There are two test options in the IELTS Exams:Academic and General

The Academic Exams measure the English language proficiency needed for an academic, higher learning environment.

IELTS General Exams measure the English language proficiency in a practical, everyday context. The candidates are to take the option depending upon the requirements of the organisation they are applying to. The IELTS test consists of four components: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. You will take the Listening, Reading and Writing tests all on the same day, one after the other, with no breaks in between. Depending on your test centre, your Speaking test may be on the same day as the other three tests, or up to seven days before or after that. The total test time is under three hours.

Both versions of IELTS (Academic and General Training) cover all four language skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Here is an outline of each of the papers.

Listening

(Duration: 30 minutes) You will listen to four recorded texts – monologues and conversations by a range of native speakers – and write the answers to a series of questions. These include, among other things, questions that test your ability to understand main ideas and detailed factual information It includes obviously, ability to understand the opinions and attitudes of speakers, ability to understand the purpose of what is said and ability to follow the development of ideas. You will hear a  variety of voices  and native-speaker accents. Moreover, you will hear each section only once. Please note: The Listening component is the same for both Academic and General Training versions. Section 1 In the first section there will be a conversation between two people set in an everyday social context, e.g. a conversation in a travel agency. Section 2 On the other hand, the second section deals with a monologue set in an everyday social context, e.g. a speech about local facilities. Section 3 The third section may be in the form of a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment. Section 4 A monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture will be the focus in the fourth section. For improving the pronunciation of the participants special audio-video sessions are conducted on a regular basis. Such sessions particularly help improve the accent and pronunciation of the candidates. In the process, the overall communication skills of the IELTS candidates are enhanced.

Reading

(Duration: 60 minutes) The Reading component consists of 40 questions. A variety of question types is used in order to test a wide range of reading skills. These include reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument and recognising writers’ opinions, attitudes and purpose. Reading – Academic version

The Academic version includes three long texts, which range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. The texts are essentially authentic and are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. These are normally selected for a non-specialist audience but are recognisably appropriate for anyone who enters undergraduate or postgraduate courses or seeks professional registration.

Reading – General Training

The General Training version requires one to read extracts from books, magazines, newspapers, notices, advertisements, company handbooks and guidelines. These are materials you are likely to encounter on a daily basis in an English-speaking environment. Reading is one of the hardest areas in IELTS Preparation. As performance in Reading Paper decides the overall performance of the candidate special care has to be taken and more focus must be attached to this training part. We have,therefore, framed the IELTS Reading module in such a way as to enable the candidates to perform very well in the Reading paper.

Writing

( Duration: 60 minutes)

Writing – Academic

The Writing component of the Academic version includes two tasks. Topics are of general interest to, and suitable for, anyone entering undergraduate or postgraduate studies or seeking professional registration. Task 1 You will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and are asked to describe, summarise or explain the information in your own words. You may be asked to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a process, how something works or describe an object or event. Task 2 You will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. Responses to both tasks must be written in a formal style.

Writing – General Training version

The Writing component of the General Training version includes two tasks, which are based on topics of general interest. Task 1 You will be presented with a situation and asked to write a letter requesting information or explaining the situation. The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal in style.

Task 2 You will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. The essay can be slightly more personal in style than the Academic Writing Task 2 essay. Writing is a well-refined art requiring a great deal of preparation. The Task 1 in the Academic Stream requires the skill of interpreting the graphs and charts. Hence, we are making available to the candidates hundreds of worked-out samples and models making the task of interpreting the data a  breeze.

Speaking

(Duration: 11 to 14 minutes) The Speaking component assesses your use of spoken English and takes between 11 and 14 minutes to complete. Every test is recorded. Please note: The Speaking component is the same for both Academic and General Training versions. Part 1 You will be asked to answer general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, such as your home, family, work, studies and interests. This part lasts between four and five minutes. Part 2 You will be given a card that asks you to talk about a particular topic. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. The examiner then asks you one or two questions on the same topic to finish this part of the test. Part 3 You will be asked further questions connected to the topic in Part 2. These questions give you an opportunity to discuss more abstract issues and ideas. This part lasts between four and five minutes. As the speaking part of the IELTS test assesses the speaking skills of the candidate special care is taken to ensure that the candidate is able to do all the three parts of the speaking test effectively and quite successfully. Test for fine tuning the skills of communication is normally conducted on a regular basis. As a result, our candidates are heads and shoulders above others in all the four areas.