Dear All PIO forum members (and those lurking / those that have found this thread via a search Engine)
....
If you struggle with English, this may not be the silver bullet you’re looking for as PTE-A is not easier. The test merely fairer on the candidate, but you still need the base-skills being tested.
I just registered to thank you for that. This is very useful.
To bag a little bit on IELTS in a fair way, I am super proficient in English. I speak with a super clear GenAm accent, I grew up in the states, and have cherished and practiced and kept my English knowledge at a super high level ever since. I took an IELTS Academic exam a year and a half ago, and in all my bands I got a 9, except for writing where I got a 7.5. Even after I had complained and paid the extra money they didn't change anything. I was chastised for not taking their writing assignment super seriously: the question was if governments should build housing for the poor and in my response I went at authority figures and politicians in general, saying they aren't smart enough to do basic stuff, like behave in a decent manner, let alone solve huge issues etc. So in the end I got marked down lower, so I wouldn't get a perfect score, and because of my views on politics.
Very disappointing. In my view when I take a test in English, it's actually the test that is taking a test, not me. IELTS got close, but failed. Oh well.
IELTS v.s Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) | My personal findings
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I just registered to thank you for that. This is very useful.
To bag a little bit on IELTS in a fair way, I am super proficient in English. I speak with a super clear GenAm accent, I grew up in the states, and have cherished and practiced and kept my English knowledge at a super high level ever since. I took an IELTS Academic exam a year and a half ago, and in all my bands I got a 9, except for writing where I got a 7.5. Even after I had complained and paid the extra money they didn't change anything. I was chastised for not taking their writing assignment super seriously: the question was if governments should build housing for the poor and in my response I went at authority figures and politicians in general, saying they aren't smart enough to do basic stuff, like behave in a decent manner, let alone solve huge issues etc. So in the end I got marked down lower, so I wouldn't get a perfect score, and because of my views on politics.
Very disappointing. In my view when I take a test in English, it's actually the test that is taking a test, not me. IELTS got close, but failed. Oh well.
Thanks again for this summary, it is very useful.