All about IELTS

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test that measures the language proficiency of
people who want to study or work in environments where English is used as a language of communication.

It is a main requirement in Canada Express Entry immigration system and it is also one of the scoring factors in
Quebec Skilled Migrants/Permanent workers program.

Type of IELTS Exam:

1- General:
IELTS General Training focuses on basic survival skills in broad social and workplace contexts. It is
typically for those who are going to English-speaking countries to do secondary education, work
experience or training programs. People migrating to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK must
take the General Training test.

2- Academic:
IELTS Academic is for people planning to study in higher education or seeking professional registration.
It assesses whether you are ready to begin studying or training in an environment where English is the
language used.

Note:
The differences in test format between the IELTS General and the IELTS Academic is only the Reading and
Writing sections also the scoring system is different.

Certified Test Locations

Please use the below link to check the list of certified IELTS test locations in your country:
https://www.ielts.org/book-a-test/find-a-test-location

For Egypt you can book your exam with:

1- IDP:
http://idpielts.me/IELTS-Test-Dates/idp-ielts-cairo-test-centre
Note:
American university Test Avenue is also an IDP partner which provide IELTS exam.

2- British Council:
http://www.britishcouncil.org.eg/en/exam/ielts
 How to register for the exam (In Egypt)

Option 1:
You can register online for the exam using one of the previously mentioned portals. However, based on my
experience as well as my friends I wouldnt recommend this method because the timetable of the exam is
usually not updated with the latest exam availability and they may automatically re-schedule your reservation
without sending a note (Happened with a friend and she discovered the same when she went to pay for the
exam).

Option 2:
Go directly to any of the IDP/AUC or British council IELTS centers and pay for the exam and this is the best
and highly recommended approach.

After reserving the exam and nearly 3 days before its schedule you should receive an email with the exact time
for your speaking test as well as the written exam (Listening, Reading, Writing) and the exact location also for
both.

The email will be like the following one:

Dear IELTS Test Taker,
Please find below details of your upcoming IELTS Test. Please note Speaking Test will be held on Friday 18th
December 2015
Test Date: Saturday 19th December 2015
Please be present early for Instructions . Passport / I.D Verification starts at 7:30 a.m & ends at 8:30 a.m
No candidate will be allowed into the test room after 8:30am; if you arrive late, you will neither attend the test nor
be refunded your test fee.
Test Location:
AUC New Cairo
The American University in Cairo, New Cairo. Entrance Gate 1, SCE-Hebaka Building . School of
Continuing Education.
On the Test Day:
Please remember to bring with you to the test (both Speaking and Listening/Reading/Writing tests):

- Your original Passport (If you fail to bring the same PASSPORT / I.D indicated in your application form, you will NOT
be able to sit for the test and you will not be reimbursed the test fee. Copy of Passport/I.D will not be accepted.)

No candidate will be allowed into the test room after 8:30am; if you arrive late, you will neither attend the test nor
be refunded your test fee.

Please do not bring valuables to the test venue. You will not be allowed to take into the test room any items except
your ID and pencil/eraser. Your bag and mobile phone will be stored at a separate room.

Speaking Test :
Test Date: Friday 18th December 2015
Time:04:20 PM
SPEAKING Test Location:
AUC New Cairo
The American University in Cairo, New Cairo. Entrance Gate 1, SCE-Hebaka Building . School of
Continuing Education.

On the Speaking Test :

Please remember to bring with you to the test:
Your original Passport (If you fail to bring the same PASSPORT indicated in your application form, you will NOT be
able to sit for the test and you will not be reimbursed the test fee. Copy of Passport will not be accepted.)
Please make sure you are present at least 30 minutes before your interview time to complete the
registration formalities.
If you do not arrive at the designated time there will be no reschedule for your interview and you will be considered
absent for the whole test.
Results:
Your results (Test Report Form) will be available online 13 calendar days after the test at https://results.ielts.org

- Visit our office to collect the original Test Report Form in person from IDP Heliopolis Office. http://idpielts.me/IELTS-
Test-Dates/idp-ielts-cairo-test-centre/

- You can also authorize someone to collect the form, with a email giving this persons name (the person must carry the a
copy of test taker Passport or I.D )

-Test Taker receives only one copy. An additional certificates are to be sent by test center to organizations & institutes
requested by test taker. Additional Test Report Form is to be filled in IDP Heliopolis centre, shipment fees are applied.
For any further details or questions. Please send an email to ielts.egypt@idp.com
Best Wishes!

Note:
- PLEASE read carefully the email and keep in mind that the location of the speaking test may differ from
that of the written one.
- Listening, Reading and Writing must be completed on the same day, with no breaks in between them.
The order in which these tests are taken may vary but the common order is usually; Listening, Reading
then Writing.

