IELTS Guide for Teachers

7/27/2019 IELTS Guide for Teachers

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Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

Section 6

Section 7

Appendix i

Appendix ii

Contents

IELTS overview

IELTS test format

IELTS scores and interpretation

What makes IELTS an international test?

Tips from teachers

Becoming an IELTS examiner

Continual research-based development

IELTS assessment criteria (band descriptors)

How IELTS maps to the Common EuropeanFramework of Reference (CEFR)

IELTS makes for aconfident student.

Senior Teacher, Turning Point, India


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IELTS Guide for Teachers

A test of four skills

Test takers can choose between IELTS Academic andIELTS General Training, depending on their academicor professional aspirations, or visa requirements.

The distinction with IELTS Academic lies in the subjectmatter and tasks of the Reading and Writing components.The Listening and Speaking components are the same.

Listening MINUTESTest takers listen to four recorded texts, monologues andconversations by a range of native speakers, and write theiranswers to a series of questions.

Reading MINUTESThe Academic version includes three long texts which rangefrom the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical.The texts are authentic and are taken from books, journals,magazines and newspapers, all of which have been selectedfor a non-specialist audience.

The General Training version requires test takers to readextracts from newspapers, advertisements, instructionmanuals and books. These are materials test takers could

encounter on a daily basis in an English speaking country.

Writing MINUTESThe Academic version includes two tasks. Topics are ofgeneral interest to, suitable for and easily understood by testtakers entering undergraduate or postgraduate studies orseeking professional registration.

Task 1Test takers are presented with a graph, table, chart ordiagram and are asked to describe, summarise or explainthe information in their own words. They may be asked todescribe and explain data, describe the stages of a process,how something works or describe an object or event.

Task 2Test takers are asked to write an essay in response to apoint of view, argument or problem.

Responses to both tasks must be written in a formal style.

The General Training version also includes two tasks,and is based on topics of general interest.

Task 1Test takers are presented with a situation and are asked towrite a letter requesting information or explaining the situation.The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal in style.

Task 2Test takers are asked to write an essay in response to a pointof view, argument or problem. The essay can be slightly morepersonal in style than the Academic Writing Task 2 essay.

Speaking 1114 minutes4HE3PEAKINGCOMPONENTASSESSESTHETESTTAKERSUSEOFspoken English, and takes between 11 and 14 minutes tocomplete. Every test is digitally recorded and consists ofthree parts:

Part 1Test takers answer general questions about themselvesand a range of familiar topics, such as their home, family,work, studies and interests. This part lasts between fourand five minutes.

Part 2

Test takers are given a booklet which asks them to talk abouta particular topic. They have one minute to prepare beforespeaking for up to two minutes. The examiner may askone or two questions on the same topic to finish this partof the test.

0ARTTest takers are asked further questions which are connectedto the topic in Part 2. These questions give the candidate anopportunity to discuss more abstract issues and ideas. Thispart lasts between four and five minutes.

The format of the Speaking test is common across both theAcademic and General Training modules. It is structured insuch a way that does not allow test takers to rehearse set

responses beforehand.


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2 IELTS test format

IELTS General TrainingIELTS Academic

IELTS General Training module measuresEnglish language proficiency in a practical, everydaycontext. The tasks and texts reflect both workplaceand social situations.

IELTS Academic module measures English languageproficiency needed for an academic, higher educationenvironment. The tasks and texts are accessible to alltest-takers, irrespective of their subject focus.

Listening* (30 minutes)s&OURRECORDEDMONOLOGUESANDCONVERSATIONS

Reading (60 minutes)s4HREELONGREADINGPASSAGESWITHTASKSs4EXTSRANGEFROMTHEDESCRIPTIVEANDFACTUALTOTHEDISCURSIVEANDANALYTICALs)NCLUDESNONVERBALMATERIALSSUCHAS

diagrams, graphs or illustrationss4EXTSAREAUTHENTICEGTAKENFROMBOOKS journals and newspapers)

Writing (60 minutes)s7RITINGTASKOFATLEASTWORDSWHERE

the candidate must summarise, describeor explain a table, graph, chart or diagrams3HORTESSAYTASKOFATLEASTWORDS

Speaking (11 to 14 minutes)s&ACETOFACEINTERVIEWs)NCLUDESSHORTQUESTIONSSPEAKINGAT

length about a familiar topic and astructured discussion

Listening* (30 minutes)s&OURRECORDEDMONOLOGUESANDCONVERSATIONS

Reading (60 minutes)s4HREEREADINGPASSAGESWITHTASKSs3ECTIONCONTAINSTWOORTHREESHORTFACTUALTEXTSs3ECTIONCONTAINSTWOSHORTWORKRELATED

factual textss3ECTIONCONTAINSONELONGERTEXTONATOPIC

of general interests4EXTSAREAUTHENTICEGTAKENFROMCOMPANY

handbooks, official documents, booksand newspapers)

Writing (60 minutes)s,ETTERWRITINGTASKOFATLEASTWORDSs3HORTESSAYTASKOFATLEASTWORDS

Speaking (11 to 14 minutes)s&ACETOFACEINTERVIEWs)NCLUDESSHORTQUESTIONSSPEAKINGAT

length about a familiar topic and astructured discussion

Key similaritiess4HEListening and Speaking components are the same

FORBOTHVERSIONS4HEDISTINCTIONBETWEEN@ACADEMICAND@GENERALLITERACYHASTRADITIONALLYBEENSEENASMOSTMARKED

in relation to reading and writing skills. The more socially-oriented language skills of listening and speaking are equallyimportant in an academic study or professional context

s4HESAMEAMOUNTOFTIMEISALLOCATEDTOCOMPLETETHEListening and Speaking components in both the GeneralTraining and Academic Versions

s4HEReading and Writing components are the samelength in both versions

s"OTHMODULESHAVETHESAMEMINIMUMWORDREQUIREMENTs4HESAMEASSESSMENTCRITERIAANDBANDSCALEISUSEDto grade both modules.

