IELTS

Lecturer : Chowdhury Sadeque Mujib

 Preparing for IELTS

•LISTENING
IELTS
•READING
International English Language Testing System.
•WRITING

•SPEAKING
There is a General Training exam and an Academic
Training exam.

Work and live in an English

The General Training
speaking country.
exam

The Academic Training Study in an English speaking

exam university.
 The Exam
The exam takes 2 hours and 45 minutes in
total.
General Training
General General
Listening Training Training Speaking
Reading Writing
30 Minutes 15 Minutes
60 Minutes 60 Minutes
 The Exam.
The exam takes 2 hours and 45 minutes in
total.
Academic Training
Academic Academic
Listening Training Training Speaking
Reading Writing
30 Minutes 15 Minutes
60 Minutes 60 Minutes

The Listening and Speaking are the

same in General and Academic training
exams.
 The Listening Section.

The Listening is 30 minutes, there are 40 questions and 4 parts.

Test booklet. Audio Answer in Transfer to

test booklet official answer
sheet.

5 minutes 30 minutes. 30 seconds 10 minutes

preparation. It will not stop. after each part.* at the end.
 The Listening Section.
The Listening is 30 minutes, there are 40 questions and 4 parts.

Test booklet. Audio Answer in Transfer to

test booklet official answer
sheet.

5 minutes 30 minutes. 30 seconds 10 minutes

preparation. It will not stop. after each part.* at the end.

* Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Questions 1 – Questions 11 – Questions 21 – Questions 31 –
10 30 Seconds 20 30 Seconds 30 30 Seconds 40
before… before… before…
 Types of questions:

• multiple choice • flow-chart completion

• Matching • summary completion
• plan/map/diagram • sentence completion
labelling
• short-answer questions
• form and note
completion
• table completion
 Listening Test
Test Parts: 4 sections
Section1: conversation between two people set in
everyday social context
Section2: monologue set in everyday social context
Section3: conversation between up to 4 people set in an
educational or training context
Section4: monologue on an academic subject
 The Reading Section
The Reading is 60 minutes, there are 3 passages and 40
questions.

Question You can write in your Official answer

paper. question paper, but sheet.
you must answer in the
official answer sheet.
 The Reading Section
The Reading is 60 minutes, there are 3 passages and 40
questions.

Question You can write in your Official answer

paper. question paper, but sheet.
you must answer in the
official answer sheet.

Transfer to
You should spend: Each 20 minutes is to:
official answer
20 minutes on passage 1 Read the passage No
sheet.
20 minutes on passage 2 and Time
20 minutes on passage 3 Answer the allowed.
questions 10 minutes
at the end.
 Types of questions:
• multiple choice • sentence completion
• identifying information • summary completion
(True/False/Not Given)
• note completion
• identifying writer’s
• table completion
view/claims (Yes/No/Not
Given) • Locating information
• matching (information,
headings, features, sentence
endings)
 Academic Reading Test
• Texts are authentic and taken from books, journals,
magazines and newspaper 3 sections with a total text
length of 2,150-2,750 words
•Written for non-specialist audience and are on
academic topics of general interests
•Text range from descriptive and factual to discursive
and analytical
•May contain non-verbal materials such as diagrams
 GT Reading Test
• Section 1 contains two or three factual texts. Topics are
relevant to everyday life in an English-speaking country.
•Section 2 contains two factual texts focusing on work related
issues
•Section 3 contains one longer, more complex text on a topics
of general interest.
•Text are authentic taken from notices, ads, company
handbook, books, magazines, newspaper and official document
 The Writing Section
The Writing is 60 minutes and there are 2 writing tasks.

Task Time Number Example Task

of words
1 20 150 Describe a graph or write a letter of
complaint/apology.
2 40 250 Give an opinion on something or suggest a
solution to a problem.

Question Official Answer sheet.

paper.
Academic Writing Test
Task 1: Presents a table, graph, chart or diagram
Candidate must describe and explain data, describe
the stages of a process, describe an event or an
object from a given,
Task 2: Write an essay in response to a point of view,
argument or problem
Response for both task should be written in a
formal style.
 GT Writing Test
Task 1: Candidates are presented with a situation and
are asked to write a letter. The letter maybe personal,
semi-formal or formal in style.
Task 2: Write an essay in response to a point of view,
argument or problem. The essay can be slightly more
personal in style than Academic.
The Speaking Section Part 1 of 3
The speaking is approximately 15 minutes and there are
3 parts.

Part 1 is 4 to 5 minutes in total.

You will have to talk about 3 topics.

Topic 1 = Either your home

town or your work or your
studies.

Topic 2 = General talk about ,

for example; music,
sports or spare time.

Topic 3 = More general talk

about for example; seasons,
history or modern life.
 The Speaking Section Part 2
of 3
Part 2 is 5 to 6 minutes in total.

You will be given a task card telling you what to talk

about.
Preparation = 1 minute
You can make notes.

Speaking = Talk about the

task for 4 to 5 minutes.

Follow up = 1 minute follow

up discussion question
from the examiner.
The Speaking Section Part 3
of 3
Part 3 is 4 to 5 minutes in
total.

This is a 4 to 5 minute discussion

with the examiner.

