Introduction
The International English Language Testing System was developed to help judge whether candidates are ready for tertiary-level studies in an English-speaking country. The Academic version of the test, which we are concerned with in this course, tests the candidates' ability to cope with the sort of social situations an overseas student might be expected to encounter in an English-speaking country and evaluates his or her ability to benefit from instruction in English. There is no concept of passing or failing the test. One's score is converted into a band. These run from 1 for someone who knows only a few words to 9, the level of someone with a full command of the language, basically similar to an educated native-speaker. Candidates are given a band score for each of the four skills, and an overall banding, calculated as an average of the four scores. University graduates in Hong Kong fall predominantly into the sixth band designated for competent users, able to function effectively in English but with quite a few inaccuracies.
The Listening and Reading parts of the test are answered on special sheets designed to make marking easy and efficient. As in all examinations, where the answer is unclear or two answers are given, no marks are awarded. Wrongly spelled words receive no marks. Both US and UK spellings are acceptable where there is a difference. Marks are not deducted for wrong answers, so it is highly advisable to complete every question.
Test components
The component parts of the test are administered in the following order:
- Listening – 30 minutes
- Academic Reading – 60 minutes
- Academic Writing – 60 minutes
- Speaking – 11 to 14 minutes.
Further details on each part, and suggested ways of preparing for them (in addition to studying ENGL 2205EED), are given below.
Listening
This paper is divided into four sections, with ten questions in each section:
- a conversation and
- a monologue relating to social needs in an English-speaking country;
- a conversation and
- a monologue on topics related more closely to educational or training contexts.
The recording is played once only. Answers are written while listening to the recording. Ten minutes are given at the end for tidying up the paper and completing any unfinished answers.
Ways of preparing • Going over specimen materials • Listening to the radio and television • Watching DVDs with the English captions on them • Attending functions with speeches, etc., in English |
Reading
There are three passages of increasing difficulty. The topics chosen seek to be fairly general and not to benefit any one group of people. They are the sort of thing one might find as a feature article in a newspaper or magazine. One passage will present an argument.
Ways of preparing • Going over specimen materials • Reading feature articles in the English press • Reading extensively on general topics on the Internet • Reading news and science magazines • Reading books written in the middle style (biographies, popular science, etc.) |
Writing
There are two tasks:
- a presentation in writing of information displayed in graphical form: 20 minutes/at least 150 words
- a piece of argumentative prose: 40 minutes, at least 250 words.
No choices are given. Candidates are expected to use a serious academic style for both passages.
Ways of preparing • Going over specimen materials • Getting as much writing practice as possible • Getting feedback from peers • Asking for advice from qualified people • Noting aspects of style and structure when reading • Identifying areas of weaknesses and working on them |
Speaking
This takes the form of an oral interview between a candidate and examiner, which lasts from 11 to 14 minutes. The interview has three distinct parts, as follows:
- introductions and general questions about familiar personal matters: 4–5 minutes
- a short presentation on a designated topic. The candidate is given the topic and has one minute to prepare to speak for 1–2 minutes on it. The examiner may follow up with one or two related questions.
- a discussion on a more abstract/philosophical level. The topic will be one related to the presentation: 4–5 minutes.
Ways of preparing • Going over specimen materials • Recording oneself and identifying areas for improvement • Practising with peers • Imitating sounds and phrases from recorded material |
Throughout the test, candidates who are aiming for high bands must seek to impress the examiner/marker with the full range of their ability. A conscious effort needs to be made to show off one's vocabulary resources, command of different grammatical structures, sense of style, sensitivity to register and accuracy.