The first step in the preparation for the IELTS test is to know how many types of questions are there and how to prepare accordingly. In this section, we are going to see many questions are there in each of the sections of the IELTS test, and we will also give you an overview of the test as a whole.
To begin with, there are four parts in the IELTS test.
1. Listening test
2. Reading test
3. Writing test
4. Speaking test.
The listening test and speaking test are the same whether you are taking the IELTS academic test of the IELTS general module. The differences in the reading and writing tests.
Overview of the IELTS listening test
This is the first of four parts of the test. The total duration of the listening is 40 minutes approximately, which is divided into 30 minutes of listening and 10 minutes is given to transfer the answers from the question paper on to the answer sheet.
Each answer is given one mark, which means that the listening test is marked out of 40. There is no negative marking in the IELTS listening test, and you can take a guess in case you are not sure of the correct answer. Various English accents are tested in the test, like american accent, the British accent, the Canadian accent, the Australian accent, etc.
The test is divided into four sections, and each section contains 10 questions.
1. Section 1- this is a dialogue or a conversation between two people. It is a General discussion regarding booking a hotel room, enquiry about a facility, telephonic interview, etc.
2. Section 2 – this is a monologue which means that one person will be talking. This section is a General one and no academic vocabulary will be used here.
3. Section 3 – here, you will listen to the discussion between 2 – 4 speakers, and this is an academic section which means that student will be talking about their academics.
4. Section 4- this is a University lecture.
IELTS exam question types in Listening
1. Note completion/ sentence completion
2. Form completion
3. Flow chart completion
4. Matching
5. Multiple choice questions – single selection
6. Table completion
7. Map labelling
8. Diagram labelling
9. Multiple choice questions – multiple selection
Overview of the IELTS reading test
The reading test is different for the academic test takers and the general training test takers. Though there are some similarities, there are differences in the length of the texts and the complexity as well.
The total time for the test is 60 minutes, and there are 40 questions. This is a common factor for both the academic test and the general training test. Another similar factor for both the modules of the test is that there is no negative marking.
Now, let’s talk about the differences between academic reading test and the general reading test. The academic test takers have to attempt questions which are taken from textbooks, journals, articles,etc. The question paper would contain a total of three passages which are lengthier.
However, this is not the case with the general training test. The reading passages are not very lengthy. You should be the total of 5 passages, out of which 4 are small or medium, and one is a more detailed one. The language is much simpler, and is taken from advertisements, newspapers, etc.
IELTS questions typesin the reading test
1. Note completion or sentence completion
2. Table completion
3. flow chart completion
4. summary completion
5. diagram label completion
6. short answer questions
7. identification of facts from the passage – true/false/ not given
8. identification of the writer’s views – yes / no / not given.
9. multiple choice questions with multiple option selection
10. multiple choice questions with single option selection
11.matching the list of headings
12. matching the paragraphs containing the information
13. matching the endings of sentences
14. matching the nouns with the information.
Overview of the IELTS writing test
In this test there are two tasks which have to be completed for getting a good score. The first task for academic test takers is a report based on visual data, and for the general training test the writing task 1 is a letter. The task 1 basically at least 150 words in length, and remember that there is no upper limit for this. You may write approximately 180 to 200 words to be on the safer side.
The different types of questions that you have to prepare for ielts question types academic task 1 are
1. Bar charts
2. Pie diagrams
3. Line graphs
4. Maps
5. Diagrams
6. Flowcharts or process diagrams
7. Tables
8. Combination of one or more reports
There are three types of letters that all the general training test takers have to practice
1. Formal letters
2. Informal letters
3. Semi Formal letters
The second task in the writing test is an essay both academic and general module. The various types of essays are
1. Problems and solutions
2. Opinion based essays
3. Advantages and disadvantages
4. Double question
5. Positive development or negative development
6. Causes and effects
The essay has to be written in the form of paragraphs, and the minimum word count for the essay is 250 words.
Overview of the IELTS speaking test
This is the last part of the test, and it is common for both the academic test takers and the general training test takers. For the speaking test, you should prepare, speak fluently without hesitation, generate the relevant ideas that are required for the task or for the topic that is given, use less common vocabulary which are related to the topic, and see that the sentences are error-free and you are using a wide range of sentences while speaking.
The speaking test happens with a real examiner and you need not record your voice using a microphone. The topics are not very complicated. In fact, we use these words and we come across this topics in our day to day lives.
The approximate time to complete the test is 11 to 14 minutes. The test is divided into three parts.
1. Introduction and interview
2. Individual long turn
3. Two way discussion.
If you are considering to take the computer-delivered IELTS exam, then all the four parts of the test will be completed within a single day. In the case of the IELTS paper based test, the speaking is done on a different date, while the listening reading writing tests are conducted together.
