®

a
complete
guide to
IELTS
®
 ®

index
Ÿ What is the IELTS? Ÿ Increase your personal speed

Ÿ How difcult is the IELTS exam? Ÿ Increase your sentence reading speed

Ÿ The listening sub-test Ÿ Develop a memory for english

Ÿ The reading sub-test Ÿ Manage your time carefully

Ÿ The writing sub-test Ÿ Make sure your answers are easy to read

Ÿ The speaking sub-test Ÿ A nal word

Ÿ Follow a regular study plan

 ®

Introduction to the IELTS exam.

What is the IELTS?

The International English Language Testing system or IELTS, as it is better known, is an English prociency test and is
divided into four sections focusing on language skills i.e. listening, writing, speaking and listening.
In the writing, reading and listening sections the student gets a test booklet with pre-printed questions. The IELTS is
not a computer-generated test. The student enters answers on paper with a pencil instead of using a keyboard.
There are many versions of the test booklet that is changed from time to time.

The Speaking section is a face to face interview that varies between 11 to 14 minutes and is scheduled separately
from the rest of the exam.

There are two variants of the IELTS: Academic IELTS and General Training IELTS.

ACADEMIC IELTS GENERAL IELTS

The Academic IELTS is structured to test the The General IELTS is structured to test the
level of English prociency of the test taker English prociency of the test taker in an
applying for an Academic or professional everyday social and workplace context.
training endeavor at an Institution in an
English Speaking country.
 ®

The Academic and General Training variants of the exam have the 4. SPEAKING
exact same listening and speaking sections. The Reading and Ÿ Time allocated – 11 to 14 minutes
Writing sections on these exams are somewhat different. Ÿ Divided into 3 parts
Ÿ Part 1- Introduction and Interview questions
To understand the IELTS better, below is a brief detail of the Ÿ Part 2 – Speak for 2 minutes on a particular topic and end
Listening, speaking, writing and reading skills. As this book with answering questions on that topic
proceeds further, each of the skills will have its own set of detailed Ÿ Part 3 – Two way Discussion of the topic in part 2
pages.

The IELTS test is divided into four sections-

1. THE LISTENING TEST

Ÿ Total Time allocated – 40 minutes (30 minutes test time + 10
minutes transfer time)
Ÿ 4 recordings – 40 questions
Ÿ Audio played only once
Ÿ Different voices and accents used

2. THE READING TEST

Ÿ Total time allocated – 60 minutes
Ÿ 3 or 4 reading passages of increasing difculty
Ÿ 40 questions to answer
Ÿ Academic and general IELTS reading scored differently

3. WRITING
Ÿ Total time allocated – 60 minutes
Ÿ 2 writing tasks
Ÿ Task 1 requires at least 150 words in the response
Ÿ Task 2 requires at least 250 words in the response
 ®

How difficult is the IELTS exam?

This is a question that has entered the minds of most, if strong enough to understand lectures/ instructions by
not all, of the students who have decided to take the native speakers of English.
IELTS exam at any point of time. Unfortunately, this is
not simply answered as a yes or no. Students who have taken the time to prepare for the
exam in advance and are in tune with the exam and its
The IELTS exam is a prociency test that is designed to demands will have an easier time during the exam,
test if the test taker is procient to undergo the studies over students who have attempted the test without any
of choice or move to a country of choice in an English prior investigation into the exam patterns and
speaking country. This means that the institution of demands.
body of admission will need to look at the following
points when a student takes the test. A common misunderstanding is that students who
Ÿ Can the student transfer thoughts and ideas onto have a good command of the language will nd the
paper in a given time frame. test easy. It is important to understand that the idea of
Ÿ Can the student converse complex ideas and the test is to scrutinize all the aspects of the language,
thoughts in understandable and correct language from essay writing to speaking on topics from
while speaking. everyday situations as well as from well-known current
Ÿ Is the students understanding of the language happenings. Students who have difculty in writing
long essays may nd the IELTS writing section difcult.
 ®

