IELTS resources and help. Tips for English language learners and students. English grammar resources and ideas. Downloads and tips including podcasts. Ideas for learning.
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IELTS Half Band Scores
Scores for each part of the test will still be reported on the scale from 1 to 9, but now the Writing and Speaking tests will be reported in whole or half bands in the same way as the Reading and Listening tests. Why is score reporting for the Writing and Speaking tests being changed? This is the latest in a series of enhancements to IELTS, based on continual consultation with test takers, teachers, Recognising Organisations and other stakeholders around the world. This range of scores - using whole and half bands - is already used for Listening and Reading. We have consulted a large number of organisations that use IELTS scores, and their feedback tells us that they find the half band scores very helpful as they allow them to specify required language levels more precisely. Many teachers and test takers have also told us that they would like more detailed information on performance in each skill. What will the benefits be? There will be three main benefits: * Recognising Organisations will be able to set their requirements for admission, recruitment, etc, more precisely, based on more detailed information about the test-taker's performance in each of the four skills....
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IELTS
IELTS Test Knowledge - Basic Info
IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is an English language proficiency exam which measures the ability of test-takers to communicate in the four basic language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
The IELTS is managed by three main institutions: the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL). This is important to understand in order to prepare for what is essentially an examination of British and not American English.
Many students who have prepared for or appeared for the TOEFL iBT are surprised when they face difficulties understanding accents and expressions used by British speakers in the IELTS. This is why thorough preparation, at a language school or through self-study, is so essential for success in this exam.
There are two versions of the IELTS exam: general and academic. Test-takers must know in advance which one is needed for their purposes as the scores are not interchangeable. Each test lasts two hours and forty-five minutes.
Broadly speaking, the IELTS
is taken by those who wish to study,
live, or work in a country...
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