IELTS academic and general exam

[DeniDeni]

Hi,

Sorry if this has been asked and answered before, I searched but could not find it.

 

I have my IELTS academic test booked for later this month so now studying like my life depends on it..!

 

I need to get a level 7 for my skills assessment, but I need a level 8 to get the extra points for my EOI. My questions is;

 

If I only get a level 7 (which is enough for my skills assessment) can I take the general IELTS (or an equivalent) to boost my points for my EOI?

 

Hope this makes sense.... I actually only need a further 5 points on top of what I would have if I got a level 7.

 

Thanks

Deni

[wrussell]

If I only get a level 7 (which is enough for my skills assessment) can I take the general IELTS (or an equivalent) to boost my points for my EOI?

 

Yes.

 

IELTS is a poorly constructed test concocted by little people who are trying to show how very clever they are. It tests a candidate's ability to perform under test conditions and people who do not have good examination technique often do not score as well as they should have.

 

Practise under test conditions, until you are utterly sick of it and then repeat the dose, repeatedly.

Before and during the test, dose on glucose to keep blood sugar level up in case you become stressed.

Register for a pre-test workshop.

Don't worry too much about where 'only' should appear in a sentence, the examiners do not know either.

You might post any information about alternative tests that are relatively new for Australian immigration.

 

Best of luck.

[Impasse]

IELTS test results are valid for two years, so I expect that you'd be able to do this... but I would think that the only way to be certain would be to ask the British Council.

To be sure that you're safe, perhaps you could do IELTS Academic for the skills assessment, then PTE for the EOI (I think that it is accepted now as evidence of English ability, but you'd need to check).

 

All that's assuming that you don't get the score you need right away in the Academic IELTS - there's every chance that you will!

 

Edit: After reading wrussell's post above, I can assure you that the word 'only' is in the right place

[wrussell]

Edit: After reading wrussell's post above, I can assure you that the word 'only' is in the right place

 

No, it isn't.

 

This is known in the trade as a misplaced modifier, for which the penalty used to be 'six of the best', after writing the correction ten thousand times.

 

IELTS certificates are valid for 3 years.

[wrussell]

A lesson in English from: http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/070901Only.htm

 

Placement of OnlyCan you identify a problem in any of these sentences?1. The budget can only be balanced if programs are cut for next year.

2. Many animals hibernate in the winter, only waking occasionally for nourishment.

3. The team only scored two runs in the first seven innings.In each of these sentences, the modifier only needs to be closer to the word, phrase, or clause it modifies. Each sentence would be more precise, and thus clearer, if we repositioned the word only:1. The budget can be balanced ONLY IF PROGRAMS ARE CUT FOR NEXT YEAR.

2. Many animals hibernate in winter, waking ONLY OCCASIONALLY for nourishment.

3. The team scored ONLY TWO RUNS in the first seven innings.In the incorrect version of sentence 1, the word only modifies the verb phrase "can be balanced," wrongly suggesting that something other than balancing might be done to the budget. The actual idea, however, is that the budget can be balanced "only if programs are cut."The first version of sentence 2 is illogical because only modifies waking. Since a hibernating animal engages in a great deal of sleeping, it makes no sense to suggest that he or she is "only waking." In the improved version, the sentence more appropriately tells us that the animal wakes "only occasionally." Notice that if we move the word only once again in this sentence, we can suggest a different idea altogether: that the animal wakes occasionally "only for nourishment."Our original third sentence falsely states that the team "only scored," suggesting that they did not hit, run, pitch, or do anything else during the first seven innings. More logically, we want to say that the team scored "only two runs" during that time period.In most cases, one could argue that the meaning of a sentence is clear even when the modifier only is misplaced. However, in some cases a sentence is changed drastically in meaning when we change the placement of the modifier. Because we as writers always know what we mean to say, we may think that our sentences are clear when in fact they are ambiguous at best. Consider the variety of meanings we can elicit when we move the word only in the following sentences:The child ate only the cereal for breakfast. (Translation: Cereal was the only food eaten by the child at the morning meal.)Only the child ate the cereal for breakfast. (Translation: No one but the child ate the cereal for breakfast.)The child ate the cereal for breakfast only. (Translation: The child ate something other than the cereal for lunch and dinner.)The child only ate the cereal for breakfast. (Translation: The child merely ate the cereal; she did not dump it on the floor, mash it in her hair, or spit it at her father.)Many of us would have written this last sentence ("only ate") when in fact we intended the meaning of the first one ("ate only the cereal").Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (10th edition) points out that in spoken English or in casual written prose that approximates speech, we may be less rigorous about the placement of only "since ambiguity is avoided through sentence stress." Webster's goes on to say, however, that in professional writing we must be more precise about the position of only in the sentence.Finally, remember that the proper placement of modifiers not only makes your writing clearer and more precise but also gives it a more sophisticated, polished tone.TEST YOURSELFCould the word only be placed more carefully in any of the following sentences?1. The corporation will only make $3 million this year.

