Many people–keen to move to Canada–are often at a loss as to how to do well on the language front, and get good International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores to improve their chances of an Invitation to Apply (ITA) from the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Do you know that contrary to the popular belief, you don’t have to be very good in the English language to do well in the IELTS exam?
If you are even reasonably good in it, with the right amount of practice and guidance from the IELTS language experts, you can perform well on this crucial component. And, improve your score to boost your chances of ITA and acceptance from the IRCC.
Spend at least 6-8 weeks preparing for the IELTS exam, focusing on the fundamental grammar, reading speed, test tactics and writing abilities.
Every of the 4 modules of the IELTS exam being different, it pays to completely figure-out what’s expected of you.
What’s IELTS and what’s its relevance in Canada immigration via Express Entry?
It’s the most extensively used and accepted language test for testing your English language skills, for doing a job and pursuing studies in an English speaking nation, if you are from a non-English speaking nation, and your mother tongue isn’t English.
For Canada immigration through Express Entry, you have to submit your IELTS Test score.
10000+ organizations throughout the globe and this include educational establishments, recruiters, professional groups and governments, in 140 countries acknowledge the IELTS scores.
Acknowledged as an evidence of English skills for study at all Canadian universities & colleges, and for Permanent Residency (PR) and citizenship by the Canadian provincial & federal governments, the IELTS is the test that shows if you have the right language skills to survive overseas.
You can choose to take your IELTS test–either via online or paper methods–on the basis of your specific convenience. No difference exists in the content, format or the stage of difficulty between the two. Some people though believe the online option to be easier.
IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training?
The test has two modules –– the IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training.
Choose cautiously on the basis of the particular object of your taking the test.
For migration through Express Entry, the Academic option isn’t accepted.
You will get a maximum of 150 CRS points with a spouse and 160 CRS points minus a spouse.
4 Language Abilities
Your abilities (or the lack of it) will be judged on 4 language abilities—speaking, listening, reading, and writing. You will get the highest CRS points available for your language skills if your score an average of either CLB 10 or IELTS 9. CLB stands for Canadian Language Benchmark.
- Speaking: It reviews your spoken English abilities. Your skills will be reviewed for your smoothness & coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range & accuracy, and pronunciation. You will get a score accordingly.
Duration: 11-14 minutes
- Listening: It has 40 questions and 4 parts of growing difficulty. Every component is a short dialogue (or monologue) at the end of which you will find some questions. The voices behind the recordings are those of the native English speakers.
Duration: 40 minutes
- Reading: It also has 40 questions and is designed to test you on a range of reading skills. How far you are able to get essence, chief ideas, particulars, etc., will be checked. Are you able to figure- out the writers’ attitudes, views and goals will also be studied and points given accordingly.
Duration: 60 minutes
- Writing: You have 60 minutes to complete the test which has 2 tasks. These cover topics of general interest based on the module you are taking. It could be the toughest of the 4 modules and so focus more on it.
Duration: 60 minutes
First official language (Maximum 24 points)
Your profile, generated for the Express Entry Pool, will receive points on the basis of the table given here under.
| CLB Level | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing | Points |
| 7 | 6 | 6.0 – 7.0 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| 8 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 5 |
| 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| 10 + | 7.5–9.0 | 8.5–9.0 | 8.0–9.0 | 7.5–9.0 | 6 |
IELTS Test Validity
The IELTS score has a validity of two years from the date mentioned on the IELTS result form. This validity condition is same for both the IELTS General Exam and IELTS Academic exam.
IELTS Bands Required for Canada Immigration
For Canada migration–through Express Entry–you have to submit your IELTS score, and it must show that you have obtained at least an average of 6 bands (competent level) though it’s not obligatory.
Under the IELTS test, you will get a score between 0 and 9 bands. For 0, you will get not points, for 6 bands, your score will be competent, and if you score 9 an average of bands, you will get the highest points available.
Score High To Improve Your PR Chances
So, aim for the highest points and prepare well for it.
Get IELTS coaching from expert IELTS teachers! Practice and practice! It will pay handsomely.
