The International English Language Testing System, or IELTS, is an international standardised test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment, and was established in 1989. IELTS is one of the major English-language tests in the world, others being the TOEFL, TOEIC, PTE:A and OPI/OPIc. IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian and New Zealand academic institutions, by over 3,000 academic institutions in the United States, and by various professional organisations across the world. IELTS is the only Secure English Language Test approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) for visa customers applying both outside and inside the UK. It is also a requirement for immigration to Australia and New Zealand. In Canada, IELTS, TEF, or CELPIP are accepted by the immigration authority. No minimum score is required to pass the test. An IELTS result or Test Report Form is issued to all test takers with a score from “band 1” (“non-user”) to “band 9” (“expert user”) and each institution sets a different threshold. There is also a “band 0” score for those who did not attempt the test. Institutions are advised not to consider a report older than two years to be valid, unless the user proves that they have worked to maintain their level. In 2014, 2.5 million tests were taken in more than 140 countries, up from 2 million tests in 2012, 1.7 million tests in 2011 and 1.4 million tests in 2009. In 2007, IELTS administered more than one million tests in a single 12-month period for the first time ever, making it the world’s most popular English language test for higher education and immigration.

IELTS Characteristics

IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training are designed to cover the full range of ability from non-user to expert user.The Academic version is for test takers who want to study at tertiary level in an English-speaking country or seek professional registration.The General Training version is for test takers who want to work, train, study at a secondary school or migrate to an English-speaking country.The difference between the Academic and General Training versions is the content, context and purpose of the tasks. All other features, such as timing allocation, length of written responses and reporting of scores, are the same.IELTS Academic and General Training both incorporate the following features:

       → The speaking module is a key component of IELTS. It is conducted in the form of a one-to-one interview with an examiner. The examiner            assesses the test taker as he or she is speaking. The speaking session is also recorded for monitoring and for re-marking in case of an appeal            against the score given.

       → A variety of accents and writing styles have been presented in test materials in order to minimise linguistic bias. The accents in the listening            section are generally 80% British, Australian, New Zealander and 20% others (mostly American).

       → IELTS is developed by experts at Cambridge English Language Assessment with input from item writers from around the world. Teams are            located in the USA, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and other English-speaking nations.

       → Band scores are used for each language sub-skill (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking). The Band Scale ranges from 0 (“Did not attempt the            test”) to 9 (“Expert User”).

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