IELTS

Success in life seems to be dependent of two factors; hard work and opportunity. Although you might believe the factor 'opportunity' to be beyond your own control, nothing less is true. By learning an international language you can create your own opportunities, like the opportunity to study and live abroad.

INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING SYSTEM (IELTS)
IELTS is designed to assess the language ability of candidates who need to study or work in countries where English is used as the language of communication.

WHY TAKE THE IELTS TEST?
If you're planning to migrate or study abroad or if you want to meet entry requirements for university or visa processing, the International English Testing System (IELTS) will make sure you have proof of your English ability.


WHAT IS IELTS AND WHY IS EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT IT?
IELTS, the "International English Language Testing System", It is jointly managed by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) the British Council, and IDP Education Australia: IELTS Australia. The IELTS exam is recognized widely as a language requirement for courses in further and higher education in Britain, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and North America. The IELTS score is also required for migration purpose to certain countries like New Zealand and Australia

The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is the English test used in Australia, the UK, New Zealand and, increasingly, in Europe, the US, Canada, Malaysia and Singapore for assessing the level of English Language proficiency of students applying to study in universities and colleges. This exam is required for admission to university for foreign students. The IELTS is also used to assess the level of English language proficiency of people applying to migrate to Australia or New Zealand.


IELTS TESTS ARE:

  • Recognized worldwide
  • Available in 106 countries
  • Accepted by universities in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and North America
  • Able to give you results within two weeks after you take the test
  • Open to anyone aged sixteen and above


THE IELTS TEST
It covers the four language skills - listening, reading, writing and speaking and is available in two test formats/versions: Academic & General Training.

THE TWO VERSIONS OF IELTS

ACADEMIC IELTS:
To assess, whether a candidate is ready to study or train in the medium of English, at an undergraduate or postgraduate level or for registration with the General Medical Council. This test is also being increasingly used for individuals wishing to apply for lecturing or teaching posts abroad, as well as for certain 'high-level' profess

GENERAL TRAINING IELTS:
The emphasis is on basic survival skills in a broad social and educational context. It is suitable for candidates who are going to English speaking countries to complete their Secondary education, to undertake work experience, training programmes not at degree level or perhaps as a requirement for general immigration purposes to Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

IELTS PREPARATION COURSE
Our IELTS Preparation course will help you: Learn what the exam consists of and what it aims to test Learn how to understand the questions, and answer most effectively Understand the kind of answers the examiner expects from you Practice the type of questions you will face in the examination Learn the techniques to help improve your score Learn how to manage your time in the exam

Warning: Do not buy any IELTS study Guide unless it meets the following 6 criteria

There is a lot of confusion surrounding studying for the IELTS, and standardized tests in particular. I want to give you 6 criteria or elements you absolutely, positively must have in any product you obtain:

One:
It must be written, by actual top scorers on the IELTS. The blind cannot hope to lead the blind.

Two:
It must be written in easy-to-use everyday language so all test takers can access the information.

Three:
It should be to the point, with no fluff to distract the test taker from the truly urgent things that must be learned to succeed on the IELTS.

Four:
It must address the test first, the material second. If the material was the only thing that was important, then every test taker with good grades in their past should get a perfect score- that doesn't happen because there's a difference between classroom performance and test performance. You want a study guide to close that gap. IELTS Secrets helps you actually EXCEED that gap by doing BETTER on the test than your grades would predict.

Five:
It must motivate the test taker to actually study. If it's written like a textbook, studying is slow and painful, and will produce meager results.