DifferencesThe Reading component of the Academic and GeneralTraining versions is differentiated in terms of:sTHECHOICEOFTEXTSTOPICGENRELENGTHNUMBERETC

sTHELEVELOFDIFlCULTYOFTHETESTITEMS4HE!CADEMIC2EADINGMODULEHASMOREITEMSPITCHEDATBANDSwhereas the General Training has more items pitched atBANDS4HISISAREmECTIONOFTHEDIFFERENTDEMANDSOFAcademic and General Training.

ForWriting, the Academic and General Training modulesare differentiated in terms of:sTHECONTENTANDNATUREOFTHETWOWRITINGTASKSsTHECONTEXTUALPARAMETERSOFTHETASKS

However, given the level of differentiation describedabove, this does not mean that the scores acrossAcademic and General Training Reading or Writingmodules are interchangeable.


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The IELTSBANDSCALE

There is no pass or fail in IELTS. Rather, all test resultsare reported on a clear 9-band scale (from 1, the lowest,to 9, the highest), as shown in the table opposite.

Test takers receive an overall band score as well as individualscores for each test component (Listening, Reading, Writingand Speaking).

The IELTS test provides an accurate picture ofACANDIDATESLANGUAGESKILLSANDABILITIESATAcertain point in time. Skills and abilities inevitablydiminish over time if not used. It is recommendedthat a Test Report Form more than two years oldshould only be accepted if it is accompanied byevidence that a candidate has actively maintainedor improved their English.

How to interpret IELTSTest takers receive scores on a band scale from 1 to 9.A profile score is reported for each skill. The four individualscores are averaged and rounded to produce an overall bandSCORE/VERALLBANDSCORESANDSCORESFOREACHCOMPONENT(Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking) are reported inwhole bands or half bands.

/VERALLBANDSCORETest takers receive a Test Report Form including or listing theiroverall band score and their sub-scores on each of the fourcomponents: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.Each of the component scores is equally weighted. Theoverall band score is calculated by taking the mean of thetotal of the four individual component scores.

/VERALLBANDSCORESAREREPORTEDTOTHENEARESTWHOLEORHALFband. The following rounding convention applies; if theaverage across the four skills ends in .25, it is rounded up toTHENEXTHALFBANDANDIFITENDSINITISROUNDEDUPTOTHEnext whole band.

Thus, a test taker achieving 6.5 for Listening, 6.5 for Reading,FOR7RITINGANDFOR3PEAKINGWOULDBEAWARDEDANoverall band score of 6.5 (25 4 = 6.25 = Band 6.5).

,IKEWISEATESTTAKERACHIEVINGFOR,ISTENINGFOR2EADINGFOR7RITINGANDFOR3PEAKINGWOULDBEAWARDEDANOVERALLBANDSCOREOF"AND

/NTHEOTHERHANDATESTTAKERACHIEVINGFOR,ISTENINGFOR2EADINGFOR7RITINGANDFOR3PEAKINGWOULDbe awarded band 6 (24.5 4 = 6.125 = Band 6).


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)NTERNATIONALDELIVERYANDACCESSIBILITYIELTS tests are offered up to four times a month at overTESTVENUESINMORETHANCOUNTRIES4HECOSTof taking the test is set locally and payable in the localcurrency, making registration more convenient forCANDIDATES2ESULTSAREISSUEDTOCANDIDATESCALENDARdays after the test. IELTS test centres can send Test ReportForms directly to an organisation or institution (provided ithas been nominated by the candidate), either by mail or as

an electronic download.

View the worldwide list of IELTS testcentres at www.ielts.org/testcentres

International EnglishIELTS recognises both British and American Englishin terms of spelling, grammar and choice of words.It also incorporates a mix of native speaker accentsfrom Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK andUS in the Listening component.

What does this mean in practice?

The number of people migrating and studying abroad hasMULTIPLIEDOVERTHELASTYEARS4HISHASTRANSFORMEDLIFEin educational institutions. In English-speaking countries,more and more universities recruit staff internationally,and this is matched by an increasing student intake of non-native speakers of English. Simultaneously, in non-Englishspeaking countries, more organisations are using English asa common language of communication, as well as employingrising numbers of staff from English-speaking countries.Consequently, more people are teaching, studying andworking with others who speak different varieties of English.

International partnersIELTS is owned by a global partnership of education andlanguage experts: British Council, IDP:IELTS Australia and5NIVERSITYOF#AMBRIDGE%3/,%XAMINATIONS4HESEBODIESare dedicated to academic excellence, cultural understanding,student recruitment, and creating success worldwide.Benefitting from the shared expertise of the three partners,the IELTS test combines the world-renowned assessmentANDRESEARCHEXPERTISEOF#AMBRIDGE%3/,ANDTHE

international delivery, evaluation and security expertise ofthe British Council and IDP:IELTS Australia.

International consultationIELTS has been developed in close consultation withacademics, professional bodies and immigration authoritiesaround the world.

International contentThe IELTS approach is recognised by academics andadmissions professionals as being fair, reliable andvalid to all candidates, whatever their nationality, culturalbackground, gender or specific needs. The test questionsare developed by item writers in Australia, Canada,New Zealand, the UK and the US.


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Becoming anIELTS examiner

Examiners participate in refresher workshops and are requiredto formally demonstrate their marking proficiency throughthe certification process. The marking performance of thePLUSGLOBAL)%,43EXAMINERSCOHORTISTHENSYSTEMATICALLYand regularly monitored. Examiner marking standards aremaintained through the IELTS Professional Support Network,a quality assurance system designed and managed by British

Council and IDP: IELTS Australia to ensure consistency.

