When it comes to studying abroad, Canada is one of the best countries according to a survey done in 2017 by International Students Admission Service (ISAS). Getting to a reputed college or university is a task in itself and one has to score well in IELTS to achieve that. Most of the colleges in Canada require an English proficiency exam, particularly IELTS.
How much one scores in IELTS Academic test will determine the institution one will get admission to. In 2019, more than 3,00,000 immigrants moved to Canada. There are different IELTS score requirements for different institutes.
IELTS Examination:
There are two types of examinations: IELTS General and IELTS Academic. In both of these exams, Listening and Speaking tests are the same but Reading and Writing Tests are different.
It is important for a candidate to prepare for the right exam if he/she wants to get the desired result. Ones who are aiming to get into the Canadian Universities need to prepare for the IELTS Academic as IELTS General is for the ones aiming for permanent residency (PR).
3 tests are to be taken on the same day, which are Listening, Reading, and Writing. Speaking test usually happens a week after or before the written exam.
IELTS Listening:
This is the first test that one has to go through after appearing for the written test. The candidate is provided with a headphone which is tested by the candidate before the commencement of the exam.
There are four parts of this test with 10 questions each. The candidate can write on the question paper while the audio is being played. The candidate is given time to read the section before the recording starts and one can mark important names, dates, etc.
The listening test consists of 40 questions for which approximately 30 minutes are given with 10 minutes for transferring the answers to the answer sheet. Question types include multiple-choice, summary completion, diagram labelling, matching, sentence completion, etc.
IELTS Academic Reading:
This is the second test that comes after the listening part. 40 questions are to be answered in 60 minutes. Reading test includes question types such as summary completion, diagram label completion, matching sentence endings, finding the information, short- answer questions, multiple-choice, table completion, etc.
The candidate is tested on many reading skills such as logical reasoning, verbal ability, getting the main idea from the text, skimming, scanning, etc. Candidates must keep in mind to write the answers against the appropriate question as many candidates tend to get this done wrong.
IELTS Academic Writing:
There are 2 tasks for which a candidate is tested in this part. Task 1 can have question types with diagrams, charts, tables, etc., and are asked to interpret the information in the candidate’s own words. In Task 2, the candidate has to write an essay with either argument, viewpoints, suggestions, advantages, disadvantages, merits, etc. as is asked in the task.
The total time given for this test is 60 minutes. It is recommended to spend around 20 minutes on the 1st task and 40 minutes on the 2nd task. One has to write at least 250 words in 20 minutes for Task 1 whereas 250 words in 40 minutes for Task 2.
IELTS Speaking:
The candidate has to go through 3 parts in this test. In the 1st part, one is asked general questions regarding work, studies, home, surroundings, family, and hobbies. In part 2, a card with a particular topic is provided to the candidate. With a minute to prepare for the topic, the Candidate has to speak for 1-2 minutes till interrupted by the examiner.
Follow-up questions are asked by the examiner on the same topic. After this, in the 3rd part, the candidate is asked about some abstract ideas, topics, and issues. The whole duration of the speaking test lasts from 15 minutes to 15 minutes. This test is the same for IELTS Academic as well as IELTS General.
