Whether you’re just starting out with learning English or you’re at the point where you need to take a profiency exam, you might still be wondering Why take the IELTS?
Why spend all that time and money to prepare for a test? What’s the point?
Well, we’ve already written an overview of what the IELTS exam is to help you better understand the basic reasons behind why people take it and the way that it’s structured. But in this post, we want to dive deeper into the why behind it. Why do you learn English to take the IELTS, and what can a high band score on this test do for you?
Read on to find out!
1.Taking IELTS Means More Opportunities to Study Abroad…
We’re going to start off with one of the traditional reason why people usually decide to take the IELTS exam:
You can get into over 10,000 universities around the world with good enough band scores.
This opens you to an entirely new experience of a different culture, different lifestyle, new foods, and new friends. It is the highlight of most students’ educational careers, and let me tell you:
Not studying abroad is probably my only regret to this day. (I’m making up for it with tons of travel, though!)
Plus, many schools where English isn’t the main language still give university-level courses in English. This means you’d still have to demonstrate proficiency in English-language use.
Studying abroad can be one of the most eye-opening experiences of your life, and it will allow you to make lifelong friends and connections for your future.
2. …and More Job Opportunities, too!
It’s no surprise that demonstrating your ability to use English will result in a greater number of job opportunities for you. This is because English is often the bridge language, or the language used between countries when doing business.
Even though I feel it’s always great for English-speakers to learn some of the language that’s spoken in whichever country they’re traveling to or doing business with, the truth is that English is usually the common language that connects people from different countries. 
Additionally, if you want to work in an English-speaking country like the US or the UK, you’ll have to be able to speak about the topic that’s specific to whatever industry you’re in. I’ve learned that a command of general English just isn’t enough all of the time. One my students in the past was an economist, for example, and spoke excellent English.
But it was often very difficult for him to articulate and explain the specific concepts of his industry in spoken or written English.
When you prepare to take the IELTS exam, especially the IELTS Academic version, you will have to look at graphs and charts and prepare yourself to analyze data. This can help you perform different jobs related to this kind of material in English! You’ll also learn to develop and improve your writing based on the situation, which is helpful when applying for a new job or big promotion.
Landing a job in a country where English is the common language could mean more money for you to provide for your family, and this is also something to take into consideration. The opportunities presented to you after taking the exam don’t just benefit you but your children as well! It’s certainly not necessary, but they’d still be proud to know you had worked so hard to succeed and provide a better future.
3. Experience New Cultures-Memories You’ll Remember Forever
This final point is more of a summary of the last two, as well as a reason why we should all try to learn any second language:
You are going to be exposed to amazing new experiences in foreign countries. You are going to meet new friends that you’ll stay in contact with forever. You’ll travel and see the world and, often, you’ll be able to enjoy it much more because you’ll be able to communicate with them easily after completing the IELTS exam.
You can read up on why 2018 truly is the best time to learn English to find out more about the benefits for travelers, getting jobs, and keeping up with pop-culture. But it’s definitely no secret that it can help you make the most of your experiences and opportunities as you go through life.
Final Word: Why Take the IELTS?
As we wrap up this post, I just want to comment on why you should take IELTS test and not any other English proficiency exam.
You see, this test is extremely fair to test takers, as it replicates real-life situations while remaining consistent, valid, and accurate in its assessment of English-language ability across all religions, cultures, countries, types of English (America, British, etc.) and more.
It’s controlled and marked twice for Speaking and Writing sections so you can be sure that the results you are getting are legitimate. You can read more about the way the test is developed and ensured for quality at ielts.org.
I hope you truly understand the wonderful doors doing well on the IELTS test can open for you, and hopefully, we answered the question of why take IELTS?
Remember that to prepare on your own time with a personal coach for the IELTS exam, you can check out ieltstestonline.com for free writing assessments included with your membership.
As always, let me know if you have any questions about the exam in the comments below!