The IELTS exam is said to be a short route towards universities in English-speaking countries for incoming international students. Whatever your destination might be, whether Canada, the UK, Australia, or somewhere else, knowing the IELTS exam dates, paper pattern, and marking scheme is crucial. This blog will take you through the upcoming IELTS exam dates for September 2024 and give you an overview of the paper format and scoring system.
IELTS Exam Dates in September 2024
IELTS Exam dates in September 2024 include the following:
- September 7th, 2024: Academic only
- September 14th, 2024: General Training and Academic
- September 19th, 2024: Academic only
- September 28th, 2024: General Training and Academic
Candidates who wish to study abroad in countries like the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and several European countries need to register for one of these dates. IELTS is recognised by universities and institutions around the world; hence, it is of prime importance if one needs to head abroad to study.
Understanding the Pattern of the IELTS Paper
The pattern of the question paper consists of four sections, namely reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Following is what each section consists of.
1. Reading
>> Format: Three passages from newspapers, journals, or books.
>> Questions: 40 questions based on the reading material.
Duration: 60 minutes.
>> Focus: The passages shall be designed to assess a candidate’s comprehension and ability to process information quickly.
2. Writing
>> Format: Two pieces of writing
>> Task 1: A 150-word writing piece
>> Task 2: A 250-word essay
Time: 60 minutes.
>> Skills: The questions assess your skills on how you could present arguments, analyse some data, and express your ideas vividly.
3. Speaking
>> Format : The speaking section is taken as an individual-based interview, and it’s divided into three parts.
>> Introduction and Interview
>> Cue card-based talk
>> A discussion about the given topic in detail
Time: 11 to 14 minutes
>> Skills: This section grades your fluency, coherence, range of vocabulary, and pronunciation.
4. Listening
>> Format: Four recorded monologues and conversations
>> Questions: There are 40 questions based on the audio recording.
Time: 30 minutes.
>> Focus: The recordings test your ability to understand main ideas, opinions, and detailed information.
IELTS Marking Scheme
The IELTS marking scheme consists of band scores that range from 0 to 9. Each section, which comprises reading, writing, speaking, and listening, is separately graded; an overall band score is calculated by averaging the four section scores.
For example, if a candidate scores:
- Listening: 7
- Reading: 6.5
- Writing: 8
- Speaking: 7.5
The average of the scores across the four sections would be 7.25; this gets rounded down to 7.0.
List of IELTS Exam Dates Coming 2024
Candidates who cannot take this test in September can choose other IELTS exam dates coming in 2024:
- October 5: Academic and General Training
- October 10: Academic
- October 19: Academic
- October 26: Academic and General Training
- November 2: Academic
- November 7: Academic
- November 16: Academic and General Training
- November 23: Academic
- November 30: Academic and General Training
- December 5: Academic
- December 7: Academic and General Training
- December 14: Academic and General Training
- December 21: Academic
Conclusion
Since the IELTS exam plays such an important role in a student’s migration to another country for higher education, it is of utmost importance that their preparation be much better. Knowing the pattern of the IELTS paper and the method of marking will surely give more confidence to candidates in attempting each section confidently. Now, note down the IELTS 2024 exam dates and schedule your preparation accordingly. Good luck!
