All About IELTS | Western Overseas

India is a developing country putting down its roots everywhere in the world—the new generation in India is showing the best performances at the international level. There is an increasing surge in the popularity of IELTS among students, and every year, more than 2.9 million people appear in the test. Students who take the IELTS exam have many opportunities to study in English-speaking countries because numerous academic institutions in Australia, the UK, the USA, Canada, Europe, Germany, China, and New Zealand widely accept it. So, students eager to go abroad to pursue further studies must come in contact with Western Overseas, the fastest-growing international IELTS coaching center. Before letting all of you know about our educational firm, let's have some idea about the IELTS examination.

IELTS Recognition

IELTS, a short variant of the International English Language Testing System, was established in 1980 by the Cambridge English Language Assessment. During that time, fewer students took the exam due to its unpopularity. Because of that, a revision project started to increase the acceptance of the test. In this initiation, a reputed international body, the International Development Program of Australian Universities and Colleges (IDP), shook hands with Cambridge English Language Assessment and the British Council. Since then, the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English have regulated and operated the exam internationally.  

IELTS Categories

Early, there were specific categories for the test. But when revised in 1995, two categories came into existence that are:

1. IELTS Academic: IELTS Academic is developed for people who desire to enlist in universities and other higher education institutions and for professionals such as medical doctors and nurses who want to study or practice in an English-speaking country.

2. General training IELTS: IELTS General Training is developed for those intending to take non-academic training, get work experience, or for immigration reasons.

IELTS Modes

As we all know, the time has changed, and the internet has dwelt everywhere. The IELTS authority launched a new version of IELTS (computer-delivered IELTS) to meet high-tech standards. Every IELTS coaching center suggests choosing the proper exam mode to have the convenience of taking the exam. So now there are two categories for IELTS named as

1. Paper-Based IELTS: In the paper-based exam, students are provided pen and paper to take the exam, which is a traditional means of exam taking.

2. CD-IELTS: In the computer-delivered format, students take the listening, reading, and writing modules on a computer. The speaking module is face-to-face for both types of tests.

Purposes of the IELTS Exam

IELTS assesses a candidate's English communication proficiency, quality, and integrity. The IELTS test is a highly dependable, practical, and valid English language assessment primarily used by those seeking international education, professional recognition, bench-marking to international standards, global mobility, etc. The IELTS test is conducted to test the ability of a student to pursue a course offered in the English language in a non-native country. Most universities in the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand prefer the IELTS test report as mandatory proof of English proficiency in admission. The score you need to obtain in IELTS to clear the admissions eligibility criteria may vary according to your chosen course, university, or destination. The best IELTS coaching center is where students have the support to know about a particular university's IELTS requirements so that they can be prepared accordingly.

IELTS Highlights

  • Both versions of IELTS incorporate the following common characteristics that a student should know about:

  • IELTS includes four modules (Listening, reading, writing, and speaking) used to measure an aspirant's English expertise.

  • The IELTS exam is conducted 48 times a year. IELTS Academic is available 48 times, and IELTS General 24 times a year. To make it more convenient and flexible, Saturday and Thursday are the fixed days for the exam.

  • Listening, reading, and writing modules are held on the same day, while the speaking module is conducted seven days prior or post.

  • Students aged 16 or above are eligible to take the test as per guidelines by IDP.

  • Candidates who wish to do higher studies or have an interest in working in foreign countries can take the exam.  

  • Students can book the exam online at IDP's official website, "ieltsidpindia.com," by creating an account. Once the account is created, one can book the exam at the preferred location.

  • The IELTS examination fee is Rs. 15500 in India. It is the same for all types of IELTS.

  • IELTS score is evaluated based on the bands students get in all four modules. Then, the overall score is given between 1 and 9 bands.

  • Students get the result within 13 working days for paper-based exams and 3-5 working days for Computer-delivered exams. Students receive the mail from the official website when the result is available online. You need to log in to your account for the obtained bands.

  • The exam takes 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete.

  • Students get a score out of 9 bands. 9 Bands signify expert user, and one band means non-user.

  • The validity of the IELTS result is up to 2 years. So make sure to apply for the visa within that time.

  • There is no limit to attempting the exam. So you can take the exam till you get your desired score.

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IELTS modules

Students considering taking the IELTS exam must be aware of the four modules of the IELTS exam. Listening and speaking modules are the same for IELTS academic and IELTS general. The only difference lies in the reading and writing module format. A good IELTS coaching center always gives students an idea about the difference between the two types. So, Let's discuss them in-depth today.

1. Listening

  • The listening module is a task of 30 minutes, with an extra 10 minutes provided to transfer the answer to the answer sheet.

  • Four recordings are provided to measure the listening skills of a student. Recording1 includes a two-person conversation based on the everyday social situation, Recording2 has a monologue on social context, Recording3 contains a conversation among four persons based on education or training environment, and recording4 comprises a monologue on an academic topic.

  • For each video, ten questions are asked, each with one mark for the correct answer. The total number of questions asked is 40.

