International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

Introduction

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) assesses the language ability of candidates who need to study or work where English is used as the language of communication. It is recognised by universities and employers in many countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA. It is also recognised by professional bodies, immigration authorities and other government agencies. 

You can take the IELTS at any one of more than 270 centres in over 100 countries. Your results will be available within two weeks. You are not allowed to repeat the test within 90 days at any centre.

Prerequisites

Course Schedule and Fees

Details of course schedules and school fees are on our Course Schedule and School Fees page.

Test Structure

The IELTS tests your skills in listening, reading, writing and speaking. All candidates take the same listening and speaking modules, but you may choose either academic or general training modules for the reading and writing tests. You are recommended to select the academic module if you are planning to enroll in a university. If you are planning to undertake non academic training or work experience or emigrate to an English-speaking country, the general training module will more closely suit your needs.

The IELTS test is 2 hours and 45 minutes in duration. The listening, reading and writing modules must be completed in one day. The speaking module may be taken, at the discretion of the test centre, in the period seven days before or after the other modules.

Listening - Candidates listen to a number of recorded texts, which increase in difficulty as the test progresses. These include a mixture of monologues and conversations and feature a variety of English accents and dialects. The recording is heard only once, but candidates are given time to read the questions and record their answers.

Academic Reading - There are three reading passages with tasks. Texts are taken from books, magazines, journals and newspapers, all written for a nonspecialist audience. At least one of the texts contains a detailed argument.

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General Training Reading - The texts are based on the type of material candidates would be expected to encounter on a daily basis in an English speaking country, taken from sources such as newspapers, advertisements, instruction manuals and books. The test includes one longer text, which is descriptive rather than argumentative.  

Academic Writing - You will write a report of around 150 words based on material found in a table or diagram, proving that you can describe and explain data. You will alsowrite a short essay of around 250 words in response to an opinion or a problem. They are expected to demonstrate an ability to discuss issues, construct an argument and use appropriate tone and register.

General Training Writing - The first task requires you to write a letter of around 150 words either asking for information or explaining a situation. The second task is a short essay of around 250 words, and is written in response to a given point of view or problem. You are expected to be able to present their own ideas and challenge other ideas, using appropriate tone and register.

Speaking - The test takes the form of a face to face interview. Candidates are assessed on their use of spoken English to answer short questions, speak at length on a familiar topic, and also to interact with the examiner.

A computerised version of IELTS Listening, Reading and Writing Modules (CBIELTS) is available at selected centres, but all centres will continue to offer paper-based IELTS and candidates will be given the choice of the medium in which they wish to take the test.

IELTS Test Results

You will receive your test results within two weeks of taking the IELTS test. Your score is reported as a number between 1 and 9 for each module, as well as an overall score. A score of 9 is the best possible, and indicates that you are an expert user of English. A score of 1, on the other hand, indicates that the candidate has no ability to use English beyond a few isolated words. The overall score, as well as the scores for listening and reading, are reported in half bands. The writing and speaking scores are reported in whole bands.