IELTS scoring, part II

[Guest stormgal]

So how are the reading and listening parts scored? I noticed that the answer sheet is computerized, which probably means that it is run through some sort of a scanner.

 

Personally, I would much rather have someone correct it because -especially for the listening part, we can put down a synonym for an answer that is correct, but the computer may mark as wrong. What do you think? Or are both parts marked by both a computer and a person?

[Guest JennyReid]

So how are the reading and listening parts scored? I noticed that the answer sheet is computerized, which probably means that it is run through some sort of a scanner.

 

Personally, I would much rather have someone correct it because -especially for the listening part, we can put down a synonym for an answer that is correct, but the computer may mark as wrong. What do you think? Or are both parts marked by both a computer and a person?

 

To my best knowledge, synonyms are not allowed for answers in the listening part. You have to write the answers as given in the conversations you've heard and they have to be spelt correctly to be the right answers !!. I think most of us can easily understand the whole listening conversation scenarios..but not all of us can spell correctly...let's admit it..lol that's how you get low mark in listening part due to awful spelling !! wrong spelling =wrong answer ex : drought is spelt as draught...bitch is spelt as beach..

[Guest stormgal]

To my best knowledge, synonyms are not allowed for answers in the listening part. You have to write the answers as given in the conversations you've heard and they have to be spelt correctly to be the right answers !!. I think most of us can easily understand the whole listening conversation scenarios..but not all of us can spell correctly...let's admit it..lol that's how you get low mark in listening part due to awful spelling !! wrong spelling =wrong answer ex : drought is spelt as draught...bitch is spelt as beach..

 

Right... well, the listening I already have downpacked - got 8.5, with 9.0's on the rest. It's the reading part that I'm concerned about. I think it may be the "true, false, not given" sections that are giving me the hard time. :nah:

 

Anyway, I bought the book by peter mays, and rescheduled the test. Hopefully, I'll be able to pass the reading. I'm kind of a bit embarrassed walking in again being a "native speaker". The administrators must be wondering.... :laugh:

[Guest JennyReid]

I took IELTS once and got the result I needed as I applied under the old system (7s). I got 9 for speaking, 8 for listening and 7 for Reading and Writing. I noticed on this forum, Pete always gives very useful tips on IELTS. he sounds like an IELTS guru when it comes to giving IELTS tips. top Bloke! hopefully he will give you some reading tips too.

Also quickly, check out some ielts blogs freely available on the Net to get some motivations as you'll find people from China, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Mauritius..etc who migrate to Australia or Canada can actually get IELTS 8/7 for all the bands comfortably (after sitting IELTS just once or twice !)considering English is not their first language. Some countries like Malaysia or Indonesia, English could be their "Third Language" like some malays speaking Malay and Chinese as second language and can still manage to get 7/8 in all IELTS bands. Go figure.."British born and bred" :wink: :embarrassed:.... anyway, good luck Stormgal :cry:

[Guest stormgal]

I took IELTS once and got the result I needed as I applied under the old system (7s). I got 9 for speaking, 8 for listening and 7 for Reading and Writing. I noticed on this forum, Pete always gives very useful tips on IELTS. he sounds like an IELTS guru when it comes to giving IELTS tips. top Bloke! hopefully he will give you some reading tips too.

Also quickly, check out some ielts blogs freely available on the Net to get some motivations as you'll find people from China, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Mauritius..etc who migrate to Australia or Canada can actually get IELTS 8/7 for all the bands comfortably (after sitting IELTS just once or twice !)considering English is not their first language. Some countries like Malaysia or Indonesia, English could be their "Third Language" like some malays speaking Malay and Chinese as second language and can still manage to get 7/8 in all IELTS bands. Go figure.."British born and bred" :wink: :embarrassed:.... anyway, good luck Stormgal :cry:

 

 

haha, well, I'm not british born and bred, but a damn yankee, so you can already imagine :biglaugh: thanks for the good wishes

[PeteD]

haha, well, I'm not british born and bred, but a damn yankee, so you can already imagine :biglaugh: thanks for the good wishes

 

Luckily they accept both British and American versions of the language There may be questions around the spelling of words in the reading test, but hopefuly if you know the English/American differences and they consider your home country from the application you'll be fine. For writing sticking to one or the other should be spot-on.

[PeteD]

Haha, JennyReid, you're embarrasing me! I'm happy to give my insights into the tests to anyone, it doesn't make me a guru, just hoping that I can help others in the same way this site helped me when I've needed it, and still need it. This forum is awesome, just glad I can give back in some way.

 

Reading is more difficult than writing because it requires word perfect responses. It's marked like a machine and there's no room for a remark. You could argue this point, but it's not likely to change during the course of your visa application, so better to understand the rules of the game and play accordingly.

 

I did general, so I got 3 or 4 passages about different things. At the end of each passage were a set of questions. I scanned the questions to see if they were true/false, which paragraph describes, who said what, etc type questions. Then I read the passage, start to finish.

 

1) For true/false/not given: trues are easy (the text identifies explicitly), falses less so, and the difference between false and not given can be highly subjective. Pick out the trues first and answer those, then look for definite falses and answer those. Hopefully you're left with 2 unanswered which you leave till the end of the test.

 

2) If it's a case of which paragraph describes xxxx, then read the text and underline lightly what you think describes. When you've read it, look to the answers and scan back over your underlines. You should have picked up 80% of your answers from your underlining. As you answer underline the responses in bold pencil, that way you know they've asked about that part of the text.

 

3) Who said what, or who did what questions are similar to (2) above, light underlining as you read, heavy as you answer.

 

4) 1-3 words in the gap, you can't really underline. Pay more attention to the questions from the outset, and simply underline places where the question is being addressed in the text. Read the full text and then turn to the questions. Make sure the words you respond with fit the context of the sentence you are being asked to put them into (eg. ambulance, ambulances, an ambulance).

 

I found for me, knowing how the questions would unravel, and then reading the text in full was better than trying to read according to question, or reading blind not knowing what they would ask.

 

Don't ponder or frustrate yourself if you can't find the answer, move on. If you read well enough you should have 10-15 minutes left at the end, and that's the time to go pick up the 8 or so answers you missed. You should hit at least 50% of these in that time, so you should crack a good score.

 

I think the trick is nailing the easy ones where you're guaranteed a point, and whittling down the increasingly difficult/subjective ones in any time remaining. If gut instinct says 'that's the answer', don't waste time on pondering if you got it right or not, put it down and move on. Time is pretty precious in the reading.

 

Underline text as you complete an answer, it highlights where they have asked questions and where they haven't. You can then make a call as to where you might find the missing answer (although not always).

 

Finally, as always, don't do practice tests till the last minute. Give yourself a couple of days off before the test. It clears your mind so you enter this test fresh and not clogged with the answers to the test you did yesterday.

 

For what it's worth, reading was my weakest subject. Considering I had read about 10k pages to do my degree I was shocked, but, as said above, understand the rules of this game, and play accordingly.

 

Hope this helps

P