IELTS

People who desire to study or work in settings where English is the primary language of communication can take the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), a standardized test, to determine their English language proficiency level. It was founded in 1989 and is now jointly handled by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, and Cambridge English Language Assessment.

Scoring

IELTS scores are calculated using a scale from 0 to 9: the better, the higher. You receive a score for each module as described below and an overall score that is the average of your results for each module.

Exam Format

The test is divided into 4 modules: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

There are 40 questions of the objective kind, including multiple choice, fill in the gaps, match the following, and others. Each of the four sections of these questions has ten questions and a unique audio file. Answering questions while listening to numerous audio files of conversations is the goal of the test. There is usually a set order to the questions. The audio’s speakers will generally use American, British, and Australian accents when speaking. You have 30 minutes to complete the test, plus an extra 10 to transfer your response from the question sheet to the answer sheet. The amount of questions you successfully answer determines your score.

There are 40 questions of the objective type, including true/false, headers, multiple choice, fill in the blanks, and so forth. The sequence for these questions is 13-13-14, with 13 questions following the first passage, 13 questions following the second paragraph, and 14 questions following the third and final passage. Reading readings and responding to questions based on them are required for the test. Each passage contains an average of 1000 words. You have 60 minutes to complete the test and must enter your responses on the answer sheet during this period. The amount of questions you successfully answer determines your score.

Two tasks are involved: Task 1 is writing a report (Academic IELTS) or a letter (General IELTS), and Task 2 is writing an essay (for both Academic & General). For Task 1 and Task 2, you must write at least 150 and 250 words, respectively. The examination lasts 60 minutes. It is recommended that you dedicate 40 minutes to Task 2 and 20 minutes to Task 1, although it is not required. Your grade is determined by both your performance and the examiners’ opinion.

Three sections make up the test: an introduction, an individual long turn using a cue card, and a discussion and follow-up. You are questioned informally in the “Introduction” part with the goal of getting to know you better. You are assigned a random topic for the “Cue Card” phase and must prepare for 1 minute before speaking for 2 minutes on the subject. You are asked questions in the “Discussion” portion that are based on the “Cue Card” subject and ask you to express your viewpoint on it. The examination takes 10 to 15 minutes. Your grade is determined by both your performance and the examiners’ opinion.

Exam Fees

British Council and IDP are the two organizations that administer the IELTS exam. Currently, the test costs BDT 14,000 for both organizations.

Score Validity

Your test results are valid up to 2 years from the date of the test.