IELTS Exam 2023 - Test Dates, Full Form, Registration, Eligibility, Syllabus, Preparation

What is IELTS?

The IELTS or International English Language Testing System is an English language proficiency test for studying or migrating purposes to an English-speaking country like Canada, Australia, U.K. etcetera. The test assists in helping people seek admission to an educational institute or move to an English-speaking country. Students or professionals dreaming of studying or moving overseas can gain a lot of opportunities by taking the IELTS exam. A person can easily taste success in a foreign land and several opportunities open up after appearing for this test. It helps students seek admission to world-renowned universities and educational institutions and later on go for permanent residency in that nation.

IELTS Exam Format

The IELTS Exam is structured in the following way:

The most important query about the IELTS exam that comes to an aspirant’s mind is ‘What is the format of the IELTS exam?’ Well, the IELTS test is mainly structured into four sections – Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. This test assesses the ability of a person to comprehend, write and speak in the English language.

The Listening, Reading and Writing tests are conducted on a single day, while the Speaking test is conducted on another day and date. The Speaking test slot can be booked online or offline as well on a day and date of the test taker’s preference. In case, the student does not book his speaking test, it is automatically booked for him. The total time of the IELTS exam is 2 hours and approximately 45 minutes for Listening, Reading and Writing tests. The Speaking test takes about 11 to 14 minutes to be conducted.

Different Versions of the IELTS Exam

The IELTS test has two different variations or versions:

1. IELTS Academic Version: This version of the test is taken by students who wish to study in an educational institute in an English-speaking nation like Canada, New Zealand, Australia or the UK.
2. IELTS General Training Version: This version of the test is taken by persons who wish to migrate or work in a nation like Canada, New Zealand, Australia or the United Kingdom etcetera.

IELTS Exam Syllabus for Academic and General Training Version

The IELTS exam has four different sections – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The IELTS exam is structured in different manners for both versions although it is assessed in the same manner.

The Listening and Speaking sections are the same for both versions. There are differences in the Reading and Writing sections of the test. The Reading section for the General Training version consists of four Short Passages and one Long Passage, whereas the Academic Version consists of three Long Passages. Though the total number of questions is 40 in both versions of the test. For the Writing section, both versions have two Tasks. The General training version has a letter and a short essay, whereas the Academic version has a report and a short essay as two writing tasks.

IELTS Exam Fee in India

Cancellation or Reschedule Fee for IELTS Exam

In case you would like to cancel or reschedule your IELTS exam, you need to keep the following points in mind:

• You will receive a refund minus administration fees if you cancel or reschedule your IELTS test more than five weeks before the test date.
• Unless you have some major medical issues, you will be charged the entire cost for the test if you cancel or reschedule your IELTS within five weeks of the test date.
• If a medical certificate is presented within five days of the test date, you will be given a refund less any applicable local administrative fees.

How to register for the IELTS exam?

The process to register for the IELTS test is very simple. You need to keep your Passport handy while registering for the test and need to follow a few simple steps as follows:

1. Visit the official IDP website.
2. Create an online account on this website for registration .
3. Locate the nearest test center .
4. Complete your registration details on the website .
5. You may pay the fee online by Debit Card, Credit Card or even Netbanking .

Once you have registered for the test, every student will receive a written confirmation from the test center. This confirmation will be about the test date and time of the test .