I helped my fiancé, Nghia, in Vietnam, study for the International English Language Testing System exam. This exam may be a great tool to help your fiancee or wife get ahead in another country.
Otherwise known as the IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, was created to evaluate the language ability of language students who needed to study or work where English is primarily used as the language of communication. In many foreign countries, IELTS was required for entry to English-language universities in the UK and other countries. It was also a barometer by which professional employees were measured when they sought certain positions abroad where the business language of choice was English.
What is the IELTS?
IELTS was recognized by universities and employers in many countries, including English-speaking countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA. IELTS was also recognized by professional organizations, immigration authorities like the USCIS, and US Consulate, and other government agencies. It was estimated that over 3 million people from around the world took the test each year.
The Problem with Foreign-made English Language Study Material
There were some challenges with the IELTS. When Nghia and I were first introduced, I helped her with English class. I reviewed and corrected her essays, I read her homework assignments, and I helped correct her pronunciation. Unfortunately, a lot of the written material was full of mistakes.
There weren’t just standard typos and simple grammar mistakes; there were issues with tense, word usage, and phrases. In fact, in many cases, the work looked like it was written in Vietnamese and then translated into English.
Now that Nghia had studied for the IELTS, we found the same issues with the new study material. She got help from her most recent English teacher, but my work was cut out for me.
How to Study for the IELTS?
To be honest, part of the problem was me. I was a writer, so my affinity for words and phrases, while not perfect, had been honed over time. I was that guy who could not stand when people misused: there, they’re, and their. I cringed when people said, “I could care less,” when the phrase should be, “I couldn’t care less.”
Sometimes I was impatient. I expected Nghia to know some aspects of the English language that she simply had not been exposed to yet. And as for colloquialisms and slang, she was a total noob. So how did we study, and how did I help her?
It was tough. What made the situation tougher was that I did not necessarily agree with some of the teaching methods associated with the IELTS Exam.
I am a writer and I have studying natural writing for a long time. From what I gleaned from the tips, tricks, and techniques many students in Vietnam employed, they were taught to pass the exam, not to master the material.
Having studied the Vietnamese language for a year, and French for two years in high school, I could confidently say: that method did not work long-term. Studies showed that as soon as the test was over, you would lose over 80 percent of the knowledge you needed to pass the test.
Constructing the Correct Context for Better IELTS Study
With this in mind, I often wrapped our tutelage sessions into life lessons for a better and longer-lasting context. By doing this, I hoped that Nghia would easily retain the context, and thus the appropriate word or phrase.
The easiest thing was Nghia’s English-language vocabulary. She had better vocab than my 15-year-old high school sophomore and most adults I knew. However, she was always looking for new words and meanings.
I tried to convince Nghia that her vocabulary was fine. She did not need any more synonyms; she needed to learn how to express her thoughts differently. This was especially important when it came to summarizing thoughts in a conclusion paragraph.
Tips and Tricks or IELTS Success
There were a few tips and tricks I tried to convince Nghia to use. These were all based on my experience. I wrote books and screenplays, and for a brief time, I attended the University of Phoenix; I was the head writer on every class team I was assigned to.
For brainstorming and first drafts, I always suggested Nghia write conversationally and to an audience with no more than a ninth-grade education. During the rewrite process, she was free to embellish with fancier words. She often got bogged down trying to think of complicated words when simpler words would suffice.
Important Details about the Exam
The IELTS exam was a three-hour test that was comprised of four parts:
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
- Writing
When taken, the student received a cumulative score between 1 and 9. Half-points were also included. Universities often demanded a minimum IELTS score between 6.0 and 7.0. Some may also demand a minimum score of 6.0 in each of the 4 sections. This would mean that despite having a 7.1 cumulative score, a university might not accept your application if your grade in any one of the separate areas fell below 6.0 (<5.9)
There were three reasons Nghia wanted to pass the IELTS exam.
The first reason was that after passing the exam, she could then accept a job teaching English. The second reason was that after she came to the US and was cleared to work, it would be easier to find a job if she had the IELTS Certification. And lastly, we were considering opening an Online English School in her hometown when I retired.
For anyone interested, IELTS tests were administered at more than 1600 accredited Test Centers in over 140 countries.
Fees are set by the test and by the individual test centers but expect to pay around 170-195 GBP, 225 Euros, or USD 245.
You could download practice tests in pdf format at: