Nurses Guide to IELTS

Information about everything from booking your IELTS test to receiving your test score

In order to work as a nurse in the UK, you must register with the NMC (www.nmc.org.uk). After 18th January 2016 all nurses applying to the NMC must submit evidence of their qualifications as well as evidence of that their knowledge of English meets the standards set in 2003.

In November 2003 following a public consultation and evidence from the British Council, the NMC made the decision that an IELTS score of 7 would be the lowest level acceptable for language skills.

Any score below 7 will not be accepted.

IELTS Test

There are two types of IELTS test. General and Academic.

To work as a nurse in the UK, you must complete the Academic IELTS test. This is because you will be coming to work as a nurse which is a professional organisation, in an English speaking country.

You will need to get a score of 7 in all four sections; listening, reading, writing and speaking.

You can take the test in two sittings and present two IELTS test certificates that show you have a level 7 in all four sections, but these certificates cannot have anything below a 6.5 on them.

If you decide to take the test in two settings, you must make sure that the two tests are taken within 6 months of each other.

Example:

If you took an IELTS in May 2016 and achieved:

Speaking 7

Writing 7

Reading 6.5

Listening 6.5

and then did the test again in November 2016 achieving:

Speaking 6.5

Writing 6.5

Reading 7

Listening 7

you could use the scores from both tests to meet the NMC application requirement.

IELTS before or after NMC application?

You can’t complete your NMC application and get your PIN unless you have taken the IELTS test and passed all 4 sections with a level 7.

If you take your IELTS test after you have started your NMC application, you only have 90 days in which to get a level 7 in all 4 sections.

After this time, your NMC application has lapsed and you will have to re-apply.

Please remember that when you apply to the NMC there is a fee!

When you complete your application and send it back to the NMC, you need to pay £110 to cover administration costs.

Once your application has been accepted, you need to pay £120, which is the registration fee.

Total: £230

If you let your NMC application lapse, you will have to pay £230 and begin your application again.

If you take your IELTS test before you begin your NMC application, and do not achieve a level 7 in all 4 sections, you can re-take the test until you do get level 7 as there are no time constraints.

So, if you came to the UK and began working as a Senior Carer whilst you were preparing to take your IELTS, not only would you be getting extra practice from speaking English at work, you do not have the risk of your NMC application running out!

Why work as a Senior Carer and not wait until I am a nurse?

Employers need nurses, so if you start working as a Senior Carer/Pre-PIN nurse, you will gain experience in the work environment. Then, when you get your PIN, you will already know your colleagues and surroundings really well (and your salary will increase)!

You have been given this job because your employer knows that you can become a registered nurse within the time-frame set by the NMC and then start working as a nurse as soon as possible. This means that passing IELTS and completing your NMC application is very important!

IELTS Test Format

It is important that you make some time to go through the IELTS test format to get an understanding of it.

The first three sections are completed on the same day, with no break in between. The three sections take place in the following order: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

The speaking test takes place either on that same day or a week before or after. This will depend on local arrangements.

Please be aware that in the listening test, a variety of native-speaking accents are used; North American, Australian, New Zealand and British.

All standard varieties of English are accepted in responses in all parts of the test.

The LISTENING test consists of 4 recordings. You will have 30 minutes to answer and 10 extra minutes to transfer your answer to the answer sheet provided.

The READING test is 60 minutes. You need to read 3 long passages of text from authentic publications and complete the tasks as requested. The texts range from factual information to descriptive text and can include diagrams, graphs and illustrations.

The WRITING test is also 60 minutes. You must write at least 150 words that explain a table/diagram/graph/chart. You will also be required to write a small essay of at least 250 words.

The SPEAKING test is 11 – 14 minutes long and involves a face-to-face interview where you will be asked short questions as well as speaking at length about a topic and also a structured discussion.

Where can you take the IELST Test and how much will it cost?

Book the test in your local British Council Office, or if you would rather come to the UK and take the test, book it in one of the 45 British Council Offices listed.

Country Cost Where?

