IELTS Exam 

International English Language Testing System

Acronym IELTS
Type Standardized test. Available in 2 versions: “Academic” and “General training”.
Developer / administrator Cambridge English Language Assessment, British Council, IDP Education.
Knowledge / skills tested Listening, reading, writing and speaking of the English language.
Purpose To assess the English language proficiency of non-native English speakers.
Duration Listening: 40 minutes,
Reading: 60 minutes,
Writing: 60 minutes,
Speaking: 11–15 minutes.
Total: about 3 hours.
Score / grade range 0 to 9, in 0.5 band increments.
Score / grade validity 2 years
Offered Multiple times a year.
Countries / regions More than 900 test centers in over 130 countries
Languages English
Annual no. of test takers Increase Over 2 million in 2012.
Prerequisites / eligibility criteria No official prerequisite. Intended for non-native English speakers.
Fee May vary from centre-to-centre and time-to-time. May accept local currency.
Scores / grades used by More than 8000 education institutions, governments, professional registration bodies and employers worldwide.