IELTS Examination

Many people take the IELTS exam for various reasons. In this part, I will explain about the IELTS test in general and based on my experience.

In general, there are 2 types of IELTS test which is the General Test and the Academic Module. It is believed by many that the Academic Module is slightly more difficult than General Test. However, based on my experience and my study both of them are equally difficult and depends on the reason you take it. Globally, there are 4 parts in an IELTS test which is listening, reading, writing and speaking.

In the listening part you will have 4 parts (each session consists of 10 questions). However, there is a possibility to have different type of questions (fill the box and multiple choice for example) in the same session. You will hear the recording only once, and it is possible for you to write your answers temporary in the booklet. However, pay attention to transfer the answers to your answer sheet since only then will your answer be counted. You will have 10 minutes time to transfer your listening answers at the end of the whole task (After 40 questions, not after every 10 questions).

In the reading part you face 3 different passages. These articles are quite variative, and in this part is where the split between General Module and Academic Module happens. In Academic Modules you will find passages related to academic sources such as an article in Geography, history etc., whereas in the General Module you will find a more general topic such as newspaper articles. You will have also 40 questions in this part and are given 60 minutes time to complete it. But be careful, you don't have any additional time to transfer your answers to your answer sheet. All of this reading and answering on your answer sheet must be done in exactly an hour. Each passage has about 13-15 questions and like in the listening part, different type of questions can be found on the same reading passage.

After done listening and reading, you will get to the writing test. In the writing test you will have 2 tasks. In the first task, a Academic module examinee will face between a graph, table or process diagram. On the other hand, in the GT module, examinees will face a task that is usually done in general such as writing a resignation letter, complain, asking for information etc. You need to write at least 150 words for this task and people advice you to spend 20 minutes on this task. For the second task, an opinion or statement is given related to a specific problem or issue, but don't worry, it is a general issue such as what can be done to decrease global warming, or do you agree abortion should be legalized? You need to write 250 words explaining your ideas in the essay. Many advice a 40 minute writing time for task 2.

Finally, after the series of examination, you will face the last part of the exam which is the speaking/interview test. In these test you will get interviewed and recorded by an examiner face-to-face. The time-frame for this test is probably 15-20 minutes. There are basically 3 parts in the speaking test. The first one is general questions. You will be asked about your name, probably where you live, your occupation, transportation etc. The second section is a 1-2 minute speaking based on the cue card given. In the last part, you will be asked again about topics based on the topic in the cue card.

After this series of examinations, you are finally done. Then, all you have to do is to wait approximately 2 weeks for the results to come.