The IELTS test is one of the famous exams when it comes to checking English skills. Often, students mostly who are non-native speakers face issues in the IELTS exam. There are two reasons for this. The first one is they are not habitual of speaking English. In addition, the other is not understanding its needs, and practice it. Also, it is vital to know all about it, whether it is IELTS exam eligibility, pattern, or criteria. Well, to help the native speakers here in this article, details about the test are stated.
Want to know? Read the article below and get all your doubts clear about it. Furthermore, here some tips are also said that will aid you in scoring good marks in the exam. So, let’s read it.
An Overview of the IELTS Exam
It is well-known to everyone that the IELTS exam is one of the reputable tests of the English language. Many foreign colleges, based on its results, accept the application of students. As per the reports of the British Council, in the year 2022, around three million learners take the test. Because of its global acceptance and significance, knowing everything about it is vital.
In addition, it also aids in better understanding the pattern of the exam. Furthermore, it helps them in preparing for the test and getting good marks. Moreover, the exam is of two types- academic and general training. Students who want to pursue higher studies abroad take the academic IELTS test. In contrast, people who want to do the job or take work-related training opt for general training.
This was all about the IELTS test. In addition, its syllabus and exam pattern remain the same in every nation. Apart from that, the IELTS exam registration process is also the same. Moving forward, let’s know about the format of it.
IELTS Exam Format
Before preparing for the IELTS, is it better to know about the format of it? It will help in two ways. First, it aids you in understanding the exam pattern of it. In addition, in the second way, it helps you in better practising the test. Also, it assists you in proper planning of the strategies to get a good band score. The IELTS test consists of four sections. So, moving forward, let’s know about them in more detail.
Listening
The listening section of the IELTS exam contains four parts. In this, it holds a total of 40 questions. In this, you will provided with some English audio. On the basis of this, you have to give answers to the asked questions. In general, it checks your understanding of the language.
In addition, here, you need to give complete focus while listening to the recording. Also, you will listen to it once, so concentrate while it plays. Furthermore, the time provided for completing this task is around 30 minutes.
Reading
In the reading section, you get three passages to read. On the basis of it, you have to answer the asked questions. In addition, here, you face several types of questions. Such as matching phrases, multiple questions and more. The total number of questions this IELTS exam section holds is around 40. Also, the paragraphs can vary. It can be descriptive and factual.
Furthermore, the time assigned to complete this part is one hour. In addition, the syllabus remains the same in the IELTS reading section for both test types.
Writing
The syllabus of the writing section is different for both general training and academics. However, the exam pattern remains the same, which is two questions. The first section of the academic, you have to describe the given picture, graph, or process. In contrast to this, in general training, you have to write a letter on a given situation.
Talking about the second task of academic here, students have to discuss the given topic. In addition, the task second of the general training remains the same. Furthermore, in both tasks, you need to write at least 150 words and in the second minimum, 250 words. Also, you have around 60 minutes to complete the task.
Speaking
This section is one of the difficult parts of the IELTS test. Here, you have to interact with the examiner. It is like a face-to-face interview. Through this, the interviewer checks the speaking skills of you. In addition, also judge whether you will able to interact with other people in a foreign nation.
It consists of three parts. The first one is like an introduction session between you and the examiner. In the second part, you have to speak on the topic given by the test taker. Furthermore, in this, you will get one minute for preparation. And you have to speak for two minutes. In the third session, you will discuss more about the topic on which you talk in the second task. The time given for this whole round is around 11-15 minutes.
This was all about the format of the IELTS test. In addition, there are no fixed IELTS exam eligibility criteria. The only thing is one should be 16 years of age while taking the test. So, you can give this at any age. Moving forward, let’s know about the challenges students face in the exam.
Challenges Non-English Speakers Face During IELTS Exam
Non-native speakers often face issues while taking the IELTS test. It is because they are not habitual of speaking it. With this, here are some of the common problems they deal with:
- Native speakers often face issues in the listening section. It is because they do not understand the accent of the speaker. To aid in this, they can practice listening to English videos, news, and more. It helps them boost their listening skills and know their accent.
- In addition, they also face hurdles in using the grammar. To solve this issue, they can opt to practice it. In this, they can get help from online resources, English books, and more. Furthermore, they can also take the IELTS coaching. It helps them boost their language skills.
- Apart from that, for the speaking part, they can start practicing with talking in English. Also, they can opt for reading English books, newspapers, and more. It aids them in boosting their vocabulary.
These are the common issues that people often face when taking the test. Moreover, like the IELTS exam eligibility criteria, there is no limit to practice for the exam. So, with the available exam resources, you can overcome your problems.
Conclusion
Well, the IELTS test is not a simple task to conduct in one day. Whether it is non-native or native speakers, all face issues while taking the exam. To overcome these, the first thing they opt for is understanding the pattern of it. In addition after that practicing it. There are several resources available to aid them. Apart from that, you can choose the test type at the time of IELTS exam registration. Also, to help you, there are several coaches present all over India. So, instead of feeling daunted by the IELTS challenges, solve them by practicing.
