Category Archives: IELTS

IELTS at ELA

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Hello, fellow lovers of language!

This week, we’ve asked one of our talented teachers here at ELA to speak about the IELTS Exam, a topic that we have frequent questions about. If you have more questions about this popular exam, you can visit the ELA website. You can also find great practice materials on the British Council’s  page. And, of course, if you have more in depth questions, or would like to know how to enrol, visit us here.

IELTS

And now we bring you Jonny’s introduction to IELTS:

What is IELTS?  Do I need it?

Well, there are two ‘parts’ to this English Examination, and students choose the exam based on whether they are doing Academic IELTS  or General IELTS.

Most students choose Academic IELTS, as they are preparing for an undergraduate or Postgraduate University course, either in Britain or abroad. Students choosing General IELTS usually require it as a VISA requirement or as a quick (but very appreciated) test of their English for an employer, or perhaps because they simply want to test themselves. In reality, the Speaking and Listening exams are exactly the same, while Writing and Reading are slightly different, but we’ll talk about that if you join the course.

You might ask what we do to prepare for these exams. The truth is that it isn’t all Exams Exams Exams.  To do well, you need to have a good appreciation of grammar and a wide vocabulary, while also possessing other skills and abilities, such as comprehension, written and fluency skills, with clear pronunciation, for example.  You also need to be able to understand the nature of Academic English.  So, yes, everyone does practice exams but it is much more than just exams.

At Edinburgh Language Academy, our classes take place from 13.30 to 15.30 every day, although we do intensive courses too – and, if you prefer 1-1 classes, we can be arrange this at a time to suit you.

Thank you for your interest in ELA! We look forward to welcoming you soon!

Let’s prepare for IELTS (Writing test advice)

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IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is probably the world’s most popular English language test.

You might need to take this exam for various reasons, among which are life abroad, education and work around the world. A lot of companies worldwide accept IELTS, including government, academic and employment institutions. IELTS is the only English language test accepted for immigration purposes by all countries that require one.

In less than three hours, it will help you to assess all of your English skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Today we would like to share with you some writing tips that might be useful, if you decide to prepare for this exam.

  • During the exam you can write your answers in pen or pencil.
  • Carefully analyse each task and spend some time making notes
  • Plan your answers.
  • Write using paragraphs; put one idea in each paragraph.
  • Try not to repeat ideas using different words.
  • Avoid copying whole sentences from the question – you will receive no marks for this.
  • Always remember to stick to the topic; do not write about unrelated subjects.
  • It is important to manage your time; remember, Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1.
  • Spend about 20 minutes on Task 1 and about 40 minutes on Task 2.
  • Word count matters; pay attention to the number of words required for each task; you  need to write at least 150 words for Task 1 and at least 250 words for Task 2.
  • Your answers should be written in full; answers written in note form or in bullet points will lose marks.
  • It is recommended to avoid informal language.
  • Make sure you have time to check your spelling, grammar and punctuation; you will lose marks for mistakes. Spend just several minutes re-reading and correcting your answers.

Follow this link to listen to more tips from IELTS test takers: http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-your-test/tips-candidates

Have you ever taken IELTS test? What advice can you give to those who plan to take this test soon?

 

Guessing the meaning from context

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This activity is intended for those attempting the IELTS exam to help students develop strategies for guessing the missing words in summary completion tasks. However, it is good practice even for learners who want to get better at using the context and their knowledge of the world to guess the meaning of what they hear or read when they do not understand the actual words being used.

 

  • Work in pairs or small groups. Try to predict what type of word is missing in the gaps in the text below.

(1) What kind of word do you think is missing in gap 1? Is it a noun, a verb or an adverb?

(2) What kind of word do you think is missing in gap 2? Is it a noun, a verb or an adverb?

(3) What kind of word do you think is missing in gap 3? Is it a noun, a verb or an adverb?

Globalization is boosting the number of bilinguals. Apparently, there are more non-native English (1) ………………………………….. than native ones. Some corporations (2) ………………………………………. English as their internal language, even if it is not the mother tongue of most of their employees. Meetings of international organisations like the United Nations or the European Union are (3) ………………………………….. conducted in languages that are not the preferred ones of most of those attending.

 

  • Work individually. Try to think of suitable words to complete the text.

 

  • Read the complete original text below. Compare your version with the completed original.

Globalization is boosting the number of bilinguals. Apparently, there are more non-native English speakers than native ones. Some corporations use English as their internal language, even if it is not the mother tongue of most of their employees. Meetings of international organisations like the United Nations or the European Union are often conducted in languages that are not the preferred ones of most of those attending.

 

 

EFL exam advice

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Welcome to our brand new BLOG.

Because Edinburgh Language Academy is a computerised test centre, I thought it might be useful to offer advice on which level tests are best for you. With the many different level tests available in the EFL marketplace that may be required by UKBA, UK and USA Universities or UK employers, it can be confusing to decide which one to take.

Below is a brief summary of the different English exams you can take that are recognised by most government agencies and academic institutions in English speaking countries as an indication of your English level and ability. Please click on the links to find more information.

We offer four of the exams in our own exam centre, which is actually right here in our school. Students who prepare with us don’t even need to leave the school to take the exams.

If you have ever studied the Cambridge Suite of Exams in your own country, this path may be open to you. If you were to sit the CAE exam and gain a pass at A or B, then you would never have to take any English level test again to prove that you have A’level standard English. Once you achieve a grade in a Cambridge exam it has no expiry date. It should be noted though, that Cambridge exams are a qualification and a certain amount of preparation is required in order to cover the content of these exams. You are expected not just to be able to communicate in English but also analyse the language itself.

If you need proof of your English Level then you can either take:

The TOEFL Test or The Pearson PTE which is a computer based level test. Both of these tests are taken on the computer and you do not meet an examiner. The formats of these two exams are very different and its advisable (though totally optional) to take a short preparation course before either of them. The results of these exams are valid for two years. You can apply to sit both of these exams here. The main advantage of these exams is that you will receive the results within 5 days of sitting the exam in our test centre.

The IELTS exam is currently a written paper. This exam does require a certain amount of specialist preparation. There is a certain advantage to taking the IELTS exam if you have problems with pronunciation or you have problems with speaking in your own language as like The Cambridge exam you will meet a real examiner for the speaking part of the exam.The result of this exam is valid for two years. The results for these exams are normally received within 10 working days. because our local IELTS test centre is 10 minutes walk from our school, we have a rolling course for academic IELTS preparation which can be joined on any Monday.

So which exam you choose is really up to you. Please feel free to ask me any questions.