Young learners

IELTS

Overview

  • IELTS is International English Language Testing System which assesses the English language proficiency of people who want to study or work where English is used as the language of communication.
  • It is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British council and IDP education pvt-ltd.
  • There are two versions of the IELTS:

General Training Version

The General Training format focuses on general survival skills in broad social and workplace contexts. It is typically for those who are going to English-speaking countries to do secondary education, work experience or training programs. People migrating to Australia, Canada and New Zealand must sit the General Training test.

Academic Version

The Academic format is for those who want to study or train in an English-speaking university or Institutions of Higher and Further Education. Admission to undergraduate and postgraduate courses is based on the results of the Academic test. IELTS Academic may also be a requirement to join a professional organization in an English-speaking country.


  • IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, Irish, New Zealand institutions. Over 3000 universities in USA accept IELTS.
  • IELTS scores arevalid for 2 years.

Test Format & Structure

Test Format

IELTS test assesses your abilities in all four skills - listening, reading, writing and speaking - in under three hours.
You will take the Listening, Reading and Writing tests all on the same day one after the other, with no breaks in between them. They are always taken in this order. Your Speaking test will either be after a break on the same day as the other three tests, or up to seven days before or after that. This will depend on your test centre.

There are two versions of the IELTS test format. Everyone takes the same Listening and Speaking tests, regardless of which version they take. The Reading and Writing tests differ in content, depending on whether you are taking IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training.


Test structure

Section Time Limit Questions Tasks
Listening 40 minutes 4 dialogues Comprises of four sections of increasing difficulty.
Reading 60 minutes 3 texts, 40 questions
  • In the academic module the reading test comprises three sections, with 3 texts normally followed by 13 or 14 questions for a total of 40 questions overall.
  • The General test also has 3 sections. However the texts are shorter, so there can be up to 5 texts to read.
Writing 60 minutes 2 tasks (describe graph + essay)
  • In the Academic module, there are two tasks: in Task 1 candidates describe a diagram, graph, process or chart, and in Task 2 they respond to an argument.
  • In the General Training module, there are also two tasks: in Task 1 candidates write a letter or explain a situation, and in Task 2 they write an essay.
Speaking ~15 minutes 3 dialogues The speaking test contains three sections.
  • The first section takes the form of an interview during which candidates may be asked about their hobbies, interests, reasons for taking IELTS exam as well as other general topics such as clothing, free time, computers and the internet or family.
  • In the second section candidates are given a topic card and then have one minute to prepare after which they must speak about the given topic.
  • The third section involves a discussion between the examiner and the candidate, generally on questions relating to the theme which they have already spoken about in part 2. This last section is more abstract, and is usually considered the most difficult.

Test Score & Score Calculations

Test Score

You will receive IELTS scores based on each for the four skills on a scale of 1 – 9, and you will also be awarded an overall band score. You can score whole (e.g., 5.0, 6.0, 7.0) or half (e.g., 5.5., 6.5, 7.5) bands in each part of the test.


Score Calculation

Overall band scores are reported to the nearest whole or half band. For the avoidance of doubt, the following rounding convention applies: if the average across the four skills ends in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band, and if it ends in .75, it is rounded up to the next whole band.

Thus, a candidate achieving 6.5 for Listening, 6.5 for Reading, 5.0 for Writing and 7.0 for Speaking would be awarded an overall band score of 6.5 (25 ÷ 4 = 6.25 = Band 6.5).

Similarly, a candidate achieving 4.0 for Listening, 3.5 for Reading, 4.0 for Writing and 4.0 for Speaking would be awarded an overall band score of 4.0 (15.5 ÷ 4 = 3.875 = Band 4.0).

However, a candidate achieving 6.5 for Listening, 6.5 for Reading, 5.5 for Writing and 6.0 for Speaking would be awarded band 6 (24.5 ÷ 4 = 6.125 = Band 6).


Test Duration

The first three modules - Listening, Reading and Writing (always in that order) - are completed in one day, and in fact are taken with no break in between. The Speaking Module may be taken, at the discretion of the test centre, in the period seven days before or after the other Modules.


Test Fee

The official IELTS test fee is 370,000 Tugriks.


Official Test Centers

You can take an official IELTS test at ESP training center-Ulaanbaatar city, Sukhbaatar district, 8th khoroo, Students’ street.

Tel: + (976-11) 324313