- The Speaking test will either be after a break on the same day as the other three tests, or up to a week
before or after the other tests. This will depend on your test centre.

- Make sure you have your valid passport with you.

- Anything has English writing on it or any un-transparent bags is not allowed to be entered in the test
room, and of course your mobile phone is not allowed. The test organizers will take all of your personal
things and put it outside the test room.
- Test should be answered with pencils, so you need to prepare multiple of pencils and eraser in your hand
or put it in a transparent pencil case. In addition to this, please note that you will find a pencil and an
eraser on your test desk.
 IELTS Exam Format
The IELTS test consists of 4 parts:

1- Listening:

Tips and Tricks:

- You will have a question booklet and an answer sheet exactly like the below one: (Listening Answer
Sheet)

You can write down your answers in the question booklet and then transfer them to the answer sheet in
the last 10 min. given at the end of the listening part.
- While practicing you need to use the answer sheet to get used to it because you may shift the answers
skipping any of the questions. So you need to practice not to do so.
- We assume that you have practiced a lot before the exam and you dont need to hear the introduction of
each section of the listening part which describes how many questions are there and instructions to solve,
etc
Please use this time to read the questions/dialogs, defining important keywords and anticipating what the
speaker will say.
- Spelling and Grammar matters, so please take care.
- If you do not know the answer to a question, attempt it (guess) but do not waste time; move quickly onto
the next one.

- Important Practices:
ALL Cambridge IELTS listening parts in all books from 1 to 11 (General and academic)
If you have more time you can check Collins Listening for IELTS book

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-wUqIwiyEzyM2pYM3NHWkJCY00
 2- Reading:

Tips and Tricks:

- Answer sheet for reading is exactly like that for listening. (Reading answer sheet)
- Write down your answers directly in the answer sheet to save time for revising the questions and their
answers.
- DO NOT read the passages first. Instead, start with reading the questions and define keywords/topics that
help you to find the answer in the reading passage.
- The word(s) you use must be taken from the Reading text; you must not change the form of the word(s)
in the text
- Check your spelling
- Be careful to use singular and plural correctly
- Focus precisely on what you are asked to do in completion type questions
- If the question asks you to complete the note in the and the correct answer is evening, just use
evening as your answer; note that in the evening would be incorrect.
- Do not try and read every word; remember, you are reading for a purpose.
- Attempt all questions; there are no penalties for incorrect answers, so you have nothing to lose.
- For True/False and Not given question, I am afraid to tell you that this type of questions is really tricky
and you need to practice how to tackle their answers as follows:
If the statement clearly appears in the text it is True
If the text clearly says the opposite of the statement it is False
If you didnt find the statement to be either True or False it is Not Given
For example:
Smoking is dangerous and can lead to cancer T, F, NG
i. If the text clearly says that smoking is dangerous and leads to cancer then the answer is T.
 ii. If the text says that No research showed evidence that smoking is dangerous and leads to cancer
then the answer is F.
iii. If the text says The research included smokers of both genders of ages 30 to 45 and nothing else
about smoking your answer is NG.
Dont make these mistakes:
Dont assume anything based on your knowledge and experience, read the text! It is the oldest trick in
the book and they use it a lot in IELTS exams.
Dont overthink your answer you could start building long logical sequences that will lead you to
the wrong answer.

- Important Practices:
For General IELTS:
All Cambridge General training tests (A and B) in books 1 10 and Cambridge General IELTS 11
For Academic IELTS:
All Cambridge Academic tests in books 1-11
3- Writing:

- You need to revise the basic grammar and punctuation rules for speaking and writing exams, please use
Basic English grammar.pdf.

- In the Writing task 1 you receive a scenario and you have to write a letter (150 words at least). There
are 4 types of letters in the IELTS test:
Complaint / Request (of information) letter
Formal business letter (official or commercial situations or people you dont know)
Job application letter
Personal letter (to relatives or friends)

We can categorize these type into either Formal or Informal letters.

In any letter you write IELTS examiners will be looking for these 3 important components: structure,
vocabulary and fluency of language.
Structure means that your letter must have paragraphs, at least 3 of them. Every paragraph has its job.
The first one must define the purpose of your letter in one two sentences.
The second one must explain more about why you are writing this letter.
The third must say what kind of answer you expect.
Vocabulary means that you should use some smart words. In case you are writing a Complaint, a
Business or a Job application letter you must use formal language, but not for the Personal letter.
Fluency of language means phrases people usually use in letters. The best advice I can give you here is
to read every IELTS Sample Letter you can get. This way you develop proper language for any type of
letter.
Note:
When writing a letter, please make the purpose clear. In other words, state clearly the purpose of
the letter.
 Structure of a letter and keywords to be used:

Formal Informal
I- Opening
You can use any of the following phrases/keywords:

Dear Mr. <name>

Dear Miss <name>
Dear Dr. <name> Dear <name>,
Dear Sir/Madam,

II- Start
You can use any of the following phrases/keywords:

I am writing with regards to It was really lovely to

I am writing in connection with
I am writing in the hope that
I would like to express my concern about
I am a resident of and I would like to draw your
attention to
I am writing to inquire about
I am writing to apologise for / about
I am sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.
I am writing in reply to your letter
Apologies for not writing for so long, but Ive been
really busy.
It was great to get your email/letter/message/postcard
and I`m thrilled to hear you are well.
Its been long time since we saw each other but I
havent forgotten all the wonderful times we spent
together.

