IELTS 2020 Exam
IELTS is an abbreviated form of International English Language Testing System. It is the English Proficiency Test established in 1989. This test is taken across 10,000 organizations worldwide. In UK and Australia IELTS is accepted. In USA approximately 3400 institutions and numerous institutions at other English speaking countries accepts this Proficiency exam. This test is taken for checking the English language proficiency of non-native English language speakers. The proficiency level is measured through a nine-band scale. The test comprises of 4 sections i.e. listening, writing, reading and speaking. There are 2 types of the module in the IELTS test – Academic and General Training.
Every year more than 3.5 million people take the test.
British Council IELTS
British Council is a British organization specilized in international cultural and educational opportunities and an organizer of IELTS around the World.
What is IELTS?
IELTS examination format is developed by some of the World’s leading language experts. IELTS Score is derived on the basis of your English language skills in the field of:
- Listening
- Reading
- Speaking
- Writing
Types of IELTS Test
IELTS provides two different tests as per the requirement. The two types of IELTS Exams are:
- IELTS Academic:It measures English proficiency in the candidate for an academic environment. It is used if the test taker plans to take up some education or training in the countries.
- IELTS General Training:It measures English proficiency in the candidates for practical and everyday purposes. This test is taken up by the ones who plan on living or working in the countries
Why choose IELTS?
IELTS opens opportunities for candidates to study and work in foreign countries. It prepares them to converse with people of different accents. With their Academic Training, IELTS prepares the students and make them fluent in English language but at the same time help them get better results in their academic papers.
In the computer based test IELTS test results are available in 5-7 days whereas in the Paper based Test it takes13 days. The test is offered in 140 countries with more than 10,000 organizations accepting IELTS as a proof of the candidates’English efficiency.
Where is IELTS Required?
IELTS is required where English proficiency is mandatory. IELTS is used in three cases:
IELTS for Admissions: IELTS is highly popular among students who are interested in studying abroad specially, UK and Australia. IELTS Academic Test is compulsory for accessing the student’s ability academically.
IELTS for Job: IELTS is required for Work Visa when someone plans to work for a few years in a foreign Country. It is required by the companies abroad and the Employers across the world.
IELTS for Immigration: In countries such as Australia and Canada, IELTS is a requirement for those who plans to move out permanently and takes up the citizenship of other country.
IELTS Exam Highlights
| Official Website | https://www.ielts.org/ |
| Fee | INR 13,250 |
| Score Range | Minimum – 0 (only if not taking the test)
Maximum- 9 |
| Contact | British Council 0120-4569000 / 0120-6684353, Mon-Sat 09.00 to 18.00 Email: ExamsCustomerCare@britishcouncil.org IDP Head Office +91-124-4445999/ 1800-102-4544 Email: ielts.india@idp.com |
IELTS Registration
Registering for IELTS a easy online procedure. Steps to register are as following
- Visit the website of British Council for IELTS.
- Book the IELTS TEST from https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/take-ielts/
- Choose your Test Type
- Select Book Now.
- Choose the Date, Place and Module(Academic/ General)
- Accept the terms and Conditions
- Fill in your details and Passport Number ( Ensure that the Passport is valid for 6 months till the commencement of your potential course)
- Make payment and you are registered for an IELTS Exam.
IELTS Exam Dates- 2020
You can choose to your test on https://www.ieltsidpindia.com/Registration/Registration (To get admission in Australia) and https://ieltsregistration.britishcouncil.org/test-chooser/in?_ga=2.120415820.514867743.1579512200-1727882322.1578569302 (Countries other than Australia) as well.
IELTS Exam Fee
IELTS Fee is the same irrespective of the type of test that you take. The general fee remains INR 13,250
| Test Type | IELTS Exam Fees |
| IELTS Academic and General Training – paper-based test | INR 13,250 |
| IELTS Academic and General Training – computer-delivered test | INR 13,250 |
IELTS Exam Preparation
There are several resources available for you to prepare for IELTS. Once you register to the British Council for IELTS Exam, it provides:
- Free online course: Road to IELTS
- Free online course: Understanding IELTS
- Free IELTS preparation apps from the British Council
- Free IELTS Practice Tests
- IELTS videos
What happens on IELTS Test Date?
There are several questions that arise in mind when you take the IELTS Test. It is important to be aware of everything that will happen during your exam.
- Your confirmation Email for the test will provide you with the location and time of test and the procedures that need to be followed.
- If any adjustments are required as a result of any condition, adjustments will be provided on the day of the test.
- You are not allowed to take food into the test room and will only be allowed a transparent bottle.
- All candidates under the age of 18 are expected to carry two consent forms by parents or guardians duly signed by both on Speaking and Reading- Writing and Listening day.
- The Listening, Reading and Writing test takes place for 2 hours and 40 minutes. Your speaking test can be taken on the same day or one week later or before.
- You can take your ID, a Pencil and a Pen, and an Eraser. You can also bring a transparent bottle of water.
- Once you finish your test, wait for the invigilator’s instructions to leave the room
IELTS Result
You can log into your Test Taker Portal to check your result which stays there for 28 days.
Online Result: IELTS Result is declared within 13 days of taking your Paper-based test and 5-7 days of taking the Computer- Based Test.
Result Report: The Test Report Form or your IELTS Score is mailed ten days after the Paper-based test and five days after the Computer-based test. Results are never declared through phone or email.
