If you are planning to study abroad or move to another country to work or live, you may be asked to prove your English language proficiency with the IELTS Test. For more than 30 years IELTS has set the global standard for English language testing. It is accepted worldwide and trusted by governments, employers and educational institutions – helping millions of people to achieve their goals.

The IELTS Exam can be broken down into two factors, English language proficiency and Exam format. English language proficiency is developed over many years just like learning any new language. The Exam format on the other hand can be learned in a few weeks/months depending on the candidate’s ability.

Check whether you are ready to take on the IELTS Test by contacting us to book a FREE Initial Assessment for you.

Yes, there are different IELTS tests and it is important to choose the test that is right for you. The different IELTS test types are:

• IELTS Academic
• IELTS General Training
• IELTS for UKVI

You can choose the IELTS Academic test if you wish to study undergraduate or post-graduate programs at University or if you are seeking for a professional registration or work in the field of Education.

You may need to take an IELTS General Training test if you plan to move abroad for work, or migrate to Canada, Australia, New Zealand or the UK. The IELTS General Training test looks at your English language capabilities in a work or social environment.

There is a common misconception that the IELTS General Training test is easier than the IELTS Academic test. In reality, the two test types cannot be compared as they are designed to assess the candidates on different criteria.

• The Academic test is designed to assess the candidate’s English language skills in an academic context
• The General Training test is designed to assess the candidate’s English language skills in a work/professional environment

For Academic and General Training, the candidate takes the same Listening and Speaking sections but the Reading and Writing sections of the Academic and General Training tests are different.

•  The Reading and Writing sections of the IELTS Academic test are focused more on education and analysis.
• For the IELTS General Training, the Reading and Writing sections are focused more on daily situations arising in personal or workplace scenarios.

The Paper Based IELTS test, as the name suggests, is the IELTS test done on paper at the testing venue for the Listening, Reading and Writing sections. The Speaking test will be either face to face or via a video conference call with a trained IELTS Examiner at the testing venue.

If you choose the Computer Delivered IELTS test, you will take the Listening, Reading and Writing sections on a computer. The Speaking test will remain either face to face or via a video conference call with a trained IELTS Examiner at the testing venue.

The total test time for the Listening, Reading and Writing is 2 hours and 45 minutes. The Speaking test can take anywhere between 15 to 20 minutes.

When you receive a Test Report Form (TRF) you will see the test taker’s overall test score as well as their scores for the Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking sections of the test mentioned individually.

The IELTS Band Score go from 0 to 9 and indicate the proficiency level of the candidate in English with the below skill levels.

The IELTS test results are considered valid for two years after the test has been taken. This is based on research into second-language loss. Organisations that accept IELTS can choose to accept results for a longer period, so you should check with them directly as well.