Hi readers! (sapu habuk dan sawang)
Okay ni betul-betul dah lama tak menulis.
Lately, sis dapat banyak sangat dm dekat IG from you guys yang bertanyakan
macam-macam perkara. Sorry kalau lewat balas, kadang-kadang tak perasan,
kadang-kadang busy hehh. I am truly glad that I can help a lot of you guys. Dan
sebab itu jugalah sis tergerak untuk update post kali ni.
I’m gonna switch to English now for this
post.
Today’s topic, IELTS!
What’s that?
The International English Language Testing
System (IELTS). It is the world's most popular English language
proficiency test for higher education and global migration. Basically, it’s an
English test that is a pre-requisite to entering international universities
(mostly in the UK, Australia, NZ, USA and many others) or to migrate.
The test that I’m gonna talk about here is
the one to enter universities which is the Academic IELTS.
So let me walk you through the process.
#1 Registration
I can’t remember exactly how much was the
fee, but it was about RM800++. Refer the official website for the latest
information. I registered myself on the official website 2 days before the test
date that I chose. HAHAHA!
My advice is to apply early to ensure that
there’s still a slot for you. Mind you, the slots are always full. I took the
nearest test date because the other slots within the same month were already
full. It is also important to keep in mind regarding the location of the test.
I took my written test at Park Royal Hotel in KL and my speaking test at the
British Council Exam Hall in KL. My speaking test was right on the next day
after the written test.
Just follow the instruction on the official
website for registration.
#2 Preparation
So I had 2 days to prepare. OMG. Hahaha. I
have no books or classes whatsoever to prepare. But when you register, the
British Council will give you access to like an online learning program. I
referred to it to learn the format and do practices and all that. But you can
also search online for test practices (there’s A LOT out there for free).
Personally, I don’t think a book is THAT necessary to prepare for IELTS.
#3 Format
I don’t know about you but I’ve sat for
MUET (Malaysian University English Test) before, so the format is actually
similar.
There’s 4 parts: Listening, Reading,
Writing and Speaking. The written tests (L,R,W) are exactly like MUET. For
listening, you listen to recordings and answer questions given. Most of the
questions would require short answers (less than 5 words). Read the
instructions carefully because if you write more than asked, your answer will
automatically be marked wrong. The only difference with MUET is that the
recordings in the IELTS Listening test will only be played ONCE as opposed to
MUET which plays twice.
For Reading, it’s basically just reading
articles and answering questions. Some articles are longer than others.
Question type could be multiple-choice, labelling, arranging and others. But
the answers expected are just short answers. This is how it is different from
MUET whereby MUET Reading test is fully multiple-choice.
For Writing, there’s 2 parts. Part A
requires you to describe a given table/chart/diagram etc. Just a short write
up, there’s a word limit for this but I can’t really recall (sorry) but
probably around 150 words? In Part B you’ll have to answer an essay question.
The essay is usually argumentative. The question I got was “Arts is as
important as science for human development. Discuss.” Something like that,
again, I can’t really recall (It has been 4 months).
The Speaking test is really different from
MUET in which it is an individual test, not in group. The interviewer will ask
a series of questions and you’ll be given a certain time limit to answer each
question. The questions vary from one another but it sort of fit in one similar
theme. You can sort of see in general what it’s about towards the end of the
test.
#4 Exam day
Arrive, put your belongings in the provided
safe room (you can’t bring anything inside except for your IC and the test slip. Pencil and eraser are provided.
Water is provided as well), register yourself (your picture will be taken to be
inserted in your result certificate), they will scan your body with a detector
to ensure you don’t bring anything with you, enter the hall, find your table
number (there’s a slip pasted on the table with your name and other details),
test starts.
P/s it is super cold so wear something
thicker. You can’t go to the washroom during the test. You can only go in
between the papers which is super short amount of time. I suggest you go to the
bathroom before the whole test starts.
The papers are a marathon, first would be
listening, then reading and lastly writing. They will provide 1 answer sheet
for listening (on the front page) and reading (on the back page) so make sure
you don’t fill up your answer at the wrong side of the page. It’s of a
different color so be alert.
For speaking, be there according to the
time given to you. If possible, come earlier than given time because sometimes
if the person before you starts earlier, you can go in earlier as well. The
sooner it ends the better right? ;)
Oh and regarding attire, you can wear anything. You don't have to be formal or whatever. Some just came wearing a t-shirt. But for the speaking test you might want to dress up nicely because you will be facing your examiner. Just for good impression, it's always safe to dress up than dress down.
#5 Result day
Results will be out about 2 weeks after the
test. You will have to collect it at the British Council. You can also request
for your result to be sent to your house but you will need to fill up a form
AFTER YOUR TEST. So be alert.
#6 My opinion
I think what a lot of people are wondering
about is how hard is this IELTS test right? Just to give a little perspective,
I got a Band 4 out of 6 (6 being the highest) for my MUET (back in 2013), that
was with a year of formal classroom learning mind you. But then again, I was taking STPM at the time hence my studies were conducted entirely in Malay.
For IELTS, I had 2 days
to prepare, no formal learning at all and I managed to score a Band 8 out of 9
(9 being highest). So, my point is, it is not impossible to prepare within a short
time. But it's probably also worth noting that I speak as much English as I do Malay in my university years. So, you judge your abilities alright? RM 800 is not cheap (at least not for me), so you better be sure you come well prepared.
That’s all that I have for now. If you’re
taking the test anytime soon, good luck to you! If you’re thinking of taking
the test, I hope my insights have helped you decide.
Bless y’all!
