IELTS test sections

The IELTS test is one of the most important tests for measuring the proficiency of the English language for non-native speakers, and it is relied upon in applying to most universities in the world, as well as for immigration and travel, and also to obtain some jobs, so everyone seeks to obtain a high score in that test to reach what they want. In this article, we provide you with a definition of the IELTS test sections and how to calculate scores in it.

What are the sections of the IELTS test? How are scores calculated?

The IELTS test is divided into 4 parts: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. The reading, writing, and listening test are on the same day, but the speaking test may be on the same day or on another day determined several days before the test. The score for each section is calculated out of 9, and then the average of the four sections is extracted to be the overall score. The language proficiency level is divided according to the overall score as follows:

• Score 9 for expert user.
• Grade 8 Very good speaker of the language.
• Level 7 Good speaker of the language.
• Level 6 is a sufficient speaker.
• Level 5 Moderate level speaker.
• Level 4 Limited level speaker.
• Level 3 is a very limited speaker.
• Level 2 Intermittent Speaker.
• Grade 1 non-native speaker.

Listening section

The IELTS Listening section consists of 4 sections, each with 10 questions. The time to answer the questions is 30 minutes and may reach 34 minutes. There is no difference between the General and Academic IELTS Listening test. The four sections are as follows:

1. The first section is a conversation between two people about everyday topics such as the weather, daily plans, etc.
2. The second section is a one-on-one talk on a social topic.
3. The third section is a conversation between two people about an academic topic. Here, you must pay attention to the information mentioned in the dialogue.
4. Section 4 is a single text on an academic topic. This type of text contains information about maps, detailed drawings or graphs. The student must complete the missing data from these drawings by listening to the text.

The listening questions in the IELTS test vary between multiple choice, completing the diagram, matching, fill-in-the-blank and short answer questions. Students are given time before the audio recording begins to read the questions, time after the audio recording to review their answers, and some time between the four sections to review their answers. The listening texts are in different English accents from English-speaking countries.

Reading section

The reading test consists of 3 types of texts, 40 questions and the test duration is 60 minutes. The reading section of the IELTS Academic test differs from the IELTS General Test in parts 1 and 2 as they contain more scientific information in the academic section than in the general section. The information contained in both sections is information that is easy to understand by different scientific disciplines and its purpose is to measure English language proficiency only.

The reading section of the IELTS test measures different English reading skills, such as speed reading, extracting main ideas, skimming, etc. The types of questions vary between multiple choice, matching, choosing headings, completing a flowchart, or short answer questions.

Writing Department

The writing section of the IELTS test consists of two parts. The General IELTS test differs from the Academic IELTS reading test. The test duration is 60 minutes, and the first task consists of 150 words, and the second task consists of 250 words.

The first task in the writing section of the IELTS Academic test is to summarize a text or give a description of a graph in at least 150 words. The second task is to give an opinion, discussion or comment on a scientific theory or opinion in at least 250 words. This should be written in a formal style only. The required topics are suitable for all categories of applicants for the test. The aim here is to measure English language proficiency only.

The first task of the writing section of the IELTS General Test is to write a letter in response to a situation or to ask about something or other. The style of the letter must be formal or semi-formal. The second task is to write an opinion or comment on a theory or opinion. In the IELTS General Test, formal writing can be dispensed with in the second writing task.

Conversation section

The speaking test in the IELTS test consists of 3 sections. There is no difference between the General IELTS test and the Academic IELTS test in the speaking test. The speaking test consists of the following sections:

• The first section consists of general questions to introduce yourself and other general interests. The duration of this section is between 4 and 5 minutes.
• The second section is a card containing a specific topic and the student is required to talk about this topic for two continuous minutes, using different terms without repetition.
• Section Three: Here the examiner asks the student some questions about the topic on the card. The duration of this section is between 4 and 5 minutes.

The student must pay attention to the correct pronunciation of words, as well as the diversity of words and synonyms, and not using the same word too frequently. He must also ensure that eye contact is maintained with the examiner.

Applying to study in foreign countries requires obtaining a specific college degree determined by the university. Some entities may also require a specific degree in one of the departments in addition to the college degree, so students need to make sure of the degree required for the study in addition to good training to achieve that degree.