FAQs - www.ieltswritinghelp.com

· IELTS is an abbreviation for the International English Language Testing System. It is a standard English language test taken by students who want to study at colleges and universities in English speaking countries, and non-students who want to migrate (live and work) in English speaking countries. IELTS is also used by universities in non-English speaking countries when the university or college course is taught in English. IELTS is designed to test English language abilities in relation to speaking, listening, reading and writing, and it is co-owned by IDP Education Australia, the British Council (BC), and Cambridge English Language Assessment.

2. Why should I take IELTS ?

· If you want to study in an English speaking country at college or university, the course provider will require you to show that you can cope with the demands of the course. Universities in countries where English is not the first language might also require proof of English ability if the course is taught in English. IELTS is also taken by people who want to work and study in English speaking countries as part of their visa application process.

3. Should I take Academic IELTS or General Training IELTS ?

· If you want to study at college or university in an English speaking country or university that delivers courses in English, then take Academic IELTS. You will also probably be required to take Academic IELTS if you intend to work in most professional or academic environments. You should check with the organisation you intend to work for to find out exactly which IELTS test you should take. For people who intend to live and work in English speaking countries, in non-academic or professional environments, General Training IELTS is used to support visa application requirements.

4. Are IDP and British Council different ?

· IDP means International Development Project. It is an Australian organisation that provides IELTS preparation courses and is an official partner with the British Council and Cambridge English Language Assessment. Although IDP and the British Council are 'partners', they actually consider each other as 'the competition'. For students, there is no real difference between IDP and the British Council as far as IELTS courses and IELTS testing is concerned. They both deliver courses for IELTS, they both act as IELTS test centres, and at both organisations, examiners receive the same training and there is no difference in marking or assessment of IELTS tests.

5. Can I take TOEFL for a UK visa ?

· Even though most universities in the UK will accept TOEFL scores, the UK Home Office do not accept TOEFL or TOEIC tests for UK visa applications due to concerns of fraud. Therefore, it seems pointless to take TOEFL if you want to study or work in the UK. Take IELTS, which is accepted everywhere.

6. What skills are tested for IELTS?

· You are tested in Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening. These are 4 separate tests, which are not connected, so you can do badly in one sub-test and it does not affect another part of the test because they are assessed separately. Both general Training and Academic IELTS test all 4 skills, though there are some differences.

7. How are General Training (GT) and Academic IELTS tests different ?

· Listening - No difference. Exactly the same test, same marking system, which is out of 40 (4 parts X 10 questions).

· Speaking - No difference. Both academic and GT students are required to take the same test, which is scored according to the same criteria. This is a face to face speaking test of about 15 minutes with an IELTS examiner.

· Reading - Different. Although both tests have 3 reading passages and require you to answer 40 questions in 60 minutes, the tests are significantly different. Here is an overview.

· General Training Reading has easier texts than the academic reading test because they reflect general English reading requirements rather than academic reading requirements. In the GT reading test, parts 1 and 2 reflect working and living in an English speaking country. You can expect 2150 to 2750 words and each text gets harder than the one before. Part 1 usually provides between 1 and 3 texts, which might be a leaflet or an advertisement giving information about sports facilities, educational courses, shopping, recreational or hotel / tourist information. Part 2 is usually connected to studying a course in education or work such as conditions of work, pay and working hours, instructions about working machinery or other matters connected to employment. Part 3 GT reading is the longest and most difficult text and is similar to an academic reading text from a magazine or newspaper article.

· Academic Reading is much more difficult. It also consists of 3 parts and 40 questions, but the texts reflect issues that are considered to be more appropriate to students who will enter undergraduate and postgraduate education courses. The three reading passages will also be between 2150 to 2750 words and will become progressively more challenging to answer. Texts are taken from authentic sources including journals, magazines, books and newspapers. In terms of content, the texts are written for a non-specialist audience. Any specialist terms or vocabulary may be defined in a separate glossary under the text. The content of the texts vary and at least one text is a detailed logical argument. Another text might also include non-verbal materials such as graphs, diagrams or illustrations.

