1] What does IELTS mean?
IELTS stands for: International English Language Testing System.
2] How many skills are tested in the IELTS test?
There are 4 skills tested: listening, reading, writing and speaking.
3] Which is best, IDP or British Council?
Which is best for IELTS, British Council or IDP? Where should you take your IELTS test?
- There is no difference between the IELTS test at the BC and in IDP.
- There is also no difference between examiners and marking in the BC and IDP.
Both IDP and the British Council are part owners of IELTS along with Cambridge English Language Assessment. This means they are all one company.
IELTS Test Difficulty Level
IDP and British Council conduct IELTS tests but they do not write them. All tests used at the BC and IDP are compiled by Cambridge English Language Assessment who is one of the joint owners of IELTS.
This means you will get the same tests if you are at BC or IDP.
IELTS Examiners & Marking at IDP & BC
All examiners for IELTS, both IDP and BC examiners, are trained in the same way, following the same guidelines.
Listening and Reading answers are marked clerically. They are based on right or wrong answers. Each right answer gives one point and your score is calculated based on the number of right answers. So, this never differs between test centers.
Writing and Speaking are marked by an examiner. All IELTS examiners, for both IDP and BC, complete the same training course, follow the same marking criteria and also the same band score descriptors. Examiners are also checked regularly to ensure they are not marking too high or too low.
IDP is Australian and BC is British but they both use a range of accents. In the listening test, you will get a range of accents (even American sometimes). In the speaking test, the examiner could come from any country and have any accent. You can use any accent you want in your speaking test: Australian, British or American.
4] Does the IELTS test accept American English?
Yes, it does. It is an international test of English. However, most examiners in speaking are English or Australian and may not be familiar with very modern American terms.
5] Which skills do I take on the same day?
Listening, reading and writing are all taken on the same day. The speaking test can be taken either before, after or on the same day as the other skills.
6] Is there a break between the reading and writing test?
No, there is no break between the listening, reading and writing test. They are all taken together and take a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes. So, make sure you eat and drink well before you take your test
7] Can I use a pen in my IELTS Test?
You can use a pen or pencil for your IELTS writing test. However, for your listening and reading test, you must use a pencil (don’t forget to take an eraser with you).
8] How many times can I take my IELTS test?
You can take it as many times as you want. There is no limit.
9] Can I wear a watch in my IELTS test?
No, you can’t. You can’t wear a watch in any of the IELTS tests, even the speaking test. There will be a clock on the wall so you can check the time.
10] What happens if I am colour blind?
You should contact your IELTS test center before the exam to let them know. They will adapt any colour pages or illustrations for you in the test.
11] Can I write using capital letters?
Yes, you can. You can use all capital letters for listening, reading and even for writing too.