Sean, Author at Magoosh Blog — IELTS® Exam

Reading general y académico: ¿en qué son diferentes?

Sean — Sun, 29 Jan 2017 16:58:41 GMT

Si estás pensando en rendir el IELTS, probablemente hayas notado que hay dos pruebas diferentes: General y Académica. Estas dos versiones del examen IELTS tienen diferentes secciones de Reading y Writing que se hacen para evaluar tu dominio del inglés en diferentes situaciones: en un ambiente universitario y en la vida cotidiana.

Cuando se trata de la sección de Reading del IELTS, la versión académica evalúa qué tan bien puedes comprender los tipos de lectura que llevarás a cabo en la universidad. Por otro lado, la versión general evalúa tus habilidades de lectura en la vida cotidiana.

Reading en el IELTS Académico

La sección del Reading de la versión académica del IELTS dura una hora, y tienes que responder 40 preguntas. Las preguntas ponen a prueba tu capacidad para leer un pasaje y entender de qué se trata, tanto de forma general como de forma detallada. También pone a prueba tu capacidad para comprender lo que el autor piensa y siente con respecto al tema del texto. Incluso es posible que tengas que averiguar la razón por la que el escritor eligió escribir ese texto.

En la versión académica del IELTS, la parte del Reading contiene tres pasajes largos. Cada uno tiene una página de extensión aproximadamente. Estos pasajes provienen de textos reales publicados en libros, revistas y periódicos que puedes encontrar en una clase universitaria.

Estos pasajes pueden tratar sobre una gran variedad de temas académicos, incluyendo viajes, ciencia y literatura, pero son seleccionados por ser fácilmente entendidos por personas que no son expertos en esos campos. De esta manera, nadie tiene ventaja. Así que si hay un texto sobre los planetas, no tendrás que ser un astrónomo para entenderlo por completo.

Reading en el IELTS General

La sección de comprensión escrita de la versión general del IELTS dura una hora y también tienes que responder 40 preguntas. El Reading en el examen general examina tu capacidad para leer pasajes y entenderlos. Las preguntas que tienes que contestar pueden poner a prueba lo bien que entiendes la idea general del pasaje, así como algunos de los detalles sobre él. También puedes tener que determinar las opiniones y sentimientos del escritor, y cuál fue su propósito en la redacción del artículo.

En la parte del Reading del examen general, hay cuatro o cinco pasajes cortos. Estos vienen de periódicos, revistas, anuncios y libros que es probable que encuentres en la vida cotidiana.

Debido a que provienen de fuentes que es probable que veas en la vida cotidiana, los pasajes de lectura del examen IELTS General tratan sobre temas básicos que están pensados para que cualquier persona los pueda entender.

Diferencias entre el Reading académico y general

Como puedes ver, hay algunas diferencias entre las secciones de Reading del IELTS académico y general:

Los pasajes de lectura en la prueba académica son más largos que en la prueba general.
Hay más pasajes de lectura en la prueba general que en la prueba académica.
Los temas tratados en los pasajes de lectura en la prueba general son ampliamente conocidos y a menudo se abordan en la vida cotidiana. Por otro lado, los pasajes de lectura de la prueba académica tratan sobre temas que es más probable que veas en la universidad.

Aunque hay algunas diferencias, el formato de la sección del Reading de la prueba es el mismo: tienen el mismo número de preguntas que debes responder sobre ciertas partes de los pasajes de lectura.

Este post originalmente apareció en inglés en el blog Magoosh y fue traducido por Brenda Cabrera.

IELTS Reading Geral e Acadêmica: Como Elas se Diferem?

Sean — Sat, 14 Jan 2017 14:54:09 GMT

Se você está pensando em fazer o exame do IELTS, provavelmente notou que existem dois tipos diferentes de testes – Geral e Acadêmico. Essas duas formas possuem diferentes seções de Reading e Writing, que são feitas para testar seu inglês em situações distintas: em um ambiente universitário e no dia a dia.

Quando se trata da seção de IELTS Reading, a versão Acadêmica testa o quanto você consegue entender dos tipos de textos que deverá ler na faculdade. Por outro lado, a versão Geral testa suas habilidades de IELTS Reading para a vida cotidiana.

