Collins Writing for IELTS has been specially created for learners of English who plan to take the Academic IELTS exam to demonstrate that they have the required ability to communicate effectively in English at university. What is IELTS? The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is sat by over 1.4 million candidates around the world every year. It is the most common test used by universities for foreign students to prove their language level. IELTS is also increasingly used for immigration purposes, with Australia, New Zealand and Canada all requiring visa applicants whose first language is not English to submit an IELTS grade. The system tests candidates’ Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking in four separate papers. Usually, students must gain a good mark in all four skills in order to gain entry to the course, job, or country of their choice. For this reason, candidates will often sit the exam numerous times to secure the score that they need. There are two IELTS Writing papers: General and Academic. Collins Writing for IELTS concentrates on the Academic paper.