English (IELTS)
Being an English teacher for 9 years (8 ½ years in KYUEM) has taught me one thing: nothing is constant. One has to be vigilant in one’s methods because no group of student stays the same but the objective of teaching English is.
Being in a country where multilingualism is a normal occurrence amongst the people, learning English skills is a continual effort, not because one is not good at it but one has fused other languages’ linguistics into the English Language – distorting the ‘nativeness’ of the language. So this is where I, as an English teacher graduating from the United Kingdom in English Language & Linguistics (BA from UCLAN, Preston) and Applied Linguistics (MA from Lancaster University), come in to take the reign to steer students into the direction of the rightful use of the English language. They will have to sit for the IELTS examination once they have had enough practice but classes fundamentally center around students learning to use the language in various crucial areas for instance in depth discussions about current affairs, researching topics and presenting them as well as discussing about them precisely and concisely using politically correct language so that they are ready to face overseas university life in general. However, the sole purpose of these activities is to get them asking and thinking in the English language because so far this is the only language which connects the world and its people on various levels. This is crucial for students at such a school as KYSIS where most of the crème de la crème congregate. They are the role models and the leading circle of students, whom most would look up to and emulate.
All in all, I enjoy the responsibility of teaching the students such a versatile subject because I love the language and the creativity it allows me to dabble in for the benefit of the students. Hopefully, the students enjoy the classes just as much as I do.
Being in a country where multilingualism is a normal occurrence amongst the people, learning English skills is a continual effort, not because one is not good at it but one has fused other languages’ linguistics into the English Language – distorting the ‘nativeness’ of the language. So this is where I, as an English teacher graduating from the United Kingdom in English Language & Linguistics (BA from UCLAN, Preston) and Applied Linguistics (MA from Lancaster University), come in to take the reign to steer students into the direction of the rightful use of the English language. They will have to sit for the IELTS examination once they have had enough practice but classes fundamentally center around students learning to use the language in various crucial areas for instance in depth discussions about current affairs, researching topics and presenting them as well as discussing about them precisely and concisely using politically correct language so that they are ready to face overseas university life in general. However, the sole purpose of these activities is to get them asking and thinking in the English language because so far this is the only language which connects the world and its people on various levels. This is crucial for students at such a school as KYSIS where most of the crème de la crème congregate. They are the role models and the leading circle of students, whom most would look up to and emulate.
All in all, I enjoy the responsibility of teaching the students such a versatile subject because I love the language and the creativity it allows me to dabble in for the benefit of the students. Hopefully, the students enjoy the classes just as much as I do.
IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
IELTS is the world’s most popular English language proficiency test to gain entry to overseas universities. More than 2 million exams were sat in the last year alone. It has an excellent international reputation, and is accepted by over 8,000 organizations worldwide, including schools, universities, employers, immigration authorities and professional bodies. As part of their entry requirements, overseas Universities require students to gain an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score. The IELTS score supports the student’s University application by serving as hard evidence of their English language proficiency.
Aims and objectives
The Reading Module provides practice in IELTS Reading tests to help you understand and practice the language and reading skills you need. The Writing Module aims to improve your confidence in answering IELTS type Task 1 and 2 questions. It also builds on the specific language skills needed to successfully formulate a task response. The Listening Module provides practice of listening tasks, supported by interactive vocabulary, grammar and language-focused activities. The Speaking Module prepares you to speak on the kinds of topics that typically occur in the IELTS Speaking test. The focus is on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range, grammatical accuracy and pronunciation.
Assessment
Prior learning knowledge is assumed at A or A* IGCSE English or equivalent. Initial assessment during the first week is undertaken to establish the student’s current level of English language. The assessment will consist of Speaking, Reading, Writing and Listening tests given in class.
Ongoing assessment is given throughout the course to monitor the student’s progress and identify common features. Students will be practicing past papers and tasks in order to hone their exam technique and become familiar with the exam format, common exam parlance and expectations.
The exam is developed by some of the world’s leading experts in language assessment. The exam will be sat in November 2014. It will assess the 4 components; (i) Reading, (ii) Writing, (iii) Listening and (iv) Speaking.
Exam Components
. Listening
Timing: Approximately 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes transfer time)
Questions:
There are 40 questionsA variety of question types is used, chosen from the following: multiple choice, matching, plan/map/diagram labelling, form completion, note completion, table completion, flow-chart completion, summary completion, sentence completion, short-answer questions.
Test Parts: There are 4 sections
Skills assessed:
A wide range of listening skills is assessed, including understanding of main ideas and specific factual information; recognising opinions, attitudes and purpose of a speaker; and following thedevelopment of an argument.