The rst step to success in the IELTS is understanding and knowing take a digital photo of the test taker and store it.
what to expect on the test day. A well prepared student will never The test taker will be subjected to a screening to ensure that
be caught off guard and therefore will be condent and sure of they do not have any form of cheating material, devices etc.
the test. with them.
Let's understand the important aspects of test day and its
requirements.
III. TAKING THE EXAM
The IELTS center will provide the test taker with materials and
I. THE TEST CENTER equipment required during the test. These will include paper
The IELTS test is conducted by IDP or by the British Council in for taking notes, a pencil, test booklets, and answer sheets for
India and will be at a pre designated test center. The student Listening, Reading, and Writing. Also the center will issue
will be aware of their test center and it is always advisable to headphones for the Listening portion of the test.
take a trip down to the center to be aware of its location. There The Listening, writing and reading sections are attempted
is a possibility that there will be few or no markings at the without any break.
center to display it as an IELTS test center and therefore
knowing its location in advance saves a lot of confusion and Questions, not pertaining to solutions to questions can be
distraction on test day. asked. There may be confusing or incomplete instructions or
technical problems with the audio which need to be addressed
A test student will be required to reach the center at least thirty immediately and it is ok to ask questions and seek help.
minutes prior to the test time scheduled to complete
documentation etc.
IV. AFTER THE TEST

II. SECURITY PROTOCOL Once the Test is complete, the test taker is free to leave after
collecting all their belongings. The only advice is to ensure all
Identication is of the utmost importance and student will be the time given is utilised effectively and none of the tests are
required to prove that they are indeed the registered test taker. rushed through. In the speaking section patience and clarity is
Identication such as passports, Aadhar cards, Driving important. Students should wait for the IELTS interviewer to
licences' etc. serve the purpose. suggest when the interview is over.
The Center has its own set of security protocols. The center will
 ®

The listening sub-test

The Listening Sub-test takes 40 minutes: approximately 30 Your need to give legible answers that are they are readable. This
minutes to listen to the tape and answer the questions, and 10 is applicable to all the types of answers you give including letters,
minutes to transfer your answers to an Answer Sheet provided with numbers, and phrases.
the test booklet.
As you do the Listening Sub-test, you write your answers on the
The test has four sections, and you are allowed to hear the tape question paper and once it is done you are allowed to take 10
only once. In total, the tape has 40 questions to answer. minutes to transfer your answers onto the answer sheet. You need
to make sure that each answer is transferred accurately and is
As you progress in the test, the listening passage becomes more
legible.
difcult.

Section 1 is based on social or life situations such as travel

arrangements, visiting a new city, or making arrangements to go
out. This is a conversation between two speakers.

The section 2 is also based on social or life situations such as a

news broadcast or a description of college facilities. There is
usually only one person speaking in this conversation.

The section 3 is usually based on education and training situations

such as a group of students planning a project, or a tutor and a
student discussing career options. This conversation takes place
between four speakers.

The section 4 is also based on education and training such as a

lecture or a talk of general academic interest.

You must spell the words correctly when they are spelled out on the
tape. Spelling is not that important for the proper nouns (name of
a place or person) only you need to spell words correctly.
 ®

The reading sub-test approximately 40 minutes with a minimum of 250 words.

For Task 1 you describe information that is presented to you in a
The Reading Sub-test has 3 sections and takes around 60 minutes graph, table, chart, diagram, or short piece of text. The
to complete. It includes three passages with a combined length of description is usually given in the form of a report. You might have
1500-2500 words, having a total of 40 questions. to compare sets of data, or use a set of data to support a given
The reading passages become more difcult as you progress statement. Alternatively, you might be required to describe the
through the test. stages of a process, describe an object, or explain how something
The passages are taken from journals, magazines, books, and works, or how it is used.
newspapers. All the topics are of general interest and are not For Task 2 you are asked to write a formal essay or a report in
specialized texts. which you might have to offer a solution to a particular problem,
The reading passages may contain diagrams, charts or graphs, present and justify an opinion, compare information given in the
and at least one passage will include an argument. If a reading question task, or evaluate and challenge a given argument.
passage contains technical or specialized words, a glossary is You need to write in the formal academic style appropriate to the
usually provided. question task. You will be marked on your ability to organise your
In the examination booklet, the questions either come before or writing and on your choice of content within your answers. You
after the reading passages. The instructions and examples are don't need to have any specialised knowledge of a particular
given at the beginning of a new group of questions. subject to complete the question tasks.

