Guest JenniferC Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Hi guys, I am a British journalist working in Australia and am keen to do a story on how many British born and bred people struggle with the IELTS test; the one that gives you extra points to get your visa. I didn't have to sit it for my permanent residency, but took a look and it didn't seem straight forward or logical at all. I know of plenty of professionals; accountants and even teachers, who have not passed first time. Have any of you failed or had to sit it more than once? I am convinced it's a poor judge of someone's English ability, especially if Brits have problems with it! I'd also be keen to interview someone who is well educated who failed who lives in the UK and someone based in Australia. I'd really appreciate your feedback! Many thanks, Jenny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathalie Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 I'd be interested in this myself, I'm not in your target group as I'm Dutch, but have lived in the UK for 9 years. I sat the test for a "just to be sure" reason and found it incredibly easy myself (overall 8.5 score) and very straightforward. My other half is born and bred English and although his grammar is worse then mine, he passed himself with the same score and the only part he found "hard" was the physical writing itself (as in writing with a pen rather then typing on a keyboard). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRammo Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 I've just sat the Academic exam in Sydney. I hope I've passed - will find out in 2 weeks. The two parts of the test that are academic specific are reading and writing. They are certainly harder than I would have expected for a test of English competence. They seem a to be a test of general academic ability too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JenniferC Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Thanks for your responses so far guys! I am going to get the statistics off the IELTS HQ and hopefully can find a couple of good case studies through the site in the interim. It strikes me all English people should be able to pass with ease and if people like teachers are failing on occasions, something needs to be fixed. Jenny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jamie Smith Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Hi Jenny I suggest you sit the test yourself a) in the name of thorough research and reporting ;-) b) so you can also report on not just the test content but the delivery system. I had heard that there are problems with the quality of recordings, lack of explanation and irrelevancy about what is being requested, etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PositivePixie Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 imho its like any test - its a test of taking a test, not on how good or else you are in that specific thing. For example, my husband can drive very well, does drive very well and will continue to drive well, however probably wouldn't pass a test at the moment for various reasons - not in small part because part of the UK driving test now contains a computer test on 'hazard perception' where you are tested on telling the computer when you see a hazard - but if you tell it too early, you get marked down and if you wait a little longer you also get marked down - you are being tested on how well you can sit the test. To a certain degree the IELTS is the same - for writing you are being tested on a whole raft of things as well as your written English ability (for eg, as Nathalie mentions, your ability to write with a pencil, rather than purely your English ability). However, as we are only human and haven't actually worked out a good, fair, cost and time effective method of being able to tell whether or not someone has skills in a specific area or not other than sitting a test, it will have to do. Imho, its as good as any test could be under the circumstances, my only quibble would be whether the academic version is actually relevant vs the general test - is writing a letter any more general than interpreting the graph, or is talking about a graph more 'academic' than writing a letter? You can argue it both ways imho again though. As a teacher myself it pains me to say this, but seeing as some teachers who hold QTS in this country have to take the basic skills tests (a requirement of QTS) many many many times before passing them (I know of several teachers who had to take the basic maths test over 5 times before passing them for eg), its not surprising they have to retake the IELTS - some of them because they are pants at taking tests, others because their basic skills aren't actually that great. (Have to point out before other teachers shout at me - this is only a minority of teachers, but still, they are out there, as in any profession). Agree with the comment about taking both versions of the test yourself - to do something first hand is to understand it better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jimmurray Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Hi Jenny, Yes I am one of those Brits you are looking for, I sat the test a couple of weeks ago, nighmare. I am A Registered Nurse, educated in the UK, born and bred here. Accademically in Uni i never struggled, I have a job offer in Victoria and failed the blooming thing by 0.5 on writing. I then telephoned the nursing registration board of Australia and was told that oh no you dont need it as long as you have written proof of your secondary education, which at the age of 43 is stretching it a bit. Really confused over this, hoping to be pointed in the right direction from the guys on here. Hope this helps, anyway the writing test for the IELTS was on the influence of music on youth culture (wtf). If you are researching this could you also look at how many people challenge the decision and what percentage of those that do challenge the result are successful. There now that feels much better. Thanks Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkin Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Why are you only looking for people that failed it? They tend to be more vocal about the test and how unfair it is apparently. I "studied" for about 30 minutes the night before to understand the format of the testing and passed with 9's and plenty of time to spare in the reading and writing exercises. It is designed to test the ability to speak, read, write and listen to English and it did exactly that, I did not study tips on how to pass IELTS, I just used my English as I always would. If you wanted to, I expect you could find far more people that took the test and had no difficulty whatseover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jimmurray Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Why are you only looking for people that failed it? They tend to be more vocal about the test and how unfair it is apparently. I "studied" for