IELTS

IELTS was designed due to the great demand of English for those who are willing to learn academic courses in Britain. International students were difficult to define the level of their knowledge so that they could be chosen for definite courses with special curriculum and qualifications. Moreover, it was the need to qualify the level of students English by those organizations which could influence other educational institutions and be respectful and reliable sources. The educational department of the British Council developed the general testing system which would meet British colleges requirements and could objectively assess the English level of international students. The system was so qualitatively developed that European educational institutions began recognizing it as the reliable and complete information about international students knowledge of English. Nowadays thousands of international students pass IELTS annually in order to be assessed by European colleges and universities and be able to enter them for study. Now IELTS is managed by the British Council together with the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate and IDP Education Australia. IELTS is accepted by most British, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and some European academic institutions.

Many professional organizations and employers accept IELTS now.

EILTS consists of four modules of Listening, Reading, writing and Speaking. Each module has its scores and time frames, but generally the whole exam takes about three hours. Reading and writing modules have also two levels of complication, they are academic and general training. General training level is mostly applied by immigrants who want to move for living and need broad knowledge in social sphere. Academic level is required for those who are moving to study at graduate or postgraduate level and, therefore are willing to get an academic degree.