Austria €225 Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt and Salzburg

Belgium €215 Brussels

Bulgaria BGN 385.00 Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv, Burgas, Veliko Tarnovo and Ruse,

Croatia 1,610.00 HRK Zagreb and Split

Cyprus € 195 Nicosia

Czech Republic

CZK 5100 Brno and Prague

Denmark DKK 1,875 Copenhagen

Estonia €180 Tallinn University

Finland €250 Helsinki and Lappeenranta

France €220 Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes and Lille

Germany €220 Munich, Freiburg, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Nuremburg, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Cologne, Aachen, Dortmund, Hanover, Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen

Greece €195 Thessaloniki, Komotini, Ioannina, Volos, Patras, Athens

Hungary HUF 56,000 (Fees from 1 April 2017

is HUF 59,500)

Budapest

Ireland Lisburn, Belfast, Bangor, Northern Ireland

Italy €225 (Fees from 1 April 2017 is

€230)

Milano, Genoa, Turin, Trento, Verona, Modena, Bologna, Venice, Padua, Udine, Trieste, Pisa, Florence, Siena, Perugia, Ancona, Viterbo, Rome, Pescara, Cassino,

Campobasso, Naples, Bari, Lecce, Catanzaro, Cosenza, Reggio di Calabria, Messina, Catania, Enna, Ragusa, Palermo, Sassari, Cagliari

Latvia €180 Riga

Luxembourg €227 Luxembourg

Lithuania €184 Šiauliai, Klaipeda, Vilnius

Malta €188 Valletta

Netherlands €215 Utrect, Eindhoven, Amsterdam

Poland PLN 745 Gdansk, Krakow, Lublin, Poznań, Szczecin, Warsaw, Katowice and Wroclaw

Portugal €205 Coimbra, Madeira, Porto

Romania 760 RON Bucharest, Iasi, Cluj and Timisoara

Slovakia €194 Bratislava, Kosice and Trnava

Slovenia €225 Ljubljana

Spain €210 Palma de Mallorca, Girona, Barcelona, Tarragona, Zaragoza, Valencia, Donostia-San Sebastián, Pamplona, Bilbao, Burgos, Santander, Oviedo, Leon, Valladolid, Avila, Salamanca, Santiago de Compostela, Vigo, A Coruña, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid,

Cáceres, Badajoz, Ciudad Real, Alicante, Murcia, La Rioja, Córdoba, Granada, Sevilla, Marbella, Málaga,

Sweden 2400 SEK Lund and Gothenburg

UK £160 London, Liverpool, Eastbourne, Edinburgh, Derry, Canterbury, Coventry, Chelmsford, Cambridge, Bristol, Burton-on-Trent, Brighton, Bournemouth, Birmingham, Bedford, Bath, Belfast, Bangor, Aberystwyth, Aberdeen, Exeter, Glasgow, Hastings, Guildford,

Harrogate, Leeds, Leicester, Lisburn, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Oxford, Norwich, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Peterborough, Plymouth, Sheffield, Reading,

Rugby, Southampton, Sunderland, Torquay, Wrexham, York

How to book your IELTS test

1. Go to http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/book-your-test/book-now. From here, select your country, or the country you wish to take the IELTS test in, from the drop-down menu.

2. On the page of the country you have selected, you will be given the locations of the test centres, the price of the test and an IELTS test booking checklist.

3. You will need to have your ID documents and payment details with you when you are booking the test.

4. Once you are ready, with all your ID documents, you need to complete the application form.

5. Booking online (where available) is recommended as this is the most efficient way to reserve your IELTS test with a British Council Test Centre.

6. List the details of five organisations that you would like your Test Report Form sent to.

7. You must ensure you inform your test centre if you have any disabilities or other conditions as soon as possible in order to accommodate any requirements on the day of your test. If you are booking online, make this clear in your application.

8. When you submit your application, make a note of any instructions you are given and ensure you carry these out.

Revise!

There are plenty of free resources to help you revise:

The Reading Practice Test http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/Reading_Practice_1_IELTS_Academic_Questions.pdf

Example of the sheet you will be given to record your answers:

The Writing Practice Test http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/Writing_practice_test_1_IELTS_Academic_questions.pdf

Candidate Number

Candidate Name ______________________________________________

INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING SYSTEM

Academic Writing

Practice Test 1 hour

Time 1 hour

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

Do not open this question paper until you are told to do so.

