Irrespective of any gender bias, nationality, and race, the very basic requirement to be eligible to take the IELTS exam is:
- You should be at least 16 years of age,
- You should have a valid passport with at least 6 months’ validity.
If you satisfy the above-mentioned criteria, then you are eligible to give the IELTS test depending upon the purpose. A candidate appears for the IELTS exam, to apply for the visa for the following categories:
- Student Visa: If he is planning to study abroad in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, and the U.S.A. In that case, he will have to appear for the IELTS Academic exam and score a minimum of 6 bands in all the modules. Also, he needs to have a basic education qualification of 10+2 (Senior Secondary level).
- Work Visa: If a candidate is applying for a work visa to work in a foreign land majorly in the USA, UK or Canada, then he will have to appear for the IELTS General Training exam just to verify his English language communication skills. So that the candidate does not have any language barrier or language limitations at work, the IELTS General Training exam suffices the need. Working in a foreign land needs strong communication which implies having good verbal skills and also understanding skills.
- Immigration visa: Migrating to a foreign country requires an understanding of the language. A candidate’s language skills should be sharp, to understand the language. And IELTS General Training exam enables the candidate to sync up well in the new culture with an understanding of the language. So any candidate who is applying to foreign lands such as the USA, Canada, Australia, etc. for immigration purposes, needs to take the IELTS General exam.
Why a candidate has to be a minimum of 16 years of age to appear in the IELTS exam?
The main reason why the age criteria to appear for the IELTS exam is 16 years as when a candidate applies for a student visa to any of the universities, he usually is minimum 16 years of age. Also, if he is applying for a work visa or immigration to any country, he is way above 16 years. Most of the undergraduate courses offered in the foreign universities have a minimum age bar of 16 years. Also, if the candidate is going abroad on the basis of a work visa or immigration, he will be at least 16 years of age.
About the IELTS Exam:
Majorly all the foreign countries across the globe accept the IELTS score for studies, work, and immigration, so it is internationally recognized. The IELTS exam is conducted by Cambridge University in association with the British Council and IDP in almost all parts of the world. The IELTS test takes place in secure centers in different countries. It covers up all the four language skills: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. The test is designed in such a way that each candidate be evaluated fairly on the basis of his skill set and knowledge of the language. The total duration of the test is 2 hours and 45 minutes. The IELTS test scores are valid for two years. Besides that, the Listening, Writing, Reading exam takes place on the same day whereas, the Speaking test takes place on a different date. Usually speaking test is conducted within a week’s time of the previous sections test.
What is the upper age limit to take the IELTS exam?
As such there is no age limitation to take IELTS except the minimum age of 16 years, a candidate can appear for the IELTS exam as many times as he wants and at any age. There is no upper cap on the age limit to take the IELTS exam.
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What does it take to go abroad if you are 16 years old and have a valid passport?
All you need is good bands in the IELTS exam to qualify for the next step. The barest minimum of 6 bands in each section of the IELTS exam will kickstart the visa process further. In order to get high bands in the IELTS exam, it is essential to prepare thoroughly. To hone language skills, taking IELTS Practice tests to help a great deal. Also, there are a lot many online resources that provide IELTS Study Online, that nearly covers up all the types of questions. And the study online portals provide different strategies to deal with various kinds of questions. A candidate can be a 10th standard student or 10+2 standard student, in either case, he should be 16 years old.
What is the minimum score required in the IELTS?
The minimum IELTS score required varies from university to university. But ideally, the minimum bands that are acceptable in the IELTS exam to get admission in a reputed university are 6 bands in each of the sections and 6.5 overall bands.
How is the IELTS score calculated?
The IELTS score is calculated on the basis of the sum of the individual section scores i.e If a candidate has scored:
- 6 bands in the Reading section
- 6.5 bands in the Listening section
- 6.5 bands in the Writing section
- 6 bands in the Speaking section
Then the overall score will be the sum of all the bands divided by the number of sections. The outcome will be rounded off to the next half.
In this case 6+6.5+6.5+6= 25, 25/4= 6.25, Now 6.25 will be rounded off to the next half i.e 6.5
So the overall bands are 6.5.
In a nutshell, the IELTS exam is a popular choice worldwide as it opens many avenues for thousands of candidates across the globe. By now almost all the universities of the world accept IELTS as the most trusted English language proficiency exam. IELTS being a sought after the exam, the competition level is also higher, so to score higher bands, a candidate needs to undergo extensive and focussed preparation. Taking IELTS Mock tests helps a candidate build confidence and skill to nail the actual exam.