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.
TOEFL
TOEFL Test format is divided into 4 sections namely-
Reading
Read 3 or 4 passages from academic texts and answer 36 to 56 questions in 60 to 80 minutes.
Listening
Listen to lectures, Classroom discussions and conversations, then answer 34 to 51 questions in 60 to 90 minutes. Break of 10 minutes is given to the students.
Speaking
Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks, the students have to perform 6 tasks in 20 minutes.
Writing
Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing, Such 2 tasks are to be completed in 50 minutes.
The Total duration of the entire Test Format is 4 Hours.
SECTIONS
Reading
Reading tests candidates’ ability to read and comprehend the passages, and answer the questions based on the same. It consists of 3 – 4 passages and each passage having 13 – 15 questions on it. It lasts for approximately 60 – 80 minutes.
Listening
Listening tests candidates’ ability to understand spoken English that is typical of interactions in academic environment. It comprises the talks and lectures of generally American speakers. Listening has two formats i.e. Short Format (SF) and Long Format (LF), one of which appears in the test. SF comprises 6 talks of which 3 are conversations and 3 are lectures. LF has 9 talks of which 3 are conversations and 6 are lectures. SF will last for approximately 45 – 55 minutes, whereas LF lasts approximately 70 – 80 minutes.
Speaking
Speaking tests a candidate’s ability to converse in English. Speaking has 6 questions prompts which include independent speaking questions, as well as integrated speaking questions. Candidates are given a few seconds to think and the time allotted to speak keeps changing as per the question format. Approximately 45 seconds to 1 minute is the time limit, per question in speaking. Overall speaking test lasts for 20 minutes.
Writing
Writing tests a candidate’s ability to express himself through written text. It comprises of 2 tasks. In Task 1 i.e. Integrated Writing, candidates are required to read a passage, listen to a lecture and compose a technical essay based on the passage and the lecture. Time allotted is 20 minutes. In Task 2 i.e. Independent Essay, students are given a general topic to write an essay on. Time allotted is 30 minutes