Need to complete IELTS to get your registration in another country?
When booking in for an IELTS test date, all sorts of
questions will be running through your head. Here is an overview of
the process, from booking and applying for a test date, awaiting
confirmation of this test date, studying for the test, and sitting
and obtaining the results, where we will attempt to clarify some of
the questions you may have.
Booking, Applying, and Awaiting Confirmation of
Test Date
This process is quite simple. You print the application form
from online and fill this in; before you submit the application
form you will need to include a photocopy of your passport or
national identity card, and two passport sized photographs. Your
passport or national identity card must also be taken with you to
the test and presented on the day.
Note: on the application form you can request
for a set of the IELTS test results to be posted directly to the
nursing board.
Once you have found the next two available test dates (if one
fills up you will be booked into the next date) for the
academic IELTS at the test centre closest
to where you live, you will need to fill this in on the application
form. Then you can either drop the application in person to the
IELTS test centre (we suggest you do this), or post the application
to the IELTS test centre.
Confirmation of the IELTS test date is then posted out within a
few days later.
Studying for the test
It is quite easy to go online and find a copy of the IELTS
practice booklet, which can either be purchased from the official
IELTS website, or through an alternative book supplier. This is
delivered quickly.
There are a lot of online links to IELTS practice websites which
your Geneva Health consultant can provide, you can also loan IELTS
practice materials from your city library.
It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to study for
the test, even one week is enough time. It is a good idea to test
yourself at the beginning to see what your strengths and weaknesses
are, and then practice all four components but give more weight to
the areas you need to focus on.
It is truly helpful to grasp an understanding of how each
component of the test is marked, and how to gain at least a score
of seven in each component; this is outlined in the IELTS practice
booklet. There are answers in the back of the book for marking,
which are helpful to look at to judge how you are progressing.
It is very beneficial to practice mainly the reading and writing
parts, as the questions and layout for each component are
very similar to the test, so if you are
aware of the types of questions you will be asked on the day this
will really help.
The biggest piece of advice that we can offered is to practice
each component with a stop watch! It is quite easy to correctly
complete the test untimed, but with the added pressure of a time
limit this changes everything. If you go over the suggested time
for a section of one of the four components then you loose out on
time for the next section. This creates panic and it would be
incredibly hard especially in the reading component to read a
passage and fully take this in, or for the writing component to
write about a topic without thinking this through thoroughly.
About attending the test
A week before your test date, the IELTS test centre will send
out a letter advising when your speaking component and then the
listening, reading, and writing components will take place and
where.
The test format comprises speaking separately either in the
morning or afternoon, and then the listening, reading, and writing
are all done together.
The examiners explain the test very clearly, they notify you of
the time as you go, and they stress that correct
spelling is an essential part of the
assessment, this along with grammar, and answering every question
possible. They advise if you run out of time, to guess answers
rather than write nothing, as you do not get marked down for giving
a wrong answer.
Speaking
This part goes for 15 minutes, where you sit opposite the
examiner in an interview type setting. This involves some two way
conversation and discussion; you are also asked questions where you
should give a concise response. In one part you are required to
give an impromptu 1 - 2 minute speech on a given topic, you have 1
minute to write some notes about this.
Listening
In this part, you are given a question booklet and an answer
sheet to transfer your answers to at the end. A tape is played
which goes for approximately 30 minutes. You get time to read
through the questions first, and then you write your answers as you
listen to the tape being played. At the end of the whole tape you
are given time to transfer your answer onto the answer sheet, then
the question/working out booklet and answer sheet are both handed
in, so the marker can refer to your working if need be.
Reading
The reading part of the test takes 60 minutes in total, there
are three sections of the test which are given equal weight, and
you have 20 minutes for each part. The examiner advises when the 20
minutes are up and that it's time to move on. It is extremely
important to stick to the suggested time frames, so that you do not
drag behind. As by doing this you will end up under a lot of
pressure, and not being able to concentrate on reading the passage
and taking in this information.
The test involves a mixture of; multi-choice answers, one to
three worded answers, matching a summary to each paragraph of the
reading passage, and answering true, false, or not given questions.
Most of the questions require you to look back over the passage
which can be timely, so you have to ensure you keep the pace
going!
If you have done the practice tests with a stop watch then this
should not be as hard, this especially being that you are aware of
the types of questions that you will be asked.
Writing
The writing part of the test takes 60 minutes also; there are
two parts to the test. The first part takes 20 minutes and is worth
less than the second part of the test. You get marked down for
going under or over the work count so this needs to be double
checked. Your points have to be quite specific, and it's important
to create a flow throughout the writing.
The first part involves analyzing a graph/table of data and
summarizing this in 150 words by writing about main features and
making relevant comparisons. It is important to try to incorporate
numerical data when speaking about the graph. From practicing it is
clear to see that this part of this test would be hard, it's quite
boring and is difficult to stay stimulated, you spend half your
time trying to understand what the graph/table is telling you. You
go through the process of identifying the main points of the
graph/table, and structuring an essay about this.
The second part of the test is 40 minutes and is given more
weight than the first part of the test, you are given an essay
topic usually with a clear opinion, where you are then required to
discuss this topic in 250 words and formulate your own opinion. For
this you had to critically analyze the topic from all points of
view, so that the marker can see what thought process you went
through to develop this certain opinion.
Awaiting test results
Test results are available 13 days after the test is sat, if the
results are not picked up from the test centre on this day then
this will be automatically posted out the next day, and will take a
few days to arrive. We suggest that you pick the IELTS test results
up on the day, to prevent future delays with postage. If requested
the results will be sent after 13 days to the nursing
board.
Important advice for passing the
test
Note: for those with English as a
first language you do still need to practice,
especially to get use to the time pressure of the test. For those
with English as a second language, you will
definitely require more practice. This should be
fresh in the minds of those who have learnt the English language
recently and appropriately.
With timed practice and striving to go the extra mile a score of
seven in each of the four categories should be achievable, as the
IELTS is merely testing the fundamentals of the English language
and putting these into practice.
Speaking
It's really important to speak clearly; without interruptions
and slang, with confidence and to choose a speech topic you know a
lot about, and can speak fluently about for the time required. Make
sure you avoid repeating yourself, and use a wide range of
vocabulary and sentence structures.
Listening
For this part of the test the main suggestion is that you must
concentrate. Do not spend time answering a previous question when
the tape is playing with answers for later questions. The tape is
only played once so if you do not hear the answer the first time
this is too bad.
Reading
This is regarded as one of the most difficult parts of the test,
where many test takers run out of time and do not get to finish
reading a passage or answering all questions. This comes down to
practice and time management, you cannot spend enough time reading
passages and practicing answering the questions prior to sitting
the test, and it's very important to time this practice.
Test takers should read over the passage to take in the details
but also doing this at a quick pace, by not wasting too much time
reading the passage word for word, as no matter what you need to
look back over the passage for the answers. The questions get
progressively harder.
Writing
It is important to practice interpreting the graphs/tables and
writing a short essay response of 150 words, although this part can
seem tedious and boring to practice, it still should be practiced.
You really need to have a quick look at this to identify main
features then decide on a few key points you wish to write about,
and structure an essay accordingly.
For the second part it is about critical analyses through
pulling apart the question and looking at the different points of
view, to develop a personal opinion. Ensure the whole question is
answered, and not just part of this. The word limit is tight so
points of discussion need to be short and valid, and specific as
there is no time for waffling!
Also take a look at these frequently asked
questions!