SUMMARY ABOUT IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

Submitted To The Fulfill Course Of English For Nursing 2

Lecturer : Ns. Nana Rochana, S.Kep, MN

Compiled by :

Name : Fiki Rifada

NIM : 22020113120049

Class : A.13.1

DEPARTMENT OF NURSING

FACULTY OF MEDICINE - DIPONEGORO UNIVERSITY

2017
 IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is widely

recognised as reliable means of assesing the language ability of candidates who need
study or work where English is the language of communication. These practice tests are
designed to give future IELTS candidates an idea of whether their english is at the
required level (1).

Over one million people take IELTS each year. There are more than 500 that
administer IELTS in over 100 countries around the world (2). IELTS is owned by three
partners, Cambridge English Language Assasment, part of the University of Cambridge,
the British Council and IDP education Pty Limited (through its subsidiary comapany,
IELTS Australia Pty Limited) (1).

IELTS is available in two test versions: Academic and General Training.

Academic for people applying for higher education or professional registration,
and General Training for those migrating to Australia, Canada and the UK, or applying
for secondary education, training programmes and work experience in an English-
speaking environment (3). The IELTS has four sections such as listening, reading,
writing and speaking and both versions provide a valid and accurate assessment of the
four language skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking .

The first is Listening test. The listening test lasts for about 30 minutes. There are
40 questions. It consist of 4 sections. Section one is a conversation between two people
set in an everyday social context (e.g. a conversation in an accommodation agency).
Section two is a monologue set in an everyday social context (e.g. a speech about local
facilities or a talk about the arrangements for meals during a conference). Section three
is a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context
(e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment, or a group of students
planning a research project). Section four is a monologue on an academic subject (e.g. a
university lecture) (4).

The Reading test last for 60 minutes and consist of 40 questions. Students are
given either an Academic Reading test or a General Training Reading test. Both tests

2
consist of three sections, The total text length is 2.150 - 2.750 words (4). And in both
tests different question types are used to assess students' comprehension (5).

The reading test in academic types is three sections, each containing one long
text. The text are all read and taken from books, magazines and newspapers. The texts
are appropiate and accessible to candidates entering undergraduate or postgraduate
courses or seeking professional registration. Texts range of descriptive and factual to the
discrusive and analytical, for example diagrams, graphs or illustration (4).

The reading test in general training types is three sections. Section one contains
two or three short factual texts. Topics are relevant to everyday life in an english
speaking country. Section two contains two short factual text focusing on work related
issues and the last section contains one longer, more complex text on a topic of general
interest (4).

The writing test last for 60 minutes and consist 2 tasks. In the test you are
required to write at least 150 words for task 1 and at least 250 words for task 2 (4).
Same as reading test, the writing test there is a difference between general training and
academic. In academic writing types is two parts should be written in a formal style.
First task presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to summarise and
report the information in own words. Second task asked to write an essay in response to
a point of view, argument or problem. While on general training writing is two tasks.
First tasks presented with situation and asked to write a letter requesting information or
explaining the situation. The letter maybe personal or semi formal in style. Second task
asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. The essay
can be slightly more personal in style than the academic writing task 2 essay (4).

The Last section is Speaking test. The speaking component is same for both
versions of IELTS (academic and general training). The Speaking test consists of a one-
to-one interview with a specially trained examiner. The examiner will lead the candidate
through the three parts of the test (5). First part about introduction and interview (4-5
minutes). The examiner introduces him/her self and asks about general questions on
familliar topics. Second part about individual long turn (3-4 minutes). The examiner
gives a task card that asks to talk about a particular topic and which include point could
be cover in our talk. The examiner would given one minutes to prepare talk, one until

3
two minutes to talk about the topic. Then, the examiner asks questions on the same
topic. The last part about two way discussion (4-5 minutes). In this part, the examiner
asks further questions that are connected to the topic and give an opportunity to discuss
more general issues. This interview will last for approximately 11-14 minutes (4).

The Listening, Reading and Writing tests must be completed on the same day.
The order in which these tests are taken may vary. There are no breaks between these
three tests. The Speaking test may be taken up to seven days before or after the other
three tests (4).

The results of the IELTS Test are called Test Report Form (TRF) containing the
average score and four skill scores of listening, reading, writing and speaking. IELTS
results are reported on nine bands scale. The IELTS band score is scale 9 : Expert user, 8
:Very good user, 7 : Good user, 6 : Competent user, 5 : Modest user, 4 : Limited user, 3 :
Extremely limited user, 2 : Intermittent user, 1 : Non user, 0 : Did not attempt the test
(4). An IELTS score is generally recognized for two years. But some institutions may
accept your score after 2 years if you can provide proof that you have maintained your
English language proficiency (2).

The different IELTS from the TOEIC or TOEFL is IELTS do not realy as heavily
on multiple-choice questions, different accents are used in IELTS including Brtish, New
Zealand, Autralian, and American, IELTS has two different formats are offered
(Academic and General Training), IELTS is offered more regularly than TOEIC and
TOEFL at most test centers (2).

4
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge IELTS 11 Academic Student’s Book

With Answers, Volume 11 [Internet]. England: Cambridge University Press and
UCLES; 2016. 4-5 p. Available from: https://books.google.co.id/books?id=6CX-
CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA4&dq=IELTS+is&hl=id&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&
q=IELTS is&f=false

2. Lougheed L. Barron’s IELTS : International English Language Testing System

[Internet]. United State of America: Barron’s Educational Series Inc; 2006. 1-8 p.
Available from: https://books.google.co.id/books?
id=g1SQkuN1zvYC&pg=PA1&dq=IELTS+is&hl=id&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=one
page&q=IELTS is&f=false

3. Ielts. IELTS Intruduction [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2017 Apr 23]. Available from:
https://www.ielts.org/what-is-ielts/ielts-introduction

4. British Council. Information for Candidates Introducing IELTS to Test Takers

[Internet]. England: www.Ielts.org; 2015. p. 1–8. Available from:
https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/IELTS Information-for-
Candidates-March 2015.pdf

5. Cameron P, Todd V. New Prepare for IELTS General Training Modules.

University of Technology Sydey. Sydney; 2014. p. 1–2.