You must write your answers during the Reading Sub-test on the
Answer Sheet provided.

The writing sub-test

“
You might be required to describe
the stages of a process, describe
an object, or explain how
The Writing Sub-test has two writing tasks and takes around 60
minutes to complete. There are two writing tasks; the rst task
“
something works, or how it is used.

usually takes 20 minutes to solve. In the rst task you have

to write a minimum of 150 words. The second task will take
 ®

The speaking sub-test of 4-5 minutes. The Speaking sub-test is said to be complete once
the interview is closed.
The Speaking Sub-test consists of an interview with a trained The questions asked in the Sub-test are scripted and prepared by
examiner and takes between 11 to 14 minutes to complete. The the test authorities. These questions come from a bank of
test is recorded on a tape recorder for the assessment and not for questions and are continually added and updated. The Speaking
the candidate. Sub-test Band score is calculated from a comprehensive checklist
testing the speaking skills in the shared areas of ability:
· Fluency and Coherence
The speaking sub-test has · Lexical Resource
three parts: · Grammatical Range and Accuracy

PART 1: · Pronunciation
In Part one, you have to answer questions about your home life or
family life, work or study, your interests and other familiar topics of
a general nature that can help the examiner to know your
background. The duration is of 4-5 minutes.

PART 2:
In Part two, you have to be prepared to talk about a particular
topic. A card having all the instructions is given to you by the
examiner. You are given exactly a minute to prepare for the topic
and are supposed to talk at least for 1-2 minutes.

PART 3:
In Part three, you will have a discussion with the examiner and the
topics will be similar to the themes given in Part 2. The part will
have discussions based on abstract ideas and will be of a duration
 ®

Band score Skill level Description

Full operational command of the language. Use of English is appropriate, accurate and uent, and
Band 9 Expert user
show complete understanding.

Have a fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies
Band 8 Very good user and inappropriate usage. May misunderstand some things in unfamiliar situations. Handle complex
detailed argumentation well.

Have an operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriate
Band 7 Good user usage and misunderstandings in some situations. Handle complex language well and understand
detailed reasoning.

General effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and
Band 6 Competent user misunderstandings. Usage and understanding of fairly complex language, particularly in familiar
situations.

Partial command of the language, and cope with overall meaning in most situations, likely to make
Band 5 Modest user
many mistakes. Should be able to handle basic communication in a known eld.

Basic competence is limited to familiar situations. Frequently show problems in understanding and
Band 4 Limited user
expression. Not able to use complex language.

Extremely limited Convey and understand only general meaning in very familiar situations. There are frequent
Band 3
user breakdowns in communication.

Band 2 Intermittent user Difculty understanding spoken and written English.

Band 1 Non-user No language ability except a few isolated words.

Did not attempt

Band 0 Questions not answered.
the test
 ®

Follow a regular study plan Increase your personal speed

To follow a regular study plan you need to have one. Therefore, In the IELTS test, time is your enemy. Candidates who have taken
rst nd out the maximum number of hours you need to spare on a the test and did not perform as well as they had hoped often
daily basis to practice English for all four Subtests. Focus on both, complain that they were unable to give all the answers in the
your weak and strong areas. Try hard to get through the weak Listening Test because the tape was too fast and that they ran out of
areas and improve more on the areas you are already good at. time in the Reading Test.

