IELTS Examination

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is the world most popular English Test examination. More than 2,000,000 IELTS test are taken every year across the globe.
The advantages of taking IELTS include but not limited to the following: it can pave way for you and enable you to study, live and work in more than 140 countries that accept it and more than 9,000 organizations including government, employment institution and academic institutions.
For immigration purpose, IELTS is the only English language Test that Is required by all countries that requires one.

There are two types of the IELTS test:
1) IELTS Academic
2) IELTS General Training.

IELTS Academic

The IELTS Academic test is purely for those students who need to certificate for higher education or professional registration in an English speaking environment. It reflects some of the features of academic language capability and also help to determine whether you are ready to begin studying or training. The test result clearly shows your English Language proficiency ability.
When taking IELTS academic, you will be tested in the following areas; Speaking, Writing, Listening, Reading
The Listening, Reading and Writing components of IELTS academic are completed on the same day, with no breaks in between them.
The Speaking component, however, can be completed either before taking the three above or after.

IELTS General Training

The IELTS General Training test is mostly taken by those who are going to English speaking countries for work experience or training programs. It is also a requirement for migration to certain countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. The test focuses on basic skills you need to survive both in day to day social life and workplace interactions.
When taking IELTS General training, you will be tested in the following areas also; Speaking, Writing, Listening, and Reading
The total time needed for the test is 2 hours 45 minutes.

LISTENING
The listening only takes 30 minutes
You will listen to four recordings of native English speakers and then write your answers to a series of questions.
The first recording is a conversation between two set of people in an everyday social context.
The second recording is a monologue discussion on everyday social context, e.g. a speech about factory set up.
The third recording is a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a tutor and a student discussing a subject.
The fourth recording is a monologue on an academic subject, e.g. Physics lectures.

READING
Reading takes 60 minutes
The Reading component is made up of 40 questions, designed to test reading skills of the candidate. These include reading for gist, ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument and recognizing writers’ opinions, attitudes and purpose of writing.

WRITING
Writing test also takes 60 minutes
When taking the writing test, there are two tasks to be performed.
The first Task – you will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to describe, summarize or explain the information in your own words. You may be asked to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a process, how something works or describe an object or event.
The second Task – you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem IELTS General Training

SPEAKING
The speaking test takes 11–14 minutes
This test assesses your use of spoken English and ability to speak English correctly. Every test is recorded.
There are three parts to this test
The first Part, the examiner will ask you general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies and interests. This part lasts between four and five minutes.
The second Part, you will be given a card which asks you to talk about a particular topic. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. The examiner will then ask one or two questions on the same topic.
The third Part, you will be asked further questions about the topic in Part 2. These will give you the opportunity to discuss more abstract ideas and issues. This part of the test lasts between four and five minutes.
To book for the test, visit the IELTS site and chose your country to see the date and time for the next IELTS test. And also don’t forget to check the nearest GUP IELTS preparation centre closest to you