IELTS Exam Preparation
THE IELTS EXAM
Both the General IELTS and the Academic IELTS are integrated tests which assess all four fundamental skills (reading, listening, speaking and writing). The IELTS is scored in bands ranging from band 0, the lowest, to band 9, the highest moving up this scale in half-band increments (6.0, 6.5, 7.0. 7. 5…and so on). Test scores remain valid for two years from the date the official test result is issued.
Unlike Cambridge exams such as the B2 First and the C1 Advanced, the IELTS is not a pass/fail test. The test taker merely obtains or fails to obtain a score that is good enough to use for his or her purposes. Typically, the band scores needed either for emigration or further study can only be obtained by someone whose English is either at the high upper intermediate level (B2) or early advanced level (C1). It is therefore vital not to take the test until you are reasonably sure of getting the score required by the relevant emigration authority or university.
The main reason why test takers fail to get the results they require is that they have not had adequate practice with the many different tasks types in the test and have not developed the numerous sub-skills needed to perform these tasks competently. Our course is designed to teach the relevant sub-skills and ensure that students practice them on authentic materials of a kind that they will encounter in the actual exam. In addition, time is spent explaining the format of various task types as a knowledge of this can result in saving valuable time under examination conditions. Practicing on authentic materials also enables the trainer to assess more accurately where a student actually is in relation to where he or she needs to be.
Should you decide to enrol for IELTS preparation classes, we are also prepared to be flexible with regards to time and arrange for classes outside normal office hours. As many who do the IELTS are working professionals who need a suitable test result for emigration, such flexibility is needed in order to accommodate the fact that they are working full time.
It is impossible to generalise about how much preparation will be needed as much depends on the individual student’s English language level as well as the scores he or she needs to obtain. However, unless a student is already a strong upper-intermediate he or she should expect to invest a considerable amount of time in preparation as even textbooks designed for compact courses assume 50-60 hours of study.
OUR COURSE
In addition to this, the course Trainer will do continuous assessments of the students’ work and use the results of these as a diagnostic tool for further training. In this way students can be assured that the objectives of this program will be aimed at strengthening their weaknesses rather than wasting valuable time in areas in which they are already proficient.
ENROLLMENT
Examples
LESSON
Lesson 1
180 mins
A diagnostic test Students are given a short practice IELTS test.
The teacher is able to identify areas of weakness that candidates need to work on in the upcoming lessons.
The teacher is able to establish how much work needs to be done in order to arrive at the Band level the student is aiming at.
The teacher is able to give the student an indication of how many hours of study (including self-study) it will take to reach the goal Band.
Lesson 2
Listening (1)
Students will be able to establish who and where the speakers are and why they are speaking.
90 mins
Getting the gist of the dialogue.
Students will be able to distinguish the main idea of the passage from supporting detail.
90 mins
Writing (1)
Graphs, charts and tables.
Students will be able to identify the significance of facts and figures in a given graph or chart and be able to describe these in their own words.
Lesson 3
90 mins
Reading (1)
Understanding the text as a whole
90 mins
Speaking (1)
Role plays in which students are required to answer short questions on their lives and interests. These questions mirror those of Part 1 of the Speaking module of the IELTS test.
Students will be able to expand on their answers and give the interviewer as much information as possible on the topic being discussed.
Students will be introduced to some useful discourse markers to introduce their ideas, and will be discouraged from using cliché’s such as “I’m glad you asked that question.”