IELTS Reading Acadêmico

A versão Acadêmica do exame de IELTS Reading dura uma hora e possui 40 questões para você responder. As perguntas testam sua capacidade de ler trechos e entender o que é dito, tanto de forma geral quanto em detalhes. Elas também testam sua habilidade de ver o que o autor pensa e sente sobre o assunto que escreveu. Você pode até ter que descobrir o motivo pelo qual o autor escolheu escrever aquilo.

Na versão Acadêmica do IELTS, a parte de leitura apresenta três passagens de texto longas. Cada uma pode ocupar mais de uma página de leitura, normalmente. As passagens vêm de textos reais, publicados em livros, revistas e jornais que você pode encontrar em uma sala de aula universitária.

Esses trechos podem cobrir uma variedade de tópicos acadêmicos, incluindo turismo, ciência e literatura, mas são feitos para serem facilmente compreendidos por pessoas que não têm experiência em áreas específicas. Dessa forma, ninguém tem vantagem. Então se tiver um texto sobre planetas, você não vai precisar ser um astrônomo para entendê-lo completamente.

IELTS Reading Geral

A versão Geral do exame de IELTS Reading dura uma hora e também possui 40 questões para você responder. A prova testa sua habilidade de ler trechos e entendê-los. As questões podem testar o quanto você entende da ideia geral da passagem de texto, assim como alguns detalhes. Também será preciso determinar as opiniões e sentimentos do autor, e qual foi o seu propósito ao escrever tal artigo.

Na parte da IELTS Reading Geral do exame, há quatro ou cinco trechos curtos. Eles vêm de jornais, revistas, propagandas e livros que você encontra facilmente na vida cotidiana.

Pelo fato de virem de fontes que você encontra facilmente no dia a dia, as passagens de leitura no exame do IELTS Geral serão sobre temas básicos que devem ser fáceis para qualquer pessoa entender.

Diferenças entre a IELTS Reading Acadêmica e Geral

Como você pode ver, existem algumas diferenças entre a seção de IELTS Reading Acadêmico e do Geral:

Os trechos de leitura no teste Acadêmico são mais longos que no teste Geral,
Há mais passagens de texto no teste Geral do que no teste Acadêmico,
Os assuntos dos trechos no teste Geral são amplamente conhecidos e normalmente encontrados na vida cotidiana. Por outro lado, as passagens de texto no teste Acadêmico tratam de assuntos que você provavelmente irá encontrar em universidades.

Apesar dessas diferenças, o formato de IELTS Reading do teste é o mesmo: Ainda haverá a mesma quantidade de perguntas para responder sobre certas partes do texto.

Esta postagem apareceu originalmente em inglês no Magoosh blog e foi traduzida por Jonas Lomonaco.

¿Cuál es tu percentil en el IELTS?

Sean — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 13:39:15 GMT

Aunque los exámenes IELTS y TOEFL ambos ponen a prueba tus habilidades en el idioma inglés, hay muchas diferencias entre los dos exámenes. Mientras que el IELTS se hace con papel y lápiz, el TOEFL se hace en una computadora. El IELTS incluye una entrevista en la sección de Expresión Oral, pero el TOEFL no.

Otra diferencia entre los exámenes TOEFL y IELTS es que, una vez que hayas rendido el examen, el TOEFL te da tu calificación con un percentil. El IELTS no lo hace. Esto puede ser frustrante, porque al no conocer el percentil de tu banda en el IELTS no puedes comparar tus resultados con los de los demás que rindieron contigo. Sin embargo, hay una manera de obtener una idea básica de cuál sería tu percentil en el IELTS, comparando tu banda del IELTS con una puntuación equivalente en el TOEFL, y luego usando el percentil de esa puntuación del TOEFL.

¿Qué es un percentil, y por qué es importante?

El percentil de una prueba es un número, entre 1 y 100, que te permite comparar tu puntuación con otros que también rindieron tomaron el examen. Cuanto mayor sea tu percentil en un examen, mejor lo hiciste. Por ejemplo, si tu percentil es 89 entonces, de cada 100 personas que rindieron la prueba, te fue mejor que a 88 de ellos.

