IELTS Syllabus

IELTS is the brainchild of IDP Education Australia, British Council, and Cambridge English Language Assessment, and they are jointly responsible for conducting the exam. The IELTS exam takes into consideration the need for a student’s understanding of the English language in countries where English is the primary language. Countries like the US, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada rely on the IELTS scores to consider an applicant’s candidature for a job or higher education.

Candidates who want to score a higher IELTS band score should be thoroughly familiar with the IELTS syllabus 2023. But before we understand the IELTS syllabus, don’t forget to understand the types of IELTS exam.
The IELTS syllabus can be completed in a limited time frame once an applicant gets hold of the test pattern. To help you score 8 plus bands in the IELTS exam, GyanDhan has launched the Free ILETS Shiksha with GD series.

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IELTS reading syllabus 2024

The reading module consists of three long paragraphs, each addressing topics of general interest and relevance. In total, there are about 40 questions that evaluate various aspects of your reading comprehension skills. The test includes multiple-choice questions, sentence, or summary completion, true,false or not given question type, and matching lists or phrases.

IELTS Academic - reading test syllabus

The academic reading module includes three paragraphs from articles, books, research papers, etc., which are given to assess a student’s capability to understand and explain them. Based on these paragraphs, test takers have to answer the questions within 1 hour.

IELTS General training - reading test syllabus

The general training reading module also includes three paragraphs. These paragraphs are likely to be taken from some advertisements, company guidelines, or brochures. The reading test pattern of academic and general training tests is similar.

IELTS listening syllabus 2024

The IELTS listening module consists of four sections. Each section features conversations, which may include both monologues and dialogues, and these audio clips will be approximately three minutes in duration. Participants will have a single opportunity to listen to these conversations. A diverse range of question formats will be presented, including multiple-choice, short-answer inquiries, note completion, sentence completion, diagram labeling, and more.
Please note the IELTS listening test syllabus is the same for both academic and general training tests.

IELTS academic and general training - reading test syllabus

The IELTS general training test touches a wide array of situations, which does a holistic analysis of a student’s ability to understand the English language. There are four sections to assess a student’s ability to understand the language from a social as well as educational perspective.

IELTS writing test syllabus 2024

The IELTS writing test is divided into two tasks, task 1 and task 2. Candidates are allowed one hour to complete the test. The task - 2 of the test holds more weightage. There is no specific syllabus for the writing test as there is no specific list of topics.

IELTS Academic - writing test syllabus

The IELTS academic writing test includes two questions namely, task 1 and task 2. The task 1 of the test is report writing, where the student is required to present the data they have analyzed. The data can be in the form of a bar graph, pie chart, diagram etc. The task 2 of the test includes essay writing, where the candidate has to write an essay on the given topic.

IELTS general training - writing test syllabus

The general training writing test includes drafting a letter for task-1, which can be either a formal or an informal one. The nature of the letter depends on the situation presented to a student, but there is one common aspect that a student has to write an essay based on the content of the letter. The second task of the general training writing test is similar to the academic writing test.

IELTS speaking test syllabus 2024

The speaking section is incorporated in the IELTS test syllabus to test a student's ability to converse with native English speakers of the country. It is very important since this section can be a deciding factor in a student’s admission to the Universities. This section is 10 to 15 minutes in duration.

Please note that the IELTS speaking test syllabus is similar to the IELTS academic and general training test.

The speaking test has been categorized into three categories:

Part 1 personal interview: It includes the introductory part wherein questions related to personal life and details are put forward, and it is usually of four to five minutes duration.
Part 2 speech: In this section, a topic is given to a student, and one to two minutes of time is given to get hold of the topic. After that, the student has to speak over the same topic for around two minutes, on which the examiner will pose questions based on your understanding of the topic.
Part 3 discussion: This part of the interview will go a bit deeper, and questions will be asked on your understanding of the topic in part 2. This usually lasts for around five to six-minute, and students are advised to practice it as it has significant weightage in the IELTS exam syllabus.

IELTS exam pattern

Test	Total Number Of Questions	Duration
IELTS Listening Test	3 audios and 40 questions	60 minutes
IELTS Reading Test	3 paragraphs and 40 questions	60 minutes
IELTS Writing Test	2 questions	60 minutes
IELTS Speaking Test	3 rounds	15-20 minutes

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much time is needed to finish the IELTS exam syllabus?

There is no such time limit per se as far as the IELTS Syllabus is concerned. A dedicated preparation of two to three months with proper guidance can easily get you a decent score. But the level of effort and preparation varies from one student to another and their basic understanding of the subjects of the exam.

Are there any crucial changes in the IELTS exam syllabus 2023?

As far as this year is concerned, there are no explicit changes mentioned in the IELTS Syllabus pdf available on the website. The syllabus is restricted to the same pattern as earlier, and there is no significant change whatsoever.

Which is the most important section in the IELTS test syllabus?

The importance of a section can’t be attributed in general, and it is largely pivoted on an individual’s understanding of the language. There can be certain things in the IELTS Syllabus which one may find difficult while others find it easy. It’s always better to go through the syllabus and assess on your own.

How difficult is the writing section in comparison to other sections?

In general, students find the writing section a bit more challenging than other sections of the IELTS exam syllabus. But again, it varies from one student to another, and if your understanding of the English language is good, the chances are very likely that you will not face much difficulty in any section of the IELTS test syllabus.

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