The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) General Training examination is designed to gauge a candidate’s skills with hearing and understanding, comprehending written words, writing and talking in English. More than 6000 schools, associations and groups around the world use this test as a legitimate marker of a person’s English language skills. The test has been created so that it evaluates an assortment of skill levels ranging from non-user to proficient.
The general training reading and writing sections do not assess a whole scope of formal language needed for going to school; instead, they highlight what is needed on a foundational level in terms of getting by socially or in a wide-ranging intellectual way. This test is taken by people that will be traveling to countries where English is the main language so that they can finish secondary education, do a job or take some training. It is not meant to be for undergraduate or postgraduate levels, or for someone who wants to move to Australia, Canada or New Zealand. Candidates are given two hours and 45 minutes to finish listening, reading and writing. These sections have to be done in the same day. The fourth section, speaking, can be done up to 7 days before or 7 days after the other three. The test breakdown is as follows:
- Listening – This part of the test has four sections. It contains 40 questions, and candidates are given 30 minutes to finish.
- General Training Reading – This part of the test has three sections. It contains 40 questions, and candidates have one hour to finish.
- General Training Writing – There are two tasks to complete, each of which should be between 150-250 words. Candidates have one hour to finish.
- Speaking – This section will last 11-14 minutes.
The IELTS exam is available in pencil and paper or computer-based form, depending on the location. The tests are the same in terms of difficulty level. All speaking exams are done person to person. The tests are scored with a 9-band scale. Candidates will receive the results no more than 13 days from finishing the exam.