IELTS

IELTS stands for 'International English Language Testing System'. It is a test of English language proficiency. It is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia, and was established in 1989.

There are two versions of the IELTS: the Academic Version and the General Training Version:

The Academic Version is intended for those who want to enroll in universities and other institutions of higher education and for professionals such as medical doctors and nurses who want to study or practise in an English-speaking country.

The General Training Version is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training or to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes.

IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, Irish, New Zealand and South African academic institutions, by more than 1,800 academic institutions in the United States, and by various professional organizations. It is also a requirement for immigration to Australia and Canada. This has been criticised in Canada, because the English accents employed in the Listening section of the IELTS are far removed from typical Canadian accents.

IELTS Test Structure

All candidates must complete four Modules - Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking - to obtain a Band, which is shown on an IELTS Test Report Form (TRF). All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking Modules, while the Reading and Writing Modules differ depending on whether the candidate is taking the Academic or General Training Versions of the Test.

Total Test Duration 2 hours 45 minutes

The first three modules - Listening, Reading and Writing (always in that order) - are completed in one day, and in fact are taken with no break in between. The Speaking Module may be taken, at the discretion of the test center, in the period seven days before or after the other Modules.

The tests are designed to cover the full range of ability from non-user to expert user.

Band Scale

IELTS is scored on a nine band scale, with each band corresponding to a specified competence in English. The Band Scores are in either whole or half Bands.

9 is Expert User 0 is No Original English Used

IELTS level for admission to academic institutions

IELTS minimum levels required by institutions vary according to the particular college or school and country. As a rule, institutions from English-speaking countries require a higher IELTS band than those from non English-speaking countries. According to the IELTS official site [1] the highest IELTS Band required by a University is 8.5, with only two institutions, both from the U.S.: the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University and the Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University. The highest IELTS Band required by institutions from the United Kingdom is 7.5, which is the Research Centre for English and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge .

Most IELTS requirements by Universities are between 5.5 and 7.0. For example, Liverpool University requires 7.5, Cambridge University 7.0 and Birmingham University 6.0 as the minimum levels, Essex University requires minimum 5.5. In Germany, Stuttgart University requires an IELTS minimum of 6.0.

For more information visit

http://www.ielts.org
http://www.ielts@ucles.org.uk
http://www.ielts@britishcouncil.org
http://www.ielts@idp.com