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For more than 30 years IELTS has set the standard for English language testing. Trusted by governments, employers and educational institutions - we've helped millions of people to achieve their goals.

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Looking to work, study, or live overseas? Trusted by more than 3 million people every year, IELTS is an English language test that can help you to achieve your goals.

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The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is designed to help you achieve your ambition of working, studying or moving to a country where English is the native language.

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For more than 30 years IELTS has set the standard for English language testing. Trusted by governments, employers and educational institutions - we've helped millions of people to achieve their goals.

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IELTS is trusted by thousands of employers, professional associations, governments, and educational institutions across the globe. Below you can use our selector to find out who else already accepts IELTS and see how others set their desired scores.

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When you receive a Test Report Form you will see the test taker's overall test score as well as their scores for the Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking sections of the test.

Overall band score

The overall band score is the average of the four section band scores rounded to the nearest half band.

Understanding overall band scores

IELTS Band Score: 9 Skill Level: Expert

IELTS Band Score: 8 Skill Level: Very good

IELTS Band Score: 7 Skill Level: Good

IELTS Band Score: 6 Skill Level: Competent

IELTS Band Score: 5 Skill Level: Modest

IELTS Band Score: 4 Skill Level: Limited

IELTS Band Score: 3 Skill Level: Extremely limited

IELTS Band Score: 2 Skill Level: Intermittent

IELTS Band Score: 1 Skill Level: Non-user

IELTS Band Score: 0 Skill Level: Did not attempt the test

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Materials for studying for the IELTs exam

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Materials for studying for the IELTs exam

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Stay up to date with the latest news and insights from IELTS and the world of language assessment.

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Inscreva-se gratuitamente e acesse conteúdos exclusivos:

Grátis! Listas de palavras e quizzes da Cambridge

Ferramentas para criar suas próprias listas de palavras e quizzes

Listas de palavras compartilhadas pela nossa comunidade de fãs

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Dicionário Cambridge: Significados, Definições e Traduções

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O dicionário e dicionário de sinônimos mais popular para alunos de inglês. Significados e definições de palavras com pronúncias e traduções.

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10 steps to writing high-scoring IELTS essays

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10 steps to writing high-scoring IELTS essays

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Whether you take the General Training or Academic IELTS test, the second writing task is writing an essay in response to a problem or argument. Here are 10 easy steps, with lots of tips, to guide you on how to write high-scoring essays.

How is the IELTS essay component marked?

Fairness and accuracy are critically important when marking IELTS writing tasks. Your essay will be marked by at least two experienced IELTS examiners on the following criteria:

Task response - Whether you answered the question fully and supported your answer well.

Coherence and cohesion - How well you linked your ideas together.

Lexical resource - Whether you used a wide range of vocabulary correctly and appropriately.

Grammatical range and accuracy - How many grammatical structures you used accurately and appropriately.

Each of these criteria is worth 25 percent of your total score for the essay writing task. Both of your writing tasks are used to calculate your overall writing band score.

How to write high-scoring essays in 10 easy steps

Step one: Plan your time

The Writing test (consisting of Writing tasks 1 and 2) takes approximately 60 minutes. Plan to spend around 20 minutes on your first task, and 40 minutes on your essay task. A sample plan for your time might be:

5 to 10 minutes reading the essay question and planning your answer

15 to 20 minutes writing your first draft

10 minutes proofreading and editing your essay

How to write a good introduction
Step two: Read the question

While you may be anxious to jump straight into writing, make sure you take the time to carefully read the essay question. If you misunderstand the question, you risk writing an essay that does not address the issues properly which will lower your score.
Top 10 podcasts to help you improve your English
Step three: Highlight the issues to address

There will be multiple issues that you will need to address in your essay. Addressing each issue individually is key to achieving a high essay score. Highlight each individual issue that you will need to address.
The A to Z of IELTS: E is for Essays
Step four: Outline your response

Create an outline of how you will respond to the issues in your essay. This will serve as your 'blueprint' when you write your first draft. As a general rule your essay should have:

An introduction stating what you will talk about

Two or three body paragraphs, each addressing one issue or idea

A conclusion summing up what was discussed in the essay

Make sure you note which idea or issue you will address in each paragraph. Check that the issues you highlighted are all accounted for in your outline.