Saber cuál es el percentil correspondiente a tu puntaje en un examen puede darte un contexto de la calificación, proporcionando algo con qué compararla. Esto puede ayudarte a entender qué tan bien te fue en la prueba.

El IELTS no da un percentil, pero el TOEFL si

Desafortunadamente, el IELTS no proporciona un percentil para sus resultados. Sin embargo, el TOEFL lo hace. Aún mejor, las diferentes puntuaciones de las bandas del IELTS se pueden comparar con las puntuaciones del TOEFL, por lo que puedes rendir una prueba y saber cómo te habría ido, si hubieras realizado la otra. Debido a que a estos puntajes TOEFL se les asigna un percentil, puedes usar tu puntaje del IELTS para verla calificación que habrías alcanzado en el TOEFL y ver qué percentil hubieras obtenido en esa prueba.

Si bien esto no es una manera precisa de ver en qué percentil habría estado tu puntuación del IELTS, puede darte una idea general de qué tan bien hiciste la prueba.

Desglose por percentil del IELTS

Usando este método, hemos armado este gráfico para que puedas ver cuál sería tu percentil aproximado en el IELTS:

Percentil en el TOEFL	Puntuación en el TOEFL	Banda del IELTS
100	120	9
	119	9
	118	9
	117	8.5
99	116	8.5
	115	8.5
	114	8
	113	8
97	112	8
	111	8
	110	8
	109	7.5
93	108	7.5
	107	7.5
	106	7.5
	105	7.5
88	104	7.5
	103	7.5
	102	7.5
	101	7
81	100	7
	99	7
	98	7
	97	7
74	96	7
	95	7
	94	7
	93	6.5
67	92	6.5
	91	6.5
	90	6.5
	89	6.5
59	88	6.5
	87	6.5
	86	6.5
	85	6.5
51	84	6.5
	83	6.5
	82	6.5
	81	6.5
44	80	6.5
	79	6.5
	78	6
	77	6
37	76	6
	75	6
	74	6
	73	6
31	72	6
	71	6
	70	6
	69	6
25	68	6
	67	6
	66	6
	65	6
20	64	6
	63	6
	62	6
	61	6
16	60	6
	59	5.5
	58	5.5
	57	5.5
13	56	5.5
	55	5.5
	54	5.5
	53	5.5
10	52	5.5
	51	5.5
	50	5.5
	49	5.5
8	48	5.5
	47	5.5
	46	5.5
	45	5
6	44	5
	43	5
	42	5
	41	5
4	40	5
	39	5
	38	5
	37	5
3	36	5
	35	5
	34	4.5
	33	4.5
2	32	4.5
	31 o menos	4 o menos

Conclusión

Recuerda, tu percentil del IELTS es algo que puede ayudarte a entender lo que tu banda del IELTS significa, pero no es algo que los demás usen para medir lo bien que lo hiciste. Si tu percentil no es tan alto como desearías que fuera, sigue estudiando antes del examen y así subirá.

Este post originalmente apareció en inglés en el blog Magoosh y fue traducido por Brenda Cabrera.

Qual é o Percentil do Seu IELTS?

Sean — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 12:51:11 GMT

Embora tanto o IELTS quanto o TOEFL testem suas habilidades no inglês, existem muitas diferenças entre os dois. Enquanto o IELTS é feito com papel e lápis, o TOEFL é realizado por computador. O teste de conversação do IELTS inclui uma entrevista, mas o TOEFL não.

Outra diferença entre os dois é que, uma vez que você tenha feito o teste, o TOEFL lhe fornece sua pontuação com um percentil. O IELTS não. Isto pode ser frustrante, porque não saber o percentil das bandas do seu IELTS não o deixa comparar o quão bem você foi com relação aos outros outros que também fizeram o exame. Entretanto, uma forma de ter uma ideia desse percentil do seu IELTS é comparar suas bandas do teste uma nota equivalente do TOEFL, e então usar o percentil desta última.

O Que é Percentil e Por Que é Tão Importante?

Um percentil é um número, entre 1 e 100, que permite comparar sua nota com as dos outros que também fizeram o exame. Quanto maior seu percentil em um prova, melhor você foi. Por exemplo, se o seu percentil é 89, então para cada 100 pessoas que fizeram o teste, você foi melhor que 88 delas.
Saber qual o percentil de sua nota em um exame pode lhe dar um contexto de pontuação ao fornecer algo a que comparar. Isto pode lhe ajudar a entender o quão bem foi no teste.

