What to test and how to test: An evaluation of the Academic version of the International English Language Testing System

An attempt was made to evaluate what is tested and how it is tested in the IELTS academic test from a thinking-based perspective. The analysis framework is an incorporation of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives and Bachman’s classification of language knowledge. It is found that the IELTS test exemplifies an assessment of test-takers’ language knowledge and cognitive processes.