2. Who owns IELTS?
British Council
IDP: IELTS Australia
Cambridge ESOL
3. What is IELTS?
A test of communicative proficiency in English:
for study or work in English
tests all four language skills
A test of international English:
Cultural or linguistic bias minimised
content produced and checked internationally
variety of accents used
A task based test:
model of communicative competence
whole text contexts, not discrete point
performance-based
5. Who recognises IELTS?
Institutes of further and higher education in
United States, United Kingdom, Australia,
Hong Kong, New Zealand, South Africa,
Ireland
Professional Bodies world-wide including:
Ministry of Defence, General Medical Council in
United Kingdom
Medical Council and Department of Immigration,
Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs in Australia
New Zealand Immigration Service
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
6. What makes IELTS a useful test?
IELTS provides:
a profile of a candidate's skills in all four
language areas
an overall band score
IELTS tests:
the full range of proficiency levels, from non-
user to expert user
7. Why can IELTS results be trusted?
Quality controls:
test production process
examiner training and certification
centre management
security and integrity
ongoing research
monitoring
centralised verification of results
8. What do IELTS candidates have to do?
Candidates must do all four test modules:
Listening
Reading
Writing
Speaking
9. Test Format
Listening
30 minutes, 4 sections, 40 items
General Training Reading
60 minutes, 3 sections, 40 items
Academic Reading
60 minutes, 3 sections, 40 items
General Training Writing
60 minutes, 2 tasks
Academic Writing
60 minutes, 2 tasks
Speaking
11 - 14 minutes, 3 parts
10. Listening Module
Tests:
specific and overall comprehension
inference
salient information
Same for Academic and General Training candidates
Variety of contexts (general and study)
Variety of formats (dialogues and mini-lectures)
11. Reading Module
Tests detailed and general comprehension
Academic and General Training Modules
Academic Module: academic texts
General Training module: general and study-
related texts
12. Writing Module
Academic and General Training Modules
Tests:
ability to write English appropriate to context and
task
use of language in a variety of contexts and topics
skills at sentence, paragraph and whole text level
Candidates rated on:
task fulfilment
coherence and cohesion
communicative quality
vocabulary and sentence structure
13. Speaking Module
Same for Academic and General Training candidates
Tests ability to communicate through speech in general
English contexts
One-to-one interview
Range of topics and contexts
Range of skills and patterns of interaction
3 parts:
question and answer on personal topics
unassisted short talk on a given topic
two-way discussion on more abstract issues
14. What do the bands mean?
9 band scale
9 - expert user
8 - very good user
7 - good user
6 - competent user
5 - modest user
4 - limited user
3 - extremely limited user
2 - intermittent user
1 - non-user
15. IELTS Results
Test Report Forms (TRFs)
two year validity
overall and module bands
results available within two weeks
results can be sent to receiving institutions
no ‘pass’ mark
security enhanced paper
Online Verification Service
16. IELTS is ...
a reliable and valid test of English language
proficiency
a test of communicative ability
a test of all four language skills
a task-based test in which candidates perform
interactive language tasks
17. For more information
IELTS Candidate Information
IELTS Handbook
IELTS Annual Review
IELTS website: www.ielts.org
IELTS Specimen Materials
IELTS Research Reports
18. British Council Georgia
34 Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi 0108 Georgia
Tel: 99532 250407 Fax: 99532 989591
e-mail: ielts@ge.britishcouncil.org
Editor's Notes
(Show while Presenter is being introduced)
To have easily to hand for the presentation:
Latest IELTS Handbook
Latest IELTS Annual Review
IELTS Specimen Materials
IELTS Information for Candidates
Who owns IELTS?
Points to make:
IELTS is the product of a unique international partnership:
Cambridge ESOL - manage all question paper production and distribution
British Council - test administration, quality and security control, marketing, examiners
IDP: IELTS Australia - test administration, quality and security control, marketing, examiners
3 partners also joint-sponsor IELTS research projects.
What is IELTS?
Points to make:
IELTS is
a test of a candidate’s ability to communicate in English
for people who have to work or study in countries or situations where English is the medium of communication
a test of all four language skills
a test of international English
minimises material with cultural or linguistic bias (in content, vocabulary or grammar)
focusing on the language areas common to all the varieties of English
using test writers and editors world-wide (UK, Australia and New Zealand)
using a variety of commonly understood accents
tasks are based on a model of communicative competence:
purposeful
goal-oriented
interactive
tasks test language skills in whole texts, not discrete-point:
recognise general purpose of a text as well as detailed information
candidates have to react to whole text, not just to complete a brief exercise
tests performance:
tests ability to use language in an act of communication
doesn’t just test knowledge about the language.
What’s the global candidature?
Points to make:
Candidature in 2001 was approx. 213,000 - 51% growth on previous year.
2002 candidature is estmiated to grow to approx. 320,000
In 2001 IELTS candidature was divided between:
Academic - 72%
General Training - 28%
Points to make:
Emphasis global nature of recognition
IELTS used in 4 main contexts:
Academic Study - preferred test in UK, Australia and New Zealand and growing recognition in US
Immigration - used by Australian, New Zealand and Canadian Immigration bodies
Professional Bodies - used by medical profession, lawyers, engineers
(Increasingly) in the workplace - has been used by Sony, Honda, banking, airlines for recruitment purposes
What makes IELTS a useful test?
Points to make:
All 4 skills are profiled and reported - useful for organisations that need specific information on skills (eg A Nurse might be required to score higher on speaking than on writing)
Overall band score is also given on a scale of 1 - 9
Overall band is calculated on the module scores added together and averaged
Full range of proficiency levels are tested
Why can IELTS results be trusted?
