International English Language Testing System/ IELTS:

IELTS is extensively used by educational institutions, organizations, government bodies, and other professional setups to determine the proficiency of English of the student or an individual. IELTS exams are conducted in nearly 130 countries at 900 test centers worldwide in collaboration with the British Council, IDP IELTS Australia, and the University of Cambridge. In India, there are 39 test centres and tests are conducted on 48 fixed dates (4 times a month) usually on a Thursday or a Saturday.The test scores of IELTS are accepted by 6000+ institutes across the globe. The two modules of IELTS are: General and Academic and there are 4 parts in each of the modules. The test duration is 2 hours 45 minutes for the 4 modules listening, writing, and reading. The speaking test may be conducted before the other tests, or on the same day or within 7 days of taking the other 3 modules. Some centers offer IBT (internet-based test), but most of them offer PBT (paper-based test).

Important facts about IELTS and TOEFL

In India IELTS is conducted by either IDP or British Council. The cost of the test ranges from 8,900 if taken with IDP and 10,500 if taken with the British Council. The test results are available online after the 13th day of taking the exam and the “Test Report Form” with the scores for each of the skills as an overall band score is sent via courier within 6 weeks of taking the test. IELTS test results are valid for 2 years from the date of taking the test.

Test of English as a Foreign Language / TOEFL:

The second most common exam taken by Indian students is the TOEFL, as this is a standardized English language proficiency test preferred by universities in America. Unlike IELTS, the TOEFL exam is taken for academic purposes only, due to this reason it is accepted by nearly 7,500 universities and educational institutions in 135 countries. Out of the 4,500 test centers worldwide, 73 testing centers are present in India alone. The test is usually conducted on weekends. There are 4 parts to the test like any other internationally recognized test, i.e., listening, speaking, writing, and reading. All four modules are conducted on the same day and last for 4 hours 30 minutes. The TOEFL test can be taken as a TOEFL iBT or TOEFL PBT. The cost ranges from $160-$ 250 to take it in any center in India. The test score is between 0-120 and is available online within 2 weeks of taking the test. The TOEFL score is valid for 2 years of taking the test.

Useful links for Indian Institute of Foreign Languages students:

http://www.toeflgoanywhere.org/

https://www.britishcouncil.in/exam/ielts

https://www.ieltsidpindia.com/

https://www.ieltsessentials.com/global/ieltshome

http://www.ielts-exam.net/practice_tests/

The Role of English in connecting people, culture and commerce worldwide:

English is the Global language of communication with nearly 375 million people whose mother tongue is English and close to 750 million people, who speak English as their second language. English is the official language in many countries worldwide including India, where it is the second official language. With globalization, decentralization of world trade and commerce as well as the sudden boom in the field of Information Technology, people are able to communicate across continents effortlessly. In this scenario English languageplays a major role, as it bridges the gap between non-native English speakers and native speakers.

India is not far behind when it comes to usage of English. In India, English is the 2^nd official language of both the Central as well as the State Governments.

In the last 5 years alone, the number of English medium schools has increased from 1.5 crores to 2.9 crores in India. English is either the first or the second language taughtbythe majority of our schools and colleges. This gives our students’fluency in English language and as a result, they have the advantage of choosing International colleges and universities for their graduate, post-graduate and doctorate degrees. Moreover, each year the number of Indian students travelling abroad to pursue their higher education has increased drastically. In the year 2014, a staggering 2.5 lakh students of Indian origin flew to English speaking countries like USA, UK, Australia and Singapore. By this we can comprehend the role of English in the field of education alone.

Various tests and exams to check English competency:

As a student or an individual trying to migrate to an English speaking country, it is necessary to gather information about the different English language proficiency tests accepted by the country or region you are planning to emigrate either for studies or for obtaining a PR visa. Many countries like the United States, UK and Australia have standardized tests as part of their visa evaluation process and university application acceptance process. You might have seen or heard acronyms like TOEFL, IELTS, CAE, CPE, iTEP, PTE or FCE on websites, from friends/relatives, on advertisement hoardings, on print media etc.,It can get really confusing which course to choose from out all those available in the market. These tests are conducted by famous education institutes like Cambridge, IDP, Boston Educational Services, ETS, Pearson etc.,

The most important among these tests are the IELTS and TOEFL. The results from thesetwo tests are recognizedand accepted by hundreds of universities across USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand and many other countries.