IELTS 2020: Registration, Eligibility, Exam Dates, Exam Centers, Preparation Tips, Sample Papers and Result

Ans. International English Language Testing System is an English language proficiency test taken by the candidates planning to pursue higher education or migrating to a English speaking country for employment opportunities. Mostly these English speaking countries are UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Ans. This test is accepted by at least 10,000 organisations across the world. The organisations include various universities, immigration departments, government agencies, professional bodies, MNCs among others.

Ans. In India, British Council and IDP conduct IELTS exams for those test takers who want to pursue higher education abroad or to migrate English speaking countries for employment opportunities.

Ans. The International teams of writers prepare the exam and ensure that it is fair and unbiased.

Ans. IELTS has two exam patterns- IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. Test takers who want to pursue higher education on English speaking nations can take this exam format. Whereas those who want to migrate to English speaking nations for employment opportunities opt IELTS General Training exam.

Ans. Mostly the exam pattern in both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training are similar except reading and writing sections. Listening and Speaking sections are similar for both IELTS Academic and General Training.

Ans. You need to give IELTS Academic test in case planning to pursue higher studies in an English native country. Since individual organisations have different requirements, it is advisable to check IELTS requirements for the international students at the university in which you are applying.

Ans. IELTS test mainly has four sections including Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking and you have to prepare for all the sections. A test taker has to perform equally well in all components to score well on the overall band.

Ans. The entire duration of the exam is 2 hours and 45 minutes. The first three parts of the test including listening, reading and writing will be conducted on the same day (there will be no breaks between these tests) while speaking test can be held either on the same day or few days before or after the exam as well. It depends on the local arrangements.

Ans. The students with disabilities can get assistance at the official IELTS test centres. You need to inform you about it at the center so that special arrangements can be made for you.

Ans. The fees for this test are fixed as per domestic currencies of the country. In India, cost fee for IELTS is INR 13250.

Ans. You will get a complete refund, in case you have postponed or canceled your application 5 weeks before the test date. But in case you make cancellations within 5 weeks of the test date, you will be charged the full fee unless you have a medical reason.

Ans. In case you are absent on the test day without any prior notice, then you will not get any refund.

Ans. All the three tests including Listening, Reading and Writing tests will be completed followed by the next with no breaks while the Speaking test will be held either on the same day or seven days before or two days after as well.

Ans. The candidates will be asked to give the Listening test first, which is followed by the Reading and Writing tests. Speaking test will be conducted some other day.

Ans. Since IELTS is an international test, you can hear a combination of a variety of English accents during your tests.

Ans. Yes, initially the candidates will hear instructions and a sample question. Then you are asked to read section 1 questions, listen to section 1 and answer the questions. There will be no repetition of audio clips in Listening section.

Ans. No, the reading test is one hour and you must finish writing all the answers on the answer sheet in this time only. 3 reading passages will be given in this section.

Ans. No, you have to use pencil only. Your answer sheet will be scanned by a computer which is unable to read pen.

Ans. Yes, you are allowed to make the notes.

Ans. In Speaking test, firstly the candidate has to be introduced to the examiner. For introduction, test taker gets 2-3 minutes in Task 1. Nextly the test taker has to pick up the card for choosing topics to be discussed in Task 2. In Task 3, the examiner will discuss sections spoken in Task 2 with the test taker.

Ans. You have to bring the same ID documents which you have submitted with your IELTS Application Form and used for the rest of the test. Your ID will be cross-checked by the examiner at the time you enter the interview room.

Ans. IELTS uses a 9-band scoring system to calculate and report test scores in an appropriate way. The students will get separate scores for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking and an Overall Band Score on a band scale from one to nine.

Ans. The educational institution or organisations have set their own level of IELTS scores and you must meet the individual requirements of the institute to get admission.

Ans. The test Report Form of your score will be posted to you 13 days after your test date. There are facilities like SMS alerts and an Online Results Service which is offered by many IELTS centers to the aspirants who appeared for the exam. If you are taking Computer Based IELTS, the results will be declared within 5-7days.

Ans. Test Report Forms are valid for two years, but you will not get a copy for your test score. Your Test Report Form of IELTS will be forwarded directly to the relevant institution or embassy. You can get up to five copies for free of charge but additional copies carry small administration charges.

Ans. There is no limit on sitting the test, but it is advised that you do additional study before taking the test again.

Ans. There are many test centres that offer preparatory courses and language classes. You can also improve your skills by using the IELTS Practice Materials which are available online besides joining any institute for IELTS preparation.

Ans. You can ask for an enquiry regarding your test results at the centre where you have applied for the test. You have to apply within six weeks of your test date. You need to inform the authorities regarding the sections of the test that you want to be checked again.

Ans. Yes there is a charge for an enquiry on IELTS test results. However, the amount will be refunded in case there is an increase in your score for any section of the test.

Ans. Your result will be made available to you within 2-21 days, depending upon several factors like the number of sections requested for re-mark, etc.

Ans. You can apply for IELTS exam again according to the next available test date.

Ans. IELTS is no more difficult than any other type of exam, you will be asked straightforward questions that are designed to assess how well you can use your English.

Ans. This is a common myth, you must understand that the IELTS test will have the same level of difficulty no matter from where you are giving the test.

