IELTS Speaking

Decidedly different from PTE Speaking because - among other things - you are assessed by a human being and this fact alone changes pretty much everything. To be a “Good User” of English - which is what Band 7 in Speaking is - you need to display:

1. Good Oral Fluency

What is it? Oral fluency is our ability to speak fluently - never mind the odd grammatical errors - in the language under consideration. Oral fluency doesn't mean speaking fast. It means uttering parts of a sentence and pausing at the right places for the right length of time. It is the natural sense of rhythm, which we are all accustomed to. If you speak without pausing where you should, it may actually be defeating your purpose. Oral fluency is very important if you wish to achieve a high score. Grammatical accuracy at the cost of linguistic fluency will never fetch you high bands in speaking.

2. Pronunciation

Yes, inability to pronounce correctly will negatively affect your score. Just speak naturally and ensure that your pronunciation is free of Mother-tongue Influence (MTI). When the test is being taken in India, the benchmark for speaking will remain the average Indian speaking in English. As long as you are audible and intelligible, pronunciation should not bother you much. And by the way, they accept the British as well as the American pronunciations. Just don't indulge in slangs/colloquialisms.

4. Ability to use Synonyms

And to do so quite easily. Thus avoiding repetition of the same words, phrases and even sentence structures. IELTS - and this is true of the test as a whole - does not ask you to memorise 'difficult' words & phrases. You are not expected to digest a long list of tongue-twisting, gut-wrenching and teeth-rattling words. On the contrary, the need of the hour is a regular use of 'uncommon' words. Rather than 'great', awesome' or even 'wonderful, maybe 'pleasant' experience is a better way of putting it. Along with all this, you need to be relevant as well. Finally, your answers should be neither too short/abrupt-sounding nor rambling/meandering/too lengthy.

5. Relevance

A general ability to address the question/s asked. Don't beat about the bush. Come straight to the point and always elaborate after you have given your answer in the first lines. The length of your answers will differ in accordance with the complexity of the questions asked. Generally speaking, Part 1 questions are simpler than those you will be asked in Section 3. The more focused and crisply-explained your answers,  the higher you score in the Speaking section. Also, questions which are specific require a different answer than those that demand a general reaction from the candidate. 'Do you like shopping?' is qualitatively different from 'Do you think shopping as an experience during your parents' time is different from what it is now?' Your response should acknowledge this difference.

 Now, I'm sure all this sounds rather daunting. Happily such is not the case. Don't bite more than you can chew: break the entire Speaking module into a number of small sessions. And regular practice - just a little (15 minutes) every day for a month or so - should do you a world of good. Excellence, after all, is nothing more than a Habit.

IELTS or PTE?

I keep on hearing this so many times when I talk to candidates aspiring to settle abroad. PTE is supposed to be easier than IELTS or so they have been told. It is easy to get dates. You don't have to book a month in advance as in IELTS. You don't have to go for the Speaking module on a separate day as it happens in IELTS. And to top it all, the PTE results will be available to you within 5 days of taking the test.  

And all those observations are true. There are many conveniences associated with PTE, primarily because it is the latest entrant in English Language Testing unlike IELTS which has been around for a while. 

But, PTE is not like IELTS at all and it tests the candidates in a completely different way. Sure, there are the same 4 modules – Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. However, that’s where the similarities end. And no, it is not easier than IELTS either. It is simply a different kind of test following a different format. And as we know, "different, different hota hai"

IELTS & PTE - in a very real sense - are as "different" from each other as chalk is from cheese. And your choice will be influenced by the answers you get to the following questions:

1.    Are you tech-savvy? Are you comfortable wearing a headset mic and pressing buttons etc?

2.    Do you find it easy to react instantly? To respond at the press of a button or upon hearing a “beep”?

3.    Do you think you have it in you to continue to speak under any circumstances without stopping for more than 3 seconds to gather your thoughts?

If you answer “yes” to the above questions, then don’t wait anymore, plump for PTE. If speaking extempore is not your strong point, then a paper-based test like IELTS may be a better option.

