Please do NOT panic! I wish to make it clear proper at the beginning of this weblog put up that there are not any main adjustments taking place to the IELTS examination (that I’m conscious of) in 2023. Cambridge just isn’t including a brand new part to the talking examination, or altering the period of time that you’ve got for writing, or making the studying passages tougher. Nonetheless, a few of our college students have reported over the previous few weeks that a few of the exams that they’ve sat at the beginning of 2023 have deviated barely from the present Cambridge ebook format. As we speak, Nick and I clarify what these adjustments are and the way the IELTS examination format altering in 2023 may have an effect on your IELTS preparation.
Under, you could find a abstract of the episode, which incorporates hyperlinks to helpful supplies 🚀
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What would it not imply for IELTS to vary the take a look at format?
There are a selection of ways in which Cambridge, IDP and the British Council may change the format of the IELTS examination, starting from integrating the 4 abilities (because the do in TEOFL), to introducing new duties within the writing and talking. Nonetheless, there may be little to no likelihood (in my view) that IELTS will do that now or sooner or later.
Making a dependable English proficiency take a look at is each troublesome and time-consuming. IELTS is already trusted by universities and governments around the globe, and altering the format of the take a look at wouldn’t solely require re-training all the present examiners, but additionally creating new take a look at supplies and educating books. Briefly, it will be a large effort to repair one thing that’s not damaged.
Nonetheless, that’s not to say that the take a look at stands nonetheless and by no means adjustments. Previous dinosaurs like me can keep in mind when the listening take a look at used to have good little illustrations, and the writing prompts generally requested you to put in writing “a case” for an argument. And despite the fact that at this time, the take a look at is kind of “fastened” there are nonetheless small adjustments being made on a regular basis.
Take, for instance, the subjects addressed within the essay questions, that are always being up to date to incorporate the most recent social developments (i.e. having a private coach, spending time on smartphones, web funds, and many others). And even the query sorts seen within the examination are endlessly evolving, with increasingly 2-part and direct questions showing lately – have a hearken to Nick and I discussing the essay questions in Cambridge IELTS Basic Coaching 17 to study extra about this.
In the primary, nevertheless, what you might be requested to do within the IELTS examination is kind of at all times the identical.
You’re requested to pay attention, learn, communicate, or write in English, and to answer specific kinds of questions that by no means change. In different phrases, within the talking examination in Part 1 you’ll at all times be requested to reply quick questions on your self, and in Half 2 to talk on a subject for 1 – 2 minutes, and in Half 3 to reply questions concerning the world round you. Equally, within the studying examination, you may be requested to learn three passages and solutions questions from a set vary of potential sorts (T/F/NG, A number of Selection, Headings, and many others)
If IELTS have been ever to vary these items, you wouldn’t examine these adjustments in a weblog put up like this. You’ll examine them on the official IELTS web site (after which see the IELTS world go into meltdown!)
Wish to know the way the examiner will apply the band descriptors when marking your IELTS essay?
Then obtain a duplicate of our FREE e-book, which explains how every of the 4 marking standards is utilized and consists of the commonest errors made by test-takers. Simply click on right here to your copy.
What might be completely different, then, in 2023 for IELTS test-takers?
Good query! If we all know that the elements of IELTS are at all times the identical, then how can there be something completely different in 2023? Nicely, what appears to be taking place is that IELTS is deviating barely from the format that it has been utilizing in the latest Cambridge IELTS books for studying and listening.
As you most likely know, Cambridge IELTS 1 – 17 is a sequence of books that include previous examination papers. Cambridge publishes one ebook yearly in order that test-takers can apply with essentially the most present examination questions, and get a good suggestion of what to anticipate in the true examination.
These are the one examination papers that we advocate you apply with.
Sure, you could find many different assets on-line, however no different examination papers are assured to be the fitting stage and include no errors. College students contact us each week asking for clarification of a particular True/False/Not Given query that has confused them, or an Tutorial Report that they can’t discover the important thing options for, and 99.9% of the time, when the take a look at paper comes from the Web, the issue lies within the query itself not the scholars reply. Nonetheless, should you apply from the Cambridge books, you might be assured that it’s YOU who has misunderstood the duty (and never the duty which is defective).
