The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is used to measure the language proficiency of individuals who wish to study or work in a country in which English is the primary language of communication. It is one of the two most widely recognised tests of English language proficiency (the second is the Test of English as a Foreign Language). The IELTS is regulated by the British Council, IDP Education, and Cambridge English Language Assessment.
There are two types of the IELTS test: the IELTS Academic test and the IELTS General Training test. The IELTS Academic test is appropriate for individuals applying for higher education or professional registration in an anglophone environment. The IELTS General Training test is intended for those migrating to Australia, Canada, or the UK. It is also relevant for individuals applying for work experience, secondary education or training programmes in an anglophone country.
To learn more about which IELTS test is appropriate for you, kindly follow this link: https://www.ielts.org/about-the-test/two-types-of-ielts-test
The IELTS test consists of four components: Listening; Speaking; Reading; and Writing. The Listening and Speaking sections are the same for both the Academic and General Training tests, whilst the content of the Reading and Writing sections of each test differs.
Listening: The Listening section comprises of four recordings of various scenarios, including monologues and conversations. Based on what they have heard and understood, candidates will write their answers to a number of questions.
Speaking: The Speaking section aims to assess a number of skills by prompting the candidate to speak at length with an examiner and to answer his/her questions. Candidates will discuss general and familiar topics, such as family, work and hobbies. They will also converse about a specific subject that will be given during the test.
Reading: The Reading section intends to assess a candidate's ability to comprehend the main ideas of a passage. It is composed of 40 questions, each of which test a variety of reading skills.
Writing: The Writing section tests how well the candidate can write an appropriate response, organise his/her own ideas, and use a range of vocabulary and grammar in order to produce a coherent and well-structured summary, letter or essay.
For detailed information on the format of each section of the IELTS, kindly follow this link: https://www.ielts.org/about-the-test/test-format
To learn more about the way in which the IELTS is scored, please follow this link: https://www.ielts.org/about-the-test/how-ielts-is-scored