June 24 - 30, 2003

Crossing that final hurdle

IELTS examiner training sessions are serious business. They are also confidential. The learning post was allowed five minutes to take photos and then quickly ushered out of the room.

For many Australia- or UK-bound Thai students, acceptance at a college or university is the easy part. Getting their English to a level where they can get a high IELTS score often presents a greater challenge

Story and pictures by TERRY FREDRICKSON
Natthiya Sakulsak, a master’s graduate in anatomy from Mahidol University, has a government scholarship awaiting her so that she can do her PhD abroad. The only remaining hurdle is a high score on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test, a requirement for most colleges and universities in Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

That, as Thammasat graduate Monthathip Phaetkun has found out, can be a difficult task indeed. Accepted by the master’s programme in international business at Melbourne’s Monash University, she has been trying since October to get the requisite IELTS score, coming agonisingly close several times.

Monthathip’s plight is hardly unique. Simply stated, the level of English proficiency required by international universities is typically far beyond that obtained by graduates of local universities. Indeed, many foreign-bound students end up taking several hundred hours of basic English and test preparation class time.

Both Nattiya and Monthathip, for example, are spending up to six hours each day preparing for their IELTS test in the Silom offices of IDP Education, Australia. Their three classmates too are local graduates, all bound for master’s programmes in either England or Australia.

Recently, the learning post paid several visits to the IDP offices to find out more about the IELTS test itself and what students can do to prepare for it.

All four skills

An IELTS speaking class at IDP only days before a recent exam. From left to right: Niall MacLachlan (teacher), Monthathip Phaetkun, Supanit Waramyunat, Ratima Srirattanakarn, Natthiya Sakulsa, and Prakasit Patrathiranond.

IELTS is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL), British Council and IDP Education Australia: IELTS Australia. The two-hour-45 minute test is a comprehensive one, covering the four basic skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Thus, in addition to answering traditional multiple-choice type questions, Thai students taking IELTS are required to demonstrate their English skills through writing two short essays and participating in a one-to-one interview lasting up to 14 minutes. Clearly, there is little scope for lucky guesses or test-taking wizardry. It’s language proficiency that counts.

Each of the four modules is graded on a nine-point band with nine categorised as “expert user” – essentially the level of a native speaker – and one as “non-user” – having, at best, the command of a few isolated words or phrases.

Generally, the key score is the overall average of all four modules. For most quality colleges and universities the magic number is between six and seven.

A person at band six, according to official IELTS guidelines, is characterised as a “competent user,” having “generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings”. S/he should be able “to use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations.”

Most institutions would prefer something better – closer to the criteria expected for band seven, or “good user” A person achieving a seven is considered to have “operational command of the language” with only occasional lapses. S/he generally handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning.

Surprisingly low

Where do Thai university graduates typically rank in English proficiency? “That surprises me,” remarks Eden Brough, acting director of studies at IDP here in Bangkok. “I’d say a lot of them are at the intermediate level and some of them even at the pre-intermediate level.”

The pre-intermediate level translates roughly to band four (“limited user”) on the IELTS scale with basic competence limited to familiar situations. A person at band four has frequent difficulties in understanding and expressing and is unable to use complex language.

At band five in the intermediate range, a person is considered to be a “modest user” of English, having partial command of the language, being able to cope with overall meaning in most situations. Such a person, “is likely to make many mistakes,” but “should be able to handle basic communication” in their own field.

This is clearly not a very good payoff for the ten or twelve years of English-language study most graduates have put in. And for those thinking of studying abroad, it is still very far from the minimum requirement. That can present serious problems.

According to Brough, moving up even a single band on the IELTS scale takes considerable effort. “It varies, but the main figure I’ve heard is 200 or 300 (class) hours. But I think 200 hours refers to studying intensively in a country where English is spoken. So for students coming in here, it’s probably more like 300 hours.”

His estimate is based on practical experience. Over the past few years IDP Education has conducted several 300-hour intensive courses for Thai government and state enterprise employees.

“They came in at 5.5 and the object was to get them up to 6.5,” Brough explains. “Some of them didn’t make it; some went higher. But on the whole the majority of them managed it.

“But it wasn’t just the class hours that made the difference, Brough stresses. “They were quite mature in the way they went about things. They were very well motivated. They were studying here every day and when they weren’t in class, they were around here and doing all the right kind of things – self-study and reading.

“That’s something I say to the students who come here. It doesn’t just mean the 200 to300 hours. That’s class time. You need to do so many other things as well,” Brough says.

Preparing for the IELTS

The type of training students receive at IDP Education varies according to their language proficiency. There is an academic English programme for those students whose English proficiency is close to university standard. Here, students begin serious test preparation with extensive practice in speaking and academic writing.