Important Note:
For formal letter not contractions are accepted. i.e I am
not I`m I have not I`ve
III- Body paragraphs
3 Paragraphs (A,B,C) one for each instruction point with details, and note that order is not mandatory but a
logical order is required
You will be collected at/from I will pick you up at
The next available appointment is on Thursday How about we meet up on Thursday?
I would like to invite you to Why dont you pop round to my place on Thursday?
I highly recommend that Itd be great if
Please respond at the earliest convenience Get back to me as soon as you can
Unfortunately, I will not be able to Sorry, but I wont be able to make it
I would be grateful if Im sorry that
Perhaps it would be better if
I would appreciate it if
You could consider -ing
I was wondering if
Unfortunately/Regrettably
Please accept my apologies for
I regret that
IV- Closing Statement
You can use any of the following phrases/keywords:

Thank you very much for your attention. Bye for now,
I am really looking forward to See you soon,
I hope the situation will be resolved soon. Take care,
Hope to hear from you very soon. Warm wished,
I look forward to hearing from you very soon. All the best,
In addition to:
Yours faithfully,
Yours sincerely,
Best regards,
Best wishes,
V- Signing off
<your name>

Please check the uploaded document Letters.pdf for more explanation.

- Note:
In very rare cases you may have a graph to illustrate instead of a letter, please check writing task 1 graph
analyze.pdf

- In the Writing task 2 You will be presented with a topic and will be tested on your ability to respond by
giving and justifying an opinion, discussing the topic, summarizing details, outlining problems,
identifying possible solutions and supporting what you write with reasons, arguments and relevant
examples from your own knowledge or experience.
The assessment of Task 2 carries more weight in marking than Task 1.

Structure of an essay:

I- Introduction
- State the topic of the essay, using some basic facts (that you may be able to take from the question)
- Say what you are going to write about.
- Give your opinion OR an opinion and its opposite explaining each.
- For more explanation, please visit this url:
http://www.ieltsbuddy.com/ielts-essay-introduction.html
II- Body Paragraphs (2 or 3 Paragraphs)
- Each paragraph should contain one controlling idea, and have sentences to support this with evidences
and examples.
- Keywords to be used for peoples opinion:
Some/Most people argue/think/tend to believe/say that
It is understood that
It is generally accepted that
There is a tendency to believe that
- Keywords for explanation, concession and arguments:
by this I (dont) mean
In other words
In fact
To be more precise
Here I am (not) referring to
Despite the fact that
Even though
It could be argued that
Admittedly/Certainly But/However,
One of the main arguments in favour of/against
It is doubtful whether
There is little evidence to support the view that
It is unjustifiable to say
Naturally,
III- Conclusion
- Re-state what the essay is about (re-write the last sentence of your introduction in different words)
- Give your opinion
 - Give some thoughts about the future
- Keywords to be used giving personal opinion:
I would argue/say that
In my view/opinion
It seems to me that
I tend to think/feel that
As far as I am concerned
I believe that
In my experience
I am not in a favour / I am against
I am unconvinced that

- Keywords for conclusion:

To sum up Overall All in all In the final analysis Clearly In conclusion to conclude
Ultimately In the end Taking everything into consideration

Tips and Tricks:

- Dont copy from the question! You must paraphrase (put it in your own words)
- Do not repeat ideas using different words
- Keep to the topic; do not write about unrelated subjects
- Manage your time; remember, Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1
- pay attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation; you will lose marks for mistakes
- Please check essays.pdf for model answers samples and more explanation.
- Learn to recognize how long 150 and 250 words look in your handwriting; you will not have time to
count during the test. For this reason I highly recommend to practice writing using the exact answer
sheets/papers for IELTS test. (Writing Answer Sheet)
- You will have 4 papers to answer the Writing 2 tasks the papers are exactly like the following:
4- Speaking:
- You need to revise the basic grammar and punctuation rules for speaking and writing exams, please use
Basic English grammar.pdf.
- Please check how to prepare for ielts - speaking.pdf
- Please check the contents of IELTS Preparation for Speaking.zip.
- Practice a lot with friends.
- Watch band 7,8,9 IELTS speaking exam videos on you tube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ3A7Dnyz1_Fxaa5BCzAPMA