· Both academic and GT reading tests provide you with an answer sheet (paper version) and all the answers must be transferred to the answer sheet during the 60 minutes. No extra time is allowed for transfer at the end of the test. If you do not transfer, the examiner will not check your question paper to see if you knew the answer. You will lose the mark(s) for any answers you do not transfer.

· Writing - Different. Although both GT and Academic IELTS have 2 writing tasks, academic writing is considered to be more difficult. GT task 1 is a letter of correspondence, whereas the academic module requires the student to describe and compare data in a line, bar, column, pie chart or table. Alternatively, task 1 academic may require the student to describe the steps in a process, how something works (describing a diagram) or describing and comparing maps. Both academic and GT students have to write an academic essay for writing part 2. The writing test is 60 minutes. Task 1 is a third of the marks and task 2 is two-thirds of the marks.

8. How long does the test take and when and where is it taken?

· Both GT and academic IELTS are tested at IDP and BC test centres. Listening, reading, and writing are taken on the same day and the speaking test is arranged separately due to the face to face (one to one) nature of the test. The speaking test could be arranged before the day the other three skills are tested or later. Sometimes, speaking is conducted on the same day. This is decided by the individual test centres, and they will usually ask you to specify your preference if you want to test speaking on the same day, which they try to accommodate, but there are no absolute guarantees. The duration of the sub-tests is as follows: Listening is approximately 30 minutes listening + 10 minutes for transferring the answers to the answer sheet (paper test). Reading is 60 minutes. Writing is 60 minutes. Speaking is about 15 minutes.

9. Is it better to take the test at IDP or BC ?

· Students always ask this question, and it is a strange one. Why would IDP or BC be easier than the other provider? It would be strange, wouldn't it? So the answer is obviously ... it doesn't matter; take the test at either IDP or BC. They are the same. Neither is easier nor more difficult. The examiners are the same, trained the same, mark the same questions according to the same rules. There really is NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER. However, you should choose the centre that is more convenient for you to get to. If IDP is closer to home or the traffic is less where their test centre is then maybe you should test there and vice-versa for BC. Finally, you might want to check if the test centre can accommodate any special needs you may have. If, for example, you are colour blind, dyslexic or disabled, it would be wise to contact the test centre before you book your test so that you are sure everything can be arranged to accommodate your special needs before you pay any money. Finally, if you want to take the computer based IELTS test, check with the test centre first as not all centres provide it.

10. Will I get a break in-between tests for lunch or to use the bathroom?

· There are no breaks between listening, reading, and writing. These three sub-tests are taken one after the other and take 2 hours and 40 minutes. You should therefore make sure you have eaten before the test and you will be allowed to take a translucent water bottle into the test in case you get thirsty. You are allowed to go to the toilet during the test, but this will cost you time, so try to go to the toilet before you go into your test.

11. Can I take my smart-phone into the test if I switch it off?

· If you are caught with a smart-phone in the test, you will be disqualified. Whether it is switched off or on is irrelevant. You must not take ANY electronic device into the test, including watches. To keep track of time, refer to the clock on the wall of the exam room or the clock at the top of the screen (on the computer based test).

12. Is it better to write in pen or pencil?

· You can write in pen or pencil for the writing test, but the listening and reading answer sheets have to be completed in pencil. It is a good idea to take an eraser when you use a pencil.

13. When do I get my test result?

· Usually, results are posted after 13 days from the date of the test, but many test centres will send results by text or you may be able to get the result online. Ask your test centre when you book your test about this.

14. My test result has not been issued. Why not ?

· Results can be withheld and this is mentioned in the conditions on the application form. The results are withheld for either a) quality control purposes, b) irregularities that could disqualify the student, or c) the requirement that a student re-sit part of the test, or the student is required to submit speaking and writing samples.

· If the data on the Test Report Form is altered in any way by either you or your agent to Recognising Organisations, then your original result may be cancelled.

· If your test result is delayed, IELTS will send you an email to let you know. If you think you have not received this email, check your spam folder and/or contact IELTS to find out why you have not received your result. If the result is delayed, you have to wait. Usually, it will take about a week or two to resolve, but there is no time limit, so it could take up to a month or even longer to resolve.

15. How long is a test result valid?

· A test result is valid for 2 years. Also, if you take more than one test, you can use any one that has the highest overall score. However, you cannot pick and choose a band 7 for writing and add it to another test where you got all band 7 except for a band 5 in writing. It is the entire test that you rely on - not singular sub-tests that were better on different tests.