Marking:
Each correct answer receives 1 markScores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale
Questions:
There are 40 questionsA variety of question types is used, chosen from the following: multiple choice, matching, plan/map/diagram labelling, form completion, note completion, table completion, flow-chart completion, summary completion, sentence completion, short-answer questions.
Test Parts: There are 4 sections
Skills assessed:
A wide range of listening skills is assessed, including understanding of main ideas and specific factual information; recognising opinions, attitudes and purpose of a speaker; and following thedevelopment of an argument.
Marking:
Each correct answer receives 1 markScores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale
. Reading
Timing: 60 minutes (no extra transfer time)
Questions:
There are 40 questions Multiple choice, identifying information (True/False/Not Given), identifying writer’s views/claims (Yes/No/Not Given), matching information, matching headings, matching features, matching sentence endings, sentence completion, summary completion, note completion, table completion, flowchart.
Test Parts: There are 3 sections. The total text length is 2,150-2,750 words
Skills assessed:
A wide range of reading skills is assessed, including reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail; understanding inferences and implied meaning; recognising a writer’s opinions, attitudes and purpose; and following the development of an argument.
Marking:
Each correct answer receives 1 markScores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale
Questions:
There are 40 questions Multiple choice, identifying information (True/False/Not Given), identifying writer’s views/claims (Yes/No/Not Given), matching information, matching headings, matching features, matching sentence endings, sentence completion, summary completion, note completion, table completion, flowchart.
Test Parts: There are 3 sections. The total text length is 2,150-2,750 words
Skills assessed:
A wide range of reading skills is assessed, including reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail; understanding inferences and implied meaning; recognising a writer’s opinions, attitudes and purpose; and following the development of an argument.
Marking:
Each correct answer receives 1 markScores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale
. Writing
Timing: 60 minutes
Tasks: There are 2 tasks. Candidates are required to write at least 150 words for Task 1 and at least 250 words for Task 2
Test Parts:
In Task 1, candidates are presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and are asked to describe, summarise or explain the information in their own words. They may be asked to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a process, how something works or describe an object or event
In Task 2, candidates are asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem.
Responses to Task 1 and Task 2 should be written in a formal style
Skills assessed:
In both tasks, candidates are assessed on their ability to write a response which is appropriate in terms of content, the organisation of ideas, accuracy and range of vocabulary and grammar.
Marking:
Candidates are assessed on task achievement, coherence & cohesion, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy
Tasks: There are 2 tasks. Candidates are required to write at least 150 words for Task 1 and at least 250 words for Task 2
Test Parts:
In Task 1, candidates are presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and are asked to describe, summarise or explain the information in their own words. They may be asked to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a process, how something works or describe an object or event
In Task 2, candidates are asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem.
Responses to Task 1 and Task 2 should be written in a formal style
Skills assessed:
In both tasks, candidates are assessed on their ability to write a response which is appropriate in terms of content, the organisation of ideas, accuracy and range of vocabulary and grammar.
Marking:
Candidates are assessed on task achievement, coherence & cohesion, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy
. Speaking
Timing: 11- 14 minutes
Tasks: The Speaking test is a 3-part face-to-face oral interview with an examinerThe Speaking test is recorded.
Test Parts:
Part 1 Introduction and interview (4-5 minutes)
Part 2 Individual long turn (3-4 minutes)
Part 3 Two-way discussion (4-5 minutes)
The examiner asks further questions which are connected to the topic of Part 2. These questions give the candidate an opportunity to discuss more abstract issues and ideas.
Skills assessed:
Communicate opinions and information on everyday topics by answering a range of questions; the ability to speak at length on a given topic using appropriate language and organising ideas coherently; and the ability to express and justify opinions and to analyse, discuss and speculate about issues.
Marking:
Candidates are assessed fluency & coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range, accuracy and pronunciation
Tasks: The Speaking test is a 3-part face-to-face oral interview with an examinerThe Speaking test is recorded.
Test Parts:
Part 1 Introduction and interview (4-5 minutes)
Part 2 Individual long turn (3-4 minutes)
Part 3 Two-way discussion (4-5 minutes)
The examiner asks further questions which are connected to the topic of Part 2. These questions give the candidate an opportunity to discuss more abstract issues and ideas.
Skills assessed:
Communicate opinions and information on everyday topics by answering a range of questions; the ability to speak at length on a given topic using appropriate language and organising ideas coherently; and the ability to express and justify opinions and to analyse, discuss and speculate about issues.
Marking:
Candidates are assessed fluency & coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range, accuracy and pronunciation
The IELTS Band Score Scale
-
100%
-
90%
-
80%
-
70%
-
60%
-
50%
-
40%
-
30%
-
20%
-
0%