IELTS is an international English exam. The abbreviation ‘IELTS’ is decrypted as International English Language Testing System. The test measures proficiency in English of those who would like to move to the English-speaking environment and are not native speakers of the English language.

IELTS is recognised and accepted in more than 10,000 organizations all over the world, including employers, professional organizations, universities, immigration services and other public institutions. In order to have a look at the full list of the organizations that accept IELTS results, go to www.ielts.org/recognition.

The first IELTS test was conducted in 1989. It was developed and administered by the British Council, Cambridge English Language Assessment, and the International Development Program of Australian Universities and Colleges. The last one propelled the test to the international level. IELTS consisted of four sections (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening) in two versions (academic and general), and since those times it has been based on such a structure.

At different times, IELTS offered the choice of six modules that cover five of the main field in higher education of Great Britain, plus one non-specific field:

• science;
• social studies;
• physical science;
• technology;
• medicine;
• general academic.

Nowadays, there are two modules of IELTS: Academic and General.

IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training check the entire range of proficiency in English – from starter to experienced user. The academic version is appropriate for those who want to have a professional registration or obtain a degree from an English-speaking country. IELTS General Training is aimed at those who want to be employed or trained, study at a secondary school, or simply move to an English-speaking country.

The difference between Academic and General versions lies in the content, context, and aims of the tasks. Everything else, for example, timing, number of words in Writing and records of the results, is the same.

The main features of the test are:

• A variety of accents and writing styles presented in text materials. This minimizes possible linguistic bias.
• Testing 4 skills: ability to listen, read, write and speak English.
• Use of separate rating scale for each skill (listening, reading, etc.). Each scale ranges from 0 (“did not try to pass the test”) to 9 (“experienced user”). Individual scores for each skill are then averaged and rounded to calculate the total score.
• Speaking is the key component of IELTS. It is conducted as an individual interview with the examiner. Speaking can be done the same day as other parts of the exam or the day before. You can select a date in advance when you register for the exam.
• You can take IELTS an unlimited number of times. Before 2006, there was a 90-day limitation.
• The certificate is valid for two years from the date it was issued.
• The materials for each IELTS exam are unique. There are no two identical versions of the test. The materials from previous exams are never recycled in later IELTS versions.
• IELTS materials are created for all applicants, regardless of their nationality, age, gender and mother tongue. Topics and vocabulary that may be perceived as biased against any social group are strictly not allowed. The pre-testing process for IELTS materials is required, in particular, to ensure that the test topics are relevant to the cultures of all the countries where the exam is being conducted
• Protection against forgery of IELTS certificates. Organizations requiring IELTS results have online access to the exam results, where they can confirm the authenticity of the certificate by entering the individual document code listed in the lower right corner of the certificate.

In Ukraine, the IELTS exam has been conducted by the British Council (since 1992) and the Students International IELTS test center, Ukraine (since 2010).

You can prepare for the exam both independently and in specialized centers. Among the advantages of the latter:

• registration for the test
• experienced teachers and native speakers
• all training materials
• free testing before the start of preparation
• free full-format IELTS Mock Exam, as close to actual testing conditions as possible.