TEST FORMAT
All candidates are tested in listening, reading, writing and speaking. All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking Modules. There is a choice of Reading and Writing Modules. The first three modules- Listening, Reading and Writing must be completed in one day. The Speaking may be taken, at the discretion of the test center, on the same day or up to two days later. Candidates in some test centers are required to take additional pretest sections of up to 20 minutes. Performance on these pretests does not affect a candidate's results in any way but pre-testing is an essential part of IELTS question paper production.
IELTS Band Scales
This exam tests your ability to use English. Score in each of
the subtests and an overall (average) score is recorded as
levels of ability, called Bands. Highest : 9 bands for each
of the four language macro skills - Listening, Reading,
Writing and Speaking. The above information is listed on the
Test Report Form. The nine bands of language ability are
described in general terms as follows:
Band 9 Expert User
Has fully operational command of the language: appropriate,
accurate and fluent with complete understanding.
Band 8 Very Good User
Has fully operational command of the languate with only
occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriacies.
Misunderstandings may occur in unfamiliar situations. Handles
complex detailed argumentation well.
Band 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.
Band 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.
Band 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.
Band 4 Limited User
Basic competence is limited to familiar situations. Has
frequent problems in understanding and expression. Is not
able to use complex language.
Band 3 Extremently Limited User
Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar
situations. Frequent breakdowns in communication occur.
Band 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.
Band 1 Non User
Essentially has no ability to use the language beyond
possibly a few isolated words.
Organizations Recognizing
IELTS
This test is specified as fulfilling English language requirements for entry to academic courses by the majority of institutions of Further and Higher Education in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom and currently by over 380 universities and colleges in the USA. It is also used by a number of professional bodies world-wide, including the Ministry of Defense, and the General Medical Council in the UK, the Australian Medical Council and Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, the Medical Council of Ireland, the New Zealand Immigration Service and the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools in the USA.
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