Setting IELTS band score requirements forrecognising organisations

IELTS test scores are just one element of the assessmentOFATESTTAKERSSUITABILITYTOENROLATANINSTITUTIONORTOjoin an organisation. The level of English needed fora test taker to perform effectively in study, work ortraining varies from one situation to another. That is whyeach individual organisation sets its own minimumIELTS score for applicants, depending on specificrequirements. Admissions professionals may also wishto take into account whether their organisation providesongoing language support to students or employeesto improve their English.

The IELTS Scores Explained DVD provides detaileddescriptions of the test components and sample testmaterials. The DVD contains real examples of test

TAKERSWRITINGANDSPEAKINGPERFORMANCESATDIFFERENTband score levels.

Ensuring consistency across test centres:sSAMEOPERATIONALPROCEDURESAREADHEREDTOBYALLtest centres globally

sSAMEEXAMINERSYSTEMSSTANDARDSANDMONITORINGsafeguard results.

Becoming an IELTS examiner is one of the many possibleprofessional development opportunities available toteachers familiar with IELTS.

The training and support provided to IELTS examiners canimpact positively on classroom practice. IELTS examinersgain a good understanding of what language learning

involves, the study skills which will be useful to studentsfollowing a university course in English and the conventionsof English Academic Writing. Given the worldwiderecognition of IELTS, and the continually increasingnumbers of IELTS test takers, there is a growth in demandfor IELTS examiners, depending on local conditions.

As IELTS examiners are qualified to examine for IELTS allover the world, IELTS examining is a practical and flexible wayto supplement income from teaching.

How to become an IELTS examinerAll IELTS examiner applicants must:sBENATIVESPEAKERSOF%NGLISHORANONNATIVESPEAKER

with an IELTS band score of 9 in the Speaking and

Writing componentssHOLDRELEVANTQUALIlCATIONSIN4EACHING%NGLISHTO3PEAKERS

OF/THER,ANGUAGESOREQUIVALENTsHAVESUBSTANTIALRELEVANTTEACHINGEXPERIENCE

post-qualification.

Applicants fulfilling the above minimum global requirementsto become an examiner undergo a comprehensive andsystematic recruitment process which includes the followingstages: interview, induction, training, standardisation andcertification. An applicant must successfully pass each stageto progress to the next and can be rejected at any stage.


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Title Author/Organiser Volume and date

of publication

An impact study into the use of IELTS byprofessional associations and registrationentities in the United Kingdom, Irelandand Canada

'LENYS-ERRIlELD'"-!SSOCIATESAustralia

6OLUME

Investigating IELTS exit score gains inhigher education

+IERAN/,OUGHLIN3OPHIE!RKOUDIS The University of Melbourne, Australia

6OLUME

)NVESTIGATINGSTAKEHOLDERSPERCEPTIONSOFIELTS as an entry requirement for highereducation in the UK

David Hyatt, Greg Brooks, The Universityof Sheffield, UK

6OLUME

An impact study into the use of IELTS as anentry criterion for professional associationsin Australia, New Zealand and the USA

'LENYS-ERRIlELD'"-!SSOCIATESAustralia

6OLUME

Does the computer make a difference? The

reaction of candidates to a computer-basedversus traditional hand-written form for theIELTS Writing component: effects and impact

Cyril Weir, The University of Bedfordshire,

5+"ARRY/3ULLIVAN4HE5NIVERSITYOFReading, UK; Jin Yan, Jiao Tong University,China; Steven Bax, Canterbury University,Christchurch, UK

6OLUME

IELTS as a predictor of academic languageperformance, Part 1

David Ingram, Amanda Bayliss; MelbourneUniversity Private, Australia

6OLUME

Investigating the relationship betweenintensive English language study and bandscore gain on IELTS

Catherine Elder, The University of AucklandAND+IERAN/,OUGHLIN4HE5NIVERSITYOFMelbourne, Australia

6OLUME

Exploring difficulty in Speaking tasks

An intra-task perspective

"ARRY/3ULLIVAN2OEHAMPTON

University, UK; Cyril Weir, The Universityof Bedfordshire, UK; Tomoko Horai,Roehampton University, UK

6OLUME

IELTS Research Reports include:


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Appendix i

)%,433PEAKINGASSESSMENTCRITERIABANDDESCRIPTORSnPUBLICVERSION

Band &LUENCYANDCOHERENCE Lexical resource

9s3PEAKSmUENTLYWITHONLYRAREREPETITIONORSELFCORRECTION

any hesitation is content-related rather than to find wordsor grammar

s3PEAKSCOHERENTLYWITHFULLYAPPROPRIATECOHESIVEFEATURES

s$EVELOPSTOPICSFULLYANDAPPROPRIATELY

s5SESVOCABULARYWITHFULLmEXIBILITYANDPRECISIONINALLTOPICS

s5SESIDIOMATICLANGUAGENATURALLYANDACCURATELY

8s3PEAKSmUENTLYWITHONLYOCCASIONALREPETITIONORSELF

correction; hesitation is usually content related and only rarely

to search for language

s$EVELOPSTOPICSCOHERENTLYANDAPPROPRIATELY

s5SESAWIDEVOCABULARYRESOURCEREADILYANDmEXIBLYTOCONVEY

precise meaning

s5SESLESSCOMMONANDIDIOMATICVOCABULARYSKILFULLYWITH

occasional inaccuracies

s5SESPARAPHRASEEFFECTIVELYASREQUIRED

7s3PEAKSATLENGTHWITHOUTNOTICEABLEEFFORTORLOSSOFCOHERENCE

s-AYDEMONSTRATELANGUAGERELATEDHESITATIONATTIMESOR

some repetition and/or self-correction

s5SESARANGEOFCONNECTIVESANDDISCOURSEMARKERS with some flexibility

s5SESVOCABULARYRESOURCEmEXIBLYTODISCUSSAVARIETYOFTOPICS

s5SESSOMELESSCOMMONANDIDIOMATICVOCABULARYANDSHOWSSOME

awareness of style and collocation, with some inappropriate choices

s5SESPARAPHRASEEFFECTIVELY

6s)SWILLINGTOSPEAKATLENGTHTHOUGHMAYLOSECOHERENCEAT

times due to occasional repetition,self-correction or hesitation

s5SESARANGEOFCONNECTIVESANDDISCOURSEMARKERSBUTNOT

always appropriately

s(ASAWIDEENOUGHVOCABULARYTODISCUSSTOPICSATLENGTHAND

make meaning clear in spite of inappropriateness

s'ENERALLYPARAPHRASESSUCCESSFULLY

5s5SUALLYMAINTAINSmOWOFSPEECHBUTUSESREPETITIONSELF

correction and/or slow speech to keep going

s-AYOVERUSECERTAINCONNECTIVESANDDISCOURSEMARKERS

s0RODUCESSIMPLESPEECHmUENTLYBUTMORECOMPLEX

communication causes fluency problems

s-ANAGESTOTALKABOUTFAMILIARANDUNFAMILIARTOPICSBUTUSES

vocabulary with limited flexibility

s!TTEMPTSTOUSEPARAPHRASEBUTWITHMIXEDSUCCESS

4s#ANNOTRESPONDWITHOUTNOTICEABLEPAUSESANDMAYSPEAK

slowly, with frequent repetition and self-correction

s,INKSBASICSENTENCESBUTWITHREPETITIOUSUSEOFSIMPLE

connectives and some breakdowns in coherence

s)SABLETOTALKABOUTFAMILIARTOPICSBUTCANONLYCONVEYBASICMEANING

on unfamiliar topics and makes frequent errors in word choice

s2ARELYATTEMPTSPARAPHRASE

3s3PEAKSWITHLONGPAUSES

s(ASLIMITEDABILITYTOLINKSIMPLESENTENCES

s'IVESONLYSIMPLERESPONSESANDISFREQUENTLYUNABLETOCONVEY

basic message

s5SESSIMPLEVOCABULARYTOCONVEYPERSONALINFORMATION

s(ASINSUFlCIENTVOCABULARYFORLESSFAMILIARTOPICS

2

s0AUSESLENGTHILYBEFOREMOSTWORDS

s,ITTLECOMMUNICATIONPOSSIBLE

s/NLYPRODUCESISOLATEDWORDSORMEMORISEDUTTERANCES

1s.OCOMMUNICATIONPOSSIBLE

s.ORATEABLELANGUAGE

0 s$OESNOTATTEND

View official sample

tests at www.ielts.org


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Grammatical range and accuracy Pronunciation

s5SESAFULLRANGEOFSTRUCTURESNATURALLYANDAPPROPRIATELY

s0RODUCESCONSISTENTLYACCURATESTRUCTURESAPARTFROM@SLIPScharacteristic of native speaker speech

