Most countries whose primary medium of instruction in the universities is not English, the students from those countries are required to prove that they are actually proficient in English. There are two tests that stand out the most in that regard - International English Language Testing System (IELTS)and Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL).Students from India come under that category too. For that purpose, students have to write these two tests to prove that they are proficient in English. While TOEFL has an immense acceptance, IELTS is pretty close behind in the race. If you are want to pursue studies in art, commerce and non-technical non-science side, IELTS is usually what most students opt for study in Germany
The immediate question that pops up is the need for English in a country whose primary language isn’t even English. It seems a little hypocritical for such a country to demand such high requirements. Contrary to popular belief, not every course in every university is free of tuition fee for study in Germany, especially not the ones that are taught in English. While it is true that courses taught in German are mostly free from tuition fees and costs, courses taught in English still require you to prove your proficiency. IELTS as a module is tested on a scale of 9 over four modules, for an average grading that is still tested on a scale of 9. MostGerman universitiesrequire you to have an overall score 6.5 and above. While it is highly unlikely that you’d find a university that would differentiate you based on the sectional scores you’ve got in the exam, it is not an abnormality for that to happen.
Today there are over 400 universities teaching various courses in English, fuelled by the strong influx of foreign students. While IELTS isn’t a compulsion for yourstudy abroad in Germany, due to the vast majority of courses taught in German, it is likely you’ll find some course you need, taught in English. Most of those 400 universities still ask you for the scores mentioned above, with the rule that none of your individual bands be less than 5.5. Anything above that is left to the discretion of the university to differentiate basing on their requirements. Graduate courses, however, require the minimum range of individual bands to be not less than 6
To say IELTS is required to study in Germany is merely understating it. What is required is a goodIELTS score. For colleges that are in the top in, say, QS ranks and other ranking agencies, it is not unlikely to expect to provide a score that is 7.5 to say the least. While that in itself isn’t hard, sectionally, it proves to be a tough task to achieve. This doesn’t mean that if any of your minors are in German, you still are required to prove your proficiency in German by writing exams such as Testdaf for your study in Germany
