6 Stages of IELTS test development

Since the IELTS exam is trusted by maximum universities abroad, the development of the IELTS exam involves 6 crucial stages. Every question found in the four sections of the IELTS syllabus goes through a strict evaluation and multiple editings. The questions are also tested on different representative groups all over the world to test the difficulty level. 

Unfolding the Stages of the IELTS Exam Development

The exam holds as a vital event in the lives of many as IELTS score is instrumental in securing the candidate’s admission or a job opportunity. The mechanism behind the IELTS exam development is also performed in a precise and accomplished manner. The main motive behind the IELTS exam is to offer the candidates a devoted, authentic, and decisive evaluation of their English proficiency. Few things to know about the IELTS development process:

1. IELTS is designed in a meticulous form,
2. IELTS has an uncompromising development and authentication process.

These points present the validity that each IELTS test is fitted with the exact level of strictness and that is applicable for all the tests worldwide. It also provides information that each IELTS exam offer a persistent and credible result.

One very highlighting feature of the IELTS exam is, it is taken by candidates in millions around the world and each of them come from distinctive backgrounds, and the exam evaluates their unique qualities through the real-life skills that they have to present there through the four skills. This way, the exam is equitable and impartial to all the test takers throughout the world.

Stages of test development

The IELTS exam is quite a celebrated one and hence, its development has certain intricate steps to be followed.

Appointing and assigning

The IELTS exam questions are produced by language specialists who are specially hired from famous English-speaking nations like UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to craft questions. They are not only competent in their work but are connoisseurs. They solely work on the test specifications which state the characteristics and details of the four skills being tested in the IELTS exam by highlighting the unique requirements. They further instruct the writers on the method of embarking on an answer writing process – that includes deciding the apt material, and also the creation of befitting questions.

Pre-analysis

This is the step where the submitted questions are evaluated and thus also called pre-editing. When the item writers submit the commissioned articles, the first stage of filtering begins. This editing process confirms that the submitted articles conform to the predetermined specifications drawn out before writing. This includes – style of writing, topics, tone of language, the focus of task, and more. If while editing, any question or portion is found disconnected or not conforming to the stated specifications, they are submitted for resubmission.

Editing

After the previous step of filtering the data, the next stage of development is editing. Here, the submitted articles are edited on a final note as well as resubmitted articles are checked too. These submitted materials are now checked, revised, modified if necessary, and finally submitted. If this stage goes well, the materials are moved to the pretesting stage and if it to be further corrected then it is moved back to the item writer to correction.

Pre-testing

In this stage, the edited materials are allotted to representative groups of test takers who have hailed from different places and are preparing for the IELTS exam. Then the Validation and Data Services team at Cambridge Assessment English assembles and evaluates the data resulting in their determining the rigidity of the items and also create a distinction between stronger and weaker test takers. This whole stage is crucial as it states whether the materials are relevant for the IELTS test and definitely the test takers.

Uniform fixing

This stage is also vital for it tests the new listening and reading materials by the representative groups preparing for the test. This is done to examine the toughness of each listening and reading material and thereby determining whether the IELTS band score will present with the equivalent ability level. If the listening and reading materials are passed, it moves on to the next stage which is the last one.

Test planning and ranking

This is the stage where the materials of all the four sections of IELTS syllabus: listening, reading, writing, and speaking of IELTS are formed and are ready to be tested. Certain specifications are followed in this stage and they are as follows:

1. The average difficulty level of the test version along with the assortment of specific item difficulty
2. The array of language skills examined
3. Adjustment of kinds of tasks
4. Adjustment of topic and genre
5. The array of cultural features
6. The array of voices, accents, pronunciations in the listening audios

Note: the data taken for forming the IELTS questions are all derived from live tests and evaluated to affirm the authenticity of the initial grading process and also to cater to the ongoing quality assertion process.

We can conclude with the fact that the IELTS exam is developed keeping in mind certain strict specifications that deliver an assurance to the candidates that the exam will not be biased. At the same time, it assures the universities that the examination will be done in a very rigid manner comprising of pragmatic and meticulous questions designed by certain language specialists.