O IELTS Não Fornece um Percentil, Mas o TOEFL Sim

Infelizmente, o IELTS não fornece um percentil para suas notas. Entretanto, o TOEFL sim. Melhor ainda, as diferentes bandas do IELTS podem ser comparadas às notas do TOEFL, então você pode fazer um teste para saber como teria se saído se tivesse feito o outro. O percentil permite o uso da pontuação no IELTS para ver como seriam seus resultados no TOEFL e o respectivo percentil.
Embora esta não seja uma forma precisa de ver qual teria sido o percentil para sua pontuação do IELTS, pode lhe fornecer uma ideia geral do quão bem você foi no teste.

Entendendo o Percentil do IELTS

Usando esse método, nós colocamos essa tabela para você ver qual seria seu percentil aproximado:

TOEFL Percentile	TOEFL Score	IELTS Band
100	120	9
	119	9
	118	9
	117	8.5
99	116	8.5
	115	8.5
	114	8
	113	8
97	112	8
	111	8
	110	8
	109	7.5
93	108	7.5
	107	7.5
	106	7.5
	105	7.5
88	104	7.5
	103	7.5
	102	7.5
	101	7
81	100	7
	99	7
	98	7
	97	7
74	96	7
	95	7
	94	7
	93	6.5
67	92	6.5
	91	6.5
	90	6.5
	89	6.5
59	88	6.5
	87	6.5
	86	6.5
	85	6.5
51	84	6.5
	83	6.5
	82	6.5
	81	6.5
44	80	6.5
	79	6.5
	78	6
	77	6
37	76	6
	75	6
	74	6
	73	6
31	72	6
	71	6
	70	6
	69	6
25	68	6
	67	6
	66	6
	65	6
20	64	6
	63	6
	62	6
	61	6
16	60	6
	59	5.5
	58	5.5
	57	5.5
13	56	5.5
	55	5.5
	54	5.5
	53	5.5
10	52	5.5
	51	5.5
	50	5.5
	49	5.5
8	48	5.5
	47	5.5
	46	5.5
	45	5
6	44	5
	43	5
	42	5
	41	5
4	40	5
	39	5
	38	5
	37	5
3	36	5
	35	5
	34	4.5
	33	4.5
2	32	4.5
	31 ou menos	4 ou menos

Conclusão

Lembre-se, seu percentil do IELTS é apenas para ajudá-lo a entender o que significa sua banda do IELTS – não é algo que os outros usam para medir o quão bem você foi. Se o seu percentil não é alto como queria, continue estudando antes do exame para aumentá-lo.

Esta postagem apareceu originalmente em inglês no Magoosh blog e foi traduzida por Jonas Lomonaco.

Inference Questions in the Reading Section

Sean — Fri, 20 May 2016 23:54:29 GMT

Whether you take the General or the Academic version of the IELTS exam, one of the sections will test your reading skills. While the material that you read will be different, depending on which version of the exam you take, the questions that you will have to answer will be similar.

One of these question types on the IELTS Reading section is an inference question. In some ways you can treat this as a question subtype. Inferences are most commonly tested within the IELTS Reading multiple choice question type, but inference can also come up in any of the twelve IELTS Reading question types. Inference questions test your ability to read a passage and see not only what the author is actually saying, but also what the author means to say.

What is an Inference?

An inference is a way of knowing something. It is a way of using logic to see or understand something more than what is being said. Inferences are very helpful to use, because they can let you turn only a couple of pieces of information into many more.

Examples of an Inference

Here is a really easy example of an inference: If someone is talking about soccer, and they say, “Arsenal is in third place, but they’re ahead of Manchester United,” then you can infer that Manchester United is not in either first or second place. How do you know this, when they did not say where Manchester United was in the standings? Because Manchester United can’t be in first or second, if they are behind the third place team.

This is an inference, because you are using logic to understand something more than what was said.

How to Answer Inference Questions on the IELTS

Being able to infer something is a very important language skill because it allows you to understand much more information. Because of how important it is to be able to infer something, the IELTS Reading section will include several inference questions.

