IELTS Exam Syllabus & Pattern Overview
The IELTS pattern and syllabus can get confusing, considering the various factors and options involved. Here is a general overview of the IELTS syllabus and pattern.
Types of IELTS Exam Patterns
IELTS offers two different exam patterns- students and migrants. These IELTS exam formats target different aspirants. Additionally, the UK government has added a third type. The IELTS exam assesses the English language speaking and listening proficiency of people looking for a UK Visa. The IELTS exam fees may vary depending on the pattern the student opts for.
The test types are as follows
1. IELTS Academic Test
The IELTS Academic Test is focused on assessing visa applicants who are planning to pursue their higher education in any of the English-speaking countries. If you are a student who wants to pursue undergraduate or postgraduate studies in the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, or any of the 140+ countries where IELTS is accepted.
2. IELTS General Training Test
The IELTS General Training aims to assess the language proficiency of people planning to migrate to any of the English-speaking countries. Hence, the test will include questions that are a norm in the day-to-day life of a person. This includes office conversations, advertisements, company guidelines, and so on.
3. IELTS Life Skills Test
The IELTS Life Skills test targets people planning to visit or immigrate to the UK. It can be taken at three different levels: A1, A2, and B1 of the CEFR or the Common European Framework of References for Languages, so go through what the IELTS exam syllabus and pattern include for IELTS exam preparation.
Section-wise IELTS Exam Syllabus & IELTS Exam Pattern
The IELTS exam syllabus is divided into four sections. To apply for the IELTS, you must tick all the boxes of the eligibility criteria. Each of the four sections is elaborated below to help you understand what you can expect from the general IELTS syllabus and the IELTS academic syllabus. The IELTS paper pattern will also change depending on the section of the IELTS exam.
This includes:
1. IELTS Writing Format
2. IELTS Reading Format
3. IELTS Listening Format
4. IELTS Speaking Format
The IELTS Life Skills Test is relatively short (spanning only 20-30 minutes) and includes speaking and listening skill assessments only. However, the difficulty may differ based on different levels.
IELTS Exam Syllabus and Pattern - Writing
The IELTS writing syllabus includes questions that would assess the candidate’s ability to present their ideas effectively through written words. Candidates get 1 hour (60 minutes) to finish the writing section. Within these 60 minutes, they must finish two mandatory questions. This IELTS question pattern is designed to assess your written grammar and ability to comprehend data and present it in a way that communicates your ideas clearly.
Depending on which type of IELTS exam you are taking, the two mandatory questions may differ in the general IELTS syllabus and IELTS academic syllabus. So, make sure that you do IELTS exam preparations for the right type of test. You can go through some sample questions, which will help you get an idea of the IELTS exam structure and type of questions.
Writing - IELTS Academic Pattern
In the writing section, the IELTS academic syllabus will have questions that can help the candidates assess their writing capabilities. They will be able to analyse if they are on par with the required skills for undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The IELTS academic writing includes two compulsory questions that you will have to answer within the stipulated time of 60 minutes.
The first question is usually about presenting the data from a graph, a diagram, or a table. On the other hand, the second question would be an academic essay that must be more than 250 words. Your answer may not be considered if it is less than 250 words.
Writing - IELTS General Training Pattern
In the general IELTS syllabus, the two different questions asked are a little different from what they are in the IELTS academic syllabus. This is to assess the candidate’s capability to communicate with native english speakers through written communication effectively. For the IELTS general writing test, you will need to answer two mandatory questions within the time limit of 60 minutes.
The first question is usually about writing a letter to someone in a personal, semi-formal, or formal tone. The tone would be decided based on the situation presented in the question. Contrarily, the second question would be similar to the IELTS academic syllabus. However, it may also be related to the first question.
Types of Questions for The IELTS Academic Writing Test
The different types of questions that come under the IELTS pattern for the Academic writing test are:
Task 1: You are presented with a chart, table, diagram, or graph and asked to describe, summarise, or explain the information in your own words. You may be asked to describe and provide information, describe the steps in a process, how something works, or describe an object, plan or design.
Task 2: After being presented with a certain point of view or piece of information, the requirement of this IELTS academic syllabus is to write an essay from your perspective with relevant examples and experiences.
IELTS Exam Syllabus and Pattern - Reading
The IELTS reading syllabus is different from the IELTS academic syllabus and the general IELTS syllabus. Unlike the writing section, the IELTS reading format is given only 30 minutes to finish the test. So, within these 30 minutes, you will need to answer about 40 questions.
The IELTS exam pattern for this section is designed to assess the candidate’s proficiency in reading the English language. The syllabus for both the academic reading and general training reading is the same. However, there is a single difference between the two. While academic reading focuses on reading materials from academic resources, general reading focuses on job descriptions, newspaper articles, marketing advertisements, etc.
The questions that follow each reading text are related to the passages. These include:
1. Sentence completion
2. Identify truth from the information given
3. Short answers
4. Feature matching
5. Identifying the claims made in the passage
Let’s check out how the test is different for Academic and General Training.
