IELTS CERTIFICATION - Exams, preparation, dates and prices

IELTS Certification and Its History at a Glance

The IETLS certification was originally called the English Language Testing Service (ELTS) and was launched in 1980 by Cambridge English Language Assessment (formerly known as UCLES) and the British Council. From the beginning, it featured an original format that reflected changes in the teaching and learning of the English language. It reflected the growth of communicative language teaching and English for Specific Purposes. Individual test questions were designed to reflect the demands of real-world English use.

During the 1980s, candidate numbers were very low (around 4,000 in 1981 and 10,000 in 1985) due to problems in the administration of the whole test. For this reason, the ELTS Revision Project was created to modify the testing and improve its administration. The International Development Program of Australian Universities and Colleges (IDP), now known as IDP: IELTS Australia, was invited to join with Cambridge English Language Assessment and the British Council.

IELTS Certification Growth

IELTS certification has been in the making since 1980. Back then, candidates took 2 non-specialised modules, Listening and Speaking, and 2 specialised modules, Reading and Writing. Individual candidate numbers have grown at an average of 15% per year and in 1995 IELTS was taken by 43,000 candidates at 210 test centres around the world.

Characteristics of IELTS Today: IELTS AC/GT

The IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests are designed to cover a wide range of language skills from beginners to experts in the English language. The Academic version is for candidates who have chosen to study a tertiary level education in an English-speaking country or need to gain confirmation of their professional language skills. The General Training version is for candidates who have decided to work, train and study at a secondary level of education, work for international companies or migrate to an English-speaking country.

The difference between the Academic and General Training versions is in the content and the purpose of each task. All other features such as timing, length of written answers and assessments remain the same.

Common Features of IELTS Academic and General Training

• One Academic Reading module and one Academic Writing module have been set (previously candidates chose from 3 specific Reading and Writing modules).
• The thematic link between the Reading and Writing tasks has been removed to avoid confusing the assessment of reading and writing skills.
• General Training Reading and Writing modules have been merged with Academic Reading and Writing (same timing, length of response, assessments).
• In 2001 (modified Speaking Test) and in 2005 (new assessment rules for the Writing Test) new modifications came into force.

Characteristics of IELTS Academic and General Training

• The IELTS certification tests your ability to listen, read, write and speak English.
• The Speaking Part is a key component of IELTS. Speaking is conducted as a one-to-one conversation with an assessor. The assessor evaluates your speaking ability during your interview. The interview is recorded for follow-up or as evidence in your appeal of your exam result.
• The testing includes and accepts many writing styles as well as accents in order to minimize language bias. 80% are accents from the UK, AUS and NZL and 20% are other CAN and USA accents.
• IELTS was developed by the experts at Cambridge English Language Assessment in collaboration with experts from around the world. Individual experts are from countries such as USA, UK, AUS, NZL, CAN and other English speaking countries.
• The final score is determined as a total score as well as sub-scores for each module (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking).