A Complete IELTS Test Guide
Why IELTS Test?
IELTS Test Guide : The IELTS exam is easy to crack, but many students consider it tough, making it the most difficult English proficiency test. The test measures a candidate’s English language skills based on four communicative areas: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
IELTS test is essential for candidates seeking employment or further education in nations where English is the native language like the United Kingdom, the United States of America, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, etc. The aspirants looking to work in any country with English as a native language enroll in IELTS General, whereas students seeking to pursue higher education give IELTS Academic. The test is available in two ways: one is computer-based (CBT), and the other is paper-based (PBT).
The best way to prepare for the IELTS exam is to practice & practice as many sample questions as possible. There is a lot of free practice material for the IELTS test available on the internet. Practice it to crack your desired IELTS bands.
But the question is: How much practice?
How much time does it take to crack the IELTS exam?
Cracking the IELTS test, I believe, is not difficult. However, this varies from person to person. One can be good at writing while others excel at listening, so it depends on candidates how much time they want to crack the IELTS exam.
If you are proficient in English and wish to achieve a high score band on the IELTS, two months of preparation is more than enough. It all relies on your talent level, ranging from average to excellent.
You can take a sample exam with different portions (Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking) and look at the result to get an idea of how much time you’ll need to prepare for IELTS. If you get a score of 21-27, you’ll be able to get 6+ bands in less than a month of preparation.
Moreover, it would be best to devote specific time to your preparation. Your performance on practice tests determines the appropriate number of hours. If you believe that 6 hours a day is sufficient to achieve an 8 band score, those should be your ideal hours. Further, after you’ve figured out your learning style, create a plan that allows you to be most productive. You don’t have to sit for 7–8 hours straight; divide your time and work as needed.
IELTS Test Registration procedure
Candidates can register for IELTS either online or in person at their local IDP office. Test-takers may select from 80 IELTS test centres across India, making it easy to choose one that is convenient for them. There are no explicit IELTS qualifying requirements. It is open to anybody, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, religion, or nationality. IELTS is not available to anybody under the age of 16. The following are the steps for both online and offline IELTS registration:
IELTS ONLINE REGISTRATION
- Firstly, Locate an IELTS test center near you. There are 1,600 test locations across the world. You can also register online from the official website of IELTS.
- Next, Register your information and book the test by paying online. While registration, submit valid documents as you will need this application on the test day.
- After the application has been processed, the testing center will confirm the test date and time. It will be sent via email or regular mail.
IELTS OFFLINE REGISTRATION
IELTS aspirants can download the IELTS exam registration form from the official website. Manually choose the test date and complete the form’s other prerequisites. After the registration form is filled, the candidate must then pay either by DD (made payable to “IDP EDUCATION INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, Payable at New Delhi”) or cash (at ICICI bank with a payment slip). The candidate must also offer a Blue Dart courier operable address on the registration form.
NOTE: The candidates will have the Listening, Reading, and Writing sections of the exam on the same day. However, speaking can either be on the same day or within a week before or after the other sections. IELTS authorities will provide the information about the same to you at your registered email address.
IELTS Test Registration cost
| Test Type | Cost (INR) |
| Computer-delivered IELTS for UKVI | 15,100 |
| Computer-delivered IELTS | 14,700 |
| IELTS Life Skills (A1 and B1) | 13,940 |
| IELTS for UK Visas and Immigration | 15,100 |
| Pen and paper-based IELTS | 14,700 |
source: https://www.ieltsidpindia.com/
The approximate cost for the IELTS exam is Rs15000 only.
Candidates can pay their IELTS test fees either online through net banking Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card, DD, or in person at an ICICI bank.
However, you must check for cancellation and rescheduling costs before paying the fee. A 25% administrative charge will be levied from the refund if the applicant cancels the exam in the duration of 5 weeks or more before the scheduled test date.
There will be no reimbursement if the cancellation is made less than 5 weeks from the test date. In addition to that, the test will be considered canceled if the candidate is not present for the exam. In case, by any reason you miss present in the exam, you can reschedule it. The charges for rescheduling the IELTS test is Rs3000 with a protocol of candidates rescheduling the date within three months of their scheduled date.
IELTS TEST FORMAT – IELTS Test Guide
IELTS test is of two types Academic and General. There are four sections of the test. Listening and Speaking sections of the exam remain the same for all but Reading and Writing have different questions. The complete test format and a variety of questions the examiner asks are given below. The examiner frames a combination of questions in the test.
| TEST SECTIONS AND QUESTIONS | LISTENING | READING | IELTS ACADEMIC WRITING | IELTS GENERAL WRITING | SPEAKING |
| 1 | Form Completion | True/ False/ Not Given Questions | Essay on the topic given in the form of bar chart, pie, or image | Letter | Introduction |
| 2 | Note Completion | Yes/ No/ Not Given Questions | Essay | Essay | Cue Card |
| 3 | Sentence Completion | Multiple Choice Questions | Discussion | ||
| 4 | Table Completion | Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers Questions | |||
| 5 | Flow Chart Completion | Match the Headings Questions | |||
| 6 | Matchings | Matching Information or Features Questions | |||
| 7 | MCQ’s | Answer Short Questions | |||
| 8 | Map Labelling | Matching Sentence Endings | |||
| 9 | Diagram Labelling | Sentence Completion or Fill in the Blanks | |||
| 10 | Choose from the List Questions | ||||
| 11 | Note | Summary | Flow chart Completion |
On IELTS Test day
- IELTS test day can create panic and make candidates nervous, affecting their performance. Be prepared with the right documents and reach the test center an hour before the scheduled exam time. You might not be allowed to enter the examination hall if you reach there late.
- Once you reach inside the hall, stay calm and follow the instructions mentioned in IELTS application form.
- No breaks are there between the three sections other than speaking. Therefore, you will have to sit for 2 hours and 40 minutes straight in the test room, so eat properly before your test . The supervisors only permit a transparent water bottle inside the test room.
- Once your examination begins, read and follow the instructions and start with the questions accordingly. Do not make silly errors and lose points.
- Moreover, have an eye on the time limit as well as IELTS Test Guide .
IELTS Results
For PBT, the candidates receive test results within 13 days of the test while for the Computer-based IELTS test candidates receive results three to five days following the test. The results are made available through an email by the officials with a link to view the scorecard. The candidates must download this scorecard and get the same print as the results will be available for 28 days to view online.
If you are looking to check your results and have given IELTS through IDP, please follow the link of IELTS Test Guide .
How is your score calculated?
IELTS is scored in bands from 0-9, where 0 is assigned when candidates do not attempt any question, while 9 is given to an expert user who uses English appropriately, accurately, and fluently. Firstly, the examiner scores individual to a section, i.e., Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking, and then the average is calculated to produce an IELTS overall band score .
The IELTS writing section has two tasks, and task 2 has more weightage than task 1. The weightage of task 2 is 66%, and that of task 1 is 33%.
IELTS exam scores validity
The scores are valid for two years from the time of the result.
IELTS Resitting.
The candidates who fail to achieve their desired IELTS scores can resit and retake the test whenever they are ready. However, before registering for IELTS Test Guide , keep in mind that your bands are unlikely to improve without a dedicated effort to improve your scores.