When you come across an inference question on the IELTS, you will be asked to state what the author was inferring when he or she wrote a particular passage. You may also be asked to give the “implied meaning” of a passage, which is just another way of saying “inference.”

When you come across one of these questions, look at the passage it is asking about. There should be a piece of information that is obvious from reading the passage, but is not actually stated in that passage. That missing piece of information is the inference, or the “implied meaning,” that you are being asked about. If you are still stumped, read the passage and then think, “therefore…” It can help cue your mind into looking for what is missing.

Oftentimes, the piece of information that you are supposed to infer from a passage will seem obvious to you. Remember that the IELTS is a language test, not a logic exam. The inference that you are supposed to make for one of these questions in the Reading section often will not be a big one.

What’s Your IELTS Percentile?

Sean — Fri, 13 May 2016 21:20:00 GMT

Even though both the IELTS and the TOEFL exams test your English language skills, there are lots of differences between the two exams. Most obviously, the IELTS is done on paper with a pencil or on a computer at select locations, the TOEFL is done by computer only. The IELTS includes an interview for your speaking exam, but the TOEFL does not.

Another difference between the TOEFL and the IELTS exams is that, once you have taken the exam, the TOEFL gives your score with a percentile. The IELTS does not. This can be frustrating, because not knowing the percentile of your IELTS band does not let you compare how well you did with others who took the exam. However, there is a way to get a basic idea of your IELTS percentile by comparing your IELTS band to an equal TOEFL score, and then using the percentile of that TOEFL score.

What Is a Percentile, and Why Is It Important?

A test percentile is a number, between 1 and 100, that lets you compare your score to others who also took the exam. The higher your percentile on an exam, the better you did on it. For example, if your percentile is 89 then, for every 100 people who took the test, you did better than 88 of them.

Knowing what your percentile your score was for an exam can give your score context, by providing something to compare it to. This can help you understand how well you did on the test.

The IELTS Does Not Give a Percentile, but the TOEFL Does

Unfortunately, the IELTS does not provide a percentile for its scores. However, the TOEFL does. Even better, the different IELTS band scores can be compared to TOEFL scores, so you can take one test and know about how well you would have done, if you had taken the other. Because these TOEFL scores are given a percentile, you can use your IELTS score to see what you would have gotten on the TOEFL, and see what percentile you would have scored on that test.

While this is not a precise way of seeing what percentile your IELTS score would have been, it can give you a general idea of how well you did on the test.

IELTS Percentile Breakdown

Using this method, we put together this chart for you to see what your approximate IELTS percentile would have been:

TOEFL Percentile	TOEFL Score	IELTS Band
100	120	9
	119	9
	118	9
	117	8.5
99	116	8.5
	115	8.5
	114	8
	113	8
97	112	8
	111	8
	110	8
	109	7.5
93	108	7.5
	107	7.5
	106	7.5
	105	7.5
88	104	7.5
	103	7.5
	102	7.5
	101	7
81	100	7
	99	7
	98	7
	97	7
74	96	7
	95	7
	94	7
	93	6.5
67	92	6.5
	91	6.5
	90	6.5
	89	6.5
59	88	6.5
	87	6.5
	86	6.5
	85	6.5
51	84	6.5
	83	6.5
	82	6.5
	81	6.5
44	80	6.5
	79	6.5
	78	6
	77	6
37	76	6
	75	6
	74	6
	73	6
31	72	6
	71	6
	70	6
	69	6
25	68	6
	67	6
	66	6
	65	6
20	64	6
	63	6
	62	6
	61	6
16	60	6
	59	5.5
	58	5.5
	57	5.5
13	56	5.5
	55	5.5
	54	5.5
	53	5.5
10	52	5.5
	51	5.5
	50	5.5
	49	5.5
8	48	5.5
	47	5.5
	46	5.5
	45	5
6	44	5
	43	5
	42	5
	41	5
4	40	5
	39	5
	38	5
	37	5
3	36	5
	35	5
	34	4.5
	33	4.5
2	32	4.5
	31 or under	4 or under

Conclusion

Remember, your IELTS percentile is just something that can help you understand what your IELTS band means – it is not something that others use to measure how well you did. If your percentile is not as high as you want it to be, study before the exam with a trusted IELTS prep to help improve your score!

