IELTS Test and Courses

This very well known test for students that learn to speak English is great for testing their English ability. The International English Language Testing System or also known as IELTS is a very well known test all over the UK to test students of the English language which has been very specially developed by the Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate. In today’s world the exam qualification is accepted by all universities and colleges throughout the UK as evidence that students have a fantastic level of English. If you don’t have that good level of English then we have many great General English courses so you can learn to Speak English in the heart of the United Kingdom.

There are two different IELTS courses that you are able to take which include academic course and a general course. A lot of students will usually take this test for university admissions. Remember by taking this test you will also have the option of studying in universities in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. The exam is not one that you can simply pass or fail; your skills will be reported according to the scale bands which are usually from 1 to 9. The test will contain four parts which are the main English skills including Listening, reading, speaking and writing. All of these skills should have been studied and practiced when students learn to speak English at Oxford House College.

The Writing Section of the IELTS Exam

The writing section of the IELTS Exam will also take approximately one hour. Throughout the one hour given students will need to complete two tasks.

First Task:  The first task will be to report on graphic information that will be provided by the question paper. It is very important that the students are very good with the English language to ensure that they produce a good report. Please note this task should be completed in the space of 20 minutes.

Second Task: The second task is to write an essay which will based on the topic given on the question paper. Each student will need to write at least 250 words in the space of 40 minutes.

All students taking the IELTS examination should follow the time limits given and should know that task two will carry more band weight than what task one will. Therefore, you will get marked more for task two.

The Listening Section of the IELTS Exam

The listening part of the English for IELTS examination will last approximately 30 minutes.

The material used during this section will first be recorded on a cassette tape that the students will only be able to listen to once. The exam will then be divided into four parts to make the test a little more difficult. The first two parts of the listening test will be based on a report such as a political speech. Section one will be a dialogue followed by two monologue.

Then sections three and four will have a much more educational focus. Between two to four people there will be a lecture being discussed. The student will then to answer the questions given during the discussion in their question booklet. At the end of the discussion their will be 10 minutes given for students to copy their answers clearly on to a fresh piece of paper.

The Reading Section of the IELTS Exam

The IELTS reading part of the exam will last approximately one hour. Throughout the one hour students will need to read through three pieces of text which are usually 500 – 900 words long. Then the students will need to answer questions on the text. There will be forty questions for students to answer within sixty minutes. All students must know that they may find it difficult to complete the whole of the reading part of the IELTS test so they should come fully prepared for both parts of the test.

The Speaking Section of the IELTS Exam

The speaking section on the English for IELTS Examination will last between 11 and 14 minutes. The speaking part of the test is an oral interview between the student and the examiner. Throughout the interview the students will be asked the following questions in which the student will need to give an accurate and clear answer.

1. A Discussion of issues
2. A small conversation on a popular topic
3. Questions about yourself, hobbies and lifestyle.

It is very important that all the students taking the English for IELTS Examination should relax, be strong and stay confident throughout the whole of the exam. Loosing confidence can affect your scoring band. For more information on how to apply and to book your course take a look at our main website today. We also have a fantastic range of English courses helping students across the world to learn to speak English.