In-depth about GENERAL IELTS

As informed in my last writing IELTS is the English Language Proficiency test which is conducted across the globe for those aspiring people who wants to enhance their career or academics in a Native English speaking country.

IELTS has two categories namely General IELTS and Academic IELTS. General is for those aspirants who are looking to advance their career (Jobs or PR) in foreign country. On the other hand academic IELTS is for those who are actually looking to go abroad and study. The score requirement for each country depends on what Visa one is applying, irrespective of which exam is given.

Today we shall discuss about General IELTS. Though there is no much difference between General and Academics in terms of examination pattern and scoring pattern, but there is a marked difference in the kinds of tasks (Question Pattern) that are given in the respective category. Coming back to General IELTS, it is said to be easier than that of academics, which I believe is not true. The four sections of this exams are Reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Now let me explain each section in brief

1. Reading– this section has 60 min allotted time. The candidate needs to complete three full passages within this time. Here two among the three would be small passage whereas the other would be a long one. The total number of questions in this section would be 40.

Tips– It’s preferred that you complete the smaller passages first and then move to the longer one. Time management is also important here. You should divide the time as 15 mins each for shorter passages and 20 mins for the longer one, keeping 10 mins in hand for revision.

 

2. Writing– This is one of the easiest section. Here the candidate needs to write a letter or an email within 150 words and an essay on a given topic within 250 words.

Tips– In this part the most important would be your word limit, its preferred that one should not cross them but writing less is considered fatal. So you can write 160 words but not 149, similarly for essay up to 270 words but not 249.  Here the time management is again vital where it’s preferred that you take 20 mins for the first part i.e. the letter and 30 mins for the essay, hence keeping 10 mins in hand for revision.

 

3. Listening– Listening again consists of 40 questions which is subdivided into four sections. The task here is to write the answers while listening to the conversations or questions. The time allotted here is 40 mins where 30 mins is for answering the questions and 10 mins to transfer the answers to the answer sheet.

Tips– This is such a section where anyone can get the full credits. Hence the only tips here would be loads of practice and “FOCUS”.

 

4. Speaking– This is the most interesting part among all. Here the candidate needs to sit in front of an examiner and answer the questions. The time allotted for this section varies from 11 mins to 15 mins. This section is divided into 3 parts. The first part would be about yourself and generalized questions. The second part you would be provided with a cue card with a topic where you have to speak for at least for 2 mins. And finally the last part is an extension of part 2 where generalized questions are asked based on the topic provided in part 2.

Tips– Here the most important thing would be self confidence and fluency. You should be able to speak for 11-15 mins without fumbling. Hence practice is the key. You can practice with friends and family before appearing for the test. Here is the place where you can use Natural Fillers like Humm, Uhmm, aahhh etc. You can also buy time by asking for the same but it must not be more than 4 seconds.  You would need to show self-confidence about yourself as this part is judged by a human.

I believe these would give my readers the insight about how General IELTS is conducted and how one can crack it.

If you need any suggestions or exam tips please leave a comment below, I will personally get back to you.

IELTS can give you wings to fly high and achieve your dreams!!!