IELTS Examination score is valid for two years after someone takes the test. This test is designed to measure four language skills namely speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The speaking test is taken at a different date, while rests of the three skills are tested in one day, at a stretch, which takes 2 hours and 40 minutes. If we segregate the exam format it looks like:

• Listening Test- Time 40 minutes
• Reading Test- Time 1 hour
• Writing Test- Time 1 hour
• Speaking Test- Time-14-15 minutes. [Either seven (7) day before or after the other tests.]

About the Intensive IELTS Preparation Course The Intensive IELTS Preparation Course which BUFT offers is an intensive one in which students of BUFT will get an opportunity to prepare for IELTS test at a very minimal cost, under the supervision of the Department of English. The expert faculty members of the department of English train the students for the IELTS examination.

Course Description

This intensive 25 hour course aims to prepare students for the IELTS examination. This is a rigorously designed course which puts equal emphasis on all the four components of IELTS test namely listening, speaking, reading and writing. Lessons and activities are devised in such a way that students will develop the four language skills, enhance vocabulary and master the language system (grammar) as required. The course provides students with the skills and test taking strategies required to address the questions and tasks in the IELTS test accurately and efficiently. In addition to the 25 contact hours in the classroom, students do 12 hours of mock tests at the end of the course. The Mock Tests allow students to put into practice the knowledge and skills acquired in class.

Instructors:

Faculty members of the Department of English, BUFT Learning Objectives Upon completion of the course, students will: 1. be familiar with the IELTS exam (e.g. time allotted; format; types and techniques of questions; and order of questions).
2. learn to develop a good command of the four language skills as the four components of IELTS test.
3. use skills and test taking strategies required to address the questions and tasks in the IELTS test accurately and efficiently.
4. recognise and overcome challenges presented in the IELTS exam General and Specific Focuses of the Course Reading General focus 1. Understanding a variety of different academic text types.
2. Skimming and scanning in all types of reading passages.
3. Identifying the elements of a text and, where required, reproducing these elements in their own writing.
4. Achieving familiarity with the 11 questions types found in the reading test and how to address them.

Specific skills

1. Identifying topic sentences.
2. Interpreting main ideas of paragraphs.
3. Understanding main ideas and overall meaning to match headings with paragraphs.
4. Differentiating paragraph headings according to content.
5. Comprehending text details to perform sentence completion tasks.
6. Extracting key points from academic texts.
7. Identifying antonyms and synonyms in written texts.
8. Differentiating between similar answers in multiple choice questions.
9. Recognising phrases with similar meanings.
10. Employing skimming techniques to find important information quickly.
11. Employing strategies to deal with unknown vocabulary.
12. Interpreting written texts to identify and match detailed information.
13. Understanding main ideas and overall meaning of texts to complete diagrams.
14. Understanding main ideas of paragraphs and matching with paragraph summaries. Writing

General focus

1. Responding to the 2 tasks, following instructions and making the best use of the time available.
2. Writing different types of essays, e.g. persuasive, cause and effect, etc..
3. Writing a report analysing graphs and charts.
4. Interpreting and describing statistical data using appropriate language and grammar.
5. Demonstrating enhanced vocabulary and grammatical structures.

Specific skills

1. Structuring a paragraph recognizing standard organization conventions.
2. Combining and organizing paragraphs to respond to a Task 2 opinion essay task type.
3. Recognizing individual sentence purpose in a paragraph.
4. Identifying signposting language.
5. Connecting ideas using linking language.
6. Structuring an introduction for task 2 cause and effect essay.
7. Employing cause and effect markers to connect ideas.
8. Formulating a clear thesis statement.
9. Employing complex connectors to link cause and effect clauses.
10. Identifying main features of a diagram.
11. Completing a Task 1 description a map.
12. Comparing and contrasting diagrams appropriately in a Task 1 type essay.
13. Writing a paragraph plan under time restraints.
14. Self-assessing own writing for grammatical mistakes. Speaking

General focus

1. Understanding what is required of candidates in all 3 parts of the exam.
2. Evaluating and self-correcting their speaking.
3. Demonstrating enhanced speaking.
4. Formulating, expressing and defending opinions using appropriate vocabulary and grammatical structures.

Specific skills

1. Talking about feelings and emotions.
2. Explaining and justifying answers.
3. Explaining answers &.
responding to Part 2 task questions.
4. Generating succinct notes to aid in speaking tests.
5. Organising ideas appropriately to respond to Part 2 task type questions.
6. Discussing different views to present arguments.
7. Structuring an argument according to common conventions.
8. Discussing hobbies and interests in depth.
9. Comparing and contrasting children’s toys and games.
10. Recognising different accents and adequately replicate accents.
11. Using a range of spoken grammatical structures in Part 2 of the speaking paper.
12. Using common expressions to start an answer and introduce new ideas.
13. Describing a person in a speaking part 2 task.
14. Answering follow-up questions from the examiner using a variety of language structures.
15. Expanding on answers by giving reasons and/or examples. Listening General focus 1. Understanding academic and professional discourses e.g. lectures.
2. Identifying the main ideas and distinguishing relevant supporting details of a formal or academic passage.
3. Demonstrating improved listening skills for overall comprehension and details.
4. Achieving a deep understanding of the 6 questions types found in the listening and how to address them.

Specific skills

1. Identifying similarity and difference.
2. Listening for details to match ideas.
3. Identifying key information to complete notes.
4. Distinguishing between different speakers.
5. Employing techniques to identify topics in part 3 task type questions.
6. Identifying correct word forms in listening section 4 summaries.
7. Predicting types of words needed to fill gaps in short answer questions.
8. Identifying key words in aural text to signpost answers.
9. Identifying relevant details in a listening to discern correct answer among multiple choices.
10. Identifying specific information needed to complete a flow chart.
11. Identifying relevant details to follow a process.
12. Discerning key points in a lecture to chronologically arrange stages in a process.
13. Identifying specific information needed to complete gaps in sentences.
14. Identifying signal words in lectures to predict when key information is coming. Assessment Strategy Practice, assessment and feedback go on a regular basis in every class. Two mock tests are given at the end of the course. Core texts

• The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS, Cambridge University Press.
• Focus on IELTS by Sue O'Connell

Recommended readings

• IELTS Practice Test Plus 2
• IELTS Test Builder 2
• IELTS Masterclass
• IELTS Common Mistakes