N A M E : ________________________________ DATE: ____________________

ENGLISH EXAMS
Question: What do you already know about the IELTS?
 Read the article below and then answer the questions.

The IELTS Exam

Are you thinking of taking the IELTS exam? Here is some information about the
‘International English Language Test System’ (IELTS) that maybe you didn’t know
before. The test was developed by the British Council and first used in 1989. Now,
every year, about two million people take the test in more than 120 different countries
around the world. There is not one test, but two. There is the ‘Academic’ IELTS and
the ‘General Training’ IELTS. The Academic test is usually taken by people who want
to enter a college or a university (either in their home country or in an English-
speaking country, such as Canada or New Zealand). The General Training test is
usually taken by people who want to move to and live in another country. More than
9,000 colleges, universities and other organizations accept the IELTS.

The first three parts of both test versions last for two hours and forty-five minutes.
Both the Academic and General Training IELTS test a person’s ability to listen to and
understand spoken English, as well as their reading, writing and speaking ability. The
different parts of the IELTS are known as ‘modules’ and, except for the Speaking
Module, they are always taken on the same day. The Speaking Module is usually
taken on a separate day.

After a person takes the exam, he or she will receive

a score, or grade, also known as a ‘band’. They are
from between zero and nine, with nine being the
highest possible score. Students entering a college
or university usually need an IELTS band of between
5 and 6, depending on the program and the place of
study.

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N A M E : ________________________________ DATE: ____________________

ENGLISH EXAMS
 READING COMPREHENSION
1. The article is about how to pass the IELTS exam.
(a) TRUE
(b) FALSE
(c) It doesn’t say.
2. Which country made the IELTS?
(a) Britain
(b) New Zealand
(c) Canada
3. Why wasn’t the IELTS exam used before 1989?
(a) It was too expensive.
(b) There were fewer people before that time.
(c) It was first made around that year.
4. How many people take the IELTS exam each year?
(a) 120
(b) 2 million
(c) 9,000
5. How many kinds of IELTS exams are there?
(a) two
(b) nine
(c) one
6. What do the IELTS exams test?
(a) a student’s modules
(b) a student’s speaking ability on a separate day
(c) a student’s reading, writing, listening and speaking ability
7. How many people want to move to other countries?
(a) millions of people from 120 countries
(b) more than 9,000
(c) It doesn’t say.
8. In Paragraph 2, what does ‘they’ refer to?
(a) students
(b) modules
(c) languages
9. In Paragraph 3, what does ‘they’ mean?
(a) bands
(b) colleges or universities
(c) students
10. What kind of grade do students need to enter most colleges and universities?
(a) between zero and nine
(b) between five and six
(c) the highest possible score
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N A M E : ________________________________ DATE: ____________________

ENGLISH EXAMS
Grammar-in-Context
 Complete the paragraph by circling the correct words.

Are you thinking of taking the IELTS exam? Here (1)_____ some information about
the ‘International English Language Test System’ (IELTS) that maybe you (2)_____
know before. The test (3)_____ developed by the British Council and first used
(4)_____ 1989. Now, every year, about two million people (5)_____ the test in more
than 120 different countries around the world. There is not one test, but two. There
is the ‘Academic’ IELTS and the ‘General Training’ IELTS. The Academic test is
usually taken by people who want to enter a college or a university (either in their
home country or in (6)_____ English-speaking country, such as Canada or New
Zealand). The General Training test is usually taken by people who want to move to
and live in another country. More (7)_____ 9,000 colleges, universities and other
organizations accept the IELTS.
The first three parts of both test versions last for two hours and forty-five minutes.
Both the Academic and General Training IELTS (8)_____ a person’s ability to listen
to and understand spoken English, as well as (9)_____ reading, writing and speaking
ability. The different (10)_____ of the IELTS are known as ‘modules’, except for the
Speaking Module, they are always taken on the same day. The Speaking Module is
usually taken on a separate day.
After a person takes the exam, he or she will (11)_____ a score, or grade, also
known as a ‘band’. They are from between zero and nine, with nine being the
(12)_____ possible score. Students entering a college or university usually need an
IELTS band of between 5 and 6, depending on the program and the place of study.
1. 5. 9.
(A) are (A) takes (A) they
(B) is (B) took (B) their
(C) do (C) take (C) they’re
(D) have (D) taking (D) them

2. 6. 10.
(A) not (A) a (A) parts
(B) don’t (B) the (B) part
(C) aren’t (C) an (C) part’s
(D) didn’t (D) there (D) parts’

3. 7. 11.
(A) was (A) thin (A) received
(B) is (B) then (B) receives
(C) had (C) them (C) receive
(D) did (D) than (D) received
4. 8. 12.
(A) on (A) test (A) higher
(B) in (B) tested (B) high
(C) to (C) tests (C) higher than
(D) at (D) testing (D) highest
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N A M E : ________________________________ DATE: ____________________

WRITING PRACTICE
 DESCRIPTIVE WRITING: “Write about some ways that students can prepare for
the IELTS test.”

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LESSON Reading and Grammar: English Exams (IELTS)

Aim Reading and Grammar Practice

Level Intermediate

NOTES ANSWER KEY

Begin the lesson by asking your learners
What they already know about the IELTS. Reading Comprehension

Distribute the Reading Comprehension 1. B 6. C

sheet (the ten questions on page 2) 2. A 7. C
before your learners actually read the
text on page 1. Give them about a 3. C 8. B
minute to quickly go over the questions 4. B 9. A
and remind them that they want to skim 5. A 10. B
and scan the text to answer the questions
quickly – remember: good readers do two
things: (1) understand what they read;
(2) read quickly. Consider giving your Grammar-in-Context
learners an appropriate time limit to read
and answer all the questions (about 10 – 1. B 5. C 9. B
15 minutes) – write this on the board so 2. D 6. C 10. A
everyone is aware of it. This time may 3. A 7. D 11. C
vary somewhat depending on your own 4. B 8. A 12. D
specific group of learners, so be flexible.

For the Grammar-in-Context section,

make sure that your learners have put
away the original reading text before
completing the exercise.

My Notes

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