IELTS Canada Test Preparation

St. Patrick's Adult School

IELTS Preparation Course


IELTS (The International English Language Testing System) Canada is a widely accepted English test for both academic and general purposes. It measures language proficiency in the four skills — reading, writing, listening and speaking.

This paper-based test is available in two versions — Academic and General.

The Academic Test is for those planning to study at a university or college in Canada.

The General Test is for individuals  planning to emigrate or work in an English speaking country such as Canada.

If you are applying for a work visa or permanent residency in Canada the General test result can meet the standards set by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Results of this test are also accepted for Canadian citizenship and some professional qualifications.

The Listening and Speaking test are the same, regardless of which version of the test you are taking. The Reading and the Writing tests are different in content in both versions.

For information on which test is right for you please click here.

The 4 IELTS Test Skills

Each skill is separately tested and the structure of the test is as follows:

Skill 1 - Listening

This part of the test lasts for 1 hour. It has 4 sections and 40 questions. In this section, your ability to understand everyday social, educational and training situations is tested.

Skill 2 - Reading

This part of the test lasts for 1 hour. It has three sections and 40 questions. In this section, your ability to understand different parts of the text, find information in the text or put the information from the text into a different format is tested.

Skill 3 - Writing

This part of the test lasts for 1 hour. There are two tasks. In the General test you will be asked to write a letter and an essay. In the Academic test you will be asked to write a summary of some visual information and an essay.

Skill 4 - Speaking

This part of the test lasts for 14 minutes and it is composed of three parts. The assessment is made through a real-life conversation with a real speaker.

The Listening, Reading and Writing parts of the test will be completed on the same day with no breaks.

The Speaking part can be completed up to a week before or after the tests for the other 3 skills.

The course at St. Patrick`s Adult School is highly interactive and dynamic. Its highlights are the strengthening of individual language strategies and skills, the very detailed correction (feedback from the instructor) of the writings and the practicing of IELTS tests.



Register for this course at

St. Patrick's Adult School
290 Nepean Street
Ottawa, ON K1R 5G3
Phone: 613-594-5773
Click here to learn more about St. Patrick's.