Reading - IELTS Academic Pattern
In the IELTS academic reading section, there are three questions with long paragraphs with a total length of 2150 to 2750 words. The paragraphs are taken from academic research papers, journal articles, and similar other resources. This ensures that the candidate’s reading capabilities align with the higher education they choose.
The paragraphs target an educated, non-specialist audience plus, for any technical jargon used, a definition will be provided. So you don’t have to worry about harder comprehension.
Reading - IELTS General Training Pattern
The format for the general IELTS syllabus is similar to the academic reading section. However, the difference remains in the resources used for the reading paragraphs. These are taken from general advertisements, company brochures and guidelines, and similar other resources.
The time given for IELTS general reading is also 30 minutes. Within this time, you need to finish reading the three paragraphs and answer the 40 questions related to the paragraphs.
Types of Questions for The IELTS Academic Reading Test
The IELTS pattern and IELTS syllabus for the academic reading test include the following types of questions
1. Matching Headings
2. Matching paragraph information
3. Matching features
4. Matching sentence headings
5. True False Not Given or Yes No Not Given
6. MCQs
7. List of options
8. Choose a title
9. Short answers
10. Sentence completion
11. Summary completion
12. Table completion
13. Flow chart completion
14. Completion diagrams
IELTS Exam Syllabus and Pattern - Listening
The IELTS listening syllabus includes four different sections, the same as the academic IELTS exam and general IELTS syllabus. For each of the four subsections, you will need to answer around 10 questions that are related to the recordings played.
The total time given for the entire listening section is 30 minutes. An additional 10 minutes is given to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.
The IELTS listening format focuses on assessing the candidate’s proficiency in understanding spoken conversation. Hence, the recordings played are also those from the native speakers. The test will check how efficiently you can understand the language with different accents (British, Australian, New Zealand, or North American).
The IELTS question pattern for these may be multiple-choice questions, word/sentence matching, short answers, and sentence completion based on the data you get from the recordings.
IELTS Listening Test - Sections 1 and 2
The first and second sections of the IELTS listening syllabus include recordings of general everyday situations. This will include a conversation between two people for the first recording, while the second recording will be that of a single person speaking. You will need to comprehend and analyse it to answer the questions.
The IELTS exam pattern for these recordings is as follows.
Recording 1: Conversation between two people with a focus on social situations.
Recording 2: One-person speech with a focus on social situations.
Make sure that you pay attention to the recording because it will be played only once. Based on it, you will have to answer the questions following it.
IELTS Listening Test - Sections 3 and 4
The third and fourth sub-sections lean more towards academic listening. Hence, the conversations for the third recording might be between two students, and a tutor might guide it. On the other hand, the fourth recording will be that of a person speaking on an academic subject.
The IELTS exam pattern for these recordings is as follows.
Recording 3: Conversation between two or more people with a focus on academic situations.
Recording 4: One-person speech with a focus on academic situations.
Again, make sure to pay attention because these recordings will not be replayed. And you will have to answer the questions related to the topic of the recordings in the following questions.
Types of Questions for The IELTS Academic Listening Test
The Listening test IELTS syllabus usually includes students listening to voice recordings and answering questions based on their understanding. Some of the question types frequently asked are:
1. Multiple choice
2. Listening-based matching
3. Plan, map, diagram labelling
4. Form, note, table, flow-chart, summary completion
5. Sentence completion
6. Short-answer questions
IELTS Exam Syllabus and Pattern - Speaking
The IELTS speaking syllabus is the same for both the academic IELTS Exam type and the general IELTS exam type. The candidate will have to appear in a one-on-one interview with the examiner. This interview will be conducted in three different parts with a focus on three different things.
The IELTS exam pattern for speaking format consists of three parts spread over the time limit of 11 to 18 minutes.
Part 1
The first part of the interview will be more like a self-introduction. This is where you will be asked questions about yourself, your interests, your family, your studies, and more. While answering the questions, make sure that you stay calm and give yourself a moment to collect your thoughts for easier and more effective speech.
Part 2
For the second part of the interview, you will be shown a card with a particular topic. You will need to talk about the said topic for about two minutes. After your talk, you might be asked some general questions related to the topic.
Since you will be expected to talk on a surprise topic, take a minute to gather your thoughts before you start with your answer.
Part 3
Part three of the IELTS speaking test will be an extension of Part two. Here is where the examiner will ask you more detailed questions on the topic.
You can prepare for your speaking IELTS question pattern by practising your speech on a voice recorder.
Candidates who understand the requirements for each section can plan effectively and tackle the test with confidence. Being aware of syllabus updates ensures that you prepare thoroughly. Finally, familiarity with the IELTS syllabus is essential for achieving the desired IELTS score and accessing global academic and professional opportunities.
Types of Questions for The IELTS Academic Speaking Test
The IELTS syllabus for the academic speaking test usually consists of everything you get asked in an interview format. Some of the most common questions are:
1. Part 1: Introduction and questions on familiar topics
2. Part 2: Individual long turn
3. Part 3: Two-way discussion
Candidates who understand the requirements for each section can plan effectively and tackle the test with confidence. Being aware of syllabus updates ensures that you prepare thoroughly. Finally, familiarity with the IELTS syllabus is essential for achieving desired IELTS score and accessing global academic and professional opportunities.
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