Classic Education Advisors are the No.1 IELTS Institute of city Abbottabad and is synonymous with quality IELTS training. We have the honor of being the only institute in the country to have Cambridge University Press as our knowledge partner. CEA uses the official IELTS preparation material produced by Cambridge University Press. Our trainers are also certified by Cambridge University Press. Classic Education Advisors offers the most comprehensive IELTS training; and our programmers are crafted to give sufficient practice to students in the techniques needed for taking the IELTS test with full confidence. Our focused training gives the candidates a strong base in English, with which they are able to score the highest bands in IELTS.

Why IELTS?

Students aspiring to study in the topmost universities and colleges of the English-speaking world need to clear an English language proficiency test. Non-native speakers of English have to show that they can read, write, speak, and understand English, so as to be able to follow lectures, study, take exams, and interact comfortably with fellow students, teachers and the local population. For this purpose, as well as for the purpose of immigration, a standardized English language proficiency test for non-native English speakers has been established as a pre-requisite for the selection process. IELTS is the world’s most popular English language proficiency test and a world of opportunity awaits those who clear the required scores.

What is IELTS?

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is conducted by three institutions, namely, the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment (University of Cambridge).

PURPOSE :

• IELTS is the most impartial and trustworthy English proficiency test available for the purposes of study, work, and immigration.
• Most academic institutions in English-speaking countries, like, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and an increasing number of educational institutions in the United States, accept IELTS for study.
• For work purposes, many professional organization’s recognize IELTS as the standard test.
• For migration, IELTS is required or accepted for permanent residency by the governments of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

VALUE :

• IELTS is developed by education and language experts with a vast experience in teaching English, conducting exams and producing educational content.
• IELTS test material is exhaustively researched and is constantly in the process of being reviewed and updated by experts and academics.
• In view of the varied backgrounds, nationalities, genders, of the people taking the IELTS exam, care is taken to ensure that the test is unbiased and neutral.
• It is an internationally relevant test because it accepts both British and American spellings.
• The test makes use of Australian, British and American accents, thus covering the major English-speaking accents.

There are two versions of the IELTS test: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. The purpose of both tests is different and the one you take will depend on the requirements of the academic institution you plan to study in, your work/professional or visa requirements.

• IELTS Academic: This test is meant for students wishing to study at universities and institutes of higher education in countries where English is the medium of instruction in the classroom. Many professions, like, medical, nursing, engineering etc., also require an IELTS Academic result for registration. The Academic test is designed to assess the proficiency in English required in an academic and higher learning environment.
• IELTS General Training: This test is usually a visa requirement for those applying for permanent residency to English speaking countries, such as, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Persons going to these countries for training programs, employment or secondary education, are required to take this test. IELTS General Training is intended to test the English skills that an immigrant or a worker would need for communication in the workplace and in an everyday environment.

SCORING SYSTEM:

• The IELTS test does not pass or fail a student, instead, the IELTS scoring system uses a band scale of 0 – 9 to assess the proficiency of the candidate.
• There are different band requirements for each country, institution, organization, and candidates will need to score accordingly.
• Sometimes the band requirements differ for visa and your chosen institution/organization/profession/employer.
• The IELTS test results have a validity of two years and you will be required to retake the test beyond that time period.

ACADEMIC – IELTS Academic is divided into four sections

Listening

The test is of 30 minutes, an additional time of 10 minutes is given for transferring the answers to the answer sheet. The candidates are tested on their ability to understand lectures and conversations in various Western accents, primarily British.

Reading

The test is of 40 questions divided in 3 sections. The test is 60 minutes long and it measures the the ability of candidates to understand descriptive, factual, and analytical passages.

Writing

In this test 2 tasks have to be completed in 60 minutes. Task 1 comprises of describing tables, graphs, charts, diagrams in a minimum of 150 words and in task 2 candidates are required to write a 250 words long essay on the given topic. The contribution of task 2 to the total writing score is twice of task 1.

Speaking

The speaking test is generally 11 to 14 minutes long and is conducted in a face to face interview format . This test has 3 sections, in the first section the examiner asks questions related to the candidate’s introduction etc. In the second section the candidate is asked to speak for 2 minutes on a general topic and in the third section followup questions related to the topic in section 2 are asked.

GENERAL – IELTS General Training is also divided into four sections

Listening

The test is of 30 minutes, an additional time of 10 minutes is given for transferring the answers to the answer sheet. The candidates are tested on their ability to understand lectures and conversations in various Western accents, primarily British

Reading

The duration of this test is 60 minutes in which three passages are given. Each passage forms one section of the test and is accompanied with 10 to 14 questions. There are a total of 40 questions.
Section 1 generally has two or three short paragraphs on factual texts.
Section 2 mostly has on two short paragraphs based on factual texts.
Section 3 is likely to be a long passage on a general topic.

Writing

In this test 2 tasks have to be completed in 60 minutes. Task 1 comprises of writing a 150 words long formal or an informal letter on the given situation and in task 2 candidates are required to write a 250 words long essay on the given topic. The contribution of task 2 to the total writing score is twice of task 1.

Speaking

The speaking test is generally 11 to 14 minutes long and is conducted in a face to face interview format . This test has 3 sections, in the first section the examiner asks questions related to the candidate’s introduction etc. In the second section the candidate is asked to speak for 2 minutes on a general topic and in the third section followup questions related to the topic in section 2 are asked.

The IELTS Band Scores

Multi-level

IELTS is a multi-level exam. You get a score between 1 and 9 for each section. Half scores such as 6.5 are possible. Universities often demand an IELTS score of 6 or 7. They may also demand a minimum score in each of the 4 sections.

You can use the IELTS Band Score Calculator on this site to convert your reading and listening raw scores.

IELTS Listening marking schemes

For the listening test, which contains 40 questions, the approximate band scores can be calculated using this table.

IELTS General Reading marking schemes

For the general reading test, which contains 40 questions, the approximate band scores can be calculated using this table.

IELTS Academic Reading marking schemes

For the academic reading test, which also contains 40 questions, but is more difficult, the approximate band scores can be calculated using this table.

IELTS Writing marking schemes

The two writing questions are marked out of 9 according to the following criteria:

• Task Achievement (for Task 1), Task Response (for Task 2)
• Coherence and Cohesion
• Lexical Resource
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Click here to see the full writing band descriptors for IELTS.

IELTS Speaking marking schemes

The speaking test is also marked out of 9 according to the following criteria:

• Fluency and coherence
• Lexical resource
• Grammatical range and accuracy
• Pronunciation