This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
A few weeks ago, we talked about the Test of English as a Foreign Language,
or TOEFL. A listener in Cambodia named Thida asks if American colleges and
universities also accept the IELTS exam. IELTS is the International English
Language Testing System. It was developed by University of Cambridge ESOL
Examinations.
Cambridge ESOL says the test measures true-to-life ability
to communicate in English for education, immigration or employment. The IELTS
tests listening, reading, writing and speaking skills. It uses a mixture of
accents and spellings, including British English and American English.
The test is used by government agencies, schools and professional
organizations in 120 countries. And, yes, that includes the United States.
The many American schools that accept the IELTS can be found on the Web at
ielts.org.
Some schools accept both the TOEFL and the IELTS. But the graduate school at
Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, for example, says it prefers the
IELTS.
The listening and speaking parts are the same for everyone who takes the
IELTS. But people have a choice of reading and writing tests -- either academic
or general training.
The listening test takes 30 minutes. There are forty questions based on
a recording.
The reading test takes 60 minutes. Students answer 40 questions
based on three written passages.
The writing test also takes 60 minutes. Students have to write two
essays. One essay has to be at least 150 words long and the other at least 250
words. The shorter one is a description of something; the longer one has to
support an argument.
The speaking test takes less than fifteen minutes. The score is based on a
recorded talk between the student and a test examiner.
If you have a general question for our series, write to special@voanews.com.
I'm Barbara Klein.
examiner : 主考官
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