BEIJING, May 11 -- IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, has decided to introduce half bands for writing and speaking tests from this July 1st.

The news means that Writing and Speaking modules will be reported on the test form in whole or half-band increments.

However, scores for each part of the test will still be reported on the scale fromone to nine.

At present the scores for Listening, Reading modules are shown in whole and half-bands, while Writing and Speaking are marked in whole bands only.

The exam organizer says that the change aims to provide more precise information on the speaking and writing ability of candidates.

The new scoring model is also hoped to help the test takers have a much more exact understanding of their language skills from their test report forms.

However, the organizer expresses that this will not change the way the exams will be marked. Examiners will assess test takers' performance in exactly the same way as at present. Moreover, the test format is to remain unchanged.

IELTS is a comprehensive test of the complete range of English language skills-- listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The Commonwealth equivalent of the American TOEFL, the IELTS exam is one of the most popular international exams for academic qualifications in English.

(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)