Pengenalan IELTS

Apa itu IELTS?

Dalam sites www.ielts.org, disebutkan bahwa:

"The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) measures the language proficiency of people who want to study or work where English is used as a language of communication. It uses a nine-band scale to clearly identify levels of proficiency, from non-user (band score 1) through to expert (band score 9)."

Terjemahan bebasnya adalah bahwa IELTS merupakan sistem test yang mengukur kecakapan bahasa seseorang (dalam hal ini bahasa inggris). 

Apa yang diukur? 

Terdapat empat komponen yang diukur, yaitu:

1. Kemampuan Mendengarkan (Listening)
2. Kemampuan Membaca (Reading)
3. Kemampuan Menulis (Writing)
4. Kemampuan Berbicara (Speaking).

Lebih lanjut, terdapat dua kategori test IELTS, yaitu IELTS Academic dan IELTS General. IELTS Academic ditujukan bagi mereka yang akan mengambil studi di jenjang pendidikan yang lebih tinggi (tentunya di universitas yang menggunakan bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa pengantar), sedangkan IELTS General biasanya ditujukan bagi mereka yang akan bermigrasi ke Kanada, Australia, dan United Kingdom atau untuk kepentingan lainnya selain studi. Perbedaan keduanya hanya terletak pada test kemampuan Reading dan Writing, sedangkan untuk kemampuan Listening dan Speaking, materi yang diujikan sama.

HASIL IELTS

Hasil IELTS ditujukan dengan band score, yaitu 1 sampai dengan 9, untuk masing-masing kemampuan, untuk kemudian akan dirata-rata menjadi OVERALL BAND SCORE atau FINAL MARK.  Berikut merupakan penjelasan untuk band score, sebagaimana diambil dari Cambridge Practice Test For IELTS:

9 Expert User

Has fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding.

8 Very good user

Has fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriacies. Misunderstandings may occur in unfamiliar situations. Handles complex detailed argumentation well.

7 Good user

Has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning.

6 Competent user

Has generally effective command of the language despite inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings. Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations.

5 Modest user

Has partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning in most situations, though is likely to make many mistakes. Should be able to handle basic communication in own field.

4 Limited user

Basic competence is limited to familiar situations. Has frequent problems in understanding and expression. Is not able to use complex language.

3 Extremely limited user

Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations. Frequent breakdowns in communication occur.

2 Intermittent user

No real communication is possible except for the most basic information using isolated words or short formulae in familiar situations and to meet immediate needs. Has great difficulty understanding spoken and written English.

1 Non user

Essentially has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a few isolated words.

0 Did not attempt the test

No assessable information provided