theotherlebowski

So, I booked myself an IELTS test for January, giving myself a concrete deadline that I can use to force myself to take massive action toward moving out to Canada.

My brother is in a seriously bad way out in BC and I really want to be out there to help him and I don't think I can comfortably wait for the Self-Employed stream to come good. As they say, "you've got to be in it to win it..." (What do points make?)

Does anyone have any advice regarding the test (apart from study and don't just assume that as a native speaker it's in the bag)? Exams were never my strong area so I have to admit to some panic at the thought of a heads down room of silent scribbling... I'm sure I'll be fine but still...

I've got the life experience, the work experience and the skills to assimilate very easily into Canadian life and culture but what I don't have is the youthfulness that allows me to do it easily. With luck, being in the EE pool with hopefully high IELTS and all of the other stuff will make me an attractive prospect...

Thanks in advance chaps and chapettes.

scrubbedexpat091

This website seems to have study material, should give you an idea what to expect.

https://ieltscanadatest.com/prepare-...tests-general/

Siouxie

You can take practice tests online for free (it's the 'General' one you need to do)
Sorry to hear your brother isn't doing well.. hopefully you'll be out here before too long..
Practice makes perfect - and will be less daunting if you've done 'trial runs' a few dozen times beforehand.

https://ieltscanadatest.com/prepare-...tests-general/
https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org...practice-tests
FREE IELTS Online Practice Tests
https://www.ielts.org/usa/ielts-for-...-practice-test

DigitalGhost

I agree with the above. Just go through the practice tests a few times and watch the help videos available on the IELTS website and you should be fine.

Remember that it's not designed for us persee. It's main purpose is to grade people who use English as a second language and I get the impression that's where some people trip up. It's not enough to just be fluent in the language. You need to familiarise yourself with their test and question format.

Best of luck.

UKexpat82

Just do a practise test so that you understand the format. if you are a native English speaker you are already an expert so shouldn't have any issues. The only area that might require a bit of practise is the essay. Practise a few short essays on subjects you know nothing about.

DigitalGhost

​​​​​​I actually found the listening part to be the hardest. You have to pick out parts of the conversation for the answers and they only play each recording once.

theotherlebowski

Thanks chaps. the essay writing is the one I fear the most, never been my strong suit writing essays!

DigitalGhost

It's not like a uni essay. You don't need to write 2000 words and cite sources or anything like that. It's just there to make sure you can follow a written question and string a coherent sentence together.

philip.arkwright

theotherlebowski

i am starting to worry that my age (43) is starting to count against me, i can only hope that a good language score and a thorough work history will make a province think "i like the cut of his gib..." and offer and ITA...

G0ldie

The IELTS should not be taken lightly. Being an english speaker does not qualify one to be in the high percentile that maybe required in your application.

As the other members have said practice makes perfect. The test requires the user to have a certain degree of proficiency in english. Sounds easy, but harder when you are being tested upon it. DigitalGhost mentioned the listening test. This is quite hard if your in a room full of people and they are coughing or fidgeting!

Luckily the test is only for the 'General Exam'. There is an 'Academic' version which is slightly harder but IRCC want candidates to do the general exam only.

I've used the site: https://www.afarinesh.org/cambridge-...free-download/
They have the free tests supplied by 'Cambridge University Press'. Use only the test papers from Cambridge IELTS 8 onward as they conform to the latest exams you will sit. The older papers have a slightly different makeup but are good for practice. I've gone through all the practice papers by Cambridge and found them invaluable. My lowest score was 8.0 in reading with the rest all 8.5 and 9's. The tests from that site are in pdf format. I've printed them off as I prefer to have them in hand rather than reading from a computer screen. If you wish to do the same then first upload them to a google drive account (if you have one or free to sign up), then print directly from the google account. This will remove the security feature embedded in the pdf file.

Score yourself as you have gone through the test and see the areas that require some more practice. The writing exam I found quite easy on my exam in April. Concentration should be paid the second question as this holds the most marks. The first question is a letter to which you have the bullet points that just need a little explanation. Timing is key in the writing. I spent five minutes on the first letter section and the rest of the time on the second part. The letter requires only 150 words. Just make sure it is well planned out and covers all the points given. The essay is not really that hard. The subject matter will be given to you. I suggest writing some bullet points first if it helps you to plan the essay out (Introduction/theory, middle/evidence and conclusion). Don't get too overwhelmed with it. The video's on youtube are good and the practice answers that you will see will also give you an idea. It really depends on what question you actually get in the exam.

Once you are scoring the in the high 30's I think you'll be ready! Most of all good luck!

Siouxie

As I mentioned upthread.. practice and get a feel for how the tests are conducted. If you prefer to do tests online without having to print anything out in order to take them, there's lots available!

You can take practice tests online for free (it's the 'General' one you need to do)

Practice makes perfect - and will be less daunting if you've done 'trial runs' a few dozen times beforehand.

https://ieltscanadatest.com/prepare-...tests-general/
https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org...practice-tests
FREE IELTS Online Practice Tests
https://www.ielts.org/usa/ielts-for-...-practice-test

DigitalGhost

One comment that I see on here is that IELTS is an easy full marks for a British native. Whilst that might be true to some degree, it's worth keeping in mind the CEFR guidelines with which IELTS is paired.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comm..._for_Languages

Essentially to receive the top C2 grade requires "superior" demonstration of language mastery and therefore that grade is usually aligned with degree-educated native English speakers or non-native academics who have gone through extensive immersion.

The fact that we have been speaking English since we were old enough to talk doesn't always mean a huge amount since many people get through life with a relatively limited command of grammar and vocabulary. Ergo, to just go in there expecting to ace it without any prior preparation is probably a bit risky even for the best of us.

christmasoompa

It doesn't really work like that though, you still need a minimum score for EE PNP. Do you score enough to qualify as a FSW (67 or more)?

Good luck with the IELTS and sorry to hear about your brother.

theotherlebowski

I do score at 67 for FSW but I think that if I can't get this sorted by my next birthday I'll have to try the self-employed stream as it'll be 2 years freelance by then.