1. Which type of IELTS test should I choose?
IELTS is considered a ticket to help you go out into the world to find opportunities to study, work and
settle down. Not only that, IELTS is also recognized by many training programs and universities in the
country as well as providing career opportunities at international organizations and large corporations.
Therefore, to serve the diverse purposes of candidates, the IELTS exam has two test types, including:
IELTS Academic (IELTS Academic): for candidates who intend to study in the country, conquer the dream
of studying abroad or working in a professional organization abroad
IELTS General Training (IELTS General Training): is a test for all those who are preparing to go to English-
speaking countries to study high school programs, training or work programs, immigration in foreign
countries. outside.
In addition, the British Council is authorized by the UK Visas and Immigration Department to organize
the IELTS test for visas and settlements in the UK (UKVI) and IELTS Life Skills (IELTS Life Skills) worldwide.
world. You can choose between paper-based or computer-based IELTS UKVI.
All these types of IELTS tests are held regularly and easily registered at the British Council. So before you
register for the exam, please read carefully about the information about the exam forms at the British
Council website to make a decision.
2. Firmly grasp the exam process and assessment criteria
All IELTS Academic and General tests will be scored on a scale of 1 to 9, corresponding to the level of
English ability from complete beginner to proficient, for each Listening skill. , Speak, Read, Write. IELTS
score will be calculated based on the average score of 4 skills. You can refer to more details about the
IELTS grading scale here.
In terms of exam structure, the Listening and Reading sections each have 40 questions and are the same
for both the Academic and General formats. Similarly, the Speaking section of both formats is the same
with a test time of 11–14 minutes, and candidates will chat directly with the examiner to answer
questions in the three parts of the IELTS Speaking test. The examiner will assess points for each of the
following factors: fluency and coherence of speech (Fluency and Coherence), vocabulary (Lexical
Resource), grammatical ability (Grammatical Range and Accuracy) and pronunciation. Pronunciation) to
calculate the total score.
The Writing test of the two test formats will be different in Task 1: for the Academic test, candidates will
write a description or analyze data (tables, charts, graphs, ..) For the General exam you will be asked to
write a letter. Task 2 of both types of the Writing test will require candidates to write an essay of no less
than 250 words.
The score of the Writing test is calculated by the examiner on the ability to complete the correct answer
factor, meet the requirements for IELTS Writing Task 1 (Task Achievement) and fully answer the
requirements of the test for IELTS Writing Task 2 ( Task Response), according to the criteria of cohesion
between sentences, paragraphs (Coherence and Cohesion), vocabulary (Lexical Resource) and grammar
(Grammatical Range and Accuracy).
3. Set effective learning goals
Once you know the information about the test types and tests, it's time to roll up your sleeves and start
conquering the IELTS exam. However, do not rush to practice without a specific study plan. Consult your
acquaintances or search online resources, categorize them into skill groups, and focus more of your time
improving on the skills you feel are weaker. Also don't forget to set yourself a certain time frame to
review like after dinner, for example.
You can refer to the study plan from many sources, but the plan should include the following items: self-
assessment of your ability, learning methods to improve weak skills, timetable and cycle. Self-
assessment to ensure effectiveness.
In order to make it easier for candidates to plan and practice all four skills of the IELTS test at home, the
British Council has built an extensive and reliable online IELTS preparation resource for students. for
candidates.
4. Get familiar with the IELTS test
After you have fully equipped yourself with knowledge, you have almost reached the goal of conquering
the IELTS exam. And to best prepare yourself on test day, get used to the time pressure of the test. You
can download sample IELTS tests from the British Council IELTS sample test site, then set the completion
time and quiet space as if you were taking the actual test. Thereby, you will not only be more familiar
with the test types, but also limit the confusion on the official test day.
When you have completed the sample test, evaluate yourself or do not hesitate to ask for feedback
from friends and family to improve. After a while, you'll see noticeably better results.