IELTS Score
The score for IELTS is from 0 to 9 increasing as per the understanding of a Student for Academic English. Scoring in IELTS is an important factor as many Universities have a cut off for their own courses which remain the same for every course.
| Band | Skill Level |
| Band 9 | Expert |
| Band 8 | Excellent |
| Band 7 | Good |
| Band 6 | Competent |
| Band 5 | Moderate |
| Band 4 | Limited |
| Band 3 | Weak |
| Band 2 | Incompetent |
| Band 1 | Non- User |
| Band 0 | Did not Attempt |
How is IELTS Scored?
IELTS Result is based completely on your quality of English in every test. The test marks your result on the basis of your reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. IELTS marks are between 1 to 9, 0 is given to the students who do not attend the test without any notice. You can receive whole marks like 1,2,3,4,… or decimals in 0.5 as 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5,…..
How many Colleges accept IELTS?
IELTS is widely accepted by more than 10,000 Organizations across 140 Countries. These include Universities and Colleges. Over 3,000 Institutions in the USA accept IELTS while every University in the UK and Australia accept IELTS.
Some of the top Colleges accepting IELTS are:
| S. No. | University/ College | Band |
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 7 |
| 2 | Harvard University | 7 |
| 3 | University of Cambridge | 7.0 overall with a minimum of 7.0 in each |
| 4 | Stanford University | 7 |
| 5 | California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | 7.0 (Graduate admissions) |
| 6 | University of Oxford | 7.0 overall with a minimum of 7.0 in each |
| 7 | UCL (University College London) | 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 |
| 8 | Imperial College London | 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 |
| 9 | ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology | 7.0 overall with a minimum of 7.0 in each |
| 10 | University of chicago | 7.0 overall with a minimum of 7.0 in each |
| 11 | Princeton University | 8.0 |
| 12 | National University of Singapore (NUS) | 6.0 |
| 13 | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) | 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in each |
| 14 | EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) | 7.0 |
| 15 | Yale University | 7.0 |
| 16 | Johns Hopkins University | 7.0 |
| 17 | Cornell University | 7.0 |
| 18 | University of Pennsylvania | 7.0 |
| 19 | Kings College London | 7.5 with minimum of 7.0 in each |
| 20 | The Australian National University | 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 |
| 21 | The University of Edinburgh | 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 |
| 22 | Columbia University | 7.0 overall with a minimum of 7.0 in each |
| 23 | The Chinese University of Hong Kong | 6.5 |
| 24 | McGill University | 6.5 overall with a minimum of 6.0 |
| 25 | Tsinghua University | 7.0 overall with a minimum of 7.0 in each |
| 26 | University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | 6.5 |
| 27 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | 7.0 |
| 28 | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | 6.0 |
| 29 | Duke University | 7.0 |
| 30 | The University of Hong Kong | 6.5 |
| 31 | University of Michigan | 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each |
| 32 | New York University (NYU) | 7.5 |
| 33 | The University of Manchester | 5.5(international foundation), 6.0(undergraduate),7.5(graduate) |
| 34 | University of Toronto | 7.0 |
| 35 | London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | 7.0 |
| 36 | Seoul National University | 7.0 |
| 37 | University of Bristol | 6.0 and 6.5 |
| 38 | Kyoto University | 6.0 |
| 39 | The University of Tokyo | 6.5 |
| 40 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 7.0 |
| 41 | University of Amsterdam | 7.0 overall, 6.0 each |
| 42 | The University of Melbourne | 6.5 |
| 43 | KAIST – Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology | 6.5 |
| 44 | University of California, San Diego (UCSD) | 7.0 |
| 45 | The University of Sydney | 6.5 overall and 6.0 each |
| 46 | The University of New South Wales (UNSW Australia) | 6.5 overall and 6.0 each |
| 47 | The University of Queensland | 6.0 |
| 48 | The University of Warwick | according to courses, minimum 6.5 and max 8.0 |
| 49 | Brown University | 7.0 |
| 50 | University of British Columbia | overall 6.5 and 6.0 each |
How to Cancel or Reschedule IELTS Exam British Council India?
If you wish to cancel of Re-schedule your IELTS exam then the IELTS Test Fees is refundable after deducting the cancellation/ postponement fees only if the candidate provide the original medical certificate confirming illness is provided within five days of the test date
Only medical certificates are considered which can be mailed to ExamsCustomerCare@britishcouncil.org or posted Gurgaon Office the address can be found at https://www.britishcouncil.in/contact-us .
If you want to change your date of examination, it must be done five weeks before the exam after the deduction of the cancellation/ postponement fees. The next date should be within three months of the original date.
IELTS Admit Card
- Admit card will be sent on the registered email Id of the test taker.
- It will contain details like candidate name, photo, test center name and an authorized seal of the test center.
- Candidates must show the admit card at the time of appearing for the exam.
IELTS Eligibility and Age Limit
IELTS can be taken by anyone who is interested to study or work abroad, but candidates below 16 years are not advised to take this test
In Canada, as per the Updated Citizenship Act, the minimum age for students to prove their language proficiency is reduced to 14-64 for those who wish to move to Canada.
How many attempts are allowed in IELTS?
IELTS has no limit to the number of attempts, you can take it as many time you want to take. It is conducted every month for 5-6 years, but it is advisable to take a break of two to three months between the two tests to prepare better and acquire great results.
The validity of IELTS Score is 2 years. If your second test result is less than the first one, you can use your previous result, making sure of your IELTS validity. Remember, for every test, the payment is different.
Is there any Educational Qualification for IELTS?
For IELTS there is no specific educational qualification required. Anyone with a desire to study or work in any English speaking country can take this test.
IELTS Exam Pattern
IELTS Test Pattern includes Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listen
