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Listening Section

The Listening test is the same for IELTS Academic and General. It lasts for 30 to 40 minutes.

It contains 40 questions of one mark each. The marks you score are converted into a nine-band point system. Scores are either in full or half (e.g., 6 or 6.5).

IELTS ACADEMIC Listening Question Types

You listen to four(4) pre-recorded audio recordings and answer 40 questions. A variety of question types are used ranging from

• Multiple-choice
• Matching, plan/ map/ diagram labelling
• Form completion
• Note completion
• Table completion
• Flow-chart completion
• Summary completion
• Sentence completion
• Short-answer questions

4 Sections, now known as Parts of IELTS ACADEMIC LISTENING

Part 1 is a conversation between two people from an everyday social environment. For example, a conversation between a librarian and a member, a service provider such as a plumber or an electrician and a customer.

Part 2 is a monologue (by a single speaker) from an everyday social environment. For example, a speech about local amenities or a briefing on the arrangements for a party.

Part 3 is a conversation between people (up to four) set in an educational or training environment. For example, a university professor and a student discussing a project, or a discussion between a group of students designing a model.

Part 4 is a monologue (by a single speaker) on an academic subject. For example, a part of a university lecture or a talk.

Skills tested in IELTS ACADEMIC Listening

There are certain skills required in the Listening test. While training for the IELTS Listening section, you should make sure that you develop these skills –

• Understanding of the main ideas (What is the discussion all about? Or what is the overall content talking about?)
• Understanding of specific facts (What are the main facts mentioned?)
• Recognising opinions (What is the standpoint of the speaker or the people involved?)
• The attitude and purpose of a speaker (What is the emotion of the speaker or the intention?)
• And the ability to follow an argument (What is the argument about, and how it develops?)
• Also, you need to make sure that your Grammar and spellings are correct.

Once you master these skills, you should be able to score higher in the IELTS Listening test. You can join our IELTS classes in Kochi, or begin with ONLINE IELTS training. We are from Kerala, India and our IELTS classes are apt for students from an Asian origin. This is because we can understand an Asian accent and clear doubts put up by Asian student, better than a native user of English.

IELTS ACADEMIC LISTENING MARKING SCHEME

The IELTS Academic Listening section has 40 questions and you are allocated a Band Score based on the marks you get.

For Example, if you get 30-32 correct answers out of 40, then you are at a Band Score of 7. As you get more correct answers your band score increases. The table below should give you a clear understanding of the IELTS Listening marking scheme.

To know more about the marking scheme, please go through our article HOW is IELTS MARKED?

Also, read our informative article on IELTS Band Scores Explained.

Reading Section

IELTS Reading test is different for IELTS Academic and General.

It contains 40 questions of one mark each. You need to answer these questions in 60 minutes. The marks you score are converted into a nine-band point system. Scores are either in full or half (e.g., 6 or 6.5).

IELTS ACADEMIC Reading Question Types

You need to read three (3) passages and answer 40 questions based on these passages. A variety of question types are asked, such as:

• Multiple-choice questions
• Identifying information (True/ False/ Not Given)
• Identifying a writer’s views/ claims (Yes/ No/ Not Given)
• Matching information
• Matching headings
• Matching features
• Matching sentence endings
• Sentence completion
• Summary completion
• Note completion
• Table completion
• Flow-chart completion
• Diagram label completion
• Short-answer questions

Three(3) Sections of IELTS ACADEMIC READING

There are three reading passages (3 sections), in the IELTS Reading section. The total text length is between 2,150 to 2,750 words and each section contains one long text. These passages are sourced from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. Also, it is structured for a non-expert audience and discusses academic topics, which can be easily understood by students. The passages are selected so that any undergraduate, postgraduate or professional student can follow and understand it.

The passages might do the one of the following,

• Describe a concept and provide facts about a certain topic
• It may be discursive (discussion based on arguments) and analytical (giving an objective picture for a topic)

Sometimes, these passages may contain non-verbal cues such as diagrams, graphs or illustrations. If a passage contains technical terms, a glossary is provided.

