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[gaijinalways]

I have a question about the IELTS academic model (there are two types, the former and 'general training'), does anyone know of a correlation between the score/% and the probable band scale ranking (from 1 to 9, with 9 being the highest)? The reason I ask is a student of mine is taking the test, but beyond the contents I don't know how well she needs to score to get a 6 band scale rating (she was told she needs this to qualify to study at a British university).

Her speaking and listening are pretty good, though she says they have fallen off (previously she studied at an international school, followed by a few years of Japanese school in Hong Kong, followed by 4 years now in Japan), but her writing needs some improvement as her essays are readable, though she needs to try and adjust her writing to a more appropriate academic model by using higher level vocabulary as well as dropping the usage of some translated Japanese idioms, which don't always come across well in English (as well as not necessarily being appropriate for a more academic essay).

To anyone familiar with IELTS from a taking and/or teaching perspective, any advice you could give me would be helpful. I have a fair amount of test preparation background, but primarily with TOEFL and TOEIC.

[mondrian]

http://www.ielts.org/

This site has ALL you need. You just have to work though it

For practice materials, use the Cambrdige IELTS own series of publications.

To get a band 6 in speaking you need to be fluent and accurate for 15 minutes. Good pronumciation is essential and you must try not to give single word answers. Hesitation is the biggest "killer" of a high score.

Keep in mind that the majority of CHINESE students, based on the IELTS Annual Report for 2004, fall into the bands 4-6.

You want more materials? then use google.com; and there are Yahoo groups for IELTS with lots of files; so you don't need to buy the books!

LISTEN AND REPEAT!!!!
READ WITH A DICTIONARY!!!!

PRACTISE, PRACTISE, PRACTISE!!!!

[william wallace]

nil

[mondrian]

[gaijinalways]

Thanks Mondrian and WW. I did check that site earlier, didn't check all the links. As WW points out, they don't answer my question, in regards to a percentile score for a band 6, but some of the descriptions are a bit clarifying, and I did find some sample essays with marker comments, so that will be of use to my student.

Hmm, I don't seem to observe most people using the term b]'fluency'[/b] in the manner that you define it as mondrian, with fluent usually being the highest level. It is true that students master different aspects of language at various levels, so defining someone as 'fully' fluent is a matter of perception of all aspects of a language, but I thought this point is what also separates the advanced student from a fluent user.