Write your name and candidate number in the spaces at the top of this page.

Read the instructions for each task carefully.

Answer both of the tasks.

Write at least 150 words for Task 1.

Write at least 250 words for Task 2.

Write your answers in the answer booklet.

Write clearly in pen or pencil. You may make alterations, but make sure your work is easy to read.

At the end of the test, hand in both this question paper and your answer booklet.

Information for candidates

There are two tasks on this question paper.

Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score.

WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graphs below give information about computer ownership as a percentage of the population be-

tween 2002 and 2010, and by level of education for the years 2002 and 2010.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons

where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

A person’s worth nowadays seems to be judged according to social status and material possessions.

Old-fashioned values, such as honour, kindness and trust, no longer seem important.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or expe-

rience.

Write at least 250 words.

IELTS Academic Writing Practice Test

WRITING TASK 1 – Model Answer The bar charts show data about computer ownership, with a further classification by level of education, from 2002 to 2010.

A steady but significant rise can be seen in the percentage of the population that owned a computer over the period. Just over half the population owned computers in 2002, whereas by 2010 three out of four people had a home computer.

An analysis of the data by level of education shows that higher levels of education correspond to higher levels of computer ownership in both of those years. In 2002, only around 15% of those who did not finish high school had a computer but this figure had trebled by 2010. There were also considerable increases, of approximately 30 percentage points, for those with a high school diploma or an unfinished college education (reaching 65% and 85% respectively in 2010). However, graduates and postgraduates proved to have the greatest level of ownership in 2010, at 90% and 95% respectively, 20 percentage points higher than in 2002.

The last decade has seen a substantial growth in computer ownership in general, and across all educational levels.

WRITING TASK 2 – Model Answer Given the power and influence of the super rich, it might seem as if social status and material pos-

sessions are the new symbols of personal worth, but in everyday life I do not think this is true.

It is apparent that most celebrities today are admired or envied solely for their material wealth or po-

sition in various social hierarchies. Many of these people are known to turn their backs on friends,

cheat on their spouses or spend their evenings over-indulging in alcohol and/or drugs. Things like

owning a mansion, driving an expensive car and getting into A-list parties are exalted above old-

fashioned values. Ultimately, though, it is the many readers of gossip magazines and celebrity blogs

who reinforce these ideas.

Nevertheless, I do believe that in their day-to-day lives most people still believe in values such as

honour, kindness and trust. In some way most of us want to form loving families, raise our children to

be good citizens, stand up for the downtrodden and protect our communities from harm. We still form

friendships, romances and business partnerships based on old-fashioned criteria. When our trust is

abused or we are unfairly treated, we see that as a major violation of our relationship and we judge

the wrongdoer accordingly.

In conclusion, I believe there is some truth to the notion that status and possessions have super-seded old-fashioned values as a measure of a person’s worth. Looking beyond the tabloids, how-ever, it is apparent that most ordinary people have still preserved an old-fashioned conscience.

The Listening Practice Test

http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/Listening_practice_questions_121012.pdf There are 40 questions altogether. Each question carries one mark. For each part of the test, there will be time for you to look through the questions and time for you to check your answers. When you have completed all four parts of the Listening test you will have ten minutes to copy your answers on to a separate answer sheet. The audio clips for you to listen to for this part of the practice test can be found here: Section 1: http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-test/free-sample-tests/listening-sample-test-1/listening-section-1 Section 2: http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-test/free-sample-tests/listening-sample-test-1/listening-section-2 Section 3: http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-test/free-sample-tests/listening-sample-test-1/listening-section-3 Section 4: http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-test/free-sample-tests/listening-sample-test-1/listening-section-4 Note that these are not model answers, so do not try to imitate them. Please remember that you will have 10 minutes after the Listening section to fill in your answer sheet. The sheet you will be given to write your answers on will look like this:

The Speaking Practice Test

The 11-14 minute Speaking test takes place in 3 parts: 1 – You will need to answer questions about you and your family. 2 – You will need to talk about a topic. 3 – You will be a longer discussion about the topic from Part 2. It would be a good idea to practice with someone else, so you can speak with each other. Person A can ask the following questions whilst Person B answers, then swap.