Skills tested in IELTS ACADEMIC READING

There are certain skills required in the test, especially if you want to score higher in the IELTS test. These skills include –

• Reading for the overall idea (What is the passage is generally talking about?)
• Reading for main ideas (what are the main points discussed?)
• Reading for details (Figuring out details discussed in the passage)
• Understanding the conclusion of the passage and it’s suggested meaning (How did the passage conclude and what it means?)
• Recognising author’s opinions, thought on the topic, feelings and purpose
• Following the development of an argument (Understanding changes and deviations throughout the passage)

Once you master these skills, you should be able to score higher in the IELTS Academic Reading test. You can join our IELTS classes in Kochi, or begin with ONLINE IELTS training. We are from Kerala, India and our IELTS classes are more suitable for students from an Asian origin. This is because we can easily understand an Asian accent and quickly get rid of doubts put up by Asian student, better than a native user of English.

IELTS ACADEMIC READING MARKING SCHEME

The IELTS Academic Reading section has 40 questions for one mark each. You are allocated a Band Score based on the number of correct answers. The IELTS Academic Reading marking scheme is more or less similar to the Listening marking scheme.

For Example, if you get 30-32 correct answers out of 40, then you are at a Band Score of 7. As you get more correct answers your band score increases. The table below would make things clear.

To know more about the marking scheme, please go through our article HOW is IELTS MARKED?

Also, read our informative article on IELTS Band Scores Explained.

Speaking Section

The Speaking test is the same for IELTS Academic and General. 11-14 minutes.

In the IELTS Speaking test, you need to attend one on one interview with an IELTS Speaking Examiner. There are three parts in the speaking section.

3 PARTS of IELTS ACADEMIC SPEAKING

IELTS ACADEMIC Speaking Part 1 (4-5 minutes)

The IELTS Speaking Part 1 deals with an introduction and interview. The examiner introduces himself/ herself and asks you to introduce yourself and confirm your identity. Furthermore, the examiner asks you general questions on familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies and interests.

IELTS ACADEMIC Speaking Part 2 (3-4 minutes)

The IELTS Speaking Part 2 is also known as the Cue Card section. The examiner gives you a task card (also called a cue card) which asks you to talk about a particular topic (the main question). The cue card also includes 4 sub-questions which you should be able to answer. The examiner would give you 1 minute to prepare your response, and you are given a pencil and paper to make notes. After one minute, the examiner would prompt you to start and you should talk for 1-2 minutes on the topic. Stop, when the examiner prompts. Make sure you answer all the sub-questions in the task card. Sometimes, the examiner may ask you one or two questions on the same topic.

IELTS ACADEMIC Speaking Part 3 (4-5 minutes)

The speaking part 3 is a Two-way discussion. The examiner asks further questions which are related to the cue card in Part 2. These questions are more general, in nature. These questions may not have a definite (closed-ended) answer, instead, your answer should be discursive(as in a discussion). Try not to be objective, instead, be more subjective. Basically, they expect you to discuss more abstract (hypothetical) issues and ideas.

Skills tested in IELTS ACADEMIC Speaking

The skills required for the speaking test include:

• The ability to communicate opinions and information on everyday topics
• The ability to talk about common experiences and situations by answering a range of questions
• The ability to speak at length on a given topic using appropriate language and organising ideas systematically
• The ability to express and justify opinions and thoughts
• The ability to analyse, discuss and make informed guesses about familiar issues

IELTS ACADEMIC SPEAKING MARKING SCHEME

Just like in the writing section, IELTS examiners use a document called the IELTS band descriptors to mark your Speaking answers. The document talks about four major points:

1. FC – Fluency and Coherence (Fluency – Ability to speak without repetition or correction. Coherence – the flow of ideas in the speech is uninterrupted and maintains a linkage between sentences)
2. LR – Lexical resource (Your knowledge and accuracy of vocabulary in speech)
3. GR – Grammar (Your range of grammar and its accuracy in speech)
4. PR – Pronunciation (Your mother tongue language does not influence your English speech, the way you say things is accurate)

To know more about the marking scheme above, please go through our article HOW is IELTS MARKED?

Also, read our informative article on IELTS Band Scores Explained.

You might also want to get a copy of the IELTS Band descriptor for Speaking section from ielts.org

Once you master these skills and also understand the IELTS BAND DESCRIPTORS, you should be able to score higher in the IELTS Writing test. You can join our IELTS classes in Kochi, or begin with ONLINE IELTS training. We are from Kerala, India and our IELTS classes are more suitable for students from an Asian origin. This is because we can easily understand an Asian accent and quickly get rid of doubts put up by Asian student, better than a native user of English.