The IELTS test assesses your abilities in listening, reading, writing and speaking – in less than three hours.

There are two types of the IELTS test:  IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. Listening and Speaking are the same for both tests, but the subject matter of the Reading and Writing components differs depending on which test you take.

The Listening, Reading and Writing components of all IELTS tests are completed on the same day, however the Speaking part, can be completed up to a week before or after the other tests, depending on the test centre.

The total test time is approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Listening, Duration – 40 minutes

There will be four recordings of native English speakers and the answers to be written on the series of questions. You get additional 10 minutes for transferring the answers to the main answer sheet.

• Recording 1 – a conversation between 2 people in an everyday social context.
• Recording 2 – a monologue on a social context, e.g. speech about local facility
• Recording 3 – a discussion between 3-4 people set in an educational or training context, e.g. discussion between a tutor & students about an assignment
• Recording 4 – a monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a lecture

Reading, Duration – 60 minutes

The reading part consists of 40 questions, designed to test the reading skills.

IELTS Academic Reading

This includes 3 long texts ranging from descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. These texts are mostly from academical books, journals, magazines & newspaper articles.

IELTS General Reading

These are extracts from company handbooks, journals, books, guidelines etc. These texts we encounter in our day-to-day life in an English-speaking country.

The examiners would want the candidate to have the ability to understand the main ideas, follow the development and understand the detailed factual information in the given text.

Writing, Duration - 60 minutes

IELTS Academic Writing

Topics are of general interest to, and suitable for, test takers planning to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies or any other professional registration. There will be two tasks:

• Task 1 – The candidate will be presented with a graph, chart, table or diagram and asked to describe and explain the data or describe the stages of a process or an object or event.
• Task 2 – The candidate will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. Responses to both tasks must be in a formal style

IELTS General Writing

Like the Academic writing test, the general module also has two tasks. The topics will be on general interest.

• Task 1 – The candidate will be presented with a day to day situation and asked to write a letter requesting information or explaining a situation. The letter could be a personal, formal or semi-formal one.
• Task 2 – The candidate will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or an issue. The essay can contain the personal view of the candidate.

Speaking, Duration – 11 to 15 minutes

Speaking has 3 parts and lasts for 11-14 minutes. It is done on one-to-one basis with the student. This is usually done on another day.

• Part1: Examiner will ask general questions to the student, which relates to his/her home, family, work, studies, hobbies, interests etc. This lasts between 4 and 5 minutes. 

• Part2: The candidate is given a topic to speak, which is printed on a task card. The candidate will be given one minute to prepare on the given topic before speaking for up to 2 minutes. Students have to speak for 1 minute at least and are given one minute to think and write down some points. This part lasts between 3 and 4 minutes. 
• Part3: It\'s a discussion between the examiner and the candidate. The questions will be related to the topic given in part 2.The discussion lasts between 4 and 5 minutes.

Official Website: https://www.ielts.org/

Score Validity: 2 years

Mode of Registration: Telephone / Mail/ Online

Test Fee: INR 14,700/-

Rescheduling Fee: INR 2,950/-

Mode of payment: Demand Draft/ Online banking/ credit card

Test Administration Frequency: Up to 4 times a month

Nature of Test: Paper Based Test & Face to face interview / Computer Based (Available only in selected cities)

Score Reporting time: Approximately 13 days

Extra Score Reporting Fee: INR. 1250 by courier, INR. 250 by registered post

IELTS results are reported on a 9-band scale. IELTS results are designed to be simple and easy to understand. They are reported as band scores on a scale from 1 (the lowest) to 9 (the highest).

Calculating the overall band score

A score is given for each test component separately – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. These individual scores are then averaged and rounded to produce an overall band score. The overall band scores & individual scores are reported in whole bands or half bands, e.g. 6, 6.5, 5.5 etc.

Q. Which module of IELTS test should I take?

A. IELTS has two modules – Academic and General Training. The Academic module is for those who wish to study in an English-speaking country. The General Training test is for those who want to work or migrate to an English-speaking country. The Listening and Speaking tests are same for all the candidates, however there is a difference in Reading and Writing tests.

Q. How is IELTS different from IELTS UKVI?

A. \'IELTS for UKVI\' is a UK government approved Secure English Language Test (SELT). Which means, IELTS can be used to prove your English language abilities in support of a UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) application. The test pattern of IELTS for UKVI is same as IELTS but, is video recorded for increased security and sent to the visa office.

Q. What documents can be used as ID (proof of identity) at the test centres?

A. Do make sure, you have the right identification documents with you. You must provide a valid passport when you appear for the test. If you arrive the test centre with the wrong ID, you will not be allowed to take the test.

Q. How can I get the venue details for the IELTS Examination?

A. Venue for the Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking modules will be notified to you 5 days before the test.

Q. What is the cost of score reporting for IELTS?

A. Free score reporting to 5 universities can be sent on the day of the examination. Additional score reporting will cost INR 1250 by courier, INR 250 byregistered post.

Q. How many hours of coaching ACHIVIA provides for the IELTS Examination?

A. ACHIVIA provides 30 hours of training. ACHIVIA also provides required courseware for the IELTS examination, once the candidate enrolls for coaching.