IELTS - An Introduction

What is IELTS and Who is it for?

So, you want to study in England, the USA or another English speaking country? Maybe get a bachelors degree or above. No? Maybe you want a high-level position with an international company or do advanced training or research in Australia or Canada.

Whatever your goals are, if they involve executive responsibilities, advanced academics or immigrating to a native English speaking country and you are from Taiwan or any non-native English speaking country, you are likely to have to take a standardized English test demonstrating your English language proficiency. IELTS, International English Language Testing System, is just such a test.

One of Most Recognized Tests for Measuring One's English Abilities

IELTS is a product of cooperation between the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations. IELTS is one of the world's most recognized and accepted tests for measuring one's English abilities. If you want to study at a university, gain professional registration or do advanced research in a country where English is the primary language, then you may very well be required to take this test.

It is very important to be aware that even though IELTS is a highly recognized test of English ability it is not the only test that serves this purpose, and in fact IELTS might not even be the test you need to take. Further, there are, in fact, two slightly different forms of the IELTS test. Don't worry. The best way to ensure that you take whichever is the correct test for your purposes is to do a little, simple research. If you have a specific goal in mind, such as studying at a particular school, or gaining a specific professional license or immigrating to a particular country, then you should find out directly from them what test they require you to take. Practically every University, licensing organization or nation permitting immigration will have a website on which will be posted which English test they require for non-native English speakers and often what their cutoff score is for acceptance.

If you find that you do need to take the IELTS, or if you would just like to take the test because you may need it in a hurry for an as yet undetermined future, or you think it may come in handy to prove how good your English is, then let's look at what you should expect on the test.

What's on the Test

First, you should expect that it will all be in English. If you can't make it through the test directions then you may need a few more English lessons at home before heading off to England or Australia to study for your Ph.D. Next, be aware that there are two similar but different versions of IELTS, one is the "academic" test and the other is the "general training" test. Both of these tests have four components: reading, writing, speaking and listening. The speaking and listening components are the same for the "academic" and "general training" tests, but the reading and writing components are different. The "academic" IELTS test is more difficult. It is primarily for those wishing to study for advanced degrees or for professional licensing. The "general training" test is primarily for individuals wishing to undertake non-academic training, general employment or for immigration. You are advised to carefully research which test you need to take based on your specific or anticipated goals. Both tests cover the full range of English ability from beginner to expert, therefore there is no passing or failing grade. The grades given describe a candidate's ability along a scale, each university, company, licensing board or country determines what score the candidate must achieve in order to meet their qualifications. A nation requiring basic English skills for immigration might require lower scores than a top-ranked university considering admission for graduate study. Both the academic and general training IELTS are very demanding, but if you need to take one of these tests don't waste time worrying about it, let's just prepare for it.

Speaking Component

Let's first look at the two test components that are the same for the academic and general training IELTS tests: speaking and listening. The speaking component lasts a total of 11-14 minutes and consists of three parts. The first part asks candidates to answer questions about themselves such as place of birth, family, home and other general, personal questions. This part is 4-5 minutes long. Part two asks the candidate to speak on a subject such as someone, perhaps a teacher, who has influenced them. The candidate might be asked or should say, where they met this person, how this person influenced the candidate and why this person is particularly significant. You will have 1 minute to think and make notes if you wish and then speak for 1-2 minutes. In part three the candidate and the examiner engage in conversation discussing more abstract issues and concepts touched upon in part two.

Listening Component

The listening component is divided into four parts containing a total of 40 items for which you will be allotted 30 minutes. You will listen to several taped passages. After each passage there will be a number of questions that you will answer on a work sheet. After all listening passages are completed you will then have several minutes to transfer your answers to the final answer sheet.

Reading Test Components

The academic reading test component and the general training reading component are similar in structure. You will be given a number of passages to read and then you will be required to answer questions based on those passages. Both of these test components consist of 3 sections and contain a total of 40 items for which you will be given 60 minutes to answer. So they're exactly the same, right? No, of course not. As you would expect the academic passages are considerably more complicated and incorporate greater detail. The questions are phrased with greater complexity and the response choices are more complicated, even deceiving. The general training test passages while demanding, are broader in scope and the answer choices are less complicated. In the academic reading and general training reading components as well as the previously mentioned listening test component, the answer choices are not simply pick A, B, C, or D. There are many different combinations of answers that require a thorough understanding of the material.

In both the academic writing and general training writing test components you will be given two situations and asked to write for each one, an essay or report based on given information. As with the reading tests, the writing tests differ in their level of complexity of given information and the target audience for whom the essays are to be written. You will have 60 minutes for this test component.

What it Costs and What it's Worth

OK, so now you know everything there is to know about IELTS. Now you're sorry you ever learned your first word of English and you're thinking you must be out of your mind to believe you can pass this monster test. Listen to me, take a deep breath and remember there is no pass or fail on this test. People to whom you will give your test results know all about this test and will judge your grades accordingly. If you want to go to medical school in the US or England, yeah, your English better be killer. But if you want to immigrate to, or are looking for general employment in an English speaking country then your grades might very well be more than good enough.

Offered Worldwide

The IELTS is offered worldwide on an almost weekly basis. It is offered in Taipei and Kaohsiung several times a month and costs 4,100 NT. If you take the test, prepare well for it. There is an unlimited amount of resources to help you. Books in stores, on-line material and class courses are all widely and easily available, some are free and some you have to pay for. Even if your English is as good as a native speaker you will still need to prepare very well for the test to become familiar with the exact form of the test and especially to familiarize yourself with the variety of question types and answer options.

As you explore in more detail taking the IELTS test do not be discouraged. While the road to bilingual competence is long and bumpy, and filled with many challenging obstacles, the treasure that awaits you is well worth the effort. Every language you speak opens up new worlds of discovery and satisfaction with each new person you can talk to. If you make the effort today you will live that dream forever.

Also see the Chinese version of this article: IELTS國際英語測驗制度

Written by Howard Weston (profile) who holds a B.A. in philosophy and is currently enrolled in a United States Masters program for international studies. He is a lecturer and instructor on several subjects and has lived in Africa, Latin America and Asia. He is currently studying Mandarin in Taiwan. Translated into Chinese by Teresa Tsai.

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