IELTS Training & Testing

In collaboration with
American Institute of Applied Sciences in Switzerland
IELTS is the most widely used English language test, especially if you intend to study at an English-speaking university in Switzerland or Europe.

Candidates with varying levels of English are prepared by the American Institute of Applied Sciences in Switzerland to achieve their desired English level and obtain certain IELTS scores.

AUS offers a variety of English IELTS preparation courses that can be taken in a small group or on an individual basis.

IELTS Preparation Courses at AUS

Intensive IELTS Preparation
Certified instructors guide you and show you how to prepare for the different IELTS exam sections, how to maximize your exam time, and how to anticipate the types of questions you'll encounter. You'll enhance your English grammar and vocabulary while practicing reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

General English Training
Improve your English skills through the high-quality course designed for adult language learners. Train in general business English, practice vocabulary, speaking and comprehension.

IELTS Test Format Explained

Students will be prepared for the IELTS Academic Training which consists of four papers: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

What's in the exam?

Paper
Content
Time
Listening
40 questions
Approximately 30 minutes
(plus 10 minutes’ transfer time)
Reading
40 questions
60 minutes
Writing
2 tasks
60 minutes
Speaking
3 parts
11–14 minutes
Listening
Reading
Writing
Speaking
40 questions
Approximately 30 minutes
(plus 10 minutes’ transfer time)
60 minutes
2 tasks
3 parts
11–14 minutes
40 questions
60 minutes
Paper
Content
Time

What’s in the IELTS Listening paper?

The paper has four parts, with ten questions in each part. The questions are in the same order as the information in the recording, so the answer to the first question will be before the answer to the second question, and so on.
Parts 1 and 2 deal with everyday, social situations. There is a conversation between two speakers in Part 1 (for example, a conversation about travel arrangements). Only one person speaks in Part 2 (for example, a speech about local facilities).
Parts 3 and 4 deal with educational and training situations. In Part 3 there is a conversation between two main speakers (for example, two university students in discussion, perhaps guided by a tutor). In Part 4 only one person speaks on an academic subject.
You will hear the recordings once only. Different accents, including British, Australian, New Zealand and North American, are used.
You will need to transfer your answers to an answer sheet. You will have 10 minutes at the end of the test to do this. You should be careful when writing your answers on the answer sheet because you will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.
Summary
1
Time allowed:
Approximately 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet)
Number of parts:
4
Number of questions:
40
Marking:
Each correct answer receives 1 mark.
Your final score is given as a band score in whole or half bands, e.g. 5.5 or 7.0.
Time allowed:
Number of parts:
Number of questions:
Marking:
Approximately 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet)
4
Each correct answer receives 1 mark.
Your final score is given as a band score in whole or half bands, e.g. 5.5 or 7.0.
40
Summary

What’s in the IELTS Academic Reading paper?

Texts come from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online resources, written for a non-specialist audience. All the topics are of general interest to students at undergraduate or postgraduate level. The texts may be written in different styles, for example, narrative, descriptive or discursive/argumentative. At least one text contains a detailed logical argument. Texts may also contain diagrams, graphs or illustrations. If texts use technical vocabulary, then a simple dictionary definition is provided.
You will need to transfer your answers to an answer sheet. You must transfer your answers during the hour you are given for the Reading test. Unlike the Listening test, no extra transfer time is given. You should be careful when writing your answers on the answer sheet because you will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.
Summary
1
Time allowed:
60 minutes (including transfer time)
Number of sections:
3; the total text length is 2,150–2,750 words
Number of questions:
40
Marking:
Each correct answer receives 1 mark.
Your final score is given as a band score from 1–9 in whole or half bands, e.g. 4 or 6.5.
Time allowed:
Number of sections:
Number of questions:
Marking:
Approximately 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet)
3; the total text length is 2,150 –2,750 words
Each correct answer receives 1 mark.
Your final score is given as a band score from 1–9 in whole or half bands, e.g. 4 or 6.5.
40
Summary

What’s in the IELTS Academic Writing paper?

There are two Writing tasks and BOTH must be completed.
In Task 1, you have to describe some visual information in your own words (a graph, table, chart or diagram). You need to write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes.
In Task 2, you are given a point of view, argument or problem which you need to discuss. You need to write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes.
You must write your answers using full sentences. You must not write your answers as notes or bullet points. You must write your answers on the answer sheet. You are allowed to write notes on the question paper, but these will not be seen by the examiner.

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