then, set yourself a realistic goal.

In this age of the Internet, nothing is impossible. You can get yourself assessed here or by visiting a renowned institute for IELTS having certified IELTS trainers.

The next step is to practice under the guidance of your mentor. Always refer to authentic IELTS material. Practice Listening and record your speaking daily and learn from your mistakes.

However, for Writing and Speaking you need an expert guidance. My tips and tricks to solve IELTS exam have helped thousands of my students. You might find them useful too.

Conclusion

I’ve tried to answer all the questions that students often ask through emails like what is “IELTS “. IELTS syllabus and the difference in exam pattern of IELTS Academic and General Training. I hope I have given you all the relevant information about IELTS and its different modules.

If you still feel that I couldn’t cover some questions about IELTS. I would be happy to address your questions in the comments section below. Thanks