Six:
The guide must be guaranteed- if your score doesn't improve; you get your money back- no questions asked. In summary, here's what you get: When you buy IELTS Secrets, you'll get the instantly downloadable e-book, including-

The 4 Secret Keys to IELTS Success:

  • Time Is Your Greatest Enemy
  • Guessing is Not Guesswork
  • Practice Smarter, Not Harder
  • Prepare, Don't Procrastinate

 

A comprehensive Listening Review with:

  • How to Interpret Anything
  • Keys to Voice Changes
  • Finding the Hidden Meaning
  • Developing Memory Enhancers

 

A comprehensive Reading Review with:

  • How to Avoid Switchback Words
  • Keys to the Sentence Completions
  • Skimming Techniques to Save Time
  • What to Do With Hedge Phrases

 

A comprehensive Writing Review with:

  • How to Approach an Issue or Argument
  • Keys to Weeding Your Garden
  • Strength Through Diversity
  • The Logical Path to Churning out an Essay

 

A comprehensive Speaking Review with:

  • Exhausting the Possibilities
  • One Size Fits All
  • Finding the Bridges
  • Taking the Final Step

 



HOW LONG IS THE RESULTS VALID FOR?
The IELTS results are valid for TWO years from the date when the test is first written. Should your results have expired, you will have to re-sit the examination at your own cost.

CAN I QUERY MY RESULTS?
Your answers to the Reading and Listening sections of the test are entered on a test grid and these are marked against acceptable answers on a master sheet. These can be checked again if requested. However, all marking and additions are double-checked at the time of marking and errors are extremely infrequent. Trained and experienced examiners mark the Writing and speaking sections. Their assessments can only be remarked by examiners in the UK. A charge of £40 is levied, which is refunded if the marks are altered. We must stress again, however, that changes to marks are very rare.

WHAT BAND SCORE DO I NEED TO PASS THE TEST?
This will need to be clarified by the authority that instructed you to take this test. The British Council will not advise on scores required under any circumstances. Furthermore, should you have taken the wrong version of the test (General or Academic), the Council will not accept responsibility thereof, and you will have to re-take the correct version - as required - at your own cost.

I HAVE NOT ATTAINED THE MARK I NEEDED. WHEN CAN I TAKE THE TEST AGAIN?
Rules on retaking the test are laid down by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES). As the designer of the test, UCLES is concerned that a candidate should not take the same test twice. They insist therefore that tests are rotated and that no one is allowed to retake the test within THREE MONTHS of their original test. This is not the decision of the British Council and is non-negotiable.

DO I WRITE THE “PEN AND PAPER TEST” OR THE “COMPUTERISED TEST (CBIELTS)”?
All candidates writing IELTS in Mauritius will be taking the PEN AND PAPER test. The Computerized version of this test is not available yet.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I WISH TO CANCEL OR POSTPONE THE EXAMINATION?
The fee is NON-REFUNDABLE, but if a candidate wants to postpone the test date, a minimum of one week's notice should be given otherwise, a postponement fee of will be charged. REFUNDS ARE ONLY GIVEN TO CANDIDATES WHO CAN PROVIDE WRITTEN PROOF FROM THE RELEVANT AUTHORITIES THAT THEY ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED TO TAKE THE EXAMINATION. FURTHERMORE, WE WILL BE CHARGING AN ADMIN FEE OF CLIENT TO SUPPLY FOR ANY CANCELLATIONS MADE; THEREFORE THE ENTIRE FEE WILL NOT BE REFUNDED TO CANDIDATES.

VALUE OF THE IELTS TEST
IELTS is accepted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada as an acceptable way to evaluate the English language level of applicants for immigration to Canada. IELTS is also accepted, by many academic institutions in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. American academic institutions are increasingly accepting IELTS for admissions purposes. IELTS is accepted by many professional organizations

THE IELTS TEST
IELTS tests the complete range of English language skills students encounter when studying or training in English IELTS tests Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. All IELTS test candidates take Listening and Speaking Modules. There is an option of either Academic or General Training Reading and Writing Modules. Academic IELTS is suitable for candidates planning to undertake higher education study. General Training is suitable for candidates planning to undertake non-academic training or work experience, or for immigration purposes. If you plan to undertake academic study in Canada, you should sit for the Academic Reading and Writing Modules. If you plan to undertake non-academic training or apply for immigration to Canada, you should sit for the General Training Reading and Writing Modules.