s5SESAFULLRANGEOFPRONUNCIATIONFEATURESWITHPRECISIONANDSUBTLETY

s3USTAINSmEXIBLEUSEOFFEATURESTHROUGHOUTs)SEFFORTLESSTOUNDERSTAND

s5SESAWIDERANGEOFSTRUCTURESmEXIBLY

s0RODUCESAMAJORITYOFERRORFREESENTENCESWITHONLYVERYOCCASIONAL

inappropriateness or basic/unsystematic errors

s5SESAWIDERANGEOFPRONUNCIATIONFEATURES

s3USTAINSmEXIBLEUSEOFFEATURESWITHONLYOCCASIONALLAPSES

s)SEASYTOUNDERSTANDTHROUGHOUTACCENTHASMINIMALEFFECT

on intelligibility

s5SESARANGEOFCOMPLEXSTRUCTURESWITHSOMEmEXIBILITY

s&REQUENTLYPRODUCESERRORFREESENTENCESTHOUGHSOMEGRAMMATICAL

mistakes persist

s3HOWSALLTHEPOSITIVEFEATURESOFBANDANDSOMEBUTNOTALL

OFTHEPOSITIVEFEATURESOFBAND

s5SESAMIXOFSIMPLEANDCOMPLEXSTRUCTURESBUTWITHLIMITEDmEXIBILITY

s-AYMAKEFREQUENTMISTAKESWITHCOMPLEXSTRUCTURESTHOUGHTHESE

rarely cause comprehension problems

s5SESARANGEOFPRONUNCIATIONFEATURESWITHMIXEDCONTROL

s3HOWSSOMEEFFECTIVEUSEOFFEATURESBUTTHISISNOTSUSTAINED

s#ANGENERALLYBEUNDERSTOODTHROUGHOUTTHOUGHMISPRONUNCIATION

of individual words or sounds reduces clarity at times

s0RODUCESBASICSENTENCEFORMSWITHREASONABLEACCURACY

s5SESALIMITEDRANGEOFMORECOMPLEXSTRUCTURESBUTTHESEUSUALLY

contain errors and may cause some comprehension problems

s3HOWSALLTHEPOSITIVEFEATURESOFBANDANDSOMEBUTNOTALL

of the positive features of band 6

s0RODUCESBASICSENTENCEFORMSANDSOMECORRECTSIMPLESENTENCES

but subordinate structures are rare

s%RRORSAREFREQUENTANDMAYLEADTOMISUNDERSTANDING

s5SESALIMITEDRANGEOFPRONUNCIATIONFEATURES

s!TTEMPTSTOCONTROLFEATURESBUTLAPSESAREFREQUENT

s-ISPRONUNCIATIONSAREFREQUENTANDCAUSESOMEDIFlCULTYFOR

the listener

s!TTEMPTSBASICSENTENCEFORMSBUTWITHLIMITEDSUCCESSORRELIESON

apparently memorised utterances

s-AKESNUMEROUSERRORSEXCEPTINMEMORISEDEXPRESSIONS

s3HOWSSOMEOFTHEFEATURESOFBANDANDSOMEBUTNOTALL

of the positive features of band 4

s#ANNOTPRODUCEBASICSENTENCEFORMS s3PEECHISOFTENUNINTELLIGIBLE


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Appendix i

)%,434ASK7RITINGASSESSMENTCRITERIABANDDESCRIPTORSnPUBLICVERSION

Band 4ASKACHIEVEMENT Coherence and cohesion

9s&ULLYSATISlESALLTHEREQUIREMENTSOFTHETASK

s#LEARLYPRESENTSAFULLYDEVELOPEDRESPONSE

s5SESCOHESIONINSUCHAWAYTHATITATTRACTSNOATTENTION

s3KILFULLYMANAGESPARAGRAPHING

8s#OVERSALLREQUIREMENTSOFTHETASKSUFlCIENTLY

s0RESENTSHIGHLIGHTSANDILLUSTRATESKEYFEATURESBULLET

points clearly and appropriately

s3EQUENCESINFORMATIONANDIDEASLOGICALLY

s-ANAGESALLASPECTSOFCOHESIONWELL

s5SESPARAGRAPHINGSUFlCIENTLYANDAPPROPRIATELY

7s#OVERSTHEREQUIREMENTSOFTHETASK

s!CADEMICPRESENTSACLEAROVERVIEWOFMAINTRENDSDIFFERENCES

or stages

s'ENERALTRAININGPRESENTSACLEARPURPOSEWITHTHETONE

consistent and appropriate

s#LEARLYPRESENTSANDHIGHLIGHTSKEYFEATURESBULLETPOINTS

but could be more fully extended

s,OGICALLYORGANISESINFORMATIONANDIDEASTHEREISCLEAR

progression throughout

s5SESARANGEOFCOHESIVEDEVICESAPPROPRIATELYALTHOUGH

there may

be some under-/over-use

6s!DDRESSESTHEREQUIREMENTSOFTHETASK

s!CADEMICPRESENTSANOVERVIEWWITHINFORMATIONAPPROPRIATELY

selected

s'ENERALTRAININGPRESENTSAPURPOSETHATISGENERALLYCLEAR

there may be inconsistencies in tone

s0RESENTSANDADEQUATELYHIGHLIGHTSKEYFEATURESBULLETPOINTSBUT

details may be irrelevant, inappropriate or inaccurate

s!RRANGESINFORMATIONANDIDEASCOHERENTLYANDTHEREISACLEAR

overall progression

s5SESCOHESIVEDEVICESEFFECTIVELYBUTCOHESIONWITHINANDOR

between sentences may be faulty or mechanical

s-AYNOTALWAYSUSEREFERENCINGCLEARLYORAPPROPRIATELY

5s'ENERALLYADDRESSESTHETASKTHEFORMATMAYBEINAPPROPRIATE

in places

s!CADEMICRECOUNTSDETAILMECHANICALLYWITHNOCLEAROVERVIEW

there may be no data to support the descriptions'ENERALTRAININGMAYPRESENTAPURPOSEFORTHELETTERTHAT

is unclear at times; the tone may be variable and sometimes

inappropriate

s0RESENTSBUTINADEQUATELYCOVERSKEYFEATURESBULLETPOINTS

there may be a tendency to focus on details

s0RESENTSINFORMATIONWITHSOMEORGANISATIONBUTTHEREMAYBE

a lack of overall progression

s-AKESINADEQUATEINACCURATEOROVERUSEOFCOHESIVEDEVICES

s-AYBEREPETITIVEBECAUSEOFLACKOFREFERENCINGANDSUBSTITUTION

4s!TTEMPTSTOADDRESSTHETASKBUTDOESNOTCOVERALLKEY

features / bullet points; the format may be inappropriate

s'ENERALTRAININGFAILSTOCLEARLYEXPLAINTHEPURPOSE

of the letter; the tone may be inappropriate

s-AYCONFUSEKEYFEATURESBULLETPOINTSWITHDETAIL

parts may be unclear, irrelevant, repetitive or inaccurate

s0RESENTSINFORMATIONANDIDEASBUTTHESEARENOTARRANGED

coherently and there is no clear progression in the response

s5SESSOMEBASICCOHESIVEDEVICESBUTTHESEMAYBEINACCURATE

or repetitive

3s&AILSTOADDRESSTHETASKWHICHMAYHAVEBEENCOMPLETELY

misunderstood

s0RESENTSLIMITEDIDEASWHICHMAYBELARGELYIRRELEVANTREPETITIVE

s$OESNOTORGANISEIDEASLOGICALLY

s-AYUSEAVERYLIMITEDRANGEOFCOHESIVEDEVICESANDTHOSEUSEDMAY

not indicate a logical relationship between ideas

2s!NSWERISBARELYRELATEDTOTHETASK s(ASVERYLITTLECONTROLOFORGANISATIONALFEATURES

1s!NSWERISCOMPLETELYUNRELATEDTOTHETASK s&AILSTOCOMMUNICATEANYMESSAGE

0s$OESNOTATTEND

s$OESNOTATTEMPTTHETASKINANYWAY

s7RITESATOTALLYMEMORISEDRESPONSE


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Lexical resource Grammatical range and accuracy