Listening IELTS examination format altering in 2023
That mentioned, if in case you have been practising from the latest Cambridge books – roughly books 13 to 17), you should have observed that the listening examination has been roughly “fastened” lately. Should you use the exams in these books as a template for what to anticipate in the true examination, then you may be assured of discovering the next query sorts in every part:
- Part 1 – Observe or desk completion
- Part 2 – Map labelling, A number of Selection, A number of A number of Selection, or Field Matching
- Part 3 – A number of Selection, A number of A number of Selection, Field Matching
- Part 4 – Observe-completion
In different phrases, in the latest exams, Part 4 ALWAYS asks you to finish a set of notes with lacking phrases, and a number of alternative have been restricted to Sections 2 and three.
Nonetheless, on the stare of 2023, a lot of our college students are reporting that that is now not ALWAYS the case. Whereas some have continued to be given note-completion actions, others have been requested to finish field matching or a number of alternative questions in Part 4.
Now, chances are you’ll suppose that it is a small change, however if in case you have been utilizing the notes to grasp the lecture in Part 4 (as try to be doing – discover out extra right here), then it may be an actual shock to not solely immediately not have them there to assist your comprehension, but additionally need to learn and perceive 5 or 6 lengthy a number of alternative query stems with three potential solutions.
Additionally, many college students have additionally reported desk completion or be aware completion actions showing in Part 3, which once more goes towards what has been in the latest Cambridge IELTS books. Once more, these should not “new” query sorts, however they will positively trigger confusion you will have been practising solely a number of alternative, or field matching whereas listening to the scholars talk about an educational subject on this part.
Studying IELTS examination format altering in 2023
In the identical means, in case you are making ready for the Tutorial Studying examination from the most recent Cambridge books, you’ll anticipate finding two units of “fast questions” in Half One, akin to True/False/Not Given, or Observe-completion. Nonetheless, once more, college students have been reporting a rise within the tougher kinds of query often related to Elements 2 and three, akin to Headings Match or Info Match or A number of Selection.
Additionally, though some questions seem in just some exams (akin to matching sentence endings, which seem not often), there are some that you’d anticipate finding in each examination paper. True / False / Not Given are the perfect instance of this, as they seem in nearly each paper within the Cambridge sequence. Nonetheless, once more that is now not assured to be the case. In latest weeks, we’ve had college students with no T/F/NG questions in any respect of their examination, and others who had 4 units, which is way more than I’ve ever seen.
How does the IELTS examination format altering in 2023 have an effect on your preparation?
Nicely, let’s begin by clearly repeating the the adjustments to the take a look at are minor. You aren’t being requested to finish any new kinds of query or duties which have by no means appeared earlier than. All you might be being requested to do is full the identical duties in a distinct place or roughly than normal. That signifies that for many test-takers, nothing will change of their preparation.
In truth, many college students who sit the examination could have solely accomplished 2 or 3 Cambridge apply exams so won’t even discover that their actual examination is barely completely different to the books.
Nonetheless, if in case you have been learning IELTS for a very long time or have labored your means by 4 or 5 books (however not all, as keep in mind the Cambridge books are a strategy to take a look at your present stage to not enhance your rating), chances are you’ll discover it stunning in case your examination doesn’t look 100% the identical as your apply materials.
The excellent news, although, is that the important thing to making ready for the brand new examination truly lies within the Cambridge books themselves. That’s as a result of most of the earlier books include exams in precisely the identical format that college students reporting at this time. Take Cambridge IELTS 6, for instance, it was a number of alternative questions in Part 4 of the listening alongside some sentence completion, and there are a wider vary of questions within the Studying examination than in later variations of the books.
Nonetheless, don’t use books 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 as they’re nonetheless utilizing the gorgeous pictures within the listening examination and their writing questions should not at all times related for the present examination.
Subsequently, somewhat than beginning on the newest Cambridge books and dealing backwards, I might advocate that you simply now begin your preparation from ebook 17 and work backwards AND from ebook 6 and work forwards. In different phrases, you possibly can full the 4 exams in E-book 17, then full the exams in E-book 6, then full the exams in ebook 16, then ebook 7, and many others, and many others, and many others.
Doing this, you’ll give your self the perfect likelihood potential of being ready for any mixture of exams in the true examination. Plus, it is going to be mixing up the kind of studying and listening duties you full, which can assist enhance your general rating it doesn’t matter what questions you will have in your take a look at!
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