What is the IELTS Full Form?

The IELTS full form stands for the International English Testing System, one of the widely accepted English language standardized tests. It is designed specifically for those who want to work or study abroad where English is the primary language of instruction. Officially established in 1989, the IELTS exam is organized in collaboration with IDP: IELTS Australia, British Council, and Cambridge Assessment English. IELTS is recognized in numerous countries including, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the USA. 

The test has various test dates throughout the year, and the scoring is valid for two years. There are about 900 testing locations spread across 130 nations. This test is taken annually by more than 2 million people worldwide.

IELTS Full Form: Types of IELTS

There are two types of IELTS exams. Let’s take a look at each one of them:

1. Academic IELTS: The academic version of the exam is specially designed for those students who aspire to study abroad and want to be admitted to any undergraduate or postgraduate programs at universities abroad. It is also useful for those professionals, like doctors and engineers who are prepared to serve in an English-language-speaking country.
2. General IELTS: This is chosen by those individuals who wish to migrate to English-speaking countries or seek entry to a foreign nation for any non-academic purposes.  For people wishing to enrol in any form of training program, pursue secondary education, or just want to obtain work experience abroad, this type of IELTS exam is also their first choice.

Test Structure of the IELTS Exam

Individuals’ four English language skills—reading, writing, listening, and speaking—are evaluated on the IELTS exam. The format of the four sections of the test is shown below:

Section	Time Duration
Writing	60 Minutes
Reading	60 Minutes
Listening	30 minutes
Speaking	11- 15 Minutes
Total Duration of the Test	2 hours 45 minutes

Must Read: How to Ace IELTS Reading Section

Must Read: Vocabulary for IELTS

We hope that this blog was able to help you understand the IELTS full form, its types and test structure. To discover more full forms like this, follow our General Knowledge page daily. You can also check out this full forms list of 300+ alphabetically arranged acronyms and their full forms. And don’t forget to subscribe to Leverage Edu. Thank you for reading!