Be consistent in your practice, and take rest between the tasks. Try To start with, you really don't need to worry if you don't nish the
out taking at least a day out of your week to sit and relax and forget test. As the test measures candidates over a range of scores from 0
about the test completely. The mantra is to work towards your goal to 9; where 0 indicates the test was not attempted. Candidates
slowly, steadily and regularly. Make it a habit to listen to English having very good knowledge of English can expect to score band
whenever and wherever you can. The best you can do is start 9; however, even a native English-speaking person may not be
watching TV programs and lms and start listening to radio able to complete every answer on both the sections perfectly.
programmes and English language tapes. Even songs in English Remember, the test is meant to be challenging, therefore; prepare
on tape can help. Other things you can practice are, having as well.
many conversations with native English speakers as you can, and
The IELTS test measures different aspects of English such as your
practice in English as often as possible with your non-native
speed of listening, reading, and writing, speaking and thinking in
English-speaking friends.
English. As your personal speed cannot be changed in few days
Reading texts in English is another important task you should do on but it surely improves over a period of time if you practice English
a daily basis. Always keep yourself busy in reading a book in continuously with perfection. Therefore, your personal speed and
English, at least try reading a page or two every night before ability on these ve areas are nearly pre-dened at any given time.
bedtime. Read whatever content is available in the language such However, there are certain factors that can help you to make the
as newspapers, magazines, and novels were written for your best use of your time and improve your score.
English level (available from good language bookshops). Carry
Here is an example to help you understand the situation:
out some English texts with you so that you can read whenever you
have time to read. A racing car cannot go faster than its maximum speed, the race
can still be won, and its maximum speed maintained for longer if
Do not worry about understanding every word. Read some articles
an expert driver is at the wheel. An expert racing car driver will:
in detail and some for speed.
 ®

(before the race)... spend a great deal of time practicing at the

wheel before race day

... visit the track so that he or she knows where to go and what to
expect

... get enough sleep before the day of the big race

... eat a good breakfast on race day morning;

(during the race)... check his or her watch constantly to monitor the
car's progress

... keep moving along the track and not get stuck in a bad
corner

... breathe long and deeply to relax and keep the oxygen going
to the brain

... drink water (but not too much!) when the car is at the pit-stop.

The Listening, Reading, and Writing Tests are given in the similar
order, are held on a single morning and usually for the duration of
2 hrs and 40 minutes. The Speaking Test is conducted at an
appointed time in the afternoon and you will be given only one
short break between the Reading and Writing Tests, therefore
sleeping and eating well before the test is a must. Practising these
guidelines would help you to achieve your “maximum speed” to
ace the test. The more you practise the better are the chances of
your improved speed.
 ®

Increase your sentence reading speed

You need to read all the questions accurately and faster both at sentences in phrases considering all the words of a phrase as a
the same time. Reading accurately will help you to answer them single unit to understand its meaning.
correctly and faster will allow you to answer all of them. Reading So read your sentences in phrases by considering all the words of
covers all the instructions and examples along with the questions. a phrase as a single unit. Notice how much quicker it is to read the
The Reading module also needs to be read quickly and well sentence, and how the meaning of what you say is more clear.
understood so that you can answer them correctly within the Practice reading in phrases every day. Look ahead on the page as
specied time. you read, and always aim to nd logical places in the sentences
In order to increase your reading speed, you must know how to where phrases begin and end. Note also that there is often more
read in groups of words forming logical units of thoughts within than one solution as to where the logical breaks between phrases
the sentences. occur within sentences.
Let us have a look at the following sentences:
Britain has been a popular choice for thousands of international
students over many years.
Notice how you can think of the sentence as being made up of 3
main parts:
1. Britain has been a popular choice (What and where?)
2. for thousands of international students (Who for?)
3. over many years. (When?)
Please note that it might be helpful if you start thinking about
what/how questions. Try reading out in a phrase and you will nd
that in the above-shared examples all the phrases answer what
and how questions. If you read each word in a sentence one at a
time, you will read very slowly and most likely misunderstand the
meaning of much of what you read. Therefore, try reading out the
 ®