International English Language Testing System?
IELTS is recognized as an entrance requirement by British, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian universities and for secondary, vocational and training programmes. All candidates are tested in Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. All candidates take the same Listening and speaking modules. The choice of Reading and Writing modules is determined by the purpose for taking IELTS. The Academic Reading and Writing modules are suitable for those seeking admission to undergraduate and postgraduate courses. General Training Reading and Writing modules are suitable for candidates who are going to English-speaking countries to complete their secondary education or to undertake work experience or training programmes not at degree level. The General Training modules are also used for immigration purposes.


Listening
This is a test of listening comprehension in the context of general language proficiency. The test is in four sections. The first two sections are concerned with social needs, while the last two are concerned with situations more closely related to educational or training contexts. Texts include both monologues and dialogues between two or three people, and are heard once only. A variety of question types are used for the forty items, including multiple choice, short-answer questions, notes/summary/flow chart completion, and sentence completion, labeling a diagram and matching.


Reading
Candidates take either the Academic or the General Training Reading module. The Academic Reading module consists of texts of general interest dealing with issues, which are appropriate for, and accessible to, candidates entering postgraduate or undergraduate courses. The texts of the General Training Reading module draw on social and training contexts or deal with general interest topics. Both Reading modules consist of three passages or sections with forty questions. Question types include multiple choice, sentence or summary completion, identifying data for short-answer questions, matching lists or phrases and identifying writers' views/attitudes.


Writing
Candidates take either the Academic or the General Training Writing module. Appropriate responses for the Academic Writing module are short essays or general reports, addressed to tutors or to an educated non-specialist audience. The General Training Writing module requires candidates to write personal semi-formal or formal correspondence, or to write on a given topic as part of a simulated class assignment.


There are two compulsory tasks.
Task 1 requires at least 150 words and Task 2, the more heavily weighted, requires at least 250 words. In Task 1, Academic Writing module candidates are asked to look at a diagram, table or data and to present the information in their own words. Candidates taking the General Training Writing module are asked to respond to a given problem with a letter in Task 1. In Task 2, all candidates are presented with a point of view, argument or problem and asked to provide general factual information, outline and/or present a solution, justify an opinion, and evaluate ideas and evidence.


Speaking
The Speaking Module takes between 11 and 14 minutes. It consists of an oral interview between the candidate and an examiner. There are three main parts. Each part fulfils a specific function in terms of interaction pattern, task input and candidate output.
In Part 1 the candidate answers general questions about themselves, their homes/families, their jobs/studies, their interests, and a range of similar familiar topic areas. This part lasts between four and five minutes.
In Part 2 the candidate is given a verbal prompt on a card and is asked to talk on a particular topic. The candidate has one minute to prepare before speaking at length, for between one and two minutes. The examiner then asks one or two rounding-off questions.
In Part 3 the examiner and candidate engage in a discussion of more abstract issues and concepts which are thematically linked to the topic prompt in Part 2. The discussion lasts between four and five minutes.


Weighting of components results.
All four modules are equally weighted. IELTS provides a Test Report Form giving a profile of ability to use English as assessed by the Test. A score in each of the four modules, and an overall score, are recorded as levels of ability, called Bands. These Band Scores are recorded on the candidate's Test Report Form. Each Band corresponds to a generalized descriptive statement of a candidate's English at that level. The profile provided on an IELTS Test Report Form is normally valid for a period of two years.


Issuing of results
Marking in centers ensures that results are normally issued within two weeks of a candidate taking the test.

Examination dates
Each of the test centers schedules their administrations to suit local needs. Individual centers should be contacted for their programmes.
For further Information visit:

British Council British Council
49 Alfred House Gardens
Colombo 3
Telephone +94 (0)11 4521521, +94 (0)11 7521521
E-mail info.lk@britishcouncil.org
Website www.britishcouncil.org/srilanka