How to Write an Effective IELTS Conclusion

Sean — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 01:34:10 GMT

When you are writing the essay for Task 2 of the IELTS Writing section, the last thing that you will include will be your conclusion. An essay’s conclusion has one job: To summarize the rest of the essay in a way that makes it sound even more persuasive. However, many IELTS test-takers forget this, and either write too much in their conclusion, or forget to write one, at all.

Here is what to include, in your IELTS essay conclusion.

A Concluding Phrase

The first thing to put in your conclusion is a signal to the reader that you are finishing your essay, and that they have come to the end. This is called the concluding phrase, and does not have to be longer than a couple of words. It tells the reader that you are done making your argument, and that you are now going to summarize your essay. Examples of good concluding phrases are:

In conclusion,
To summarize, or
Therefore

On the other hand, there are some words that should not be used as a concluding phrase, like:

Finally, or
Lastly

These terms make it sound like you are going to make another point in your argument, which is not what the conclusion is for.

A Reminder of Your Thesis Statement

The second thing that you should do in your conclusion is tell your reader what you have just proven or shown. A good way to do this is to remind the reader what you thesis statement was, in your introduction. Your thesis statement, after all, is what your essay is all about.

Optional: Summarize Your Argument

If you have time, you can include a quick overview of your essay in your conclusion. This helps remind the reader why your thesis statement is correct. If you choose to summarize your argument in your essay’s conclusion, though, make sure not to go too much in depth: You should not write more than a sentence or two.

Say Why Your Essay is Important

Finally, you should include a sentence or two about why your essay is important. This makes the reader understand why they should take your essay to heart, and think about it. Mentioning why your essay is important also makes your argument sound much stronger, which is the point behind an argumentative essay.

The IELTS Conclusion

To summarize, your essay’s conclusion should recap the rest of your essay. It should include a concluding phrase, a reminder of your thesis statement, a few words on why your essay is important, and can also include a summary of your argument. By writing a good conclusion on Task 2 of the Writing section, you can earn a higher IELTS score.

Breaking Down the General IELTS Writing Section

Sean — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 00:08:57 GMT

In both the General and the Academic IELTS exams, there are four different sections: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Here, we are going to focus on the Writing section of the General exam.

Just like in the Academic exam, there are two tasks in the General exam’s Writing section. The first of these tasks requires you to write a letter, while the second will have you write an argumentative essay.

Understanding the differences between the two tasks will be important if you want to get a good score, because they each test different writing skills.

Writing Task 1: The Letter

Task 1 of the Writing section in the General IELTS exam will require you to write someone a letter. The instructions will tell you what to write about, and list several things that you must include in your letter. Not including any of these things will lower your score.

One of the skills that Task 1 is testing you on is your ability to write in different styles. Your letter may require you to write formally, semi-formally, or casually. Unfortunately, the instructions will not expressly tell you which style you should use. Instead, you will have to figure it out from the context of the letter you’re expected to write. The style your should use often depends on who you are writing to:

If you are writing to a friend about a personal subject, then a casual writing style will be best,
If you are writing to a friend or acquaintance about a serious subject, then you should use a semi-formal style,
If you are writing to someone you do not know personally, then you should use a formal writing style.

Writing Task 2: The Argumentative Essay

Task 2 of the General exam is much like Task 2 of the Academic exam. Both require that you write an essay that states your opinion about a topic, and then backs it up. The only difference between the General and the Academic essays is the topics that you will have to write about. However, the topics used on the Academic module come from serious subjects like science, literature and politics. Some people find these to be more difficult to write about than the topics used on the General exam, which can be more about day-to-day life.

Aside from these differences, however, the argumentative essay on the General exam is similar to the one on the Academic exam. You will have to do several things to get a good score:

Begin with an introduction that tells your reader exactly what to expect in the rest of your essay,
Clearly give your opinion on the topic given,
Give examples that show why your opinion is the correct one, and
Finish with a conclusion that summarized what you have said, to drive all of your points home.

Be sure to read our template for Writing Task 2.