16. Can I get my test remarked?

· Yes. There is a fee to pay for this though, which is quite significant, so do not waste your money unless you really think the result is wrong. If it is re-marked, a different examiner will mark it, and if your result is higher, you are refunded the re-marking fee. If you want to request a re-mark, you have 6 weeks to apply and it could take between 6 to 8 weeks for you to get your re-mark result. Given the delay and uncertainty of a re-mark, many students simply re-take the test. Nevertheless, if you really believe your result is wrong, it is entirely your right to demand a re-mark.

17. How is the test scored?

· The reading and listening are both scored out of 40. Marks are not deducted for incorrect answers. You can get more information about band scores at IELTS Band Scores Explained in the sidebar tab.

· Speaking and writing scores are assessed by examiners who mark your speaking and writing tests. There are public band descriptors available for both speaking and writing, which students are strongly advised to make themselves familiar with. Understanding the criteria by which your test is assessed will obviously help you to prepare better and hopefully get a higher band score by maximising your potential. See the sidebar for more information.

18. What if I have an accent and the examiner does not understand me?

· Don't worry about your accent. Everybody has an accent and no accent is better than another. The examiners are used to hearing different accents, he or she will have an accent, and even the test uses different accents (on the listening tests). However, you must be able to pronounce words correctly and use the correct intonation when you speak. There is no requirement on the speaking test that you use any particular accent. You are judged according to 1) fluency. 2) Lexical Resource. 3) Grammatical Range & Accuracy. 4. Pronunciation. So, don't worry about your accent; concentrate on building more academic vocabulary and practising IELTS speaking questions rather than fretting about your accent.

· Similarly, it does not matter whether you use American English or British English. Both are entirely acceptable. It is very common for people to use some expressions using American English and then switch to British English as the two seem to be merging closer together. For example, it doesn't matter whether you say "I'm done" or "I've finished", or whether you call a lift an elevator, or a flat in contrast to an apartment or a condominium, condo, duplex or maisonette. All vocabulary and grammar variations are equally valid.

19. Can I write in Block Capitals?

· Many years ago, I was teaching a writing class in Asia, and I noticed from the homework assignments that two students had written their answers in block capitals, but the answers were completely different and the students sat in different areas of the classroom. In the next lesson, I asked them both why they had written in capital letters. Mysteriously, they were both architects from São Paulo in Brazil but did not know one-another. It was a bizarre coincidence as they were the only Brazilian students to enrol in a writing course in that particular IELTS centre. I thought they were kidding me, but they weren't. Anyway, this prompted me to find out whether they could write their IELTS test like this. The advice I got from the IELTS director was that they could write in block capitals but capitals should be written bigger to distinguish from small case (capital) letters. That remains the case. I still wonder if all architects from Brazil write in block capitals ! Nevertheless, I would not advise you to write in block capitals on your writing test for the following reasons ...

20. So, when can I write in CAPITAL LETTERS?

· For your writing test, try NOT to write in capital letters. Due to capitalisation rules, it is grammatically confusing and writing in capitals usually takes longer, which is clearly a disadvantage when you are writing against the clock. Just write normally. Use capitals when capitalisation is required and use small case when small case is appropriate. Writing your task 1 and 2 in ALL CAPITALS will do you no favours. Avoid doing so.

· However, for your listening and reading test answers, it is a good idea to write your answers in capital letters because it is clearer, especially if you have unclear handwriting. Ask your regular teacher if he/she thinks your English handwriting is clear or unclear - probably you don't think too much about this. If you decide to use capital letters for the listening and reading answer sheets, try to stick to ALL capitals; alternately, if you choose to write in small case letters, stick to all small case letters. Don't mix them up. Be consistent. Personally, I think it is better to use all capital letters for the listening and reading answer sheets.

Frequently Asked Questions - Click to Search.

- Top 20 Questions about the IELTS Test (this page).

- Top 10 General Questions for the Writing Test.

- Top 15 Questions for Task 1 Writing - G.T. and Academic.

- Top 20 Questions for Task 2 Writing - G.T. and Academic.