The discussion is related to the topic

on the task card from part 2.
IELTS

Lecturer : Chowdhury Sadeque Mujib

Format:

•The Speaking test consists

of an oral interview
between the candidate and
an examiner.

•All Speaking tests are

recorded.
Time Duration: 11 -14 minutes
Task Types:

There are three parts to the test and

each part fulfils a specific function
in terms of interaction pattern, task
input and candidate output.
 Part 1
Introduction and
Interview
Task Type & Format:

•In this part, the examiner

introduces him/herself and
checks the candidate’s
identity.

•Then the examiner asks the candidate general

questions on some familiar topics such as home,
family, work, studies, interests.
•To ensure consistency, questions are taken
from a scripted examiner frame.

Time Duration: Part 1 lasts for 4-5

minutes.
Task Focus:
This part of the test focuses on the
candidate’s ability to communicate
opinions and information on everyday
topics and common experiences or
situations by answering a range of
questions.
Sample Questions:

• Do you work or are you a student?

“I’m an engineer. I’ve worked for the same

company for three years. My specific job is
working with the senior engineer and helping
him prepare presentations for contractors and
their clients. I’d like to get an advanced degree.
I have a lot of years of studying ahead of me.”
• Tell me something about your family.

“ I have a very large family. I have three

brothers and two sisters. I am the youngest.
One of my brothers still lives with my
parents; my others siblings have all married
and move to their own homes.”
 Part 2
Individual Long
Turn
Task Type & Format:

•The examiner gives the candidate a

task card which asks the candidate to
talk about a particular topic, includes
points to cover in his/her talk and
instructs the candidate to explain one
aspect of the topic.
•A candidate is given 1
minute to prepare his/her
talk, and a pencil and paper
are provided to make notes.
•Using the highlights on the
task card effectively and
making notes during the
preparation time will help the
candidate think of appropriate
things to say, structure his/her
talk, and keep talking for 2
minutes.
•The examiner asks the candidate to talk for 2
minutes, stops the candidate after 2 minutes,
and asks one or two questions on the same
topic.
Task Focus:
•This part of the test focuses on the
candidate’s ability to speak at length
on a given topic (without further
prompts from the examiner), using
appropriate language and organizing
his/her ideas coherently.
•It is likely that the candidate will need
to draw on his/her own experience to
complete the long turn.
Sample Question
Describe the possession which is
most important to you.

You should say

• What the possession is

• How you got it
• What it looks like
• And in what way it is important to
you.
 Part 3
Two-Way
Discussion
Task Type & Format:

In Part 3, the examiner and the candidate

discuss issues related to the topic in Part 2 in a
more general and abstract way and – where
appropriate – in greater depth.
Time Duration: Part 3 lasts 4-5
minutes.
Task Focus:

This part of the test

focuses on the
candidate’s ability to
express and justify
opinions and to
analyze, discuss and
speculate about issues.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
 Describe the kind of possessions which are
important to children in your culture these
days.

 Most people of these days have more than

what they need. Do you think this is a good
or bad situation?
 Criteria
Considered in
Speaking Test
1. FLUENCY AND COHERENCE
 To talk in a normal speech rate

 Link ideas and languages effectively – that is,

sequencing, cohesive devices, marking of ideas,
etc.
2. LEXICAL RESOURCE
 Range and accuracy of
vocabulary

• Ability to circumlocute
without noticeable
hesitation.
• Ability to use less
common words and
idiomatic expressions
3. GRAMMAR
 Length and complexity of sentences

 Number of grammatical errors and their

communicative effect
4. PRONUNCIATION

 Ability to pronounce words clearly

 Strain caused on the listener by

mispronunciation
Speaking Test
Tips
Tips to Help You
Study for the
Speaking Test
1. Talk to yourself.

2. Make up stories.

3. Make your daily plans.

4. Think about your job.

5. Explain your interest.

6. Read books, watch

movies and TV.

7. Read about the news.

8. Practice.
Tips While Taking
the Speaking Test
General Tips

1. Focus on the task.

2. You have to talk.

3. Try and give as full answer as you can.

4. If you don’t know much about something,
say so and then say what you do know.

5. Speak clearly and loudly.

6. Don’t worry about the occasional mistake.

7. Try and forget that the recorder is there
and get on with answering the questions.

8. Bring a watch.

9. Smile.

11. Don’t forget your ID/passport!

Tips for Part 1

1. Try and relax and answer the questions as

naturally as possible.

2. Don’t give yes/no answers unless you

continue with because.

3. Don’t try and stretch an answer out for

the whole 5 minutes.
Tips for Part 2
1. Read the task card carefully.
2. Use the one-minute preparation time to
make notes to help you.
3. Do not write sentences - just ‘prompt’
words.
4. Pay attention to sequencing.
5. Keep to the topic.
6. Try to use the full 2 minutes and don’t
worry if the examiner stops you.
Tips for Part 3
1. Listen to the examiner’s questions
carefully.
2. Answer the question – do not give
irrelevant or off-topic answers.
3. Think before you speak – slight hesitations
will not be penalized.
4. Don’t be afraid to give your opinions or
disagree with the examiner.
5. Again, avoid short answers. The examiner
wants to see you develop the topic.
“That’s the end of
the Speaking
Lecture. Thank
you.”