s5SESAWIDERANGEOFVOCABULARYWITHVERYNATURALANDSOPHISTICATED

CONTROLOFLEXICALFEATURESRAREMINORERRORSOCCURONLYAS@SLIPS

s5SESAWIDERANGEOFSTRUCTURESWITHFULLmEXIBILITYANDACCURACY

RAREMINORERRORSOCCURONLYAS@SLIPS

s5SESAWIDERANGEOFVOCABULARYmUENTLYANDmEXIBLYTOCONVEY

precise meanings

s3KILFULLYUSESUNCOMMONLEXICALITEMSBUTTHEREMAYBEOCCASIONAL

inaccuracies in word choice and collocation

s0RODUCESRAREERRORSINSPELLINGANDORWORDFORMATION

s5SESAWIDERANGEOFSTRUCTURES

s4HEMAJORITYOFSENTENCESAREERRORFREE

s-AKESONLYVERYOCCASIONALERRORSORINAPPROPRIATENESS

s5SESASUFlCIENTRANGEOFVOCABULARYTOALLOWSOMEmEXIBILITY

and precision

s5SESLESSCOMMONLEXICALITEMSWITHSOMEAWARENESSOFSTYLE

and collocation

s-AYPRODUCEOCCASIONALERRORSINWORDCHOICESPELLINGANDOR

word formation

s5SESAVARIETYOFCOMPLEXSTRUCTURES

s0RODUCESFREQUENTERRORFREESENTENCES

s(ASGOODCONTROLOFGRAMMARANDPUNCTUATIONBUTMAYMAKE

a few errors

s5SESANADEQUATERANGEOFVOCABULARYFORTHETASK

s!TTEMPTSTOUSELESSCOMMONVOCABULARYBUTWITHSOMEINACCURACY

s-AKESSOMEERRORSINSPELLINGANDORWORDFORMATIONBUTTHEYDONOT

impede communication

s5SESAMIXOFSIMPLEANDCOMPLEXSENTENCEFORMS

s-AKESSOMEERRORSINGRAMMARANDPUNCTUATIONBUTTHEYRARELYREDUCE

communication

s5SESALIMITEDRANGEOFVOCABULARYBUTTHISISMINIMALLYADEQUATE

for the task

s-AYMAKENOTICEABLEERRORSINSPELLINGANDORWORDFORMATIONTHAT

may cause some difficulty for the reader

s5SESONLYALIMITEDRANGEOFSTRUCTURES

s!TTEMPTSCOMPLEXSENTENCESBUTTHESETENDTOBELESSACCURATETHAN

simple sentences

s-AYMAKEFREQUENTGRAMMATICALERRORSANDPUNCTUATIONMAYBEFAULTYerrors can cause some difficulty for the reader

s5SESONLYBASICVOCABULARYWHICHMAYBEUSEDREPETITIVELYORWHICH

may be inappropriate for the task

s(ASLIMITEDCONTROLOFWORDFORMATIONANDORSPELLINGERRORSMAYCAUSE

strain for the reader

s5SESONLYAVERYLIMITEDRANGEOFSTRUCTURESWITHONLYRAREUSEOF

subordinate clauses

s3OMESTRUCTURESAREACCURATEBUTERRORSPREDOMINATEANDPUNCTUATION

is often faulty

s5SESONLYAVERYLIMITEDRANGEOFWORDSANDEXPRESSIONSWITHVERY

limited control of word formation and/or spelling; errors may severely

distort the message

s!TTEMPTSSENTENCEFORMSBUTERRORSINGRAMMARANDPUNCTUATION

predominate and distort the meaning

s5SESANEXTREMELYLIMITEDRANGEOFVOCABULARYESSENTIALLYNOCONTROL

of word formation and/or spelling

s#ANNOTUSESENTENCEFORMSEXCEPTINMEMORISEDPHRASES

s#ANONLYUSEAFEWISOLATEDWORDS s#ANNOTUSESENTENCEFORMSATALL


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Appendix i

)%,434ASK7RITINGASSESSMENTCRITERIABANDDESCRIPTORSnPUBLICVERSION

Band Task Response Coherence and cohesion

9s&ULLYADDRESSESALLPARTSOFTHETASK

s0RESENTSAFULLYDEVELOPEDPOSITIONINANSWERTOTHEQUESTION with relevant, fully extended and well supported ideas