about 30 minutes the night before to understand the format of the testing and passed with 9's and plenty of time to spare in the reading and writing exercises. It is designed to test the ability to speak, read, write and listen to English and it did exactly that, I did not study tips on how to pass IELTS, I just used my English as I always would. If you wanted to, I expect you could find far more people that took the test and had no difficulty whatseover. Pumpkin that is fine for those who pass the first time, i am 43 have worked all my adult life, have been assesed continually in english in my nursing career and have never struggled accademically, but this is a 40 min part of the exam, and with so much riding on it, i must have lost my trail of thought, though i douobt it, my question for the research proposer is how much money is being made from the people who continually take re-sits? and also if you score high in three of the four sections why in gods name can you not retake just the part of the test that let you down, on other forums people are resitting and failing parts they had previously passed. maybe i am making too much of this and i am sure that if i had passed first time i would be a cynical as others who passed first time, sorry to sound off but thats how it is, i am well and truly p###ed off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteD Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 I'm fast approaching an age barrier in the points system which will take away any chance of me ever getting to Aus .... and because you have to book so far in advance and wait for 2 weeks for the results, I've booked for 25/6, 9/7 & 30/7 ... Fingers crossed I can hit all 8's or higher in one of them ! I have a post-graduate degree, but that's still no precursor for success having looked around the net for IELTS examples ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rami Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Hi guys, I am a British journalist working in Australia and am keen to do a story on how many British born and bred people struggle with the IELTS test; the one that gives you extra points to get your visa. I didn't have to sit it for my permanent residency, but took a look and it didn't seem straight forward or logical at all. I know of plenty of professionals; accountants and even teachers, who have not passed first time. Have any of you failed or had to sit it more than once? I am convinced it's a poor judge of someone's English ability, especially if Brits have problems with it! I'd also be keen to interview someone who is well educated who failed who lives in the UK and someone based in Australia. I'd really appreciate your feedback! Many thanks, Jenny HI Jenny, a study has already being done regarding the ielts test relevance, effectiveness, and dominance in Australia. The result of the study reveals that 2.5 % of candidates obtain a score of more than 7 in all bands ( academic version). as for the general version, 2.3% of candidates obtain a score of more than 7 in all bands. the report also reveal that most organizations using the results of the ielts test do not understand the ielts test and blindly follow each other. refer to the parliamentary report below for more information. http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/haa/overseasdoctors/subs/sub110.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkin Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Pumpkin that is fine for those who pass the first time, i am 43 have worked all my adult life, have been assesed continually in english in my nursing career and have never struggled accademically, but this is a 40 min part of the exam, and with so much riding on it, i must have lost my trail of thought, though i douobt it, my question for the research proposer is how much money is being made from the people who continually take re-sits? and also if you score high in three of the four sections why in gods name can you not retake just the part of the test that let you down, on other forums people are resitting and failing parts they had previously passed. maybe i am making too much of this and i am sure that if i had passed first time i would be a cynical as others who passed first time, sorry to sound off but thats how it is, i am well and truly p###ed off. Well perhaps you should pay more attention to your writing for example. Just this very post is littered with mistakes. And before I get accused of being the grammar police, I am not generally, but I am just saying that I find it ironic that somebody can complain about failing an English test in a post which demonstrates below average written English. If people tried to use correct English in everyday situations and didn't just say "oh it's a forum I won't bother" then perhaps it would be easier for those people to pass this test. I have done exams before too and this simply cannot be compared to any of those exams. For goodness sake I was asked did I like gardening and what was the last book I read and I was played some tape recordings of people speaking very slowly and clearly and had to answer some basic questions on it. My visa hung on it too. Stop blaming the test. I still believe that the majority of native English speakers pass this test with flying colours and that this study is just trying to make out there is an issue where there is none. Presumably the reason all four units need to be sat at once is that the idea is to demonstrate all round English skills. So they would not want somebody (a non-native) to swot up on writing one time, then reading the next time etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathalie Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Tried thanking you multiple times Pumpkin, didn't work Back to the topic, I understand when people struggle for one reason or the other (nerves, not used to the format) but if non native speakers can pass relatively easily, then I don't see why it's extremely difficult or complex for native speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stormgal Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I was born/ raised in the US and although my scores are not low, I got a 7.0 on the reading with an overall average of 8. The reading threw me a bit off - (i scored 8.0 or above on the other bands) - there was a question there that I probably over-thought - something that had to do with traveling and meals available everyday except on days the group travels through "local cultures" - only they asked the question in reverse format - I was like, huh? The paragraph/sign read, "Meals available every day except during breakfast to experience the local culture" Then the question was ridiculously put like, "Tea/Dinner is not served in which of the following areas that is not part of a local culture" I must have spent a good 4 minutes sweating under the collar on that group of questions, even though dummy me finished that section early. :wideeyed: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest