Introduction to IELTS

1. INTRODUCTION TO IELTS

2. OVERVIEW
• What is IELTS? • Test Modules • Test Format

3. 1. WHAT IS IELTS?
- International English
Language Testing System
- Designed to assess the
English language ability of
people who intend to
study or work where
English is the language of
communication

4. 2. TEST MODULES
•Academic •General Training

5. BAND SCORES
• Band 9 - Expert User
• Band 8 - Very Good User
• Band 7 - Good User
• Band 6 - Competent User
• Band 5 - Modest User
• Band 4 - Limited User
• Band 3 - Extremely Limited User
• Band 2 - Intermittent User
• Band 1 - Non-User

6. TEST RESULTS
Test Result is valid for 2 years
A band score (1-9) is awarded per subtest (LRWS)
There is no passing or failing mark

7. 3. TEST FORMAT

8. LISTENING TEST
- Timing: approx. 30 minutes + 10 minutes transfer time
- Questions: 40 items
- Test Parts: 4 sections
Section1: conversation between two people set in everyday social context
Section2: monologue set in everyday social context
Section3: conversation between up to 4 people set in an educational or training
context
Section4: monologue on an academic subject

9. ACADEMIC
READING TEST
- Timing: 60 minutes no transfer time
- Questions: 40 items
- Test Parts: 3 sections with a total text length of 2,150-2,750 words
- Texts taken from books, journals, magazines and newspaper

10. ACADEMIC WRITING TEST
- Timing: 60 minutes
- Tasks: there are two tasks
Candidates are required to write at least 150 words in task 1 and at least 250 words
in task 2
- Test Parts: 2 parts
Task 1: Presents a table, graph, chart or diagram
Task 2: Write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem.
Response for both tasks should be written in a formal style.

11. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
•Content
•Organisation of ideas
•Accuracy
•Vocabulary
•Grammar

12. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
• Fluency: talking at a natural rate without causing too much
effort for the listener.
• Vocabulary range
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy
• Pronunciation

13. SPEAKING TEST
• Timing: 11-14 minutes
• Tasks: A face-to-face interview with an examiner. The speaking test is
recorded.
• Parts: 3 parts
Part 1: Introduction and interview (3-4 mins)The examiner confirms
candidate identity and ask general questions on familiar topics e.g.
home

14. SPEAKING TEST
Part 2: Individual long turn (3-4 minutes)
•Candidate is given a task card
•Candidate is given 1 minute to prepare their talk
•Candidate talks for 1-2 minutes
•Examiner then asks the candidate 1-2 questions on the same topic

15. SPEAKING TEST
Part 3: Two-way discussion (4-5 minutes)
•Examiner asks further questions related to topic on part 2
•These questions can give the candidate an opportunity to
discuss more abstract issues and ideas

16. INTRODUCTION TO LISTENING SKILLS

17. INTRODUCTION TO LISTENING SKILLS
1. Two main listening skills:
- Listen for gist: listen for main ideas (keywords)
- Listen for specific details: listen for numbers, names, etc.
2. Listening stages
• Before listening
Predicting information, identifying keywords; guessing, etc.
• While listening
Identifying keywords; paraphrasing, etc.
• After listening
Reflecting, relating information, etc.

18. SKILLS PRACTICE: LETTERS AND SOUNDS

19. LISTENING FOR GIST

20. LISTENING FOR DETAILS

21. INTRODUCING READING
SKILLS

22. MAIN READING SKILLS
Skills Skimming Scanning
Similarity Read the text quickly Read the text quickly
Differences
What to look
for?
Key phrases and words (N, V, Adj
and Adv)
Specific information
(numbers, names, etc.)
Other
information
to look at
- Titles, subtitles, headings,
captions, pictures, graphs, etc.
- First paragraphs, the topic
sentence and concluding sentence
of each paragraph
Time, figures, ingredients,
temperature, proper names, etc.
Purpose To get the main ideas To get specific details

23. Skimming skills

24. Identifying main ideas of
Paragraphs
A good paragraph usually has one
main idea.
1
2
3
Other ideas support the main idea
by describing or explaining it.
The main idea is USUALLY given at
the beginning or the end of the
paragraph

26. Scanning skills

27. Scanning
• Scan for the numbers in the paragraph and look at the words around them.
What do you think the passage is about?
A. A day in the life of a movie director
B. A very unusual day on our planet
C. A movie about one day on Earth

30. PRONUNCIATION

31. D
D
THE IPA
=> Vowels /i/ - /i:/ , / / - /u:/ , / :/ - / / , / / - / /

32. /i:/ - /ɪ/

33. /i:/
• /i:/ is usually spelled ee or ea:
see agree eat seat team
• Other words with /i:/
ie field piece
e these metre secret evening equal
ey key
i ski kilo litre
eo people

35. /ɪ/
• /I/ is usually spelled i:
if listen miss dinner swim
• Other words with /I/
busy business building system

36. /u:/ and / /

37. /u:/
• /u:/ is usually spelled oo, ou, oe, u, ue or ew:
too group shoe blue
• Other words with /u:/
two fruit juice
• When the spelling is u or ew, there is often a /j/
sound before /u:/
music new

38. / /
• / / is usually spelled u, oo, ou:
full sugar book foot would
• Other word with / /:
woman

39. SENTENCE WRITING

40. SENTENCE STRUCTURE
• What is a sentence?
A sentence is a group of words that has a subject and a predicate
and expresses a complete thought
• Basic elements of a sentence
Subject (S) + Predicate (V + O + prepositional phrase, etc.)

41. Basic Elements
Mary plays tennis.
SUBJECT PREDICATE

42. SUBJECT PREDICATE
People travel.
Neither automobiles nor airplanes are completely safe.
Travelers meet new people and see new sights
Trains and buses carry passengers and transport goods.
Examples:

43. TYPES OF SENTENCES
• Based on the purposes, there are FOUR types of sentences
Make statements – Declarative: I like playing games in my free time.
Make commands or requests – Imperative: Open the book!
Ask questions – Interrogative: What is your hobby?
Show emphasis – Exclamatory: What a beautiful day!

44. Types of sentences
What type of sentence is this?
1. Can you lend me some money?
2. This is the best day of my life!
3. Green is my favorite color.
4. You like Mexican food, don’t you?

45. PRACTICE

46. PRACTICE

47. THANKS FOR
LISTENING!