Remember Which Task You Are Writing

On the General exam, Task 1 is very different from Task 2. Therefore, it is important to remember which one you are writing, so you can focus on showing that you have mastered the skills that are being tested. If you are on Task 1, focus on your writing style to write a letter that takes on the correct tone. If you are on Task 2, make sure that your argument is logical, smooth, and strong.

How Important is My IELTS Score?

Sean — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 05:11:24 GMT

When you are studying for the IELTS exam, it can seem like the test is the only thing there is. It can also seem like a massive life obstacle, because unless you get a good enough score, you are prevented from going to the schools that you want to go to.

This can make it seem like your IELTS score is the most important thing in the world. The time and energy that you put into getting a good one, as well as how important it is for your life goals to score well, can make seem like the only thing worth worrying about.

So how important is my IELTS score?

Yes, your IELTS score is important. If it is not good enough for a certain school or program, then you will not be able to go there. It can be depressing, knowing that you can’t go where you want to go because of an IELTS score that is not good enough. However, it is easy to focus so much on the importance of your IELTS score that you lose sight of the big picture. And that big picture is really about getting accepted.

Schools Accept Applicants Every Year

One of the most important things to remember is that not getting a good enough IELTS score does not mean that you can never go to the English-speaking school of your choice. It only means that you cannot go there, yet.

Schools and universities have application cycles every year. Most have them every semester. Just because you did not receive a high enough IELTS score to go to that school this application cycle does not mean that you cannot apply again for their next cycle.

The IELTS Only Tests Your Language Skills

Not scoring well enough on a test can make you feel stupid. It is important to remember that the IELTS only tests how well you understand the English language, not how intelligent you are. Languages are difficult to master. English is regarded as one of the most difficult to learn. It can take lots of time and effort to learn it well enough to get a good IELTS score. Not having a good enough score yet does not mean that you are not an intelligent person in other areas.

Conclusion

Your IELTS score is all-important for going where you want to go, when you want to go there. However, not getting the score to do this is not the end of the world. There are other opportunities to make your goals happen: A poor IELTS score is only a delay on your path to where you want to be, not a sign that you are not good enough to be there.

What Is a Conditional Acceptance for IELTS takers?

Sean — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 05:40:58 GMT

If you’re applying to go to a college or university in the United States, UK, or Canada, but English is not your first language, then you will need to take an English language exam like the IELTS. A good IELTS score will show that you know English well enough to succeed in an American school. Many schools in the U.S. require that you have at least a certain IELTS score before they’ll let you enroll to take classes there.

However, if you meet all other admissions requirements but still don’t have a passing IELTS score, some schools offer what is called a “conditional acceptance.” A conditional acceptance allows you to take certain classes, like English as a second language classes, at a college before getting the IELTS score you need.

Which Schools Offer Conditional Acceptance?

Not all U.S. schools offer conditional acceptance. You should be able to find out if a school offers conditional acceptance on the international admissions page of their website. However, some schools might call it by a slightly different name, like “conditional admission.”

To see if a certain school offers conditional acceptance, look at their international admissions information, or Google the name of the school and then the phrase “conditional acceptance.”

Are All Conditional Acceptances the Same?

Unfortunately, when it comes to conditional acceptances, different schools have different rules.

For example, Drexel University offers conditional acceptances that allow you to take language courses as well as up to 21 credit hours of regular college coursework. The University of New Haven’s conditional acceptance program, however, only lets you take English as a second language classes at their ELS center.

Passing the IELTS Exam Turns a Conditional Acceptance Into a Regular Acceptance

All conditional acceptances have one thing in common: Once you get a high enough score on the IELTS exam, your conditional acceptance ends, and you become a student at that school. All of the limitations that come with a conditional acceptance fall away – you’ll be able to take any of the classes that you would otherwise be able to take as a college student.

A Passing IELTS Score Changes, Depending on the School and Program

What IELTS score do you need to go from a conditional acceptance to a regular acceptance?

Unfortunately, that also depends on the school you are trying to get into. Some schools require one score, other schools require a different one. Even within the same school, the required IELTS score can change, depending on the program you are trying to study. For example, engineering programs often require a lower IELTS score than liberal arts or business programs.

However, the required IELTS score for a specific program should be listed in that program’s admissions information.