Step five: Expand on your ideas

Write some notes about any key points or ideas you'd like to include in each paragraph. When you're writing your first draft, these notes will help to make sure you don't forget any ideas you want to include.
Mind maps to build your vocabulary resource for IELTS
Step six: Plan how you will connect your ideas

Connecting your ideas clearly and correctly is critical to achieving a high essay score. Try to use a range of linking words to make your essay easy to read. You can use connecting devices and phrases to:

List connected ideas

'Firstly, secondly, thirdly'

'Furthermore'

Provide more information

Compare ideas

'On the other hand'

'Alternatively'

'However'

Don't fall into the trap of trying to put a linking word in every sentence. Essays will score higher when the writer uses linking words only where necessary and appropriate.

Step seven: Write your first draft

Now that you've planned your essay, it's time to write your first draft. Follow the outline you've created and expand on the notes and ideas you included there.

Avoid informal language unless it is appropriate.

Avoid spelling and grammatical errors where possible.

Use a mix of sentence structures such as simple sentences, complex sentences and compound sentences.

How to boost your IELTS Writing score
Step eight: Proofread your essay

When you have completed the first draft of your essay, it's important to proofread it. Read your essay from start to finish.

You can read it silently, but it may help to read it out loud if you can do so without disturbing others. Make a mental note or mark your paper anywhere that you may need to fix an issue.
How to access FREE official IELTS mock tests
Step nine: Edit your essay

Carefully go through the issues you noted while proofreading. Edit or rewrite these until they look and sound correct. Examples of issues and how to edit them may include:

The sentence is too long. A sentence is probably too long if you need to take a breath in the middle of reading it. Try splitting this up into smaller sentences.

A sentence sounds strange when you read it out loud. Try using different words or punctuation until it sounds right. It may need to be connected to another sentence.

The same word appears many times. Think about any other words you could use instead.

There is more than one main idea in each paragraph. Move any unrelated sentences to the correct paragraph. Each paragraph should address one issue only.
IELTS Writing: How to organise your responses
Step 10: Proofread your essay again

After your edits and before submitting your essay, give it one final proofread. Make sure you have:

Included all the points you highlighted in step three

Followed your outline from step four

Used good connecting words from step six

Fixed any errors or issues in step nine

IELTS Writing: 8 steps towards a band 8
Why choose IELTS?

IELTS is widely recognised by businesses and universities globally, and is the only English language competency test approved by all four of the following countries:

With convenient computer and paper based test options, your IELTS test can be completed in a way that you're most comfortable with. If you're in a hurry, you could even have your test results back within two to five days!

Also, the IELTS Familiarisation test is designed to give test takers an idea of what to expect on the actual IELTS test. It includes sample questions from different part of the test, such as Listening, Reading, and Writing. Set yourself up for success and explore our extensive library of preparation materials today.

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10 steps to writing high-scoring IELTS essays

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Whether you take the General Training or Academic IELTS test, the second writing task is writing an essay in response to a problem or argument. Here are 10 easy steps, with lots of tips, to guide you on how to write high-scoring essays. Fairness and accuracy are critically important when marking IELTS writing tasks.

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10 tips for plan questions in IELTS Listening

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10 tips for plan questions in IELTS Listening

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10 tips for answering map or plan questions in IELTS Listening

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You may need help following the directions or description you hear when answering map or plan questions in Part 2 of the IELTS Listening test.

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IELTS teachers have an important role to play in preparing students for their test. Below you’ll find information on teaching, resources, and opportunities designed for both new and existing teachers alike.

Learn more about IELTS, access resources to help you with test preparation, and find out about professional development opportunities.

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UK Visas and Immigration for visas that are for the ‘family of a settled person’

For level A1, test takers will be expected to:

listen and respond to spoken language, including simple narratives, statements, questions and single-step instructions

communicate basic information, feelings and opinions on familiar topics

talk with another person in a familiar situation about familiar topics.

Tasks may include:

describing

giving opinions

giving personal information

stating preferences

commenting

asking for information or descriptions

agreeing and disagreeing

explaining, giving reasons or justifying

deciding

suggesting

selecting.

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Applicants will take the test with an examiner, and with one other test taker.

The tasks in IELTS Life Skills are designed to reflect the everyday experience of communicating in an English-speaking country. Test takers will be expected to take part in short discussions on everyday subjects including:

personal details/experiences

family and friends

buying goods

work

health

leisure

education/training

transport

housing

weather.

There are three available levels of the test, assessed at the levels of the CEFR.

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Canadian language expert wins IELTS research award

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Canadian language expert wins IELTS research award

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Juliana Bahia, Head of the Foreign Language Evaluation Unit of the Canadian Foreign Service Institute, has won the Caroline Clapham IELTS Master’s Award 2022, sponsored by the IELTS Partners.