  • Questions are asked in the sequence as the videos run to let students find the answer at the time they heard the information. Students are allowed to hear videos only once. So, make sure to listen to the content carefully. A wide range of conversational accents is included to check the students' expertise in English.

  • The module asks Various questions involving MCQs, matching, plan/map/diagram labeling, form/note/table/flowchart/summary completion, and sentence completion.

  • Marking criteria are based on the number of correct answers. A student can get a maximum of 40 marks and a minimum of 0. According to the obtained marks, bands are given to the students through the band conversion table below.

Correct Answer Band Score
39-40 9
37-38 8.5
35-36 8
32-34 7.5
30-31 7
26-29 6.5
23-25 6
18-22 5.5
16-17 5
13-15 4.5
11-12 4

2(i). Reading(Academic)

This module is considered the toughest, so students always choose a trusted IELTS coaching center to be good at the module. Find out the element of the reading module that puts students in trouble.  

  • The module takes 60 minutes to end. And 40 questions are asked to calculate the students' English reading skills. No extra time is provided for the answer transfer.

  • Three texts range from descriptive and date-oriented to discursive and systematic. Texts are taken from general books, newspapers, magazines, and journals. The paragraphs are general readings that are written for non-technical aspirants.

  • Questions types include MCQs, finding information, detecting the writer's views/claims, matching the information, matching the headings, matching features, matching the sentence endings, completing the sentence, completing the summary, completion of note, completion of a table, completing a flowchart, diagram-label completion, and short-questions-answers.

  • Each question carries one mark, and students get one mark for the correct answer. There is no negative marking for a wrong question.

  • A student's reading score is equivalent to the number of correct answers. Then, the score is converted to bands through the band conversion table, as mentioned below.

Correct Answer Band Score
40-39 9
38-37 8.5
36-35 8
34-33 7.5
32-30 7
29-27 6.5
26-23 6
22-19 5.5
18-15 5
14-13 4.5
12-10 4
9-8 3.5
7-6 3
5-4 2.5

2(ii). Reading(General)

  • There are only three differences between IELTS academic and IELTS general. The first difference is that the texts provided in the modules are taken from advertisements, booklets, leaflets, manuals, notices, newspapers, and magazines.

  • All three texts contain content related to daily life, incidents, work, and interest.

  • The band conversion table for this module is given below.

Correct Answer Band Score
40 9
39 8.5
37-38 8
36 7.5
34-35 7
32-33 6.5
30-31 6
27-29 5.5
23-26 5
19-22 4.5
15-18 4
12-14 3.5
9-11 3
6-8 2.5

3(i). Writing(Academic)

The writing module demands students' command over the language. Students looking to improve their writing skills must enroll in a good IELTS coaching center familiar with the module's below-mentioned specifics.  

  • The IELTS writing module takes 60 minutes to finish and includes two tasks to work on.

  • Task 1 presents visual information in the form of facts and figures that may include a table, graph, diagram, or chart, and test takers are asked to describe it in their own words. Students need to express the information in 150 words, and 20 minutes are given for this task.

  • Task 2 is to write an essay for the given point of view, argument, or problem. The style of writing is entirely personal. The word limit for the writing is 250, and students have the time of 40 minutes to finish the writing.

  • Students' score is calculated based on four criteria that are

    • Task achievement: It evaluates the task 1 response and measures how suitably, precisely, and aptly the given statistics are converted into the written form.

    • Task Response: It evaluates task 2 and examines how test takers formulate the given statement. The writing should include proofs and own experience examples to support the written content. Writing under 250 words is penalized, so meet the word limit standards.

    • Coherence and cohesion: The purpose of this parameter is to measure the clarity and fluency of written stuff, how it is organized, and how well it links the information, ideas, and language. Coherence means linking ideas through logical sequencing, and cohesion refers to using logical connectors, pronouns, and conjunctions effectively.

    • Lexical resource: Lexical resource examines the wide use of vocabulary in writing per the context of the situation.  

    • Grammatical range and accuracy: It manifests the test takes efficiency to use grammar in the writing in a correct manner.

3(ii). Writing(General)

  • There are only two differences between the IELTS academic and IELTS general. First, task 1 is to write a letter explaining the condition according to the situation presented to the students. The letter can be in a semi-formal, formal, or personal writing style. The word limit for the letter is 150. Students need to complete the task in 20 minutes.

  • The second one is about the task achievement parameter. It evaluates the task 1 response and measures how suitably, precisely, and aptly the written letter meets the set requirements within the limit of 150 words.

4. Speaking

Students' speaking skills help them score good bands in the exam. An expert IELTS coaching center encourages students to get involved in speaking activities. Discover the particulars this module involves and what are the evaluation measures.  

  • This task is to evaluate the speaking skills of the students. It is divided into three parts. The time duration for this module is between 11-14 minutes.

  • Part 1, Introduction and Interview, included asking students for personal information. The examiner also introduces himself in the same part and checks the students' identification. Personal information contains questions about the familiar topic, such as name, hometown, work, studies, and hobbies. 4-5 minutes are taken to complete this part.

  • Part 2, also called the long turn part, involves test takers talking about a particular topic from the cue card given by the examiner. One minute is provided to prepare for the speech with a pen and paper to make rough notes. Test takers are to speak for 1-2 minutes. This part is completed in 3-4 minutes.

