IELTS has become the most popular English proficiency test among students aspiring to study abroad. IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System.

• There are two types of IELTS tests:
  • IELTS Academic– Test for students who want to study overseas
  • IELTS General Training– Test for applicants who want to work abroad
• IELTS Academic test consists of 4 sections: Listening, Writing, Reading, Speaking.
• IELTS Academic is a paper-based test where the three sections Listening Reading and Writing are conducted on a single day, whereas the Speaking test is held on the next day.
• Nowadays, the computer-based IELTS exam has also been introduced in some cities.
• The total time for the whole test is 3 hours and 15 minutes. The speaking part takes only 11-15 minutes.
• The candidates are allotted marks in the form of bands. The maximum band score is 9 and there are different levels set for each band score.

IELTS Reading Tips:

1. The student has 60 minutes to look through all the questions and solve them. The reading section of the Academic exam is considered tricky and complex.
2. The student needs to be very prompt and swift in reading the comprehensions and answering questions.
3. The student should read all instructions carefully and do as directed.
4. Follow skimming and scanning techniques to solve the Reading sections.
5. The student should diligently maintain the time limit for each passage.

IELTS Writing Tips:

1. In the writing section, the student needs to focus on the time limit.
2. Task 1 involves the students having to analyse various diagrams, graphs, tables, and maps. The time duration is 20 minutes and the students need to be specific and brief about the content.
   The word limit is 150 words.
3. Task 2 of the academic writing involves writing an essay on various topics or events, which might argumentative or opinion-based essays. Students need to be prudent in writing good essays, excellent use of vocabulary and supporting the essay with real life examples.
4. The Task 1 of the writing part has less importance as compared to Task 2 because Task 2 has more band weight age than Task1.

IELTS Listening Tips:

1. The student should read instructions and listen to the recordings carefully.
2. The student should listen in a focussed manner and be prepared to select the right answer from the conversation.
3.  The student is allowed to write down the answers on the question paper and then transfer the answers to the answer sheet.
4. This is the most scoring section, hence good concentration helps students score excellently in this section.

ILETS Speaking Tips:

1. While the student is given a minute to think, it is advisable that he/she does a mind-mapping of  the topic. Divide the topic into four sections so that the ideas go in a flow and sequence.
2. The student should site examples from real-life situations.
3. The student should be confident and attempt using good vocabulary.