4 skills:

UK exam

Academic and general versions

Academic version is more common in Vietnam

Overall score and each skill: Bands 0-9

IELTS

Same for academic and general versions

About 30 minutes then 10 minutes to transfer answers

4 sections / 40 questions

Sections 1-2: General topics

Sections 3-4: Academic topics

Sections 1+3: Conversations

Sections 2+4: Monologues

Variety of question types (e.g. multiple choice, sentence

and note completion, and labeling diagrams)

IELTS – Listening

1. Question order matches dialogue progression

2. Variety of accents

Be familiar with non-US pronunciation and vocabulary

3. Sentence completion questions

Answers must make sentences grammatically correct

4. Non-sentence gap-fill questions (e.g. notes)

Grammar does not matter

(e.g. ‘car’ and ‘a car’ are both correct)

IELTS – Listening Tips

5. Number answers as figures or words

(e.g. 500, 5 hundred or five hundred)

6. Read the instructions carefully

(e.g. ‘Use no more than two words’ = 1-2 words

so three-word answer is incorrect)

7. Check spellings

‘Correct’ answers spelled incorrectly are incorrect

IELTS – Listening Tips

Different texts for academic and general versions

60 minutes / 3 texts / 40 questions

Variety of question types (e.g. multiple choice, sentence

and note completion, matching headings, ‘true-false-not

given’, and labeling diagrams)

IELTS – Reading

1. Time management

40 questions in one hour = 1.5 minutes per question

2. Not sure then eliminate answers before guessing

Random guess with four choices = 25% chance

Guess with two choices eliminated = 50% chance

3. Look for words or phrases in the text with the same

meaning as in the questions

(e.g. 1985 = the mid-1980s)

IELTS – Reading

4. Skim

Read quickly for main idea and paragraph topics

5. Scan

Look for key words or phrases

(e.g. a person’s name or a date)

IELTS – Reading Tips

Same for academic and general versions

Face-to-face exam with an IELTS examiner

11-14 minutes / 3 parts

No choice of questions

Part 1

4-5 minutes

Questions about familiar topics

(e.g. your country or home town, family, jobs or hobbies)

Can’t read the questions

IELTS – Speaking

Part 2

3-4 minutes

Can read the questions

1 minute to prepare by making notes

1-2 minutes to speak about the topic

Part 3

4-5 minutes

More difficult questions which are related to part 2

Can’t read the questions

IELTS – Speaking

1. Give reasons, details and examples (think ‘why?’)

2. Answer the question asked, not a similar question

3. Don’t memorize answers

Topics can’t be predicted

Unnatural style

Examiner may ask another question if a candidate

gives an obviously prepared speech

IELTS – Speaking Tips

4. Choose less common answers to interest the

examiner

(e.g. an unusual hobby rather than listening to music)

5. Think before answering

Use phrases such as:

“That’s an interesting question.”

“Let me think about that for a moment.”

“I’ve never thought about that before, but…”

IELTS – Speaking Tips

Different for academic and general versions

60 minutes

No choice of questions

Handwritten essays

2 tasks

IELTS – Writing

Task 1

About 20 minutes / At least 150 words

Academic version:

Describe a graph, chart, table, process, diagram or map

General version: Write a letter about a given situation

Task 2

About 40 minutes / At least 250 words

Both versions: Write a discursive essay on a given topic

IELTS – Writing

1. Task 2 is worth twice as much as task 1

Don’t spend too long on task 1

2. Score penalty if less than the minimum word limit

3. Simple ideas with clear English

Not complex ideas with overly complicated English

4. Task 1: Must have an overview of the main features

5. Task 1: No opinions

IELTS – Writing Tips

6. Task 2: Answer the question, not a similar question

7. Either UK or US spellings and vocabulary

Don’t use a mixture

8. Don’t use memorized sentences

May be ignored by the examiner

May be unsuitable for the question

9. Paraphrase the question

Don’t copy from the question

IELTS – Writing Tips

OXFORD ENGLISH UK VIETNAM

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT US AT:

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