Your IELTS test will be reviewed by several examiners. This is to ensure that the standard and criteria for checking and fairness in marking remains consistent all over the world, no matter where you give your test.
There are four categories that you are tested on: reading, writing, listening and speaking. You are given a band score within a range of 9 (Expert User) to 0 (Did not attempt the test) for each category.
The following is an explanation of how each category is marked:
Writing
Your writing will be evaluated on four criteria:
- Task Achievement: This measures how well you complete the task and whether you are able to answer the question with relevant and well-supported ideas.
- Coherence and Cohesion: This is to see if you are able to use information and ideas in a logical sequence. It measures how you manage the aspects of cohesion as well as the use of paragraphs appropriately with a central idea.
- Lexical Resource: This is to gauge the skill of your vocabulary and to see if you demonstrate the ability to use words fluently and flexibly to convey precise meanings. Attention is also given to errors in spelling and word formation.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Speaking
You will have to converse with an examiner who will then grade your speaking skills with the following criteria:
- Fluency and Coherence: This is a measure of how confident and fluent you are. Repetition and self-correction are noted.
- Lexical Resource: The examiner monitors the use of vocabulary and diction.
- Pronunciation: This is a test of how well you pronounce words and how easy is it to follow your conversation.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Reading
You will have to answer 40 questions. A variety of types of questions are used, such as fill in the blanks, true or false, matching, complete the sentence, and multiple choice. Your answer is either right or wrong, with one mark for every correct answer. A table has guidelines how your score out of 40 equates to the band score for this category.
Listening
You will have to answer 40 questions after listening to an audio. The answer is either right or wrong, and you will get one mark for every correct answer. The total is tallied, and a band score is determined.
Overall Band Score
An average score is calculated using the scores you obtained in each category, rounded to the nearest whole or half band. This is called the Overall Band Score, which also ranges from 9 to 0. If the average of the four categories ends in .25, the Overall Band Score is rounded up to the next half band, but if it ends in .75, the Overall Band Score is rounded up to the next whole band. If the average ends with a value below .25 or .75, the overall score is rounded down.
At the end of the day, there isn’t a passing or failing mark for IELTS. Your scores will be submitted to an institution of your choice to gauge your performance compared to that of international standards.