Develop a memory for english

On the Reading Test, you can go back and read the words, The Listening, Reading, and Writing Tests are given in the similar
however on the Listening test you must remember as much as you order, are held on a single morning and usually for the duration of
can of what you have just heard. As in the listening test you cannot 2 hrs and 40 minutes. The Speaking Test is conducted at an
go back to hear the tape because it is usually played only once. appointed time in the afternoon and you will be given only one
Developing a memory becomes much more important if the short break between the Reading and Writing Tests, therefore
answer comes before the keyword/phrase as then your answer sleeping and eating well before the test is a must. Practising these
depends on what you have just heard. Nevertheless, the answer guidelines would help you to achieve your “maximum speed” to
usually follows the keywords/phrases that you have heard and is ace the test. The more you practise the better are the chances of
close in time to the main keyword/phrase you are listening for. your improved speed.
Here is an exercise for you to improve your “English memory”. Try
listening to the tape recorder using the pause button and try
repeating the sentences spoken in any audio of your choice with
the help of the pause button. Gradually, increase the length of
what you repeat. Try remembering more of what you have heard
and forget about repeating the exact words.
... get enough sleep before the day of the big race
... eat a good breakfast on race day morning;
(during the race)... check his or her watch constantly to monitor
the car's progress
... keep moving along the track and not get stuck in a bad corner
... breathe long and deeply to relax and keep the oxygen going to
the brain
... drink water (but not too much!) when the car is at the pit-stop
 ®

ON YOUR TEST DAY

 ®

Manage your time carefully

The Listening Sub-test You might nd this advice to be simple as you will be doing what
On the Listening Sub-test, you have to answer all the questions by has been asked you to do in the question. However, students fail to
listening to the tape only once. Therefore, you have less time after answer to the point, resulting in failure to remember and apply the
each passage is heard to check your work. Try not to use this time so obvious Golden Rule. Often this becomes one of the main
to transfer your answers to the answer sheet as at the end of the reasons why candidates do not score as well on the test.
test, you will be given 10 minutes to do this. Therefore, read the questions very carefully and know the type of
information the test asks you to give:
The Reading Sub-test
In the Reading sub-test, you are the in charge of managing your
time. Usually, an advised period of time is given for completing all
the three sections of the test. As you progress on your Reading sub-
test try keeping an eye on the time. Refer to the advised time given
and stop answering questions when the advised time is up. Even if
you are not done with your rst set of questions move on to the next
group of questions. Remember, ignoring the advised time for each
section may not allow you to complete as many questions as you
could.
The Golden Rule of IELTS
The Golden Rule is "Always give the monkey exactly what he
wants".
If a monkey asks for a banana, you must give him a banana and
not an apple. This means your answer should be exactly to what
has been asked in the question. Therefore, before answering any
of the questions you must be sure about the type of information
you have been asked to answer and you should know what to do
to have an accurate answer.
 ®

Is the answer a method of transport? ... a person? ... a place? ... a Ÿ Do you have to provide an answer with no more than a
number? If you know, you have a better chance of giving the maximum number of words? If so, your answer must not
correct answer. contain more than that maximum number of words.
Ÿ Know what you have to do with the information: Ÿ Do you have to name two items that you must hear on the tape,

Ÿ Do you have to complete a sentence, or ll in the missing words or nd in a reading passage? If so, your answer must contain
in a sentence? two items only; three items would be incorrect.

Ÿ If so, your answers must, therefore, be grammatically correct Ÿ Always know exactly what type of information you need to give

within that sentence. and what you have to do with it.

Read the instructions carefully

You might be thinking that you are saving your time not reading or Ÿ The instructions tell you what to do, what kind of answer to give,
listening to the instructions given but the instructions are actually and, in the case of the Listening Test instructions, they tell you
the vital information which must be understood if you want to when to answer.
answer correctly on the test. Ÿ It is important to read the instructions quickly and accurately.
Ÿ The instructions may contain information about the passage You might not have time to complete the test if you are too slow
topic which helps to predict what you may hear or read at reading the explanatory information.

