Logophiles IELTS Guide

Which IELTS?

Between the IDP and British Council = I think I will prefer British Council test over IDP, BECAUSE British Council's Listening section uses mainly British Accent in its Conversations and Lectures.

What is the Test Format?

There are 4 segments = Listening + Academic Reading + Academic Writing + Speaking

What types of Questions will there be in Listening Segment?

	Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking
Number of Sections	4	3	2	3
Number of Questions	38 – 42 Questions	38 – 42 Questions	2 Essays	Variable
Time	30 min	60 min	60 min	15-20 min

Can you say in detail about Listening segment?

You will listen to four recordings of native English speakers and then write your answers to a series of questions.

• Recording 1 – a Conversation between two people set in an everyday social context.
• Recording 2 – a Monologue set in an everyday social context, e.g. a speech about local facilities.
• Recording 3 – a Conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment.
• Recording 4 – a Monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a University Lecture.

Can you speak in detail about Reading segment?

1.    Task type 1 – Multiple choice

2.    Task type 2 – Identifying information

3.    Task type 3 – Identifying writer’s views/claims

4.    Task type 4 – Matching information

5.    Task type 5 – Matching headings

6.    Task type 6 – Matching features

7.    Task type 7 – Matching sentence endings

8.    Task type 8 – Sentence completion

9.    Task type 9 – Summary, note, table, flow-chart completion

10.   Task type 10 – Diagram label completion

11.   Task type 11 – Short-answer questions

Can you speak about the Two Types of Academic Writings?

In Writing Task 1, test takers may be asked to describe facts or figures presented in one or more graphs, charts or tables on a related topic; or they may be given a diagram of a machine, a device or a process and asked to explain how it works. They should write in an academic or semi-formal/neutral styles and include the most important and the most relevant points in the diagram. Some minor points or details may be left out.

 

Test takers should spend no more than 20 minutes on this task. They are asked to write at least 150 words and will be penalized if their answer is too short. While test takers will not be penalized for writing more than 150 words, they should remember that a longer Task 1 answer may mean that they have less time to spend on Task 2, which contributes twice as much to the Writing band score.

 

In Writing Task 2, test takers are given a topic to write about an academic or semi-formal/neutral style. Answers should be a discursive consideration of the relevant issues. Test takers should make sure that they read the task carefully and provide a full and relevant response. For example, if the topic is a particular aspect of computers, they should focus on this aspect in their response. They should not simply write about computers in general.

 

Test takers should spend no more than 40 minutes on this task. They are asked to write at least 250 words and will be penalised if their answer is too short. While test takers will not be penalised for writing more than 250 words, if they write a very long answer they may not have time for checking and correcting at the end and some ideas may not be directly relevant to the question.

What is the mark distribution of two Writing Sections?

Task 2 contributes twice as much to the final Writing band score as Task 1. Therefore, test takers who fail to attempt to answer this task will greatly reduce their chance of achieving a good band.

Can you give a detail of Speaking segment?

1.     Part 1 - the examiner will ask you general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies and interests. This part lasts between four and five minutes.

2.     Part 2 - you will be given a card which asks you to talk about a particular topic. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. The examiner will then ask one or two questions on the same topic.

3.     Part 3 - you will be asked further questions about the topic in Part 2. These will give you the opportunity to discuss more abstract ideas and issues. This part of the test lasts between four and five minutes.