Exam Skills Insider Guides

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Exam Skills
The Insider Guide to Cambridge ESOL exams
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

By the Cambridge ESOL London Exam Board

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The Insider Guides to Cambridge ESOL exams Introduction There are lots of myths about English language exams. You may hear people talk about trick questions which are planted in papers to catch you out, how exercises are constantly recycled, how exams are made up in a matter of hours. Actually, the development of exams at Cambridge ESOL is a huge job. It involves teams of researchers and an international network of thousands of writers and examiners. They make sure each exam is fair and a reliable guide to what level candidates have reached in the skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and in their use of English. Every test is different and is designed to examine very specific skills. Thats why test takers can benefit from knowing more about the particular exam they will be sitting and what examiners are really looking for.

In these pages you will find guides to how you can do your best in the worldrenowned English language exams provided by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations. The guides provide tips on what each exam is looking for from you as well as advice straight from the examiners.

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The Insider Guides to Cambridge ESOL exams International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Introduction IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is the international English language test to access opportunities in careers, study and migration. Its run by an international partnership of The British Council, IDP Education Australia and Cambridge ESOL. Well over half a million candidates sit IELTS each year through a network of 400 test centres in 150 countries worldwide. It is recognised by more than 3,800 leading universities and colleges, government agencies and professional organisations. IELTS has four papers: Listening (30 minutes, 40 items in 4 sections), Reading (60 minutes, 40 items in 3 sections), Writing (2 tasks in 60 minutes, a 150 and a 250 word piece), Speaking (11 to 14 minutes), and depending on how you want to use your test score, you can choose between Academic and General Training in the Reading and Writing papers.

Heres how you can do the best you can in each paper. Reading Some students believe only practising tests will really help them, and want to do test after test. This can be discouraging, as you wont see the rapid progress you would like. Instead you should read widely - newspapers, journals, magazines and books - and use materials from these sources when preparing for the test. Particular areas you should focus on in your practice are: using synonyms, summary words etc. to help you locate information; different ways of expressing the same ideas or information in a text; reading skills such as skimming and scanning for information. Some people believe they must read every text slowly and carefully, underlining every unknown word and stopping to worry about it. You should

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remember that your main aim is to locate the answers to the questions. You do not need to read in the same way you would if you needed to memorise something. You shouldnt worry too much about the presence of unknown words. Practise guessing meaning from context and try not to look up every unknown word in the dictionary. Writing Leave time to check your answer for careless mistakes at the end. If you can, check for spelling mistakes, verb and subject agreement, singular/plural nouns, and the flow of your writing. Try to avoid repeating the same words, phrases and ideas too often. Use as wide a range of vocabulary as you can. Its also better to avoid repeating the same idea too often. Explore different ideas to provide a balanced response. You cant impress by copying words and phrases from the question paper. Try to use your own words at all times. Dont bother learning essays by heart to use in the exam. Examiners are looking out for this kind of response and will mark you down for it. Its much better to work on developing good writing skills which can show through on the day. Listening Answer all the questions even if you dont feel sure about an answer you may have understood more than you think. Don't panic if you miss one question. Look ahead and concentrate on the next one. Wait until the end of the test to transfer your answers. You have ten minutes for this which is plenty of time. Speaking Dont worry if you realise youve made a mistake. Its OK to correct yourself. If you can't correct yourself, forget it and carry on. Don't learn answers by heart it can be very obvious. Talk to the examiner. Youll feel more involved in the conversation. But stick to the purpose of the conversation. Examiners dont like being asked if youve got it right! More information on IELTS is available from http://www.IELTS.org

Anthea Bazin, Speaking Test examiner for IELTS, says:

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You may feel rather nervous about taking a Speaking test and think there is nothing much you can do to improve your performance, but there are some simple ways in which you can help yourself. The most important point to remember is that an examiner can only judge your English on what s/he hears. So dont give minimal answers. Always try to explain the reasons for your choices or opinions and give examples from your experience where relevant. You will have a topic to talk about in the second part of the test. You are allowed one minute to prepare for this and it is very important to use this time well. You can make notes if you want, but you wont have time to make detailed ones. Practise writing down key words only or draw a mind map if you find that more helpful. Some people prefer to use the time to just think about the topic and collect their ideas. Its good to try out the different methods before the test and decide which suits you best. Examiners are looking for a well-organised, fluent talk. You can prepare by collecting some phrases to help you start your talk and move on from point to point. Having some phrases ready will help to make you feel more confident and relaxed too. Practise giving a talk at home and time yourself because its difficult to calculate how much you will need to say in two minutes. Above all, try to show the examiner your English at its best. Vary your vocabulary and structures (verb forms etc) if you can and if you hear yourself making a mistake, correct it. Take a deep breath before you enter the examination room - and remember the examiner wants you to perform well, too.