Let’s talk about your home town or village:

What kind of place is it?

What is the most interesting part of your town/village?

What kind of jobs do the people in your town/village do?

Would you say it is a good place to live? Why?

Now, let’s move on to talk about accommodation:

Can you tell me about the kind of accommodation you live in?

How long have you lived there?

What do you like about living there?

What sort of accommodation would you most like to live in?

It is important that you speak clearly and fluently. Say as much as you can, make the conversation flow – you should not memorise answers and repeat them like a robot!

Practice makes perfect!

It is a good idea to record yourself whilst speaking – this means you can play it back to yourself and hear how you sound!

Do you sound natural? Have you said everything that you wanted to say? Did it come across in the right way?

There are no right or wrong answers – you just need to be able to speak clearly and fluently and understand the questions.

IELTS Test Preparation Tips

The week before you take your test:

Check the time that your test starts and make sure you arrive 5 or 10 minutes before the test is due to start.

Make sure you know where the test is taking place and work out how you are going to get there.

There are ‘IELTS test terms and conditions’ for you to read that has all the important information the IELTS test day.

https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/IELTS_Notice_to_Candidates_0.pdf

On the day of the Test:

Arrive a little before the test starting time.

Switch off any mobile phones or portable devices you may have. These must be left outside the test room.

The Listening, Reading and Writing tests take 2 hours 40 minutes and there are no breaks between the tests.

You are not allowed food in the test room, so you should eat something before you go. You will be allowed a drink as long as it is in a clear bottle.

Identity

Make sure you bring your ID with you – staff will be checking ID when you arrive. If you do not bring the right form of ID with you, you won’t be allowed to take the test.

On your application form, you will have selected a type of identification document. It is this document you must bring with you on the day of your test.

Those taking the test in their own country might have to show their current passport – you will need to check with the test centre you will be taking the test in to see which form of ID you need.

You may also have to bring with you 2 recent, identical, passport sized photographs

Whichever form of ID you use MUST be in date at the time of your test.

Test Day Photographs

Some test centres now take photographs of you on the test day which will go on your Test Report to improve security.

If the test centre you go to does take photographs, they will let you know before.

During the IELTS test

You can only bring a pen or pencil, an eraser and your ID with you into the test room.

During the test, if you:

need to use the bathroom during the test,

have any questions during the test,

can’t hear the recording properly in the Listening Test,

You should quietly raise your hand so the test invigilator can see you – you must not, under any circumstances, disturb anyone else taking the test.

During the test make sure that you follow all the instructions properly.

Don’t forget that the Writing Test asks you to write a specific amount of words.

Make full use of the time allocated for each question – there will be a clock in each test room so that you know how much time you have left.

Most importantly, make sure you stay calm and focus on the questions.

After the test

You need to stay seated until you are told you can leave the room.

If you think there has been any issues that could have affected how you did the test, you should tell the invigilator right away.

If you feel that something wasn’t right and you want to make any complaints about your test day, you must do so within 7 days of your test date.

You could also ask your invigilator for a Test Day Incident Form to make a complaint – they will have these forms with them on the day.

IELTS results

You will get your results 13 days after you have taken your test.

Your IELTS score is valid for two years.

The results will be put onto a Test Report Form. You will only get one Test Report Form, so it is important that you keep it safe!

If you chose to have your Test Report Form sent to any organisations, this will be done free of charge.

You can see your results online before the Test Report Form gets sent out to you. Some centres can also send an SMS message to you.

Re-take the IELTS test

If you didn’t get the results you hoped for, you will need to re-sit your IELTS test.

You can book your test whenever you are ready to, and, there is no limit on the amount of tests you can take.

If you are going to re-take your test, make sure you read through your previous results to see which parts you need to improve on.

Did you prepare and revise enough last time?

Make sure you understand your score and how the test works and most importantly PRACTICE!

Listen to English radio and watch English TV, speak with English colleagues and friends.

We hope this guide has helped you to understand the IELTS Test.

Good luck!