Friday, August 3, 2018

IELTS versus MUET


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!