Choose after carefully considering the above questions. And be brutally honest. The sincerity with which you make this self-assessment could indeed be the difference between success and failure in your chosen test.

IELTS	PTE
·         Paper-based	·         Computer-based
·         General Reading paper not so difficult, language & topic-wise	·         The language and the difficulty level of the Reading module is that of IELTS Academic level
·         Reading - No negative marking	·         Reading -  Negative marking in 1 type of question (Multiple choice multiple answers)
·         No partial credits given for partially- correct answers in any module	·         Partial-credits given for some types of questions
·         Time is not such a problem here	·         Time is a big constraint here – it all happens very fast in this test
·         Listening is also comparatively easier	·         Listening has two types of questions which carry negative marking
·         Writing is a lot more difficult – content, structure, vocabulary etc. are marked very strictly	·         Writing is relatively easy – the main issue is that you need to be fast while typing on a desktop keyboard
·         Speaking is easier here by comparison. Human intervention opens doors to influence the assessor with the sheer force of your personality.	·         Speaking is somewhat more difficult. Here a machine evaluates you. You have to think on your feet and make sentences as you go along. Time given to prepare your response is very short indeed

Now sit back, relax and...Happy choosing! 

Post credits: Samit Sengupta
Founder, English Academy
  

www.english-academy.in

Choosing the perfect IELTS Trainer

There has been a rush to migrate to foreign shores. This was a trickle a few years before but now it has turned into a veritable flood. And people have many good reasons for seeking the coveted Permanent Residency status, or PR as it is better know.  Then there are the students who wish to travel abroad for higher studies which, they hope, will translate into lucrative and meaningful careers.

Whatever the goal, there is often an IELTS test to be cleared – General or Academic. The exam tests you on 4 fronts – Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. It tests your oral and written proficiency in the use of the English language to qualify for PR in a particular English-speaking foreign nation. Without it you cannot proceed further. It is that simple. 
It is not a very difficult exam. It surely is not in the same league as CAT, GMAT and GRE. But yes, there is a need for methodical and sustained study over a certain period. I have been asked if it is possible to prepare oneself through self-study. My answer has always been the same – absolutely. But – and this is important – do you have time enough...

1. to do all that is required? 
2. Do you have time to collect the necessary material – lots of it - from a number of sources? 
3. Do you have the discipline to prepare a schedule and stick to it for a month at least come what may? 
4. Are you willing to discover the tricks through patient study and analysis? 
5. Or do you want to be told about them at the very beginning of your preparation?

If your answer is a resounding "yes" to most of the above-mentioned questions, then you can surely study on your own and clear the test. 

Your IELTS trainer only guides you. He clears the way as you proceed. He monitors your progress and analyses your performance so that you are able to realize your weaknesses and work on them. He urges you to do your homework and instills in you a sense of discipline during your training period. You follow a particular timeline drawn by him. He maintains your scores over the entire duration of your training and regularly conducts performance audits jointly with you so that you know where you stand and how much farther you have to go to reach your goal. Your IELTS trainer needs to: 

1. Be aware of  the latest trends
2. Know the standard tricks by which you can crack all but the most difficult questions
3. Have a very good grasp over English in every way – grammar, vocabulary, correct usage
4. Be methodical and have a well thought-out training plan
5. Have an analytical mind so that he can dissect your performance and bring out your mistakes

Your IELTS trainer will be your mentor for at least a month. So choose him with care.  
Everyone says that he is the best trainer/mentor/guide available. Go for him who has your interest at heart, not someone who is merely after your money.  Check him out with a demo. If he is really good but comes at a premium, so be it. After all, your future is at stake here. Quality doesn't come cheap. It never has.

So, first find out if you need to take the test in the first place. The second step is to decide if you wish to undergo self-study or a structured coaching. Lastly settle on your IELTS trainer – someone who has your interest at heart. 

All the best!
  
Post Credits : - Samit Sengupta
  Founder English Academy

www.english-academy.in