s5SESCOHESIONINSUCHAWAYTHATITATTRACTSNOATTENTION

s3KILFULLYMANAGESPARAGRAPHING

8s3UFlCIENTLYADDRESSESALLPARTSOFTHETASK

s0RESENTSAWELLDEVELOPEDRESPONSETOTHEQUESTIONWITH

relevant, extended and supported ideas

s3EQUENCESINFORMATIONANDIDEASLOGICALLY

s-ANAGESALLASPECTSOFCOHESIONWELL

s5SESPARAGRAPHINGSUFlCIENTLYANDAPPROPRIATELY

7s!DDRESSESALLPARTSOFTHETASK

s0RESENTSACLEARPOSITIONTHROUGHOUTTHERESPONSE

s0RESENTSEXTENDSANDSUPPORTSMAINIDEASBUTTHEREMAY

be a tendency to over generalise and/or supporting ideas

may lack focus

s,OGICALLYORGANISESINFORMATIONANDIDEASTHEREISCLEAR

progression throughout

s5SESARANGEOFCOHESIVEDEVICESAPPROPRIATELYALTHOUGHTHERE

may be some under-/over-use

s0RESENTSACLEARCENTRALTOPICWITHINEACHPARAGRAPH

6s!DDRESSESALLPARTSOFTHETASKALTHOUGHSOMEPARTSMAYBE

more fully covered than others

s0RESENTSARELEVANTPOSITIONALTHOUGHTHECONCLUSIONSMAY

become unclear or repetitive

s0RESENTSRELEVANTMAINIDEASBUTSOMEMAYBEINADEQUATELY

developed/unclear

s!RRANGESINFORMATIONANDIDEASCOHERENTLYANDTHEREISACLEAR

overall progression

s5SESCOHESIVEDEVICESEFFECTIVELYBUTCOHESIONWITHINANDOR

between sentences may be faulty or mechanical

s-AYNOTALWAYSUSEREFERENCINGCLEARLYORAPPROPRIATELY

s5SESPARAGRAPHINGBUTNOTALWAYSLOGICALLY

5s!DDRESSESTHETASKONLYPARTIALLYTHEFORMATMAYBE

inappropriate in places

s%XPRESSESAPOSITIONBUTTHEDEVELOPMENTISNOTALWAYSCLEAR

and there may be no conclusions drawn

s0RESENTSSOMEMAINIDEASBUTTHESEARELIMITEDANDNOTsufficiently developed; there may be irrelevant detail

s0RESENTSINFORMATIONWITHSOMEORGANISATIONBUTTHEREMAYBE

a lack of overall progression

s-AKESINADEQUATEINACCURATEOROVERUSEOFCOHESIVEDEVICES

s-AYBEREPETITIVEBECAUSEOFLACKOFREFERENCINGANDSUBSTITUTION

s-AYNOTWRITEINPARAGRAPHSORPARAGRAPHINGMAYBEINADEQUATE

4s2ESPONDSTOTHETASKONLYINAMINIMALWAYORTHEANSWERIS

tangential; the format may be inappropriate

s0RESENTSAPOSITIONBUTTHISISUNCLEAR

s0RESENTSSOMEMAINIDEASBUTTHESEAREDIFlCULTTOIDENTIFY

and may be repetitive, irrelevant or not well supported

s0RESENTSINFORMATIONANDIDEASBUTTHESEARENOTARRANGED

coherently and there is no clear progression in the response

s5SESSOMEBASICCOHESIVEDEVICESBUTTHESEMAYBEINACCURATE

or repetitive

s-AYNOTWRITEINPARAGRAPHSORTHEIRUSEMAYBECONFUSING

3s$OESNOTADEQUATELYADDRESSANYPARTOFTHETASK

s$OESNOTEXPRESSACLEARPOSITION

s0RESENTSFEWIDEASWHICHARELARGELYUNDEVELOPED

or irrelevant

s$OESNOTORGANISEIDEASLOGICALLY

s-AYUSEAVERYLIMITEDRANGEOFCOHESIVEDEVICESANDTHOSEUSED

may not indicate a logical relationship between ideas

2s"ARELYRESPONDSTOTHETASK

s$OESNOTEXPRESSAPOSITION

s-AYATTEMPTTOPRESENTONEORTWOIDEASBUTTHEREISNO

development

s(ASVERYLITTLECONTROLOFORGANISATIONALFEATURES

1s!NSWERISCOMPLETELYUNRELATEDTOTHETASK s&AILSTOCOMMUNICATEANYMESSAGE

0s$OESNOTATTEND

s$OESNOTATTEMPTTHETASKINANYWAY

s7RITESATOTALLYMEMORISEDRESPONSE


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Lexical resource Grammatical range and accuracy