Ans. You are not supposed to change the accent for the IELTS test, rather focus on speaking clearly and at a natural pace so that the examiner can understand what you are saying.

Ans. You must practice your English every day and listening to many other native speaker accents will help you a lot in pronouncing difficult words clearly.

Ans. Yes, by practising sample tests you will learn a lot and will understand what is expected in each part of the test. This is one of the best ways of preparation to score high in the exam.

Ans. ince several educational institutions, employers and professional registration bodies accept IELTS so you can expect that the exam is of a high quality. Even IELTS is also accepted by more governments for migration purposes than any other test.

Ans. You can take IELTS test at any of 200 test locations in 50 countries. You can find a test centre that is near you by exploring the available test dates.

Ans. You can check test rules and guidelines on the official website and at the time of filling the IELTS Application Form as well.

Ans. Yes you are allowed to use all the capital letters in the IELTS Reading and Listening section and in the Writing section of the IELTS test as well.

Ans. Yes it is possible. Many people score higher on their second sitting as they understand the exam pattern and know how the exam can be finished within the allotted time.

Ans. There is no upper age limit for IELTS Test. It is recommended for the candidates who are above 16 years.

Ans. Yes test takers can pay fees via demand draft or cash in favor of either British Council or IDP while filling up the form.

Ans. In case you wish to use an IELTS or IELTS Life Skills test result as part of your application for UK visa purposes, then you must take the test at an IELTS test centre which is specifically authorised by UK Visas and Immigration for this purpose.

Ans. For IELTS and IELTS Life Skills, the dates of the test will be available within 28 days of booking your test.

Ans. The IELTS Test Report Form comes with a validity of maximum 2 years.

Ans. You will be judged based on your performance throughout the Speaking and Listening test based on obtaining information, conveying information, speaking to communicate and getting involved in discussions.Test takers should focus on watching English movies or news. Reading books, magazines, handbooks will also help in scoring well in IELTS.

Ans. There are more than 140 countries that accept the IELTS score, English speaking countries such as the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand accept IELTS score. Besides many non-English speaking countries as well accept IELTS score while giving admission to the students in different colleges and universities where the medium of education is English.

Ans. You must visit the official IELTS website and then register for the test. You can select the test type and date and then fill your details in the application form.

Ans. You can give the exam on any of the 48 fixed dates in a year up to four times a month. So according to the dates, you can give the exam.

Ans. You can only carry pens, pencils and erasers. You need to carry your passport/national identity card you used on the IELTS Application Form to the test. Mobile phones, pagers and other kinds of electronic devices must be switched off and kept at the area designated by the supervisor.

Ans. IELTS is suspended in some locations due to the Covid-19 outbreak; however, the conducting authority allows the candidates to take IELTS indicator test right now, as most of the test centers are closed. This can help the candidates for a solid preparation for IELTS.

Ans. The conducting authority of IELTS is well aware of the doubts of the candidates for the at-home preparation of IELTS during COVID-19. For this purpose, they have brought the IELTS interim tests exclusively for the practice of the candidates. As per the managing director of IELTS, there will be no compromise in contents in this IELTS indicator tests. 

Ans. IELTS indicator is an online timed test that can be used as practice materials for the IELTS test-takers. Candidates can practice the lessons of English reading, writing, listening, and speaking at their homes with this for the real test. Candidates can take this once in a week.

Ans. Basically yes, there will be the same level of difficulty and the same question pattern will be followed in the questions of IELTS indicator. IELTS indicator will be just like the IELTS itself – the only difference is the candidates will take it from their homes.

Ans. The candidates need to click on https://my.ieltsessentials.com/indicator to book their slots for the IELTS indicator. IELTS indicator may not be available for all the locations. The charge for each IELTS indicator test is $149.

Ans. There is a possibility that the candidates may not get a chance to reschedule their exam. In that case, a refund of their exam fees will be processed. The candidates need to send a mail to examscustomercare@britishcouncil.org and follow the instructions regarding the refund.

Ans. The staff will be given a facemask on the day and test-takers or the examiners will not be permitted to remove the masks even during the IELTS speaking. 

Ans.The conducting authority ensures health check up on the test day. Candidates need to wear a mask and maintain a minimum 2-meter distance with examiners and the test-takers in the test center. 

Ans. In the latest announcement, it was mentioned that no candidates even with any negligible symptoms of COVID-19 will come in contact with others. The test-takers need to mail the authority if they were in home-quarantine for 14 days or met any suspect or victim of COVID-19 or have a cold, flu, or fever for consecutive 3 days. Not just that, the candidates have to inform the authority if they are diagnosed with COVID-19 within 14 or fewer days of the exam so that other candidates can be informed. There will be bins for disposal of the masks and gloves as well. 

Ans. You have to show proper medical documents proving the same. Also, the authority may require you to sign a declaration form as well. A test will be done to ensure you are not infected during the test day before allowing you in the test center.

Ques. Are IELTS Indicator and IELTS same? 

Ans. IELTS Indicator is an online session-based test taken easily at home. Both the tests are same in terms of content, timing and exam pattern. Due to pandemic, it is a temporary solution for those who want to meet the application deadline. Candidates may take IELTS in person to meet the application requirement if required from the end of universities or colleges.