Prepare for Your IELTS for Work Exam

Your score on the IELTS English test is accepted by colleges, universities, and businesses across the US as a valid measurement of your English language ability. In fields such as construction, hospitality, healthcare, tourism, engineering, aviation, finance, energy, government, and accounting, an applicant’s communication skills depend on selection for available jobs.

There are two versions of this English proficiency exam: Academic and General Training. When seeking employment in an English-speaking country, it is the IELTS General Training exam that international jobseekers will likely be taking.

Many, if not most, prospective employers in the US rely on IELTS for Work regarding the international workforce. The higher you score, the better your chances of getting hired.

You can expect to be tested on four specific competencies: Listening, reading, writing and speaking. The IELTS acts as proof of your English language skills. If you are interested in obtaining employment in a country where English is primarily spoken, then it is worth your while to put in the preparation time and effort necessary for success on the IELTS General Training test.

The Listening test of IELTS consists of 40 questions, to be completed within 30 minutes. There are six question formats presented in the Listening test:

• Multiple-choice
• Sentence Completion
• Table/flow-Chart/Summary/Note/Form Completion
• Plan/Diagram/Map Labeling
• Short Answer
• Matching

The Listening test consists of four sections, each containing 10 questions. Common social situations make up the first and second sections. The third and fourth sections consist of educational and training scenarios.

During the test, you are expected to write your answers on your question paper. Immediately following the Listening test, you will be given an extra 10 minutes within which to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. Be aware that points will be deducted for spelling and grammar errors.

This portion of the IELTS contains 40 questions contained in three sections. The entire Reading test is to be completed within 1 hour.

Sections 1 and 2 are each comprised of two written texts. Section 3 consists of one moderately long text. The written material presented includes practical, common information such as safety procedures, work memos and social situations.

Question formats include Sentence Completion; True/False/Not given; Title Selection for written text; and Matching a description with the term that reflects the description, as well as Matching a statement to the paragraph that contains that statement.

The Writing test has a timeframe of 1 hour. Two tasks are included in this test: For the first 20 minutes, you will be writing at least 150 words concerning a personal topic. The next 40 minutes will be spent writing at least 250 words on a given topic. There are four assessment criteria including:

• Task achievement – Be sure to stay on-topic in your essay.
• Coherence and Cohesion – Use logic throughout your written material, and unify the entirety of your essay, paying special attention to the proper sequence of sentences and paragraphs.
• Lexical Resource – Support your statements with appropriately-sourced information.
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy – Study the rules of English grammar prior to taking the test. Your writing ability is measured in part on English usage and grammar.

Speaking to an examiner for only 11 to 14 minutes, your Speaking test will include three specific parts: Personal history, a given topic, and further detail on the given topic. Your score will be based on four assessments:

• Fluency and Coherence – Your word flow and logic are being tested.
• Lexical Resource – This concerns the appropriate nature of your supporting information. 
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy – Make sure that you walk into the test with solid knowledge of the rules of grammar and English usage.
• Pronunciation – Communication skills are at the heart of job selection in most industries. Proper pronunciation is very much a part of communication abilities.

Knowing what to expect on the test goes a long way toward a comfortable and successful exam experience. Preparing with JobTestPrep IELTS practice tests will help you optimize your test results.