2. The tornado only damaged three empty buildings.

3. The meeting will only be held in San Francisco if the committee can find a hotel there with affordable rates.ANSWERS1. ONLY $3 million

2. damaged ONLY three empty buildings

3. ONLY if the committee can locate a hotel there with affordable rates

[Ozmaniac]

Hi,

Sorry if this has been asked and answered before, I searched but could not find it.

 

I have my IELTS academic test booked for later this month so now studying like my life depends on it..!

 

I need to get a level 7 for my skills assessment, but I need a level 8 to get the extra points for my EOI. My questions is;

 

If I only get a level 7 (which is enough for my skills assessment) can I take the general IELTS (or an equivalent) to boost my points for my EOI?

Hope this makes sense.... I actually only need a further 5 points on top of what I would have if I got a level 7.

 

Thanks

Deni

You can take IELTS General if you need to boost your points for your EOI or you could even do one of other acceptable tests. The other tests are quite new and for some reason, most people still take IELTS but it seems that PTE Academic is more straightforward i.e. it tests your English ability rather than your IELTS ability. It's also faster to get a test date and much faster to get the results. If your skills assessment authority accepts PTE Academic, you could perhaps consider doing PTE Academic now rather than IELTS later this month.

http://www.immi.gov.au/FAQs/Pages/how-can-i-prove-i-have-superior-english.aspx How can I prove that I Superior English

[Impasse]

IELTS certificates are valid for 3 years.

 

Not that it matters in the context of the OP's issue, but:

 

For how long is an IELTS test score valid?

IELTS scores have a recommended two year validity period.

 

 

Source.

 

I'm not going to get into an argument about language.

[DeniDeni]

Thanks Impasse and Ozmaniac. I have looked at the PTE and unfortunately I finish a night shift on each of the days they have over the next month, so will not be in any fit state! But I will bear it in mind if I do not get the level required.

 

One more stupid question (although I am not sure I want to carry on for fear of having my native language scrutinised again at such a sensitive time!)

 

During the listening exam, are you provided with the transcript? It is given with the practice test, but I was wondering if that is just for practice purposes only?

[Ozmaniac]

Not that it matters in the context of the OP's issue, but:

 

 

 

Source.

 

I'm not going to get into an argument about language.

For Australian immigration purposes, IELTS results are valid for 3 years.

http://www.immi.gov.au/FAQs/Pages/how-can-i-prove-i-have-proficient-english.aspx See dot point 1

[Ozmaniac]

Thanks Impasse and Ozmaniac. I have looked at the PTE and unfortunately I finish a night shift on each of the days they have over the next month, so will not be in any fit state! But I will bear it in mind if I do not get the level required.

 

One more stupid question (although I am not sure I want to carry on for fear of having my native language scrutinised again at such a sensitive time!)

 

During the listening exam, are you provided with the transcript? It is given with the practice test, but I was wondering if that is just for practice purposes only?

You don't get a transcript.

[wrussell]

There are various other English tests accepted for points by the DIBP. The tests and the equivalent IELTS scores can readily be searched.

[Guest]

Hello guys, I completed a IELTS general test and was looking for a band score 8 in each unit, I failed to do this in the reading and listening and I'm basically thinking do I have to get a band score 8 in the same sitting or is a set of 2 results with score 8 in each part good enough ??

 

Regards Sean the bricky (who could be a poet soon)

[Bungo]

Hello guys, I completed a IELTS general test and was looking for a band score 8 in each unit, I failed to do this in the reading and listening and I'm basically thinking do I have to get a band score 8 in the same sitting or is a set of 2 results with score 8 in each part good enough ??

 

Regards Sean the bricky (who could be a poet soon)

 

It has to be in one sitting.