Pre-intermediate and intermediate students begin instead with a general English course. It is not a popular option for many of them, Brough observes. “They are desperate to get on to the academic programme. General English is seen as a kind of hurdle that the students have to get over to get on to the academic programme.”

Students need to understand, however, that until their basic language proficiency is higher, test preparation will not be effective, Brough warns.

“IELTS is not a kind of subject. It’s a test of language ability. So, if students come in at 4 to 4.5, it’s a waste of time doing exam preparation because they’re not going to be able to get a 6.5 for quite a while,” he explains.

“In terms of preparing for the test per se, it doesn’t really take that long. Getting your English up to the level where you will get a 6.5, that’s what takes the time.”

But IELTS is more than English, Brough adds. Students must also have something to say and they must be able to do so persuasively. This is difficult for many students, a problem he attributes partially to poor reading habits.

“The main thing about reading is that it’s not just about improving your reading skills. One of the problems that they have is that they just don’t have the knowledge of the kind of topics that they’re required to write about or speak about. So they need to read about topics like the environment, education, and social issues and health issues,” Brough concludes.

Clearly, ambitious students would make it much easier on themselves it they developed good reading habits early in their academic careers. The same goes for English itself. Students who depend solely on their standard English courses at school are likely to be disappointed – and not only for study abroad. Finishing school as a “limited” or “modest” user of English can be a severe career handicap as well.

Advice from an examiner

Peter Birch

Few people know how the IELTS is graded better than Peter Birch, OF THE British Council. He is a senior IELTS examiner-trainer with over ten years experience in the field. The only problem is he can’t tell you very much. The inner workings of IELTS assessment are a closely guarded secret.

He can speak in general terms, however, and he has some particularly good advice for students preparing for the test. Forget about trying to outwit the examiner (you can’t) and focus instead on improving your English, he says.

“The attitude of the candidate should not be ‘what is this mysterious criteria’ or,’ how can I fool the examiner’. The attitude should be ‘how can I develop my English skills so that I’m ready to do a course of study in the UK or Australia or Canada’.”

Birch says, for example, it would be pointless to try to memorise material for use in the interview. “That would be spotted immediately by the examiner. It is not good for a candidate to just start talking about what they want. There is a very rigid format to the test,” he warns.

The prospect of a nearly 15-minute interview makes a lot of students nervous, but Birch says this is perfectly normal. “This is something that affects everybody whether it’s an English language test or a test to enter the university. Candidates are bound to feel nervous and maybe especially so in a one-to-one interview.

Here, Birch says, exam training can be useful, but students should also understand the role of the examiner. “Remember that the examiner is not there to frighten them. He just wants a sample of language to analyse.”

It is also helpful to know that each examiner is carefully trained – one of Birch’s’ primary jobs – and they are also likely to have extensive experience teaching English.

The initial training is carried out over two very full days. “That’s one day learning how to assess writing and a second day learning how to assess the spoken test, Birch explains. “But after that, they have to go away and mark some scripts and rate some interviews. They only get two shots at that. If they don’t pass the second time, it’s difficult for them to become an examiner.”

Examiners are also required to attend periodic refresher courses and their work is monitored. “Their scripts and their ratings are sent to Canberra or to London to make sure they are operating within the criteria,” Birch says.

Taking the IELTS locally

Merrick Davidson

According to IDP project director Merrick Davidson, IELTS is offered three times per month, currently on Sundays, but starting September 1st, the test day will move to Saturdays when dates will be fixed globally. The test can be taken at either IDP or British Council (Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

“Applications should be filled out, signed and paid for at least seven days in advance to ensure placement is available,” Davidson cautions. “And candidates should note that should they wish to re-take the test, they must wait at least 90 days.

IELTS reparation courses are on offer at both the IDP training services division and the British Council. IELTS counsellors are available not only for counselling but also to provide information on IELTS preparation courses. I would recommend students interested in such courses to contact either IDP or BC directly for further information,” Davidson adds.

Interestingly, Davidson says there are versions of IELTS designed specially for students with special needs. “ Tests can accommodate physically impaired and learning impaired students, include those with dyslexia,” he explains. “We had a visually impaired candidate a couple of weeks ago.”

IDP training director Michael Smith (left) and director of studies Eden Brough

IDP training director Michael Smith adds that IELTS results have wide acceptance internationally. “ The majority of universities in Australia, Britain, New Zealand and Canada prefer the IELTS test and increasingly, American universities are accepting it as well. Of course, it is essential to check with your chosen institution whether they accept an IELTS test score and what overall score is required to be accepted to your chosen course,” Smith advises.

Smith says many schools in Bangkok offer IELTS preparation training, but before students enroll in such courses, it’s important that they try and find out exactly what their English level is. “The majority of students need to be at a solid to high intermediate level to benefit from IELTS preparation courses” Smith says.

Read our other cover stories here.

Back to our home page

| Comments to Terry F. at