Group 3

林正昀 Adam, 李燕俞 Amber, 李季樺 Gina, 徐家慧 Alice

IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, is designed to assess the language ability of candidates who need to study or work where English is the language of communication.

A variety of accents and writing styles have presented in test materials in order to minimise linguistic bias.

IELTS tests the ability to listen, read, write and speak in English.

Band scores used for each language sub-skill (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking). The Band Scale ranges from 0 ("Did not attempt the test") to 9 ("Expert User").

All candidates must complete four Modules - Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking - to obtain a band score, which is shown on the IELTS Test Report Form (TRF).

All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking Modules, while the Reading and Writing Modules differ depending on whether the candidate is taking the Academic or General Training Versions of the Test.

The module comprises four sections of increasing difficulty.

Each section, which can be either a monologue or dialogue, begins with a short introduction telling the candidates about the situation and the speakers.

Then they have some time to look through questions. The first three sections have a break in the middle allowing candidates to look at the remaining questions.

In the Academic module the reading test comprises three sections, with 3 texts normally followed by 13 or 14 questions for a total of 40 questions overall.

The General test also has 3 sections. However the texts are shorter, so there can be up to 5 texts to read.

In the Academic module, there are two tasks: in Task 1 candidates describe a diagram, graph, process or chart, and in Task 2 they respond to an argument.

In the General Training module, there are also two tasks: in Task 1 candidates write a letter or explain a situation, and in Task 2 they write an essay.

The first section takes the form of an interview during which candidates may be asked about their hobbies, interests, reasons for taking IELTS exam as well as other general topics such as clothing, free time, computers and the internet or family.

In the second section candidates are given a topic card and then have one minute to prepare after which they must speak about the given topic.

The third section involves a discussion between the examiner and the candidate, generally on questions relating to the theme which they have already spoken about in part 2.

The total test duration is around 2 hours and 45 minutes for Listening, Reading and Writing modules.

- Listening: 40 minutes - Reading: 60 minutes. - Writing: 60 minutes - Speaking: 11–14 minutes.

Band score: 1~9

Listening 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 7.5, 8.0, 8.5, 9.0Reading

Writing 0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 ,4.0 ,5.0 ,6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0

Since 2007/07/01 → 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 7.5,

8.0, 8.5, 9.0

Speaking

Listening & Reading

Number of Correct Answer Score

20 5.5

21~25 6.0

26~28 6.5

29~30 7.0

31~33 7.5

34~35 8.0

36~38 8.5

39~40 9.0

Overall Band Score= (Listening + Reading + Writing +

Speaking)÷4 e.g. (6+5.5+6+6.5)÷4= 6

5.75~6.25(not include 6.25)→6 6.25~6.75(not include 6.75)→6.5 6.75~7.25(not include 7.25)→7

9 Expert userHas fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding.

8 Very good userHas fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriacies. Misunderstandings may occur in unfamiliar situations. Handles complex detailed argumentation well.

7 Good user Has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning.

6 Competent userHas generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, in appropriacies and misunderstandings. Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations.

5 Modest user Has partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning in most situations, though is likely to make many mistakes. Should be able to handle basic communication in own field.

4 Limited userBasic competence is limited to familiar situations. Has frequent problems in understanding and expression. Is not able to use complex language.

3 Extremely limited userConveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations. Frequent breakdowns in communication occur.

2 Intermittent userNo real communication is possible except for the most basic information using isolated words or short formulae in familiar situations and to meet immediate needs. Has great difficulty understanding spoken and written English.

1 Non userEssentially has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a few isolated words.

0 Did not attempt the testNo assessable information provided.

It is impossible to produce tests which are 100%

reliable.

According to Cronbach’s alpha, a reliability

estimate which measures the internal

consistency of the 40-item test, we can know

that if the coefficient were over 0.7, the test

would have a greater reliability.

The IELTS homepage (2009) showed:

IELTS seem to be a relatively reliable measure

of language proficiency.

2007 2009

Listening coefficient

0.89 0.91

Reading coefficient 0.88 0.90

Speaking coefficient

0.86 0.91

Writing coefficient 0.85 0.90

score correlation

IELTS Listening & TOEFL ListeningCorrelations between IELTS and

TOFEL iBT

0.63

IELTS Speaking & TOEFL Speaking 0.57

IELTS Reading & TOEFL Reading 0.68

IELTS Writing & TOEFL Writing 0.44

IELTS Total & TOEFL Total 0.77

Correlations between IELTS and TOEFL iBT Section and Total Scores

IELTS Score TOEFL Score

9.0 30

8.5 28-29

8.0 26-27

7.5 24-25

7.0 23

6.5 20-22

6.0 18-19

5.5 16-17

5.0 14-15

4.5 12-13

＜＝ 4 0-11

IELTS Score TOEFL Score

9 30

8.5 29

8 28

7.5 27

7 24-26

6.5 20-23

6 12-19

5.5 7-11

5 4-6

4.5 3

＜＝ 4 0-2

IELTS Score TOEFL Score

9 30

8.5 29

8 29

7.5 27-28

7 24-26

6.5 19-23

6 13-18

5.5 8-12

5 4-7

4.5 3

＜＝ 4 0-2

IELTS Score TOEFL Score

9.0 30

8.5 30

8.0 30

7.5 29

7.0 27-28

6.5 24-26

6.0 21-23

5.5 18-20

5.0 14-17

4.5 12-13

＜＝ 4.0 0-11

IELTS Score TOEFL Score

9 118-120

8.5 115-117

8 110-114

7.5 102-109

7 94-101

6.5 79-93

6 60-78

5.5 46-59

5 35-45

4.5 32-34

0-4 0-31