Knowledge of English is now very difficult to overestimate, as any good job position in modern companies necessarily implies knowledge of at least one foreign language (at least English) and computer skills.
And if today almost any graduate of school or high school has at least a basic knowledge and skills for the normal operation on the PC, the English have to be learnt by many of them. This is due to the fact that mainstream schools rather pay little attention to the subject, and to learn English at a level sufficient to communication and document translation is almost unreal. Only in major lyceums and gymnasiums English is important in education, but not all parents are able to pay the school fees for their children in such an expensive institution.
During self-learning of English or learning it with tutor the exams on International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are actual. The results of this test shall be taken by employers and higher education institutions of UK, Australia, USA, New Zealand and Canada.
It is useful to pass IELTS exams for those who are going to live and work at home – this test has a very serious reputation and can open many doors to the job seekers in employment. More than 7,000 organizations and 1 million candidates worldwide rely on this test as valid and reliable measures of the ability to communicate, read and write the English language for the purpose of immigration, education and professional accreditation. IELTS certificate validity period of 2 years and no school of English will be able to compete with it on trust and credibility.
There are two types of tests:
– Academic – designed for people wishing to get higher education in the institutions, where training is in English, it has increased level of difficulty on reading and writing.
– General Training – designed for people planning to immigrate to the above English-speaking countries.
IELTS exam consists of four main parts:
- Listening – 40 minutes are given, 30 of which – just listening, plus 10 minutes to transfer the answers to the answer sheet. Assignment: Dialogues on a social topic and monologues on the same topic.
- Reading – 60 minutes are provided exactly. Assignment: to answer the questions about the text (usually three).
- Writing – 60 minutes are provided exactly. Assignment:
– Task One. Academic: Describe in 150 words chart or table. General: write a letter- Task Two. Essay of 250 words. - IV. Speaking – 11 to 14 minutes are provided. Candidate passes the interview with the examiner in private. In case of the appeal the interview is recorded.
The total duration of the exam is 2 hours and 45 minutes. Result of the test is an assessment on a 9-point scale, which determines the level of knowledge.
| 9 – Expert User | Has full operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding. |
| 8 – Very Good User | Completely fluent in the language. Inaccuracies are very rare. In some situations can manifest misunderstanding. Good use and understand complex arguments. |
| 7 – Good User | Speaks the language at a high level with periodic inaccuracies and misunderstandings (in some cases). Overall, a good command of complex designs, and demonstrates a clear understanding of the detail. |
| 6 – Competent User | In general, has a good command of the language, except for some rare inaccuracies and misunderstandings. Able to use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations. |
| 5 – Modest User | Partial command of the language, understanding the basic sense in most cases, but makes a lot of mistakes. Must be able to converse on familiar topics. |
| 4 – Limited User | Basic abilities are limited to familiar situations. Has frequent problems in understanding and expression of thoughts. Not able to use complex language. |
| 3 – Extremely Limited User | Able to express and understand the essence only in very familiar situations. Frequent hesitation and errors in speech. |
| 2 – Intermittent User | Real communication is impossible, except in the most general, using single words and simple expressions in familiar situations and to meet immediate needs. There is great difficulty in understanding spoken and written language. |
| 1 – Non User | Lack of the ability to use language, except for a few isolated words. |
| 0 – Did not attempt the test | The results that can be evaluated are not provided. |
If a student is going to enter a university or to work in another country, he must get from 6 to 9 points – depending on the requirements of the higher education institution and employer. For passing exams the student need to be trained in IELTS, since the successful pass of the test is available only when obtaining the skills and knowledge to pass this exam in accordance with its requirements – even someone with a good command of the language, but without preparation to IELTS, can fail it.
The preparation to IELTS is possible both in specialized educational institutions and in any language school. The person can prepare by himself downloading a list of all tasks from any site where such information is available. IELTS program exams are not classified, so in many sites devoted to the study of English in particular, and other foreign languages in general, the person can even get a trial test to determine strengths and weaknesses and the chances of passing the IELTS exam.
