IELTS

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is one of the most widely accepted English tests for study, work and migration. Universities, professional bodies and immigration authorities in the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland use it, and so do many institutions in the United States. A2Z Language prepares you for the test with live lessons, timed practice and detailed feedback on your writing and speaking.

Academic or General Training?

IELTS comes in two versions. Both have the same Listening and Speaking tests. The Reading and Writing tests are different.

• IELTS Academic is for university study at undergraduate or postgraduate level and for professional registration, for example in nursing or medicine.
• IELTS General Training is for work experience, training programmes, secondary education and migration to countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

If you are not sure which version you need, check the requirements of the university, employer or visa you are applying for before you book. Booking the wrong version is a common and expensive mistake.

Test format

Part	Time	What you do
Listening	About 30 minutes	Four recordings (conversations and monologues) with 40 questions.
Reading	60 minutes	Three passages with 40 questions. Academic uses texts from books and journals; General Training uses everyday and workplace texts.
Writing	60 minutes	Task 1 (at least 150 words): Academic describes a chart, graph, table or process; General Training is a letter. Task 2 (at least 250 words) is an essay and counts for more of the Writing score.
Speaking	11–14 minutes	A face-to-face interview in three parts: questions about yourself, a two-minute talk on a topic card, and a discussion of more abstract ideas.

You can take IELTS on paper or on computer at a test centre. Speaking is always with a human examiner.

How IELTS is scored

Each skill receives a band score from 0 to 9, in half bands. Your overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. Writing and Speaking are marked against four published criteria:

• Writing: Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2), Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
• Speaking: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, Pronunciation.

Most universities ask for an overall band between 6.0 and 7.0, often with a minimum in each skill. Healthcare regulators and some visas ask for higher or more specific scores. Always check the current requirement with the organisation you are applying to.

How we prepare you

• Level check first. We start with a short diagnostic of all four skills so your plan targets the skill that is holding your band down, not the one you already enjoy.
• Live lessons. One-to-one or small-group lessons online, focused on task types, timing and the band descriptors.
• Writing feedback. You write Task 1 and Task 2 answers and get them back marked against the four criteria, with corrections and a rewritten paragraph so you can see the difference.
• Speaking practice. Mock interviews in the same three-part format, with notes on fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
• Timed practice tests. Full Listening and Reading tests under exam conditions, then a review of every wrong answer and why it was wrong.

Common mistakes we fix

• Writing a Task 2 essay that discusses the topic but does not answer the exact question.
• Describing every number in Task 1 instead of selecting the main trends and comparisons.
• Spending too long on one Reading passage and leaving the third unfinished.
• Memorised Speaking answers, which examiners recognise and which lower the Fluency and Coherence score.
• Spelling and plural errors in Listening answers, which are marked wrong even when the idea is right.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to improve by one band?

It depends on your starting level and how much you practise, but most learners need several weeks of regular study to move up half a band, and longer for a full band. We will give you a realistic estimate after the level check. Nobody can honestly guarantee a score.

Can I prepare for IELTS online?

Yes. All our lessons, feedback and mock tests can be done online, so you can study from home around work or university.

Where can I find official information about IELTS?

Test dates, fees and the latest format details are published on the official IELTS website and by the test centre where you book. A2Z Language is an independent teaching provider and does not run the test.

You may also find these articles useful: grammar rules for a higher IELTS score and which English exam to take.