Frequently asked questions

In what ways can the IELTS test be described as ‘integrated’?

The term ‘integrated’ is sometimes used to refer to different features or qualities of testing procedures or test tasks, e.g. cloze tasks have been described as ‘integrative’ as opposed to ‘discrete-point’. A more common approach today is to talk about testing ‘integrated skills’; this usually means that completion of a test task involves using more than one macro-skill, e.g. a speaking or writing task depends upon the test-taker processing some associated reading and/or listening input. The term ‘integrated’ may also be used to suggest that test tasks bear a close resemblance to ‘real-life’ language activities, i.e. the content is based on authentic language (however defined), and the task mirrors features of everyday ‘communicative’ language use which the test-taker would carry out in a non-test context. An extension of this idea is that because such tasks are ‘integrated’, they can provide a realistic and useful measure of how well people will communicate in a particular setting (e.g. workplace, academic); a further claim is sometimes made that a test which reflects an ‘integrated approach’ will help test-takers prepare appropriately for future success in that particular setting – though predictive validity studies have shown that ‘future success’ can depend on many different factors in addition to language proficiency.

IELTS (and ELTS before it) has always been a test to which the term ‘integrated’ could be applied on various counts. For example, IELTS has always included testing of the four skills - Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking; profile scores on the four modules are reported separately and also contribute equally to an overall band score. Furthermore, although each module focuses on a particular skill, test tasks often entail the use of other skills and are thus ‘integrated’ to some degree. This is most apparent in the Writing and Speaking modules where information which is read or heard helps shape the candidate’s own production.

For example, Task 1 of the Academic Writing Module gives candidates some visual input (a diagram or table) and asks them to present the information in their own words. Task 1 of the General Training module involves reading a short prompt about a particular problem and using the information it contains to write an appropriate letter of response. Task 2 for both modules presents a point of view, argument or problem which candidates must read and respond to in their writing. All tasks contain some indication of audience and purpose for writing.

The face-to-face Speaking module clearly involves listening skills as well as speaking ability; the examiner frame constrains the listening input to make it fair and accessible for all candidates. In Part 2 candidates are given a prompt to read on a card; they are also given one minute of preparation time and invited to make written notes if they wish. All these task features reflect a degree of ‘integratedness’.

Tasks in the Writing and Speaking modules are designed to achieve a careful balance between two factors: on one hand, providing adequate support for the test-taker in terms of task content and level of language needed to access the task (level of input is constrained at the test-writing stage); and on the other hand, the opportunity for the test-taker to ‘engage’ with the task by drawing on their personal experience, opinions, creativity, etc in demonstrating their language proficiency. This is another way of defining the notion of ‘integratedness’.

Tasks in the Reading and Listening modules can involve note-taking, labelling, classification, and table/flowchart completion. What is important is that any task (or test items) should be consistent with a likely focus for reading/listening to the text(s) and should encourage test-takers to engage in appropriate cognitive processes. Once again, we could argue that such tasks are ‘integrated’ in terms of the relationship between the input and the cognitive processes they elicit. Validation studies help to confirm the match between task input, cognitive processing, and task output.
While IELTS tasks are designed to reflect certain features of university-level tasks, they do not set out to ‘simulate’ tasks which students will need to do in their university studies. Constraints of time are one reason for this: an IELTS reading test lasts only 1 hour - a typical university task normally takes much longer. More importantly, IELTS assumes readiness to enter a particular domain; it does not assume that mastery of study skills has already been achieved (see further discussion below). Test tasks are designed to balance the requirements of validity, reliability, impact and practicality, the four essential qualities which underpin the Cambridge ESOL approach.

As Davies et al. (1999) point out, ‘integration’ can have its limitations; scores derived from tasks which combine different aspects of ability may be difficult to interpret – does this task measure writing, reading, or something called reading/writing? Some of the problems associated with a strongly integrated-skills approach are discussed in the next section.