IELTS

TEST FORMAT – Paper Based – PB / Computer Based – CB

IELTS Test format is divided into 6 sections namely-

Listening PB / Listening CB
40 Questions to be answered in 40 Minutes

Reading Academic Module (Same for both test format)
3 passages (40 Questions) to be answered in 60 Minutes

Reading General Module (Same for both test format)
3 sections (40 Questions) to be answered in 60 Minutes

Writing Academic Module (Same for both test format)
2 tasks (Diagram Prompt/Argument Prompt) to be answered in 60 minutes

Writing General Module (Same for both test format)
2 tasks (Letter Prompt/Essay Prompt) in 60 minutes.

Speaking
3 Parts in 11 to 15 minutes The Total duration of the entire Test Format is 2 Hours 45 Minutes

SECTIONS

Listening : It has 4 sections and 40 questions in all. It lasts for 40 minutes including 10 minutes transfer time for the answers to the main answer sheet.

Reading : Reading has 3 passages, 40 questions in all. Candidates are given only 1 hour to complete reading.

Writing Academic Module : It has 2 writing tasks. Task 1 is primarily Report writing (explaining diagrams and charts). Essay on task 1 must not be less than 150 words. Students are advised to spend 20 minutes on this task. Task 2 is Argumentative essay. Essay on task 2 must not be less than 250 words. Students are advised to spend 40 minutes on the same. In all time allotted for writing is 1 hour. 

Writing General Training Module : It also has 2 writing tasks. Task1 presents a Letter Prompt (formal or informal). Students must write at least 150 words for the same. Task 2 is same as that of Academic Module.

Speaking : Speaking has 3 parts and lasts for 11-14 minutes. It is done on one-to-one basis with the student. This is usually done on another day.

Part1: Examiner asks general questions to the student, which relates to his/her work, studies, hobbies etc. This part lasts between 4 and 5 minutes.

Part2: The candidate is given a topic to speak, which is printed on a task card. Students have to speak for 1 minute at least and are given one minute to think and write down some points. This part lasts between 3 and 4 minutes.

Part3 : It’s a two way discussion with the examiner (questions mostly related to part 2 topic will be asked). The discussion lasts between 4 and 5 minutes.

PTE

The PTE Test Format is divided into 6 sections namely-

Introduction
The student is asked to give a self introductory speech, which is untimed and this part is not assessed.

Speaking and Writing
38 to 47 Questions to be answered in 30 to 35 minutes.

Speaking
35 to 42 Questions to be answered in 30 to 35 minutes

Writing
3 to 5 questions in 50 to 60 minutes

Reading
15 to 20 questions to be answered in 32 to 41 minutes

Listening
17 to 25 questions to be answered in 45 to 57 minutes

The Total duration of the entire Test Format is 3 Hours.

SECTIONS

Speaking & Writing (77 – 93 minutes)

Speaking :
It has 2 sections.

Speaking Section 1 :
It contains the personal introduction. This is an opportunity to give your selected institutions some information about yourself. This section is not scored.

Speaking Section 2 :
It contains read aloud, repeat sentence ,describe image, Retell lecture and answer short.

Writing :
Summarize written text. You need to write a summary of the text in one sentence. You have 10 minutes to write your summary. Make sure to include the main points of the reading passage in a full single sentence of no more than 75 words.

Write Essay :
For this section you need to write a 200-300 word argumentative essay in response to a prompt. You have 20 minutes to write your essay.

Reading (32 – 41 minutes) :
For this section you need to read the passage and answer the multiple choice question. It would be multiple choice, choose single answer, Further this module contains multiple-choice, choose multiple answers, re-order paragraphs and fill in the blanks.

Listening (45 – 57 minutes) :
You hear an audio recording and need to write a 50-70 word summary on what you heard. You have 10 minutes to write your summary. This module also has multiple-choice, choose multiple answers, fill in the blanks, highlight correct summary, select missing word, highlight incorrect words and write from dictation.