Ielts complete!!!!

[Mims]

I'm just so excited and so shocked and so incredibly relieved that I just had to share the good news - IELTS is complete!!!!! I find hearing of others good news spurs me on, reminds me it is possible and gives me the motivation I need to push on so hopefully others feel the same and someone appreciates me sharing.

 

Our IELTS journey began about this time last year I suppose, we were in Australia on a WHV and attended an event in Adelaide where IELTS were speaking and giving guidance and tips. We got confirmation then that we either needed an IELTS score of 8 or more across the board to pursue a skilled visa (189) and apply before our return to the UK, or a score of 7 would mean that once we were 25 (last month) and my hubby had 5 years of work experience post apprenticeship, which we've also hit in the last few month or so, then we'd have the points needed that way instead. Failing an IELTS (or similar) test, we'd've been waiting for 7 years of work experience I think to bump up the points by which time Plumbers (my hubby's line of work) may not be needed any more and within that period of time we could easily get too settled and tied down back here in the UK whether we want to be or not...

 

It frustrated me that our move came down to English, a subject my hubby completely failed at school, along with most others actually, largely due to undiagnosed dyslexia which of course has been a huge factor too in "passing" IELTS. We only discovered he was dyslexic whilst in Australia in 2014, I'd been with Steven for 8 years and it just hit me one day, maybe just maybe this is all down to dyslexia, most people assume its just spelling but its so much more, for Steven its not the spelling that lets him down nearly as much as reading and processing what he's reading or hearing or writing and speaking cohesively. When looking into it it was like turning the light on, everything suddenly made sense! We didn't pursue an official diagnosis at the time, mainly because of the cost and given Steven needed just the 7 on the IELTS he really hoped he could work hard and achieve that without the need for the extra exam time a diagnosis would give, he wanted to prove to himself that he could master English to a degree that was actually really impressive for him without a helping hand.

 

Its frustrating that English is the deciding factor in a very capable, competent and experienced PLUMBER's move from one English speaking country to another, my hubby Steven is a plumber because as with anyone whose disadvantaged somehow, we all make up for it somewhere else, Steven's academic inabilities are more than made up for by his practical talents, he can take his hand to near enough anything and as an academic his skills amaze me, it is so impressive. I'm not certain of all the ins and outs but one would assume that the IELTS (and similar tests) are on the points test because it is a requirement for those from countries where English is not the first language and therefore there are point bands to go with the relevant scores and that therefore has to be offered to native English speakers too as we only get a band 6 with our passports. Realistically though, particularly in the case of an IELTS general test for a native speaker, a band 7, 8 or 9 isn't going to make any difference, my husband isn't going to be a better plumber, he mastered quoting and invoicing without the need for an IELTS test and is an excellent communicator because he's had to be. I find it ironic that the shortcomings that make him better at his job are the shortcomings being tested to decide whether he's good enough to live and work as a plumber in Australia, a skill they need.

 

Anyhow, frustrations aside and to fast forward somewhat, Steven had some tutoring in Australia for a few weeks but even experienced IELTS tutors couldn't understand why he needed to do the test and it became apparent that many have never tutored a native english speaker and actually the assistance Steven needed was different to that of someone for whom English is a second language. However, at the same time, an English tutor who didn't understand IELTS didn't seem the way to go either as from what I read and came to understand, IELTS seemed to be about understanding the test and what they were looking for from you, its not just a case of being good at English and that seems to ring true from what I have read on PIO of teachers and English teachers at that not getting the grade they need! Knowing an 8 was likely out of reach we knew we were restricted until we were 25 and with 5 years post apprenticeship work experience so IELTS was put on hold with Steven just reading when he could to improve his English skills that way in the interim, he did do a practice IELTS test in Adelaide though whilst we were there to see where he was at and therefore how far he had to go, the result was W:6.5 R:5.5 L:6, they didn't do the speaking, outcome = some way to go. I see a lot of people needing 8's and some struggling, 7's might seem a doddle, particularly in the general test, so many people say 'oh the general is easy, you'll be fine' maybe for some, but not for Steven unfortunately.

 

