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TOP TIPS FOR IELTS - SEMINAR
We have free Top Tips for IELTS presentations scheduled for British Council registered candidates interested in preparing for and taking the IELTS Exam. This free 90-minute session will give you the answers you need to get started, including:

			why take IELTS?
			what's in the test?
			is my English good enough?
			how can I get the score I need?

We are also happy to answer any other IELTS-related questions you may have.

Upcoming Sessions

	COLOMBO	KANDY
WHEN	February 2013 Tuesday 26 February March 2013 Tuesday 12 March Tuesday 26 March April 2013 Tuesday 9 april Tuesday 30 April May 2013 Tuesday 21 May June 2013 Tuesday 11 June Tuesday 25 June July 2013 Tuesday 9 July Tuesday 30 July August 2013 Tuesday 20 August September 2013 Tuesday 10 September Tuesday 24 September October 2013 Tuesday 15 October Tuesday 29 October November 2013 Tuesday 12 November Tuesday 26 November December 2013 Tuesday 10 December Tuesday 17 December	February 2013 Tuesday 26 February March 2013 Tuesday 12 March Tuesday 26 March April 2013 Tuesday 16 April May 2013 Tuesday 7 May Tuesday 14 May Tuesday 28 May June 2013 Tuesday 11 June Tuesday 25 June July 2013 Tuesday 16 July August 2013 Tuesday 8 August Tuesday 20 August Tuesday 27 August September 2013 Tuesday 10 September October 2013 Tuesday 1 October Tuesday 15 October Tuesday 29 October November 2013 Tuesday 12 November Tuesday 26 November December 2013 Tuesday 3 December
WHERE	Buddhist Cultural Centre No 32, Sri Sambuddathwa Jayanthi Mawatha, Colombo 05	British Council Kandy
TIME	Unless specified above: Weekdays - from 1730 to 1900 Sundays - from 1430 to 1630	1030 to 1300
ADMISSION	A limited number of passes are available on a first-come first-served basis from our Examination Services counter from Tuesday to Saturday between 0900 and 1800. You can also register online and reserve your place. * This service is available for the candidates registered with the British Council only.	A limited number of passes are available on a first-come first-served basis from our Examination Services counter from Tuesday to Saturday between 0900 and 1730. You can also register online and reserve your place. * This service is available for the candidates registered with the British Council only.

ONE DAY WORKSHOPS
Our one-day workshops will give you a broad overview of the exam so you can manage your IELTS preparation. You will look at sample questions from each of the four IELTS papers - speaking, reading, writing and listening - and pick up a number of practical hints and tips.

Workshops are held usually once a month on a Sunday in Colombo.

IELTS EXPRESS COURSE
The Express Course offers 25 hours of intense preparation for either the General Training or Academic module of the IELTS exams. You will find out about IELTS and receive advice on how to maximise performance. READ MORE

IELTS PREPARATION COURSE
Our 50-hour Preparation Course offers you the best way of improving your score. You will develop your English skills and knowledge while acquiring effective exam techniques.
READ MORE

In addition, there are these exclusive offers for British Council IELTS registered candidates:

Feedback on speaking/writing tests, provided by real IELTS examiners
We can arrange for a mock speaking or written test. You will not receive a Band score as this is not allowed under IELTS regulations. However, the examining team will comment on your performance and let you know what areas need improvement. For more guidance write to: IELTSmarkingSL@britishcouncil.org

Practice materials

			IELTS practice book with listening CD		free for candidates registered with the British Council
			Mock speaking / writing tests		Rs 1,300

English Learning Zone
If you register for an IELTS test at the British Council, you will be able to use the IELTS preparation materials free of charge in the English Learning Zone of our library which is now open for IELTS candidates on the following days:

			Colombo		Tuesday to Sunday
			Kandy		Tuesday to Saturday

In the English Learning Zone we provide a self-study guide, which will help you plan a program specific to your needs.  READ MORE

UNDERSTANDING HOW WRITING AND SPEAKING ARE ASSESSED
When marking the Writing and Speaking sub-tests, examiners use detailed performance descriptors which describe written and spoken performance at each of the 9 IELTS bands.

Writing
Examiners award a band score for each of four criterion areas: Task Achievement (for Task 1), Task Response (for Task 2), Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. The four criteria are equally weighted.

			view a version of the descriptors for Writing Task 1
			view a version of the descriptors for Writing Task 2

Speaking
Examiners award a band score for each of four criterion areas: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy and Pronunciation. The four criteria are equally weighted.

Versions of the band descriptors for Writing and Speaking have been developed to help stakeholders better understand the level of performance required to attain a particular band score in each of the criterion areas. IELTS examiners undergo intensive face to face training and standardisation to ensure that they can apply the descriptors in a valid and reliable manner.

view a version of the descriptors for Speaking

(source: www.britishcouncil.org/takeielts)

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