s5SESAWIDERANGEOFVOCABULARYWITHVERYNATURALANDSOPHISTICATED

CONTROLOFLEXICALFEATURESRAREMINORERRORSOCCURONLYAS@SLIPS

s5SESAWIDERANGEOFSTRUCTURESWITHFULLmEXIBILITYANDACCURACY

RAREMINORERRORSOCCURONLYAS@SLIPS

s5SESAWIDERANGEOFVOCABULARYmUENTLYANDmEXIBLYTOCONVEY

precise meanings

s3KILFULLYUSESUNCOMMONLEXICALITEMSBUTTHEREMAYBEOCCASIONAL

inaccuracies in word choice and collocation

s0RODUCESRAREERRORSINSPELLINGANDORWORDFORMATION

s5SESAWIDERANGEOFSTRUCTURES

s4HEMAJORITYOFSENTENCESAREERRORFREE

s-AKESONLYVERYOCCASIONALERRORSORINAPPROPRIATENESS

s5SESASUFlCIENTRANGEOFVOCABULARYTOALLOWSOMEmEXIBILITY

and precision

s5SESLESSCOMMONLEXICALITEMSWITHSOMEAWARENESSOFSTYLE

and collocation

s-AYPRODUCEOCCASIONALERRORSINWORDCHOICESPELLINGANDOR

word formation

s5SESAVARIETYOFCOMPLEXSTRUCTURES

s0RODUCESFREQUENTERRORFREESENTENCES

s(ASGOODCONTROLOFGRAMMARANDPUNCTUATIONBUTMAYMAKE

a few errors

s5SESANADEQUATERANGEOFVOCABULARYFORTHETASK

s!TTEMPTSTOUSELESSCOMMONVOCABULARYBUTWITHSOMEINACCURACY

s-AKESSOMEERRORSINSPELLINGANDORWORDFORMATIONBUTTHEYDONOT

impede communication

s5SESAMIXOFSIMPLEANDCOMPLEXSENTENCEFORMS

s-AKESSOMEERRORSINGRAMMARANDPUNCTUATIONBUTTHEYRARELY

reduce communication

s5SESALIMITEDRANGEOFVOCABULARYBUTTHISISMINIMALLYADEQUATE

for the task

s-AYMAKENOTICEABLEERRORSINSPELLINGANDORWORDFORMATIONTHAT

may cause some difficulty for the reader

s5SESONLYALIMITEDRANGEOFSTRUCTURES

s!TTEMPTSCOMPLEXSENTENCESBUTTHESETENDTOBELESSACCURATETHAN

simple sentences

s-AYMAKEFREQUENTGRAMMATICALERRORSANDPUNCTUATION

may be faulty; errors can cause some difficulty for the reader

s5SESONLYBASICVOCABULARYWHICHMAYBEUSEDREPETITIVELYORWHICH

may be inappropriate for the task

s(ASLIMITEDCONTROLOFWORDFORMATIONANDORSPELLINGERRORSMAY

cause strain for the reader

s5SESONLYAVERYLIMITEDRANGEOFSTRUCTURESWITHONLYRAREUSE

of subordinate clauses

s3OMESTRUCTURESAREACCURATEBUTERRORSPREDOMINATEANDPUNCTUATION

is often faulty

s5SESONLYAVERYLIMITEDRANGEOFWORDSANDEXPRESSIONSWITHVERY

limited control of word formation and/or spelling errors may severely

distort the message

s!TTEMPTSSENTENCEFORMSBUTERRORSINGRAMMARANDPUNCTUATION

predominate and distort the meaning

s5SESANEXTREMELYLIMITEDRANGEOFVOCABULARYESSENTIALLYNOCONTROL

of word formation and/or spelling

s#ANNOTUSESENTENCEFORMSEXCEPTINMEMORISEDPHRASES

s#ANONLYUSEAFEWISOLATEDWORDS s#ANNOTUSESENTENCEFORMSATALL


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The current alignment is based upon a growing body ofinternal and external research, some of which has alsoappeared in peer-reviewed academic journals, attesting toTHEIRQUALITYEG(AWKEY"ARKER4HISRESEARCHHASbeen further combined with long established experience oftest use within education and society, as well as feedbackfrom a range of stakeholders regarding the uses of testresults for particular purposes.

As further work, such as that being undertaken in the EnglishProfile project, enriches our understanding of the CEFRlevels, further refinements may be possible.

&URTHERINFORMATION

Q1. Some IELTS band scores are shown as borderline(e.g. it is not clear whether band 5 is B1 or B2). Howshould institutions and organisations interpret this?As IELTS preceded the CEFR, IELTS band score thresholdshave never aligned exactly with the CEFR transition points.0REVIOUSLY4AYLORAWEPROVIDEDADVICEASTOTHEscore on IELTS that a candidate who was at a given CEFR

level might achieve. However, our research shows that a#MINIMUMTHRESHOLDWOULDFALLBETWEENTHEANDthresholds on the IELTS scale. Therefore, whilst many 6.5candidates would be at C1, a number will be marginallybelow. The present table makes this clearer. So if aninstitution requires a high degree of confidence that anAPPLICANTISAT#THEYMAYWISHTOSETAREQUIREMENTOFrather than 6.5.

1$OES)%,43DIFFERENTIATEAT#LEVEL"ANDSCORESOFANDHIGHERCONSTITUTE#LEVELPERFORMANCE"ANDISBORDERLINE

Q3. If a student has an IELTS score of 6.5 shouldTHISBETREATEDASA"EQUIVALENTSCORE

6.5 is borderline B2/C1. It is for institutions to decidealignment to a particular level of the CEFR is critical./THERWISEOURGENERALADVICEREMAINSTHATANOVERALL)%,43BANDWILLPROBABLYMEETTHELANGUAGErequirements of most university courses, though 6.5may be adequate for courses which are less linguisticallydemanding. Institutions need to consider a range of factorsin setting their requirements, including, for example theamount of pre-sessional or in-sessional language-learningsupport which will be available to prospective students,and whether a minimum standard should also be specifiedin a particular individual skill.

Q4. How does this compare to the mappings thatOTHERLANGUAGETESTERSHAVEPUBLISHED

We do not comment on the benchmarking exercisesthat other language testers have provided.

References

s#OUNCILOF%UROPE4HE#OMMON%UROPEANframework of reference for languages: Learning, teaching,assessment, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

s$AVIDSON&&ULCHER'4HE#OMMON%UROPEANFramework of Reference and the design of language tests:

!MATTEROFEFFECT,ANGUAGE4EACHING

s(AWKEY2"ARKER&$EVELOPINGACOMMONSCALEfor the assessment of writing.s!SSESSING7RITINGPs-ILANOVIC-#AMBRIDGE%3/,ANDTHE#%&2

2ESEARCH.OTESs3AVILLE.!NINTERVIEWWITH*OHN4RIMAT

,ANGUAGE!SSESSMENT1UARTERLYs4AYLOR,A)SSUESOFTESTCOMPARABILITY2ESEARCHNotes 15, 2-5.

s4AYLOR,B)%,43#AMBRIDGE%3/,EXAMINATIONSand the Common European Framework Research Notes

s7EIR#*,IMITATIONSOFTHE#OMMON%UROPEANFramework for developing comparable examinationsANDTESTS,ANGUAGE4ESTING


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Notes


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Notes


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Notes


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BRITISH COUNCILBridgewater House7HITWORTH3TREETManchester M1 6BBUK4%, &!8 Email: [email protected]

IDP: IELTS AUSTRALIA,EVEL"OURKE3TREET-ELBOURNE6)#Australia

4%, &!8 Email: [email protected]

5.)6%23)49/!-"2)$'%ESOL EXAMINATIONS1 Hills RoadCambridge CB1 2EUUK4%, &!8 Email: [email protected]

IELTS INTERNATIONAL#OLORADO"OULEVARD3UITELos Angeles#!USA4%, &!8 Email: [email protected]

&EBRUARY

IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP:IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge%3/,%XAMINATIONS#AMBRIDGE%3/,

IELTS Guide for Teachers

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