Points to make:
IELTS can be trusted because of rigorous quality control procedures. These include:
test production process:
teams of trained writers follow strict Test Writing Specifications
careful editing at several stages
thorough trialling before release for use
examiner training and certification procedures:
minimum examiner qualifications
face-to-face training
certification
monitoring
re-certification every 2 years
centre management
Centres follow IELTS Code of Practice
security and integrity is controlled through:
versions regularly changed and unique versions from Sept. 2003
version use is tracked
strict ID checks
local centre security
ongoing research:
into how test is performing - all Reading and Listening Answer Sheets are sent to Cambridge ESOL to be scanned for research
into test delivery issues
centralised verfication service (soon to be online in 2003)
What do IELTS candidates have to do?
Points to make:
All candidates must do all four test modules:
Listening
Reading
Writing
Speaking
Candidates can not sit the test within three months.
Candidates must sit all four modules, because it provides a profile of all four skills at one point in time.
The four modules
(go through briefly; highlight difference between Academic and General Training; note that all candidates do same Listening and Speaking)
Points to make:
Papers are delivered in same order although speaking interview can be timetabled up to 7 days before or after the written papers.
The Listening Module
Points to make:
same test for Academic and GT candidates
tests candidate’s ability to understand spoken English
texts are from a variety of contexts (general/survival and study)
variety of formats (2 x dialogues and 2 x mini-lectures / monologues)
4 sections; 40 questions, 30 minutes
answers written on the test booklet, copied to Answer Sheet at end (extra 10 minutes)
many different task types including:
multiple choice
short answer questions
sentence completion
notes/summary/diagram/flow chart/table completion
labelling a diagram which has numbered parts
matching
increasing level of difficulty
tape heard once only
tests understanding of specific detail as well as overall meaning, information by inference, tests comprehension of the salient information
Play example from Specimen Materials
Give examples of Academic and General Training
The Reading Module
Points to make:
Academic and General Training versions, depending on candidate’s purpose
tests ability to understand written English
different text types, different levels of difficulty
Academic Module: academic text-types
more likely to be abstract rather than personal
more likely to contain argument and explanation than description or narration
General Training Module: general/survival text types plus non-university study contexts
more likely to be everyday all-purpose reading
some texts quite short; one long text description or narration
evening course/non-professional education contexts
3 sections, 40 questions, 60 minutes
many different task types including:
multiple choice
short answer questions
sentence completion
notes/summary/diagram/flow chart/table completion
choosing from a ‘heading bank’ for identified paragraphs/sections of the text
identification of writer’s views/attitudes/claims
matching
tests detailed and general comprehension, comprehension of writer’s attitude and opinion, and development of arguments and ideas.
Give example from handbook
The Writing Module
Points to make:
Academic and General Training Modules
test of ability to write English appropriate to context and task:
variety of contexts and topics (study and general)
all accessible, none require specialist or local knowledge
test of skills at sentence, paragraph and whole text level
rated on:
Task Fulfilment / Argument
Coherence and cohesion
Communicative quality
Vocabulary and sentence structure
2 tasks: 150 words and 250 word
Give example from Handbook of Academic and General Training
The Speaking Module
Points to make:
same for Academic and General Training candidates
tests ability to communicate through speech in general English contexts
one-to-one interview
11–14 minutes
recorded on audio tape
range of topics and contexts
range of skills and levels of interaction
3 parts:
questions and answer on personal topics
unassisted short talk on a given topic
two-way discussion on more abstract issues
rated on:
fluency and coherence
lexical resource
grammatical range and accuracy
pronunciation
Point out examples in handbook.
What do the bands mean?
9 - Expert User. Has fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding.
8 - Very Good User. Has fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriacies. Misunderstandings may occur in unfamiliar situations. Handles complex detailed argumentation well.
7 - Good User. Has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning.
6 - Competent User. Has generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings. Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations.
5 - Modest User. Has partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning in most situations, though is likely to make many mistakes. Should be able to handle basic communication in own field.
4 - Limited User. Basic competence is limited to familiar situations. Has frequent problems in understanding and expression. Is not able to use complex language.
3 - Extremely Limited User. Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations. Frequent breakdowns in communication occur.
2 - Intermittent User. No real communication is possible except for the most basic information using isolated words or short formulae in familiar situations and to meet immediate needs. Has great difficulty understanding spoken and written English.
1- Non User. Essentially has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a few isolated words.
0 - Did not attempt the test. No assessable information.
IELTS Results
Points to make:
IELTS recommends results are vaild for a period of two years unless a candidate can demontrate usage of English in a period since the took the test.
Candidate results are reported on a Test Report Form (TRF) - example TRF is in the IELTS Handbook
TRF gives an overall band and bands for the individual modules
TRF also gives other data
Listening and Reading bands may be in half-bands
Writing and Speaking are only in full bands
Results are available within 2 weeks (results are managed locally)
Results can be sent directly to organisations.
No pass/fail (cut) scores (institutions set their own entry levels)
Security of the TRF:
candidate ID check
watermarked paper
centre stamp plus IELTS validation stamp
unique identifying number
Candidates are only issued with one TRF
Online Verification Service:
From 2003 users will be able to log onto a secure website to verify Test Report Form results - this service will be available to educational institutions, immigration officials etc.
IELTS is:
a reliable and valid test of English language proficiency
a test of communicative ability
a test of all four language skills
a task-based test in which candidates perform interactive language tasks
a good discriminator across a 9-band range of language ability
Information available:
SHOW SAMPLE COPIES OF EACH
All of these can be obtained from IELTS test administration centres.
(Show while Presenter is being introduced)
To have easily to hand for the presentation:
Latest IELTS Handbook
Latest IELTS Annual Review
IELTS Specimen Materials