  • Part 3, the discussion, involves a short conversation on the cue-card topic between a test taker and examiner for 4-5 minutes. Students need to justify the given reasons and opinions in their speech.

  • This module makes criteria based on the four fundamental parameters that are

    • Fluency and coherence: It involves examining the fluency and coherence of test-takers in speaking. How well, fluent, and effortlessly a student can speak signifies a strong command over the language.

    • Lexical resource: It involves the use of vocabulary in conversations. How well a student brings words into the speech signifies the Lexical caliber.

    • Grammatical range and accuracy: It examines the use of grammar in speaking. How correctly and accurately students use grammar in conversations signifies a solid grammatical grip.

    • Pronunciation: It plays an essential part in the evaluation criteria. Correct pronunciation of words always brings good scores in the speaking module.

Western Overseas (Top IELTS Coaching Center)

Starting the journey in 2004, Western Overseas has become a well-known name in IELTS coaching and Visa Consultants, providing students with professional guidance to study abroad. Also, at Western Overseas, we are constantly conducting regular training programs for our students to enhance their ability in all four aspects of communication: Reading, Writing, Listening, and speaking. And with our best preparation, we ensure success in the IELTS test. Western Overseas, which enjoys a leadership position in the English Language program and has been named the best IELTS coaching in Punjab and Haryana regions for 18 years, has now been announced by IDP-Australia as an award-winning IELTS coaching center for two consecutive years. This could be achieved only because of our exceptional training program and dedicated trainers.

Our AIM

Since our establishment in Ambala, we have made our business a big educational enterprise. Our best IELTS coaching centers in Chandigarh, Amritsar, Bathinda, Patiala, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, and Sonipat signify our tremendous work and extraordinary journey. We aim to generate more brilliant students every year, and our nine branches in the North region fulfill the purpose of educating upcoming stars. Faculty at the Western Overseas understands that every student is born with different attributes and needs different treatment. Keeping this in mind, Western Overseas offers different types of modules designed for different types of students. These modules focus on practical learning of the language and the weaknesses of Indian learners. Because of these dedicated services and many other qualities, we are honored to be a leading IELTS Institute in India.

  • We have a gold membership of the British Council IELTS Partnership Program.

  • We have won the Outstanding Performance Award from IDP for consecutive years.

  • We are the official Resource Partner of Cambridge University Press (Silver Partner)

  • We are an authorized IELTS enrolment center.

  • We have British Council and IDP-certified trainers

  • We have the latest and most updated curriculum

  • We provide Free Demo classes for first-time visitors

  • We offer Flexible Class timings

  • We have the highest success rate in the region

  • We offer special classes weekly for top tricks and tips for the IELTS

  • We provide early morning and late evening batches for working professionals

Western Overseas, apart from being the best IELTS coaching center, is also a member of the following:

  • CIEC – Canada India Education Council

  • IEAA – The International Education Association of Australia

  • ISANA – International Education Associations Inc.

  • EAIE – European Association for International Education

  • AAERI – Association of Australian Education Representatives in India

And we have certifications as

  • QEAC (Qualified Education Agent Counselor) – Australia

  • NZEA (New Zealand Educational Agent)

Western Overseas Products and Services

  • Study VISA

  • IELTS/ CD IELTS

  • PTE/TOEFL

  • UKVI IELTS/PTE

  • Online IELTS/PTE classes

  • CELPIP

  • OET

  • Reality test

  • WOSA career counsel

  • Psychometric test

  • SPOKEN ENGLISH Program

  • Personality development program

We are also known to be the inventor of advanced educational approaches that put us at the top of every student's list and crown us the best IELTS coaching center.

IELTS Reality Test in Punjab and Haryana

We are considered the pioneer of the IELTS reality test, which has brought a new surge among students. The main reason for laying its foundation is to encourage students during the IELTS training. During the preparation time, it becomes difficult for students to know the level of their studies, and they lose the right direction. Also, some students find themselves fully ready for the exam but cannot score well on the exam. To overshadow these problems, the IELTS reality test has been a boon for every student.

Students can evaluate themselves on taking the test and prepare for the final attempt. They also get to know their weaknesses and strong points. Accordingly, they can work on the flaws. The test is conducted throughout the year in the famous cities of Punjab and Haryana. Students need to visit the "ieltsrealitytest.com" portal for the bookings. The test is penny-worth as students can book the exam only at 699 at their pet location.

IELTS Coaching Fees

Our institution's IELTS programs are meant to help students in their studies at affordable rates. Students who come here for any IELTS query are always impressed by our low-budget IELTS training. So anyone looking for an IELTS coaching center nearby must consider us.

IELTS Online Coaching

Besides providing offline IELTS coaching, we also prepare students for the IELTS through online coaching facilities. Our IELTS online coaching programs have been making progress everywhere. We aim to favor students who don't have enough time to attend offline classes or have some personal reasons to overlook offline mode. So, what are you looking for? Just visit our "western-overseas.com/online-courses" portal and book IELTS online classes in a few steps.