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he IELTS, or the International English Language Testing System, is one of the premier English language proficiency exams in the world. According to IELTS, “it is the most popular high stakes English-language test for study, work and migration, with more than 2 million tests taken in the last year.” Developed by leading experts in the field of language assessment, it has an excellent reputation and is accepted by over 9,000 organizations, schools, government agencies, and companies worldwide. IELTS is owned by the British Council, IDP, IELTS Australia, and Cambridge English Language Assessment. About IELTS Readily accessible worldwide, students can sit for the IELTS exam in over 140 countries. The IELTS is unique in its format, as it provides assessment in four categories: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The speaking portion is done in a one-on-one setting with an IELTS score taker. The test accepts both American and British writing styles and incorporates native-speaker accents from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the US, and UK in the listening portion. Before registering, download the IELTS’ Information for Candidate’s Booklet and get more familiar with the test format. There are two versions of the exam: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. Whether you are taking this exam for a school, university, company, or government entity, they should be able to inform you which exam you will need to complete. Generally universities and colleges require the IELTS Academic. Both exams are composed of the four parts, listening, speaking, writing, and reading, and both are assessed using IELTS’ unique 9-band grading scale, with a level 9 being an ‘expert user’ and 1 being a ‘non-user.’ The IELTS Format The test is designed to reflect real-life situations that non-native English speakers may encounter while studying, working, or while conducting every day life. The exam begins with the listening portion and continues without break to the reading and writing portions. All three sections will be completed in one day at the testing center. The speaking part of the test will take place at the same testing center, but is scheduled within either seven days prior to or seven days after the rest of the exam. You will receive your results and score within 13 calendar days of sitting the IELTS. It is important to note that during the test, you will take notes and answer questions on the Question Page, but will then have time to transfer your answers to the Answer Sheet at the end of each section. Nothing you write on the Question Sheet will be marked or assessed.
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