IELTS – Myths ,Do’s and Dont’s

What is IELTS

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) measures the language proficiency of people who want to study, work or migrate where English is used as a language of communication. The IELTS score isrecognized by more than 10,000 organizations, including educational institutions, employers, professional associations and governments, in 140 countries around the world. It uses a nine-band scale to clearly identify levels of proficiency, from non-user (band score 1) through to expert (band score 9).

The IELTS exam pattern 2020 comprises of four sections, Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The candidates are tested on these four parameters. The International English Language Testing System (IELTS exam) can be given in two formats namely IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training Test.

How can I register for IELTS?

There are two official bodies that conduct the IELTS Test in 78 locations across India, one of which is the British Council with its branches in 40 locations. Another recognized organization is IDP Education with its presence in 37 cities.

You can register and pay for IELTS through a range of payment options. For more information on registration process & payment options, please visit: https://www.britishcouncil.in/exam/ielts/registration or https://www.ieltsidpindia.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvtW2jqHp5gIVhBuPCh3pmgggEAAYASAAEgLrY_D_BwE

Few myths related to IELTS

Q1. I should be 18 or above to take IELTS test.

For taking the IELTS, your minimum age should be at least 16 years & you must have a valid passport.

Q2. I can only take the test once.

There is no limit to the number of times you can take the IELTS test. You can take it as many times as you wish until you achieve your dream score. However, you will need to pay the test fee for each attempt.

Q3. There is no revaluation for IELTS?

The IELTS is not an easy test. … Butchanges to your IELTS score do happen. However, an increase of a band or more is rare, and it almost never happens on the Listening or Reading sections of the exam. Additionally, the revaluation process takes a long time, and is expensive.

Q4. I can combine two IELTS results.

While filling in Express entry profile, you have only one option to provide IELTS score. Also, you cannot combine maximum scores of any module from two tests. Your score is calculated based on single test result only. For Academic IELTS it’s very rare.

Q5. I cannot cancel or postpone my IELTS exam. If I do, I will not receive the refund for the fees.

If you cancel your test or request a transfer of the IELTS exam up to 5 weeks prior to the scheduled test date, the test center will charge an administration fee. However, postponement and cancellation requests are subject to approval.

Q6. Can I update my personal details (gender, contact details, DOB etc.) after I have registered?

Gender, Address, Phone number and DOB details can be changed up to 20 days prior to the exam date. The request has to be emailed toExamsCustomerCare@britishcouncil.orgor https://www.ieltsidpindia.com/information/downloads.In case the change is requested within 20 days of the exam date, the candidate can make the changes on the test day.

Q7. I have entered a wrong passport number at the time of registration. Can it be corrected later?

Passport number can be changed up to 20 days prior to the exam date.

If the change is requested within 20 days, Candidate may not be able to take the exam on the registered exam date and will have to take paid postponement to the next available date (subject to approval).

Q8. Ican’t get my TRF report reissued.

If a candidate has lost or damaged their TRF report, another copy will not be provided to the candidate; however, TRF report can be forwarded to an institution/organization on behalf of the candidate. However, results cannot be submitted to migration agents.

Do’s and Don’t for IELTS Exam.

The four parts of the IELTS test

Listening: 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes’ transfer time)
Reading: 60 minutes
Writing: 60 minutes
Speaking: 11–14 minutes

The test total time is: 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Listening, Reading and Writing are completed in one sitting. The Speaking test may be taken on the same day or up to seven days before or after the other tests.

All test takers take the same Listening and Speaking tests, while the Reading and Writing tests differ depending on whether the test taker is taking the Academic or General Training versions of the test.

Some hacks you need to know to survive IELTS:

Carefully read and follow the instructions in this section of IELTS.
Pay attention to the number of words you can use in your answer. For example, you can use one word AND a number. A similar version is one word AND/OR a number. This means several options are possible depending on the questions.
Make sure you don’t overlook the following phrase “You may use any letter more than once”. NB: This is an abbreviation for the latin phrase NOTA BENE, which means note well.
Hyphenated words count as one word, for example, mother-in-law.
All articles and prepositions are included in the word limit. For example, on the chair (3 words).
A contracted title or surname count as one word. For example, Dr. Jason.
Leave difficult questions for the end: If you spend a lot of time on questions that you find difficult, you’ll be wasting exam time. You won’t be able to answer all the easier questions and you’ll lose points!
Even if you don’t know the answer, make sure you attempt every question. You might get lucky and you have nothing to lose. There is no negative marking.
Remember that this isn’t a vocabulary test. Don’t panic if you come across unfamiliar words. Try to understand the overall idea of the text.
There’s only one way to do this and there’s no hiding from it. Practice!
Also, keep reading and listening to novels and articles. General reading and listening helps! A lot ! Make sure you practice at least 60 sets of reading before appearing for the exam. The more you read the stronger your interpretation gets.