Ielts Structure in detailed.

1. 6/6/13 IELTS | Test Takers - Test format
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IELTS | Test Takers - Test format
IELTS is available in two test formats:
Academic or General Training. All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking modules but different Reading and Writing modules.
Listening, Reading and Writing must be completed in one day. Depending on your test centre, the Speaking test may be offered on
the same day or up to a w eek before or after the other parts.
You have a choice of two versions of IELTS: Academic or General Training:
Everybody takes the same Listening and Speaking components. It is the Reading and Writing components that differ.
The test of four English language skills
Listening
Reading
Writing
Speaking
Listening
30 minutes
You w ill listen to four recorded texts, monologues and conversations by a range of native speakers, and w rite your answ ers to a series
of questions.
These include questions w hich test your ability to understand main ideas and detailed factual information, ability to understand the
opinions and attitudes of speakers, ability to understand the purpose of an utterance and the ablity to follow the development of ideas.
A variety of voices and native-speaker accents are used and each section is heard only once.

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Section 1
A conversation betw een tw o people set in an everyday social context.
Section 2
A monologue set in an everyday social context e.g. a speech about local facilities.
Section 3
A conversation betw een 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.
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Reading
60 minutes
The Reading component consists of 40 questions. A variety of question types is used in order to test a w ide range of reading skills.
These including reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument, recognising w riters'
opinions, attitudes and purpose.
IELTS Academic
The Academic version includes three long texts w hich range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. The texts
are authentic and are taken from books, journals, magazines and new spapers. These have been selected for a non-specialist audience
but are appropriate for candidates entering university courses or seeking professional registration.
IELTS General Training
The General Training version requires candidates to read extracts from books, magazines, new spapers, notices, advertisements,
company handbooks and guidelines. These are materials you are likely to encounter on a daily basis in an English speaking environment.
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Writing
60 minutes
IELTS Academic
The Writing component of IELTS Academic includes tw o tasks. Topics are of general interest to, and suitable for candidates entering
undergraduate and postgraduate studies or seeking professional registration.
Task 1
You w ill be presented w ith a graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to describe, summarise or explain the information in your ow n
w ords. You may be asked to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a process, how something w orks or describe an object
or event.
Task 2
You w ill be asked to w rite an essay in response to a point of view , argument or problem. Responses to both tasks must be in a formal
style.
IELTS General Training
The Writing component of IELTS General Training includes tw o tasks w hich are based on topics of general interest.
Task 1
You w ill be presented w ith a situation and asked to w rite a letter requesting information, or explaining the situation. The letter may be
personal, semi-formal or formal in style.
Task 2
You w ill be asked to w rite 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.
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Speaking
11 to 14 minutes

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The Speaking component assesses your use of spoken English, and takes betw een 11 and 14 minutes to complete. Every test is
recorded. The Speaking component is delivered in such a w ay that does not allow candidates to rehearse set responses beforehand.
Part 1
You w ill answ er general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, such as home, family, w ork, studies and interests. This
part lasts betw een four and five minutes.
Part 2
You w ill be given a card w hich asks you to talk about a particular topic. You w ill have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to
tw o minutes. The examiner w ill then ask one or tw o qiestions on the same topic to finish this part of the test.
Part 3
You w ill be asked further questions connected to the topic in Part 2. These questions w ill give you the opportunity to discuss more
abstract ideas and issue. The part of the test lasts betw een four and five minutes.