Intro to IELTS

IELTS Format

Mindmap

• https://idrive.neolingo.net/mirror/mindmaps/ielts-format.html

IELTS Format

• Total time: ~3 hours
• Listening: ~35 minutes (including 5 minutes for transferring answers)
• Reading: 60 minutes
• Writing: 60 minutes
• Speaking: 11-14 minutes

Listening

• 4 parts, 40 questions
• 10 questions per part
• Increasingly advanced vocabulary (Part 4 > Part 3 > Part 2 > Part 1)
• Part 1 & Part 4: Gap fill (1 word AND/OR a number)

Listening

• Content
• Part 1 & Part 3: Conversation
• 2 or more speakers (mostly 2)
• Part 1: Daily life conversation
• Part 3: Academic conversation
• Part 2 & Part 4: Monologue
• 1 speaker
• Part 2: Daily life monologue
• Part 4: Academic monologue (mostly lectures)

Reading

• 3 Reading Passages, 40 questions
• Passage 1 and 2: 13 questions each
• Passage 3: 14 questions

Reading

• Content
• Taken from real publications (books, newspapers, journals, etc.)
• General knowledge of History, Geography, Literature, basic Science

Reading

• Difficulty
• Increasing difficulty (Passage 3 > Passage 2 > Passage 1)
• No specialist knowledge required
• Grade 11-12 level reading
• Length
• 1000 words or less

Writing

• Style: Academic, formal
• No contractions
• Avoid first-person
• Avoid informal idioms
• Precise, sufficient, appropriate vocabulary
• Paragraphing

Writing

• Part 1: charts, graphs, tables, maps, processes
• 3 points total
• 150 words or more
• Should spend ~20 minutes
• Skills tested
• Summarization
• Description
• Analysis
• Reasoning & Explanation

Writing

• Part 2: Social Studies, Economics, Technology, Environment, etc.
• 6 points total
• 250 words or more
• Should speand ~40 minutes
• Skills tested
• Reasoning & Explanation
• Critical thinking
• Vocabulary
• Grammar

Speaking

• Same test for General & Academic
• Informal, non-academic
• Focus: natural language, conversation
• Recorded

Speaking

• Part 1
• Time: 4-5 minutes
• Check name & ID
• Introduction
• Warm-up, 2-3 questions
• Topic 1 and 2
• 3-4 questions per topic

Speaking

• Part 2
• Time: 3-4 minutes
• 1 minute preparation, 2 minutes speaking
• There will be a small question to indicate the end of Part 2
• Topic will be given
• Topic question & 3 hints
• Using hints is optional

Listening

• Part 3
• Time: 4-5 minutes
• Questions related to Part 2 topic
• 4-5 questions

Reading Question Types

Mindmap

https://idrive.neolingo.net/mirror/mindmaps/reading-question-types.html

Basics

• 2 types: Detail questions and Idea questions
• Detail
• Finding specific information
• Scanning
• Answers near key words
• Simple synonyms/paraphrasing
• Idea
• Intensive reading
• Understanding ideas, opinions, attitudes
• Complex synonyms/paraphrasing

Detail question types

• Gap fill
• Diagram
• Summary, note
• Table, flow-chart
• True False Not Given
• Matching Information
• Sentence Completion
• Short Answer

Idea question types

• Summary completion
• Yes No Not Given
• Matching Features
• Matching Sentence Endings
• Multiple Choice
• Heading

Listening Question Types

Mindmap

https://idrive.neolingo.net/mirror/mindmaps/listening-question-types.html

• Gap fill
• 1 word AND/OR a number
• Mainly Part 1 & 4
• Focus on grammar and meaning
• Prediction helps

• Multiple Choice
• 3 choices, choose 1
• 5 choices, choose 2
• 6 choices, choose 3 (rare)
• Most answers will be mentioned (as traps)
• Tracking helps

• Matching
• Match choices (features, characteristics, ...) with answers (people, places, ...)
• Write answers next to choices to be quicker

• Plan/Map/Diagram/Flowchart
• Label a plan, map, diagram, or flowchart
• Maps most common

• Short Answer
• Answer a question using predefined amount of words/numbers