IELTS Academic: A Detailed Overview

The IELTS Academic test is designed for individuals planning to study at undergraduate or postgraduate levels or seeking professional registration in English-speaking environments. The test assesses the ability to listen, read, write, and speak in academic English. Here’s a detailed breakdown of each module:

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Listening Module

• Duration: 30 minutes + 10 minutes transfer time.
• Structure: 4 sections with 40 questions in total.
• Audio Length: Approximately 30 minutes of audio.
• Audio Types:
  • Section 1: A conversation between two people in a social or everyday context (e.g., booking a room).
  • Section 2: A monologue in a social or everyday context (e.g., a speech about local facilities).
  • Section 3: A conversation among up to four people in an academic setting (e.g., a group discussing a project).
  • Section 4: A monologue on an academic subject (e.g., a lecture on history or science).
• Question Types:
  • Multiple choice
  • Matching
  • Plan, map, or diagram labeling
  • Form, note, table, flow-chart, or summary completion
  • Sentence completion

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Reading Module

• Duration: 60 minutes (no extra time to transfer answers).
• Structure: 3 long passages with 40 questions.
• Passage Length: Each passage ranges from 700 to 900 words.
• Content:
  • Extracts from books, journals, magazines, and newspapers.
  • Topics are academic but written for a non-specialist audience.
• Question Types:
  • Multiple choice
  • Identifying information (True/False/Not Given)
  • Identifying the writer’s views/claims (Yes/No/Not Given)
  • Matching headings
  • Matching information
  • Matching features
  • Matching sentence endings
  • Sentence completion
  • Summary, note, table, or flow-chart completion
  • Diagram label completion
  • Short-answer questions

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Writing Module

• Duration: 60 minutes
• Structure: 2 tasks.
  • Task 1:
    • Write a report based on visual information such as graphs, charts, tables, or diagrams.
    • Minimum 150 words.
    • Task focuses on summarizing and comparing data, describing processes, or explaining trends.
  • Task 2:
    • Write an essay in response to an argument, problem, or point of view.
    • Minimum 250 words.
    • Task evaluates the ability to present a clear, well-organized argument, supported by relevant examples.
• Assessment Criteria:
  • Task Achievement/Response
  • Coherence and Cohesion
  • Lexical Resource
  • Grammatical Range and Accuracy

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Speaking Module

• Duration: 11–14 minutes.
• Structure: 3 parts.
  • Part 1: Introduction and Interview (4–5 minutes).
    • Questions about personal information, daily life, and general topics like work, studies, hobbies, etc.
  • Part 2: Long Turn (3–4 minutes).
    • Candidate speaks on a given topic for 1–2 minutes, after 1 minute of preparation.
    • A task card with prompts is provided.
  • Part 3: Discussion (4–5 minutes).
    • A two-way discussion with the examiner on more abstract or complex ideas related to Part 2.
• Assessment Criteria:
  • Fluency and Coherence
  • Lexical Resource
  • Grammatical Range and Accuracy
  • Pronunciation

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Key Features of IELTS Academic

1. Scoring: Each section is scored on a band scale of 0 to 9, and the overall score is the average of the four sections.
2. Focus: Academic vocabulary and task complexity are emphasized to assess readiness for academic challenges.

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