Turning 25 at the start of June this year kicked started the ball rolling again for our move to Australia and therefore the dreaded IELTS exam was back on our lips. I booked a full day of tutoring with an English teacher and IELTS examiner for Steven and optimistically booked his test for just a few weeks after that (11th July 2015). I had to do a lot of nagging unfortunately but Steven did knuckle down and get through some practice papers prior to the tutoring, the lady was amazing, really knew her thing and helped Steven grow in confidence and helped him focus on the areas that would make the difference on points. The weeks that followed we did nothing but IELTS. Poor Steven has a pretty intense job as it is without coming home and doing English until bedtime to get up and do it all again the next day. Whoever said cramming doesn't work!? I guess this isn't exactly cramming, you're not exactly trying to remember loads, just practising practising practising and with every reading, listening and writing test improving. Some nights Steven would be his stubborn self and flat out refuse to do any English, others he required a lot of motivation which meant me sitting with him and starting him off. Whilst he did the papers I marked them, where I didn't have answers I'd have to do the tests myself and with the writing knowing what the tutor had said and being relatively good at English myself I could give Steven feedback to a degree. It was such an intense, unpleasant few weeks and we were both convinced that it wasn't going to be nearly enough especially when a few days before the exam I sent his tutor a writing essay to mark and she didn't think it was quite a 7 and gave us pointers to work on in the last few days to bump it up to a definite 7. By that time though i think it was too late to improve much more, it knocked our confidence a little and made us wish the test was not upon us and as awful as practising was that there was time to do more. It did cross our minds that maybe the essay could possibly scrape a 7 and that her comments were 1)to ensure Steven didn't get complacent and 2)to get improvements made if possible so Steven wasn't so touch and go on a 7, its not really ideal to scrape the score you need that's for sure.

 

Exam day came, off to Bristol for 8.45am, I had to occupy myself and 2 dogs for hours and then we had a spot of lunch altogether whilst waiting for Steven's speaking slot. Steven didn't feel confident about the writing, for which he ran out of time and couldn't check through and it was on a ridiculous subject, the listening for which he had lost his way at one point, or even the speaking where he asked the examiner to repeat questions and he said he just didn't feel he was cohesive. Then for the agonising 2 week wait, we felt really sure Steven would be resitting but just wanted to know for sure, he obviously didn't want to continuing practising though until he was sure he needed to, he was super glad of the break! With an ever growing workload resulting in 70 hour weeks the thought of having to retake IELTS wasn't a pleasant one. In the days running up to result day, 24th July 2015, I kept going online to check if by some miracle the results were in early, they weren't. On result days itself I sat down to breakfast at 9ish but had no appetite, Steven had gone off to work and I was in the company of my grandparents who I had staying with us for a few days. I grabbed the laptop at ten past 9 unable to wait any longer or eat, knowing the results weren't due to be online until 10am, at quarter past I let out a streak and being the emotional person that I am got very teary whilst shouting 'he did it, he did it!!' reducing my delightful eccentric very elderly grandparents to tears too, I then of course immediately called Steven to blubber the good news down the phone to him, he was ecstatic!

 

I know some people have some awful IELTS experiences and take it time and time again without getting the desired result, I know 7's for most aren't exactly a mountain to climb in order to achieve but for Steven it was very tough and for him its a real achievement never mind the real reason behind it and the fact its made moving to Australia more possible than ever!! Its good to hear there are some alternative tests out there other than IELTS, if we'd've known that before we started we would have chosen one of the others I think from what we have read, I think they would have suited Steven better, certainly if he hadn't have made the grade after a few attempts we'd've gone down an alternative route then too. Our advice for IELTS, get some official IELTS tutoring, a day cost us £150 but was very much worth it and included all future practice paper marking and email assistance, learn about what it is they are looking for, how they want essays structured and so on, and practice practice practice, several hours a day and more when you're not working, practice makes perfect eh!

 

Now the pressure is very much off Steven for a while and on me. Given I'm the one that is more familiar with sitting behind a desk I'm trying to get all the paperwork together for the portfolio side of things on his Plumbing Skills Assessment, I can't book the practical until I have and don't want the places to run out as that will mean waiting another 2 months, its made more difficult by the fact Steven has been self employed nearly all of his working life and we need references from clients etc across the period of time worked and funnily enough Steven's not in touch with people he did work for back in 2009 given we've lived in Australia for a year since then and now live in a different part of the UK and have different phone numbers as his past clients more than likely do too! Still, if Steven can crack IELTS, than I'm sure I can crack this, it might be Steven's skills getting us to Oz but its most definitely a team effort otherwise!

 

Good luck to anyone taking IELTS or an alternative exam for the purposes of migration, I hope things pan out as well for you as they have so far for us, lets get these boxes ticked and get our bums on a plane back to Oz sooner rather than later =)!

 

W: 7 R: 7 L:7.5 S:9

[swallow]

Hey Miriam,

Well done for Steven getting the results required. Best of luck on the practical evidence for vetasess. Only a couple of weeks left for us until we leave.

[Mims]

Thankyou =D!

 

Arghhhh I bet you're so excited! We can't wait to be in your shoes. Keep us posted on your progress when you're out there won't you, all the very best!!

[benj1980]

Always great to see someone pass the dreaded IELTS, I completed mine in Brizzle as well...

[Charlottehill76]

I sat my ilets in Bristol last week on 25th July and your story had given me hope that I may actually pass mine. I'm not the best at English despite being native speaker, I find the wiriting difficult as not academic.

I need at least a 7 overall to nurse and get visas. I'm dreading the thought of having to re sit.

[Charlottehill76]

For those who have sat IELTS, do you get feedback or just your marks? Wondering if I fail will I be told how?

