Almost everyone who wants to study abroad has to take a language test beforehand to prove that they can speak a foreign language. Whether applying for a semester abroad or a complete study abroad – almost no one can avoid the test. Even at domestic universities, the test is now required if the course is international.
IELTS – The Process
At IELTS, you will be tested in 4 areas. That means listening comprehension, reading comprehension, writing, and speaking. Overall, the test usually lasts about 3 hours, although it can take a little longer because you have to talk to a real examiner during the speaking part, and the time can be a bit slow if there are many participants. You don’t have a break between the first three areas, so you should take enough to drink to keep you focused and you can get a teacher to teach IELTS(สอน ielts which is the term in thai).
- Listening Comprehension
Listening comprehension is usually the first part of the test. It takes about 30-40 minutes and tests your ability to understand English. You will hear four different recordings, which can be dialogues or monologues. After that, you’ll need to work on tasks related to the conversations you heard earlier. You can read through the questions beforehand, because this way, you already know what you need to pay attention to during the interview.
- Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension is one of the most extended tasks and takes around 60 minutes. Here you have to read two texts and then answer questions about them. That sounds easy at first, but actually, this part of the IELTS is one of the most difficult. Because the lyrics are usually quite long and unfortunately also quite dry. It is also essential to read the questions about the texts in advance so that you know what to look for when reading. Once you get the context, you have a good chance of still answering the questions correctly.
- Write
This area is also one of the longest. In 60 minutes, you have to write two texts, one shorter and one longer. The first text in the Academic Version is mostly a diagram that you have to describe. In the second part, you have to write an essay on a question in which you have to list the pros and cons. It is vital to keep an eye on the time because it can quickly be forgotten and missing time when writing is never good. Also, the content of your essays is usually not the only important factor. Of course, you should be able to understand why you are for or against something clearly, but such tests often refer to the typical essay spellings respected. This includes good transitions and linking words.
- Speak
This part of the exam is the shortest and usually only takes 11-15 minutes. This is the most significant difference to the TOEFL test because, at IELTS, you speak to a real person, while at TOEFL, you have to talk to a computer.
Most importantly, you don’t stop talking during the conversation, even if you can’t remember a word. Then try to use another name or somehow rewrite the sentence. Just talk cheerfully and cheerfully and get rid of everything you can think of on this topic.