Always look at the example

If you think you can save your time by not reading or listening to The example tells us 3 very important pieces of information about
the examples carefully then you are likely to give an incorrect the task:
answer. It is important to go through the examples shared Use Question Keywords to Find The Answers
because if you will not know how to give the answer then the Ÿ The keywords or key phrases in the questions help you in your
possibility is you will give an incorrect answer or might end up search for the answers. This is true for both the Listening and
answering a correct answer but in the wrong form. Reading Sub-tests. First, you must choose which word or phrase
 ®

to listen for on the tape, or search for in the reading passages. making your nal decision. This is especially true of the following
There may be more than one keyword or keyword phrase in a types of tasks:
question, and they can be placed before or after the answer. Ÿ short-answer question tasks

Ÿ Circle the important keywords or phrases before you listen or Ÿ all table/chart/diagram/note completion tasks
search for the answer. Ÿ sentence completion tasks
Ÿ Gap lls tasks
Do not Forget to Make Logical Guesses
Ÿ In the Reading Sub-test, if you are having trouble completing the Give One Answer Only
questions to a particular passage, you should leave a minute or Ÿ You should always give one answer to a question unless you are
so at the end of each advised time period for that passage specically asked to give more than one answer. The logic is
(usually 20 minutes) to guess those questions that can be even if one of the multiple answers you give is correct, you might
guessed. In the Listening Sub-test, you are given a minute of score zero if too many of the other answers are incorrect.
silence after each section has nished. Candidates, who forget However, sometimes candidates give more answers than
to give a logical guess to questions they cannot otherwise necessary! Therefore if you should only name three items if you
answer, do not give themselves any chance at all to get a mark! have been asked to name only three; giving four names in such
case will only increase your chances of scoring zero even if all
Ÿ In the Reading Sub-test, if you are having trouble completing the
the four items are correct.
questions to a particular passage, you should leave a minute or
so at the end of each advised time period for that passage Ÿ Please note that when you are taking the Listening Test, there are
(usually 20 minutes) to guess those questions that can be sometimes a variety of words or phrases that can give you the
guessed. In the Listening Sub-test, you are given a minute of correct answer. However, you waste valuable time if you give
silence after each section has nished. Candidates, who forget more than one of the correct answers to short-answer questions.
to give a logical guess to questions they cannot otherwise Check Your Spelling
answer, do not give themselves any chance at all to get a mark! Ÿ In the Listening tests exact spelling is not always essential for the
Are Your Answers Grammatically Correct? proper nouns (names of person or place) but it is necessary to
While it is true that not all words and phrases given as answers to write the exact spelling in the Listening Test if a word answer is
questions in the Listening and Reading Tests need to be spelled out for you on the tape.
grammatically correct, it is often possible to work out the correct Ÿ Copy answers from the passages accurately in the Reading Test.
answer by using your knowledge of grammar. Always consider In the Listening Test, if you are unsure of the spelling, write an
whether your choice of answer is grammatically acceptable before approximation of the way the answer sounds.
 ®

Make sure your answers

are easy to read
If your answers are not readable you cannot expect to score well
on the test. You must not be aware of the fact that your answers
cannot be understood by the examiners who mark the tests. Be
careful!
Your letters must be distinguishable from each other. Pay
particular attention to:
E and F
I, J and L
M, N and WU and V
I and T
(It is often hard to tell the difference between these letters when
candidates write them quickly.)
Numbers: Numbers can be even more difcult to read:
1234567890
Many candidates do not realize that their numbers cannot be
recognized by the examiners. Practice so that your numbers look
similar to those shown above.
 ®

A final word
IELTS, the test is often quite demanding and challenging because
of the Band Score you will be getting. Your Band score is an
important element that can have a huge impact on your study
abroad career. Therefore, you need to make serious efforts to
achieve the level of English you need to ace the test. Start NOW!
As tomorrow never comes.

A well-placed effort is always rewarded. The hard work you do

now will eventually make your life easier. So take a little pain now
for a lot of gains later. That is the only secret to success.

The rst time you take any test you are unfamiliar with the way in
which it is conducted and will naturally feel slightly nervous. Many
candidates take the IELTS test the rst time for practice - to get an
accurate assessment of their level and to familiarise themselves
with the process - before taking it a second or even third time.
Each time you must wait for three months before being allowed to
take the test again. It takes at least that period of time to increase
your overall Band Score by one Band and requires intensive daily
study.

Good Luck...
 Contact us at info@manyagroup.com
or call us @1800-102-4646

www.manyagroup.com
/manyagroup @manya_group /manya_education /manyaedu /manyagroup