Bahia’s dissertation ‘An investigation of a speaking rating scale developed for the revised Interagency Language Roundtable framework’ focuses on a prototype of a speaking rating scale based on the ILR framework - a language training, testing and policy benchmark used in government contexts.

Bahia has been working in the area of language proficiency testing for Canadian diplomatic staff for several years. Her research interests include rating scale development, speaking proficiency assessment, and evaluator professional development. She obtained her Masters in Language Assessment from Lancaster University in 2021.

The results of Bahia’s research have the potential to make a significant contribution to the important area of how to translate the principles of assessment frameworks into practice.

The Caroline Clapham Master’s Award is given every year and is funded by the IELTS Partners British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English.

Find out more about the Caroline Clapham IELTS Master’s Award.

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The IELTS Partners work together to deliver world-class English language testing based on decades' worth of expertise in the field. We offer several awards and scholarships to show our commitment to supporting the individuals and organisations doing good work in the sector.

Find out more about our awards and consider applying or nominating someone for an award via the following schemes:

Caroline Clapham IELTS Masters Award

IELTS Morgan Terry Memorial IATEFL Scholarship

IELTS USA Andrea Scott International Graduate Scholarship

IELTS USA Best Practices Award

English Australia IELTS Award for Academic Leadership.

Caroline Clapham IELTS Masters Award

The Caroline Clapham IELTS Masters Award is a £1000 prize awarded annually to the Master's-level dissertation or thesis in English that makes the most significant contribution to the field of language testing.

Submissions must be for a dissertation or thesis written in partial or total fulfilment of a Master's degree or its equivalent. A letter of support from your academic supervisor is a requirement for applying. The work should focus on language testing but does not have to include IELTS.

Theses submitted in one calendar year may be submitted for this award the following year.

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We know how important your test is, and that is why we're here to help you get the result you deserve. From apps and webinars to training courses and practice tests, IELTS official resources can help you prepare for your success.

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Improve your performance

Progress Check is the official preparation tool for IELTS tests. Online practice tests give you the opportunity to check your progress and boost your confidence ahead of your actual test, giving you the best possible chance of success.

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IELTS can help you to work, study or move abroad and make your dreams a reality.

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IELTS can help you to work, study or move abroad and make your dreams a reality.

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Moving to a new country

If you're looking to emigrate, an IELTS test score will put you on the right path to getting your visa. Score requirements are different from country to country and may depend on the visa that you are applying for.

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Millions of students study abroad every year. If you want to study in an English-speaking country such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, or the USA, IELTS could be the key to your future.

Gain valuable experience, attend world-class institutions, and boost your chances of employment by studying abroad.

Our IELTS Academic tests are recognised by over 11500 colleges, universities and professional bodies, including those in non-English-speaking countries where courses are taught in English.

We make it easy for you to share your test results with the institutions you've applied to so you can secure your place and future success.

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Having an IELTS score may be necessary for registration with professional bodies in sectors where English-language competence is critical to the work.

Many professional registration bodies representing healthcare accept IELTS and they cover jobs in nursing, medicine, and pharmacy. Required proficiency levels vary between organisations and professions, by country and by jurisdiction. It is up to individual professional registration bodies to determine the IELTS band score and test type (Academic or General Training) they require.

Other professional bodies that may require an IELTS result include those in accounting, engineering, law and veterinary practice. Employers in finance, government, construction, energy, aviation and tourism may also require IELTS.

Find out which professional bodies accept IELTS

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IELTS is the world’s number one English language test. For more than 30 years we have set the standard for testing, helping millions of test takers and thousands of organisations to get results they can trust.

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IELTS is the world's most popular test for verifying English language ability. If you work in an English-speaking country, use English with international colleagues, or teach courses in English, IELTS sets you and your team up for success.

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Organisations that accept IELTS are given complimentary access to the IELTS Results Verification Service. Secure, free, and simple to use, it helps to ensure the accuracy and validity of applications.

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First, spend some time watching yourself in situations where you’re confident and relaxed. At dinner with your family, perhaps, or chatting online with a friend. How do you sit? What position is natural for your feet? What do you usually do with your hands? How do you hold your shoulders and your head? How long do you usually hold eye contact? Where do you look when you break eye contact naturally? Do you smile? It is really important to find out what your body language is like when you’re confident and relaxed because you’re not trying to fake being someone else during the exam, you’re trying to fake a confident, relaxed you.

Having said that, if you’re often told that you need to speak up, try sitting up taller. People who sit more upright tend to speak more clearly and seem more confident than people who slouch. This is because when we hunch, we don’t get enough air to project our words clearly to our listeners.