IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

About The Course

Understanding the IELTS Test

In this post, I will discuss one of the world’s most popular English proficiency tests, making it the top choice of aspirants looking to migrate to native English-speaking countries. The fee for booking this test today in India is 17k. The test started in the year 1989. It was jointly developed by:

Cambridge English Language Assessment
British Council
IDP: IELTS Australia

The IELTS, also known as the International English Language Testing System, is accepted by 11000 + academic institutions worldwide, with top Universities such as

· Ivy League universities in the U.S. (e.g., Harvard, Yale, Princeton)
· Prestigious UK universities (e.g., Oxford, Cambridge, LSE)
· Australian Group of Eight universities (e.g., ANU, University of Melbourne)
· Canadian institutions (e.g., University of Toronto, McGill University)
· Top European universities in countries like Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

Criteria to be fulfilled in the Speaking and Writing Test of the IELTS

Task Response: Refers to how accurately one addresses the question and whether the test taker uses a pragmatic approach to answer all the parts of the question. If the answer makes sense and replies to what is being asked in an essay of the writing module or to the questions in the speaking test, he is given a band score on the basis of what he answers. Task response measures your ability to fully understand the question and produce a logical response to it. The contribution of marks is 25% to your speaking and writing exam.

Coherence and Cohesion: It means the flow or the logical sequence with which the information is given to the examiner. Cohesion refers to the use of appropriate linkers in English to convey your message. This is also a contributor to 25% of your scores on the speaking and writing test.

Lexical Diversity: It refers to the variety of words that you use in your speaking and writing tests. A range of sophisticated vocabulary will fetch you decent scores on this test. Repetition of words suggests that you do not have enough word banks. Words related to the topic or question are critical to getting a high band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: The test taker is supposed to frame the answers in a way that they are grammatically accurate. The punctuation in the writing test, like the comma, full-stop, and semicolon, is checked in this. Make sure your sentences are grammatically sound and error-free.
These are two important marking criteria that should be fulfilled in the speaking test.

Fluency refers to the smoothness and pace at which you speak. An external examiner will be rating you on your fluency during the test.
Pronunciation: The ability to pronounce the words correctly refers to pronunciation in a language. This avoids confusion and helps in easy understanding of the language.