English Tests
We teach you our techniques to obtain the score required by universities for the main English tests: IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC
IELTS
What is IELTS?
The International English Language Testing System is an international test of the English language jointly run by the University of Cambridge, the British Council and the Australian organisation IDP Education Australia.
It is generally used by international universities to assess your ability to study at university in English.
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is a high quality English language test, often required for admission to universities and colleges internationally. Like TOEFL, IELTS is an essential part of the immigration process in many countries.
IELTS is widely recognised in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many other English speaking countries. It is jointly administered by Cambridge University ESOL examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia.
There are two versions of the IELTS certificate, the academic version and the general education version:
– IELTS Academic Version: designed for candidates wishing to enrol in universities and other undergraduate institutions of higher education, and for professionals wishing to undertake postgraduate studies or internships in an English-speaking country.
– IELTS General Training Version: designed for candidates who plan to improve their English for non-academic, work experience or immigration purposes.
The structure of the test
IELTS tests assess language skills used in everyday life and the workplace. Test takers speak and write in English and answer real-life questions and situations. In addition, IELTS tests use colloquial expressions, key phrases and vocabulary.
| IELTS Listening | |
|---|---|
| Duration: 40 minutes | Common to both versions and consisting of 4 exercises, which can be monologues or dialogues between several people, each beginning with a brief introduction to the situation and characters of the recording. Each exercise will be played only once, and it should be noted that the recordings can be done in accents from anywhere in the world, which adds a substantial degree of difficulty. At the end of the listening session, students will have 10 minutes to transfer all their answers to the answer sheet. |
| Reading | |
|---|---|
| Duration: 60 minutes | In the academic version, it consists of 3 sections, with 3 texts usually followed by 13 or 14 questions, for a total of 40. For the general education version, it also consists of 3 sections, but with shorter texts, so there may be up to five texts instead of three. |
| Writing | |
|---|---|
| Duration: 60 minutes | Writing for the Academic Version consists of 2 exercises: the first is an essay on a text, graph, chart or table containing data; the second is an essay on whether you agree or disagree with a piece of information. For the general education version, there are also 2 exercises: in the 1st exercise, candidates write a letter, and in the 2nd exercise, they write an essay. |
| Speaking | |
|---|---|
| Duration: 15 minutes | The Speaking is common to both versions, a conversation is held with an examiner, and is divided into 3 sections. In the first section, the candidate answers questions on personal, family, interests and hobbies, current events, the Internet, etc. In the second section, the candidate is given a specific topic indicated by the examiner and speaks about it, thus assessing his/her ability to express him/herself in a coherent and orderly manner. In the third and final part, the examiner and candidate debate and discuss (usually on the topic of the second part), assessing the candidate’s oral interaction and discussion skills. The oral portion is recorded for later review and evaluation, as it is generally the most abstract and difficult part of the entire examination. |
The certificates
The IELTS test is valid for two years. You can retake the test whenever you want and as many times as you want, without having to wait for the certificate to expire.
To begin preparing for the exam, we recommend at least an intermediate level, equivalent to 2 years of study in the candidate’s country. In an English-speaking country, an intermediate level can be acquired after 8 weeks of classes.
Each of the general parts of the examination is scored on a scale of 0 to 9. The overall result is an arithmetic average of these four parts. Each institution sets the level it deems necessary for admission to educational institutions (academic version) or for obtaining a work visa (general education version).
The TOEIC
What is the TOEIC?
TOEIC, which stands for Test Of English for International Communication, is an international test of the English language jointly run by the University of Cambridge, the British Council and the Australian organisation IDP Education Australia.
It is generally used by international universities to assess your ability to study at university in English.
The structure of the test
The TOEIC consists of two parts:
- Listening and Reading, which measures a candidate’s ability to understand conversations and speeches in different contexts.
- Speaking and Writing, which measures your ability to communicate and express yourself in English.
You can choose to take only one part, take both parts on the same day, or take each part on different dates. In addition, if you do not achieve the desired score on one of them, you can rewrite that particular part without having to rewrite the entire exam.
Organization and duration
The TOEIC Listening and Reading test consists of 200 questions and takes two hours to complete. Here is a summary of how the time is organized in each section.
Skills | Questions | Duration |
|---|---|---|
Listening | 100 questions | 45 minutos |
Reading | 100 questions | 75 minutos |
Please note that during the exam, you will need to mark your answers on the answer sheet provided at the beginning.
The “oral and written expression” part lasts 80 minutes.
TOEFL
What is the TOEFL test?
The TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) is an English language test that measures your ability to understand and use the language: it certifies your knowledge of the language at an international level.
This test measures a person’s ability to listen, read, write, structure and speak the English language.
There are two types of tests, let’s find out what they are:
- The paper-based TOEFL (PBT): the test is paper-based, meaning that you answer it on paper.
This type of test is only available in countries where it is not possible to offer the TOEFL iBT (second type).
- The Toefl iBT (Internet Based Test): the test is administered via a computer.
The content and type of questions are the same as in the paper format, but this time the exam is conducted online.
Organization and structure
Skills | Questions | Duration |
|---|---|---|
Speaking | 11 questions | 20 minutos |
Writing | 8 questions | 60 minutos |