IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is the world’s most widely used English language testing system. It was developed over 25 years ago and is jointly supported by the British Council, IDP IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment Centre.
Each year more than 2 million people take the IELTS test at 900 centres in more than 130 countries around the world. Results are accepted by more than 9000 different organisations as proof of English language skills.
WHAT DOES THE IELTS TEST LOOK LIKE?
The test consists of four modules: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
There are two types of IELTS test – General and Academic. The Speaking and Listening modules are the same; the Reading and Writing modules are different. The Academic module is more focused on academic subjects and the General module is more focused on general topics.
The results are graded on a 9-point scale in 0.5 point increments. Grades are given separately for each module. An average score (overall) is also given.
Reading and Listening are automatically assessed by adding up the total number of correct and incorrect answers. The Writing and Speaking parts are assessed by the examiners using the criteria below:
– Assessment criteria Writing Task 1
– Assessment criteria Writing Task 2
– Assessment criteria Speaking
IELTS AND IMMIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA
Taking the IELTS test is a compulsory step in the immigration process for most applicants to immigrate to Australia. Only nationals of English-speaking countries (US, UK, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand) are exempt from it. Their citizenship is equal to the minimum requirement (minimum 6 in each module), for which no points are awarded in the point test. To receive points for English language proficiency (10 points for IELTS 7777 and 20 points for IELTS 8888), everyone needs to take the test.
An IELTS certificate is also required for some qualifications, and different certifying bodies have different requirements for language proficiency. Engineers Australia wants 6666 General, the CPAA (assessing Accountants) wants 7777 Academic, and to assess secondary school teacher qualifications you need to pass speaking and listening at 8, and reading and writing at 7 in the academic module.
Adult family members of the main applicant are also required to pass the test. Those who cannot present a certificate with a score of minimum 4.5 must pay a so-called “second fee” (VAT-2) of almost 5000 Australian dollars. The migrants can use the money for a 500 hour language course called AMEP (Adult English Migrant Program).
Applicants for the 482 work visa are required to have a General English language proficiency of 5555.
For admission to an Australian university (if you have not studied in Australia full time for at least 2 years) you need to pass the test in the academic module. The standard requirement is an overall 6.5, with Writing and Reading at least 6. For some professions (e.g. doctors, lawyers, teachers) and in some more selective universities, the requirements are higher.
IELTS PREPARATION HELP
Sydney Visa can help you prepare for the IELTS test. We also have free video tutorials by Olga Kozar available here (could you please provide some links to the English lessons).
Our partner Australian company English with Experts and its director Olga Kozar offers you to take English distance learning courses via Skype video conferencing.
Olga Kozar is an expert in teaching English online. Olga has a Master’s degree in English Language Teaching and Modern Technology from Manchester University (England) and later won a post-doctoral research grant from Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia). Olga conducts research on the topic of teaching English via Skype and has published a number of articles on the subject in prestigious international journals.
TEACHING METHOD
Olga Kozar: “Our method of teaching English via Skype includes live communication, communicative approach, improvement of pronunciation, interesting and practical tasks, films and TV series in English, modern grammar aids, useful phrases, etc. The methodology is suitable for students of different levels. We provide lessons for beginners as well as for those who have been learning English for a long time. We are proud to say that 93% of our clients rate us a 10 out of 10! We look forward to helping you too!”
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PREPARATION SERVICE
33 Common IELTS topics:
Advertising & Media
Animals & Pets
Arts
Birthdays
Books & TV
Clothes & Fashion
Dreams
Education & Languages
Environment
Food
Gifts
Globalization, Cities, Towns
Happiness
Health
Hobbies, Habits & Sleep
Home
Humour
Indoor Games
IT: Computers, Mobiles, Internet, E-mail, Science
Law & Crime
Music
Neighbours & Neighbourhood
Personality & Character
Photography
Physical Appearance
Plants
Relationships: Family, Children, Friends
Shopping
Sports
Transportation
Travel, Leisure & Lifestyle
Weather
Work & Business