IELTS is a test of English for people who did not grow up with English as their first language. You take it if you want to study, work, or live in a country where English is used — Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and many universities elsewhere. There is no pass or fail. You get a band score from 0 to 9 in four parts — listening, reading, writing, and speaking — plus an overall score. Schools and governments set their own minimum, often 6.0 or 6.5, sometimes 7; some also ask for a minimum in each part, not only the average. The two main kinds are Academic (for university) and General Training (for work or moving country). In Taiwan it sits next to TOEFL in students’ minds; some places want one, some the other. People say the letters as a word, roughly EYE-elts.