IELTS Study notes

Introduction
Unit 1
International English language testing system- IELTS
 Accurate assessment of the students proficiency in English
 exam is used for entry to university and by immigration authorities
 stepping stone to students future
Why teach IELTS?
 Clear aims- differs from other exam preparation courses.
-it's not a pass or failure exam
-students will aim for individual bands
- multi level exam
-aims, objectives and strategies set out by the structure of exam
 Motivated students- students choose to take exam to make positive change in their
life.
-mainly used by higher education institutions and Immigration
Services
-students choose to do exams to move abroad to an English-
speaking
Country.
 Teacher development- places higher demands on teachers
-understand four main skills and sub skills
 Employability- exam is taken in over 135 countries
-course very popular with students
- schools may run numerous courses at the same time

What makes ILETS an international exam?

 Content- contains examples of English from around the world
 Use- exam is accepted by institutions and organizations around the world
 Location- conducted in an international context it can be considered an international
exam in different countries around the world.
 Test standards- exam is created by an international team of writers and marked by
external experts.
 Candidates- accessible to candidates from all over the world.
 Students in secondary schools or 6th form centres may take the IELTS exam to apply
for undergraduate study in an English-speaking country.
 Students who wish to study at a post-graduate level in an English-speaking country
may need IELTS as part of their application process.
 Some students who wish to study at undergraduate or post-graduate level, and do
not get a high enough grade, can take the IELTS exam to get a place on a pre-
sessional course. You will read about this in more depth throughout the course.
 Students who plan to live and work abroad may take the IELTS exam as part of their
visa process.

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,  Students who plan to work in a professional context in an English-speaking country
may take IELTS. For example, nursing, medicine, or law.



Student motivation
 Work Exams
 FUN
 Holiday
 Parents


 Emigration
The IELTS exam is accepted by various government agencies for the
purposes of emigration. Some of those include Australia and
Canada. Students who plan to work in a non-skilled or general work
context need to take the General Training Exam. Students who plan
to work in a skilled profession, such as medicine or law, need to take
the Academic IELTS.


 Study at university
The IELTS exam is accepted by a large number of universities
around the world for the purpose of proving a students’ English
level. Students who apply or plan to apply to university may get an
offer which specifies the minimum grades needed. The band score
depends on the subject and level of study. If students are planning
to study at university, they usually need to take the Academic
IELTS.


 Study on a university foundation course
If your students don’t achieve the band score they need to start
their degree course, they may be required to do a foundation course
at university. This type of course is usually offered to students who
achieve between bands 4-6. Once they have completed the
foundation programme, they then go on to study their chosen
course.


 Study on a pre-sessional university course
If students are offered a place at university, but don’t have a high
enough grade in the IELTS exam, some universities recommend
they take a pre-sessional course. These courses run throughout the
academic year but are usually busier over the summer months.
Students can be offered a conditional place at the university on the
proviso that they complete and pass an assessed pre-sessional
course. These courses are usually an introduction to the academic


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, skills students will need while studying at undergraduate or post
graduate level.




UNIT QUIZ- 100%




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, Unit 2
Structure and content of the IELTS exam

Listen to 4 recordings: 2
30 minutes + 10 minutes conversations, 2
Listening to transfer answers to monologues. Answer 10
answer sheet questions on each recording.
40 questions total.
Read 3 texts. Answer 13 or
Reading 60 minutes 14 questions on each text. 40
questions total.
Two tasks. The first task can
Writing 60 minutes vary, but the second task is
always an essay.
Answer questions about
yourself and everyday topics.
Speaking 11-14 minutes
Give a short monologue
based on a topic card.



Content
In terms of content, students are tested on their proficiency in English; this is not an
exam which test students’ general knowledge of different topics. This is a concept
that students can struggle with, particularly if they are studying in a school context.
Some students can be used to memorising information for an exam, so being told
that they can learn a list of common words or be familiar with certain grammatical
structures that may or may not come up in the exam can be a new concept for your
students.

The IELTS test is designed to test your students’ ability to deal with a range of texts,
situations, and tasks that reflect real life. For example, in the Speaking paper,
students are required to give a monologue on a topic for 2 minutes. For students
who are planning to work abroad, this reflects the kind of mini presentation they may
be required to give in a work environment. For students who are planning to study
abroad, a 2-minute presentation reflects a short seminar or class presentation.




Quiz- 75%

Academic or general training?




- Academic IELTS General Training IELTS
Listening Students sit the same paper regardless of which test they are

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