[Mims]

For those who have sat IELTS, do you get feedback or just your marks? Wondering if I fail will I be told how?

 

Hi Charlotte,

 

If my hubby can do it anyone can! I'm glad its given you hope, we were resigned to resitting and can't believe that its not come to that in all honesty but without the tutoring and intense practising I think Steven would be, it definitely made the difference. Were you able to find much time to prepare for the test in the run up?

 

No unfortunately you don't get feedback, I have read about people paying for a remark and requesting feedback then but nothing, they just won't it seems. I really hope you get good news but if not I can recommend a tutor near Bristol and as an IELTS examiner herself she gives excellent feedback which you can be sure is in line with what IELTS are looking for.

 

Would love to know how you get on, we've everything crossed for you, keep us posted!

[Charlottehill76]

I was only revising for the past month and I did the practice papers the week leading up to the exam so it was fresh in my head. I bought two official IELTS practice paper books from Amazon and also did online study. I used a future learn online course which was free and also really useful, each week they went over each section of test with lots of video tips and small bits to practice.

I used an iPad for most of my online stuff which was ok for some parts but not everything.

In my practice listening and reading papers I was getting between 34-36/40 and online looked like this would give me a mark of over a 7. My husband was reading my written sections and gave me some tips about structuring the essay better, he thought I was answering the questions but couldn't say much more as difficult to say how they will mark.

I didn't practice my speaking at all and glad my topic on the day was fairly easy - talk about a movie I have seen and want to watch again.

 

Will post next Friday when I know.. Fingers crossed

[Mims]

I was only revising for the past month and I did the practice papers the week leading up to the exam so it was fresh in my head. I bought two official IELTS practice paper books from Amazon and also did online study. I used a future learn online course which was free and also really useful, each week they went over each section of test with lots of video tips and small bits to practice.

I used an iPad for most of my online stuff which was ok for some parts but not everything.

In my practice listening and reading papers I was getting between 34-36/40 and online looked like this would give me a mark of over a 7. My husband was reading my written sections and gave me some tips about structuring the essay better, he thought I was answering the questions but couldn't say much more as difficult to say how they will mark.

I didn't practice my speaking at all and glad my topic on the day was fairly easy - talk about a movie I have seen and want to watch again.

 

Will post next Friday when I know.. Fingers crossed

 

Ah yes, I was following that Future Learn free course too! Sounds like you did loads Charlotte so like you say, fingers crossed!! I'm feeling confident for you :smile:grab a bottle of champers in anticipation of a celebration!! :wink::jiggy::cool:

[RebeccaMatt]

Were in the same boat, our only chance at a 189 is if my husband gets 8 or more in IELTS. Reading your post has made me think, dyslexia may also be my husbands problem ?? It always held him back in school. He doesn't have much experience either ( he's in air con and refrigeration ) so we lack points there which is why we desperately need the IELTS. We've been really worrying about it but fingers crossed

[Mims]

Were in the same boat, our only chance at a 189 is if my husband gets 8 or more in IELTS. Reading your post has made me think, dyslexia may also be my husbands problem ?? It always held him back in school. He doesn't have much experience either ( he's in air con and refrigeration ) so we lack points there which is why we desperately need the IELTS. We've been really worrying about it but fingers crossed

 

Rooting for you both Rebecca! Fingers crossed your hubby makes the grade! Keep us posted.

[mungbean]

...

 

So, somebody clearly mastered the art of the 2000-word essay... ;-)

 

Great work Steven and @Mims -- an inspiring read, too!

[Charlottehill76]

Just wanted you to know I passed with an overall of 7.5, I'm so pleased.

[mungbean]

Well done @Charlottehill76 - you must be chuffed to bits!

[Charlottehill76]

I cried I was so happy and shocked at the same time I really thought I would have not gotten the score in the writing section.

All this suddenly has gotten so so real! Both me and my husband are over the moon with this result.

[Mims]

I cried I was so happy and shocked at the same time I really thought I would have not gotten the score in the writing section.

All this suddenly has gotten so so real! Both me and my husband are over the moon with this result.

 

Well done Charlotte that's amazing news!! You've joined the 7.5 club-whoop!I cried too, it's such a great relief isn't it!! And I know exactly how you feel about it all becoming real, it was the first major hurdle jumped for us and you suddenly feel like it's possible and will actually happen rather than it just being something you think and talk a lot about!

[toOZ2012]

To all those who are currently prepping for IELTS - check this blog out: http://www.ielts-blog.com/ I came across it after I've done my exam but wish I found it earlier. They have a correction service where they provide feedback on the written esaay. Also, IMHO, the only book you'll ever need is the Cambridge IELTS series. Your practice tests scores will be very close to your final scores.

 

Lastly, if you hate writing letters or reading silly articles - try the Academic version of IELTS. I would have scored less if I took the General test.

 

L:8.5:R9.0:W:8:S:8 from a few years back. Got lucky with the writing score - my grammar skills are poor.

 

Good luck.