weekrish Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I felt compelled to reply, though I am not in your target group because i'm not a native english speaker. I was born and raised in India but currently live in the US. I sat the IELTS test here in the US in April and got the following scores L - 8.5 , R - 9 , W - 8 and S - 8.5 Overall - 8.5 I found the test incredibly easy but i have to say i did spend sometime looking at the format of the test and took simulated IELTS tests before i sat the real one. P.S The low score in Writing was probably due to poor time management. I could barely complete the conclusion summary for the second section of the writing test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTux Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I am British with a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering and have a job which requires me to read and understand some very technical documents as well as write them. I took the IELTS academic test as I was able to get a last minute test slot at my local centre as a consequence did not have time to practice, what could go wrong I have used this language for nearly 30 years. Well after sitting exam I knew the reading did not go well mainly because I was not familiar with the test format and was to slow, unfortunately I only scored 6.5. With scores of 8s and 9s in the the other tests. Before I took the test for a second time I bought a book and practised for a week every night and aces the test with 8.5 for reading and listening and 9 for writing and speaking. My opinion is not that I improved my English skills but improved my IELTS skills. My only advice is practice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRammo Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Well, after getting my academic results this week (W 8.5, R 9, L 9, S 9), I can confirm that this test is all about practice. My PR visa needs it, so the pressure was high. I practiced once the Listening and Reading so I knew what to expect, then watched the You Tube example of the writing test so I knew the essay format that was expected. I speak English every day, so no practice needed! My top tip, then, is practice! The test is very easy for native speakers as long as you know the expected format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I was probably overconfident so didn't do any practice (the thinking being if you're English and have a degree how hard can it be?). My results were (R 9; L 9; W 7.5; S 8; overall 8.5). Fortunately in those days the only benchmark was 7 across all sections so I didn't have to retake it, but with some practice I'm sure I'd have got an 8 in the written paper had I needed it. The reading and listening papers were ridiculously easy - I started worrying that they were some sort of trick questions and I was missing something! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Elbow Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Hi Jimmurry I am a newly qualified nurse and I too failed on exactly the same area and the same annoying 0.5, sooooo frustrating!!!! I was forwarded to your post by robnic and just wondered who you spoke to about registration and not needing the ielts anymore? Thanks x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samshep Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I'm a nurse/midwife educated to degree level, I took the test last year and passed it first time, I did no preperation for it. Overall, I would say it was harder than expected but I feel that was due to the reading bits being spread over a few pages with questions on another, so you were constantly flicking pages back and forth, you had to be a quick reader (which i am). I can understand why people fail it. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jimmurray Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Hi Jimmurry I am a newly qualified nurse and I too failed on exactly the same area and the same annoying 0.5, sooooo frustrating!!!! I was forwarded to your post by robnic and just wondered who you spoke to about registration and not needing the ielts anymore? Thanks x Hi Elbow, i telephoned the australian nursing board and was told that because i was educated and am a native of the UK i do not need the IELTS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Elbow Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Hi Elbow, i telephoned the australian nursing board and was told that because i was educated and am a native of the UK i do not need the IELTS. Thanks for that Jimmurray, that's what I have been told too. I have just been to my secondary school and they have given me a letter to confirm my attendance at the school and also confirmed it was taught and assessed in English, fingers crossed this will be enough. I know I should be able to pass the ielts no problem as I have just completed a degree and am English after all, but as a lot of people state it is the sheer pressure that your registration rests on this 1 stupid test. On the other hand I found some peoples comments a bit on the harsh side as they are obviously better at exams and test situations than others! Hahaha hope there's no spelling mistakes in this post. Thanks again for your help!!!!:v_SPIN: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jimmurray Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 elbow i did it, i also have a degree but failed, aaaarrrrrhhh the problem i have is i am 43 the schools i went to no longer exsist so not sure what the next step is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Elbow Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Oh it is sooo frustrationg I couldn't believe it! Do you have your secondary school exam certificates? If so you could locate your examination board and try asking them, I have do this too just in case the school refused. There is currently no cahrge to obtain a letter for this too. I am 38 and was in a similar situation, but If you can provide some evidence to your school that you attended, i.e photo's, certificates etc they will probably do you a letter. That's what I did with mine, you just have to be persistent, good luck, hehehe x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Elbow Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 elbow i did it, i also have a degree but failed, aaaarrrrrhhh the problem i have is i am 43 the schools i went to no longer exsist so not sure what the next step is So sorry Jimmuuay, just realised that you said you sec school no longer exists, I was flicking between emails and other stuff for my Australian Nurse Application. :SLEEP: I Don't know if this helps, if you have your certificates you can look to see if the exam boards will do you a letter. Have a look on http://www.aqa.org.uk/ and you'll be able to see if they hold information about your exam/secondary school. Have you already move to Aus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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