1. Introduction to IELTS get to know the format
overview compiled by Kate Elliott
for use at Mongol Aspiration Laboratory School, Ulaanbaatar
September 2013

2. IELTS (the International English Language Testing System) is designed to assess language ability in the key areas of: speaking, listening, reading and academic writing. An IELTS exam is a pre-requisite for university entrance into university studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the UK, the USA and New Zealand. Every year, over 1.4 million people take an IELTS test. They come in two forms: ‘academic’ and ‘general training’. All candidates sit the same listening and speaking tests. Once candidates’ exams have been assessed, they receive an overall score, from 0 to 9. Universities tend to require an IELTS score of between 6 and 7 as a minimum entrance requirement; some universities set a minimum score in each of the four sections of the exam.
The four sections are as follows:
Listening - 4 sections, 40 questions, 30 minutes
Speaking - 15 minutes allocated (interview format)
Reading (academic/general training) 3 sections, 40 questions, 1 hour
Writing (academic/general training) 2 pieces of writing, 1 hour
Explanation of IELTS band scores:
IELTS band score calculator:
How IELTS compares with other international English exams:

3. SECTION 1 of ‘Listening’
Questions 1-3
MCQs – choose one correct answer out of 4 possible answers
Questions 4-6
Write no more than three words for each answer
Questions 7-8
Circle two (2) answer categories (e.g. A and B) out of five (5)
Question 9-10
Circle two (2) answer categories (e.g. C and E) out of five (5)
SECTION 2 of ‘Listening’
Questions 11-13
Circle three (3) answer categories (e.g. A, C and D) out of five (5)
Questions 14-15
Respond to each of two questions with no more than three (3) words per question
Questions 16-20
Fill in the spaces (one space per row of five rows) with a number (e.g. 3) or no more than three (3) words
Listening 40 q’s 30 mins
6 – – – –

4. Listening (continued)
Section 3 – ‘Listening’ Questions MCQs - choose the one (1) correct answer out of three (3) possible answers Questions Complete notes (5 gaps on the one topic) with no more than three (3) words per line Section 4 – ‘Listening’ Questions Complete each sentence with no more than three (3) words Questions Fill each space (one space per row for five rows) in a table with a number (e.g. 3) or no more than three (3) words

5. IELTS Listening – exam tips
Before listening to the tape, reading the instructions and questions with care
Ask yourself, who are the speakers? Where are they located? What is the purpose of their speaking?
Remember to listen, read and write at the same time: you will only hear the audio recording once.
Listen for signpost words (e.g. ‘however’, ‘finally’ and ‘although’) as they will help you to anticipate what the speaker is about to say

6. Listening part 1 www. examenglish. com/ielts/ielts_listening_part1
Listening part 1 Listening part 2 Listening part 3 Listening part 4 Listening test 2 part 1 Listening test 2 part 2 Listening test 2 part 3 Listening test 2 part 4 Listening test 3 part 1 IELTS Listening iTunes app
Practise Tests

7. Academic Reading Reading passage 1: questions 1-15
40 q’s
60 mins
7 – 31-33
8 – 36-37
8.5 – 38-39
9 - 40
Reading passage 1: questions 1-15
Reading passage 2: questions 16-27
Reading passage 3: questions 28-40

8. IELTS Reading – exam tips
Skim each text to achieve a basic understanding of what it is about and who the intended audience is
Read the title and any sub-headings with care
Think: what is the main purpose of each paragraph? Each paragraph has one main idea. The questions will focus on these.
Remember that the questions appear in the same order as the text (big hint!)

9. Academic Reading (continued)
SECTION 1 – ‘Academic Reading’ (20 mins)
7 paragraphs of text (one A4 page)
Questions 1-7
Identify whether statements 1-7 agree ‘yes’ or disagree ‘no’ with the reading passage. If no information is given, write ‘not given’
Questions 8-13
Complete a summary (6 words) by filling in the gaps using words provided from a box of 9 words. There are more words provided than there are spaces.
Questions 14-15
Identify which paragraphs state the information summarised by each of the two sentences provided. Write down the name (e.g. ‘G’) of the appropriate paragraph.
Section 2 (20 mins) Questions Classify nine (9) statements as each referring to one (1) of three (3) people Questions MCQs: choose the best answer of four (4)

10. Academic Reading (continued)
Section 3 (20 mins) Questions MCQs: identify the best two (2) answers of five (5) provided Questions Classify six (6) opinions as belonging to one of five (5) people Questions Complete a paragraph based on information provided in the passage using one (1) or two (2) words from passage three for each answer.

11. Academic Writing
1 hour Writing Task minutes Read the graph provided. Write a report for a university lecturer to describe the information conveyed by the graph. Write at least 150 words. Writing Task 2 – 40 minutes Present an argument/case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge on a given topic. A topic is stated (approx. 30 words), then a question is posed, e.g. ‘to what extent would you support or reject this idea?’. Write at least 250 words that show evidence of your own ideas, knowledge and experience. Support your lines of argument with examples and relevant evidence.

12. Speaking Part 1: General information (e.g. topic: family)
Is it large or small?
What do they do?
When were you last all together? What did you do?
What do you do together on special occasions?
Is there a member you are especially close to? Why?
Part 2: Talk on a topic for 1 or 2 minutes
(e.g. describe a holiday recently taken)
Tell me about: where you went and why, who you went with, what you did, say what made the trip memorable to you
Had you been on a trip like this before? Do you think travel broadens the mind? Why or why not?
Part 3: Discussion topics
(e.g. travel, environmental and other problems)
- describe how the tourist industry has developed in your area/other areas
-describe what things your area offers tourists
-evaluate the type of tourists that come to you area
How has tourism changed in your area?
Evaluate how tourism is good for a country’s economy
Speculate about the benefits that tourism can bring to a country

13. Tape-script (samples)
From: Milton J., Bell H and Neville P 2006, ‘IELTS: Practice Tests 1’, Express Publishing: Berkshire, UK.

14. Student essays (samples)
From: Milton J., Bell H and Neville P 2006, ‘IELTS: Practice Tests 1’, Express Publishing: Berkshire, UK.

15. Student sample essays (continued)
From: Milton J., Bell H and Neville P 2006, ‘IELTS: Practice Tests 1’, Express Publishing: Berkshire, UK.

16. Suggested answers (spoken)
From: Milton J., Bell H and Neville P 2006, ‘IELTS: Practice Tests 1’, Express Publishing: Berkshire, UK.

17. Suggested answers (spoken) – continued
From: Milton J., Bell H and Neville P 2006, ‘IELTS: Practice Tests 1’, Express Publishing: Berkshire, UK.

18. Practise tests:
IELTS listening practice (Youtube): (work, over 50s)
IELTS listening practice – exercise and TV
Online grammar testing:
Online vocabulary testing:
IELTS study support:
IELTS – secret to writing faster and higher-quality
IELTS listening test strategy
Writing introductions and paragraphs:
The 570 most-commonly used words in academic IELTS tests:

19. Useful links
Tips on taking IELTS exams: Online practise test: Phrasal verbs (Cambridge App): Vocabulary for essays: IELTS: e1240.pdf Implicit Memory: how it works and why we need it: How-It-Works-and-Why-We-Need-It-pdf-e10111.pdf New insight into IELTS: How to prepare for IELTS:

20. Happy Studying!