The full name of ielts is International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Like TOEFL, IELTS is an international English proficiency test, which is jointly managed by Cambridge University Examination Center, British Council and Australian University Agency for International Development. The IELTS test is divided into two modes: academic, which is used to test whether the English level of candidates can study undergraduate and postgraduate courses in English environment, somewhat similar to TOEFL; General training focuses on evaluating whether candidates have the basic English skills needed to survive in English-speaking countries, that is, survival English. In Europe and North America, more and more universities are beginning to accept IELTS scores. Immigration bureaus in Britain, Australia, New Zealand and other countries regard IELTS test scores as the only standard to measure English language ability of skilled immigrants and other immigrants. IELTS became popular in China in April. 1990. At present, visiting scholars and people studying for master's and doctoral degrees in Britain need to take this exam.

The contents of IELTS mainly include the following four aspects.

1. Listen

IELTS listening is always the first part of the whole exam, usually a monologue or dialogue between two or more people. * * * There are 4 units with 38 to 42 questions, and the topics of general training and academic listening are exactly the same.

The difficulty of the four units increases in turn. The first two units are mainly scenes about social status and interpersonal relationships in daily life, such as conversations about accommodation or shopping. The last two units are some typical scenes that students encounter in the process of learning, such as discussions with tutors or administrators and brief course introductions, or discussions on education, academics and global topics, which are practical and common sense.

Common listening questions include multiple-choice questions (similar to TOEFL multiple-choice questions with alternative options), short-answer questions, fill-in-the-blank questions, chart questions, and collocation questions (such as matching a given picture with what you listen to).

read

IELTS general training and academic reading papers are completely different.

General training articles are basically from advertisements, newspapers, brochures, timetables, magazines and other practical text carriers. The purpose of the test is to see whether the examinee can obtain, understand and process the most basic survival information in reading, so the test questions mainly assess the examinee's overall understanding ability, the ability to locate the details in the text and the ability to compare the details in the text. There are many kinds of questions, such as collocation questions, short answers, complete sentences, choosing paragraph titles, chart questions and so on. The length and genre of the article are not as fixed as TOEFL reading, but the content is what candidates must face in their foreign life. Because domestic English learning focuses on reading some academic articles, candidates will face an embarrassment when they first come into contact with IELTS, that is, the articles are short and the content is simple, but they can't find the information points they need to answer questions.

First of all, the length of academic reading articles far exceeds the TOEFL test. There are only three articles in the whole reading paper, ranging from 700 words to 1500 words. You need to finish reading and answer 38 to 42 questions in a limited time of 60 minutes. The focus of the test is to examine the examinee's mastery of the basic structure of the article and some important information. Its questions are as diverse as the IELTS test for general training.

writing

Writing is an important way to test language ability. At present, most American colleges and universities require applicants to provide writing scores, which is an important basis for admission.

There are also some differences between the general training and academic writing of IELTS. Examination time 1 hour, requiring candidates to complete two articles. The first article requires 150 words, and the second article requires 250 words. The initial test of general training requires candidates to write a letter according to the topic setting, which is mostly related to daily life, such as complaining, applying for a job, asking about the situation, etc. The first academic question requires candidates to accurately describe the information and trends expressed in the charts provided by the test paper within 20 minutes. The style of the second topic in general training class and academic class is the same, requiring candidates to write an argumentative essay on a certain point of view or phenomenon. The topics are mostly hot topics, which give candidates something to say.

4. Oral English

There is no oral part in the TOEFL test, and candidates who want to apply for a teaching assistant scholarship often have to take another oral test. Different from TOEFL, IELTS candidates are not faced with recorded standardized questions, but directly face the examiner and conduct one-on-one interviews. This is one of the reasons why IELTS is more and more recognized.

IELTS speaking interview has a certain pattern, and the score is fair and reliable. The oral part is divided into four stages. In the first stage, the examiner will ask some simple basic questions to ease the tension of the candidates. After the transition to the second stage, the examiner will ask the candidates to elaborate on a certain problem or describe a certain process. Then in the third stage, the examiner will provide the examinee with a prompt card (role-playing card), and two people will play roles respectively, and the examinee will ask questions to the examiner according to the contents of the card. This stage often makes many candidates feel difficult to grasp. In the last stage, the examiner will invite candidates to talk about their future plans and plans. The whole conversation tends to be life-oriented, colloquial and more relaxed.

How to test IELTS

Scoring system of IELTS test: There is no required passing score in IELTS test, and different countries, colleges and majors will put forward different requirements for applicants' scores.

The IELTS score is divided into 9 grades, and an average score is calculated after scoring the four parts of listening, reading, writing and speaking respectively. The report card will list the scores of four items and the final total score. The mantissa of listening and reading is 0.5, and the scores of writing and speaking are integers.

1998 At the beginning of this year, the Canadian Embassy adjusted its immigration plan, giving priority to all applicants who scored 5 in the IELTS test. IELTS score is also an important criterion for immigration to New Zealand, Australia, Canada and other countries. At the end of 2000, Australia announced that students applying to study in Australia must provide IELTS scores. The specific requirements for IELTS score are: british foundation IELTS score of 4, and immigration to Australia and the United Kingdom to study (undergraduate) only needs 6. Applicants who apply for immigration to Canada and New Zealand have the opportunity to avoid embassy interviews as long as they reach the age of 5.

The deadline for IELTS is two years, just like TOEFL. Candidates are not allowed to take the IELTS test again anywhere in the world within 3 months after taking the test. The reasons are as follows: First, IELTS believes that within three months, as a normal English study, the English level cannot be substantially improved, so the retest is meaningless. Second, IELTS questions will be reused.

Location and time of IELTS test: At present, there are 13 cities in China with IELTS test centers, namely: Beijing, Shenyang, Xi 'an, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Wuhan, Hangzhou and Hong Kong (Tianjin will open test centers soon). Although the test sites are limited, candidates who take the IELTS test have great freedom in choosing the test date. Other test sites except Beijing take the test once a month, and Beijing takes the test twice a month, which will be increased occasionally according to the application situation, but the number of candidates is strictly limited. With the increasing popularity of IELTS test, the scene of registration is becoming more and more popular. Candidates can register two weeks in advance, but now they have to register at least two months in advance. In Beijing New Oriental School, IELTS training is also full.

If you want to take the IELTS test, please pay attention to the following points:

The IELTS test is not very demanding on vocabulary, but it is biased towards life. General training requires non-English majors to reach CET-4, while academic majors require non-English majors to reach CET-6. The answering skills and questions in IELTS are completely different from those in TOEFL and CET-4 and CET-6, so it is particularly important for candidates to master the questions and answers quickly.

Different from the traditional English test, IELTS test thinks that grammar test is meaningless and pays more attention to the practical operation ability of English language, for example, the listening part is closely combined with reality. In addition, TOEFL is not allowed to draw on the test paper, while IELTS is allowed. It is also an important answering skill to mark and mark the test questions.

IELTS questions are rare in China, with a variety of questions, mainly British English. The difficulty of the question will gradually increase in the answer, and candidates should be psychologically prepared.

According to the usual experience, candidates with intermediate English foundation can take the exam in two to three months after studying or reviewing IELTS reference books.

References:

5 1 IELTS