IELTS

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) assesses the English language proficiency of people who want to study or work in English-speaking environments. It tests all four skills, speaking, listening, reading and writing.

There are two different types of IELTS test: Academic and General Training. Academic IELTS is for people who want to study at university in English-speaking environments. General IELTS is for those wishing to immigrate to an English-speaking country, or for those wishing to study at below degree level (like high school or college). At STAR Exeter, we mainly teach Academic IELTS but if you want information about General IELTS, please speak to us.

You can take an IELTS exam in Torquay at least once a month (Cost = £190) or you can take an UKVI IELTS exam in the UK, 10 centres to choose from, Cardiff being the closest centre to Exeter at least twice a month (Cost = £210)

IELTS at STAR Exeter

The IELTS course will be for 6 hours a week. The class times are from Monday to Thursday at 14.00 - 15.30

To join the IELTS class, you will need to be CEFR B1+ (Intermediate or higher), which is equivalent to 5.0 - 5.5 in IELTS.

You will need to buy a coursebook for the class, which will be £30.

The coursebook explains about the structure of the exam, what techniques you need to use to get the score you want, and exam questions like you will have in the real exam. It also provides a syllabus for you and your teacher to follow, to make sure that each skill is covered equally.

You will have shorter exam tasks during class time, and once a week, on Thursdays, you will have a mock test of 1 skill from 15:30 -16:30. For example:

Week 1 - Reading, Week 2 - Listening,

Week 3 - Speaking, Week 4 - Writing

It’s important that you attend these mock exams as they help you and your teacher see areas that need to be improved.

Because you only have 6 hours a week of IELTS class time, we will give you some extra materials to help you study independently at home. Your teacher will give you homework to complete outside class.

If you are ready to take your IELTS exam soon, speak to Caz in the office. She will tell you which exam centre you need to go to, and will help you book a place and organise your travel.

The week before your official IELTS exam you can spend your class time just doing exam practice to help your final preparations. The teacher will give you new exam papers, and you can work in a different classroom where it is quiet. On the Friday before your exam you might need to take a train in the morning to a different city, and stay overnight before you start on Saturday morning. We will help you with all of this information too.