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Update on the F2-S visa Point System
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smileyjkl

Joined: 21 Mar 2008
Location: VT, USA

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:58 pm Post subject:

I'm not sure of the content of the classes though. Some could be more language focused while others more culturally focused. From what my friend told me, it sounded like it was a mix of everything (language, culture, history, etc), but it sounded like she was teaching a high level last semester.

chungbukdo

Joined: 22 Aug 2010

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:18 pm Post subject:

smileyjkl wrote:

The class is not a substitute for the TOPIK. If you pass the level 3 or 4 TOPIK, you get 15 points. If you pass 5 or 6 TOPIK you get 20.

Where are you getting this information?

And you are right, there is a level zero class. It looks like my town is holding 0, 1, 2, and 5 so I have been placed in 5 even though my score on the exam would place me in the 4th level.

Last edited by chungbukdo on Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:46 pm; edited 1 time in total

naturegirl321

Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Home sweet home

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:24 pm Post subject:

chungbukdo wrote:

smileyjkl wrote:

The class is not a substitute for the TOPIK. If you pass the level 3 or 4 TOPIK, you get 15 points. If you pass 5 or 6 TOPIK you get 20.

Where are you getting this information?

It's on the F2 points paper.

chungbukdo

Joined: 22 Aug 2010

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:34 pm Post subject:

naturegirl321 wrote:

chungbukdo wrote:

smileyjkl wrote:

The class is not a substitute for the TOPIK. If you pass the level 3 or 4 TOPIK, you get 15 points. If you pass 5 or 6 TOPIK you get 20.

Where are you getting this information?

It's on the F2 points paper.

Where? Take a look at it again.

naturegirl321

Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Home sweet home

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:51 pm Post subject:

There are separate points for the KIIP class and separate points for the TOPIK. How can you say that the class replaces the TOPIK?

crossmr

Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:24 pm Post subject:

naturegirl321 wrote:

There are separate points for the KIIP class and separate points for the TOPIK. How can you say that the class replaces the TOPIK?

KIIP is two things. Language and Culture. If you can pass level 5 KIIP for example, it should be equivalent to perhaps level 5 topik, saving you from taking that exam. The culture component seems to be what is worth 10 points for KIIP.

chungbukdo

Joined: 22 Aug 2010

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:34 pm Post subject:

naturegirl321 wrote:

There are separate points for the KIIP class and separate points for the TOPIK. How can you say that the class replaces the TOPIK?

Where in any of the government information on the points visa do you see "points for TOPIK"?

naturegirl321

Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Home sweet home

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:54 pm Post subject:

crossmr wrote:

naturegirl321 wrote:

There are separate points for the KIIP class and separate points for the TOPIK. How can you say that the class replaces the TOPIK?

I agree. BUt how would you prove level 5 topik? I guess by showing that you've been accepted into the KIIP programme?

chungbukdo wrote:

Where in any of the government information on the points visa do you see "points for TOPIK"?

Here it says this, http://www.korea4expats.com/article-E7-visa-to-F2.html

Quote:

Korean proficiency (maximum 20 points)*
General Comprehension/Basic Communication =10 points
Topic Comprehension/Communicates well in Familiar Subject = 15 points
Proficient Communication for Everyday Life = 20 points
(*based on results of S-TOPIK, the Standard Test Of Proficiency in Korean)

It's based on the topik. That's my understanding. The 1345 hotline confirms it, but we all know that's not the best source of information. Info changes quickly.

crossmr

Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:45 pm Post subject:

Quote:

I agree. BUt how would you prove level 5 topik? I guess by showing that you've been accepted into the KIIP programme?

Yes. the question is would a level 5 KIIP be the same as level 5 topik. I think they're trying to kill 2 birds with one stone.

naturegirl321

Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Home sweet home

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:18 pm Post subject:

crossmr wrote:

Quote:

I agree. BUt how would you prove level 5 topik? I guess by showing that you've been accepted into the KIIP programme?

Yes. the question is would a level 5 KIIP be the same as level 5 topik.

And what's the answer?

nick70100

Joined: 09 Sep 2005

Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:08 am Post subject:

naturegirl321 wrote:

crossmr wrote:

Quote:

I agree. BUt how would you prove level 5 topik? I guess by showing that you've been accepted into the KIIP programme?

Yes. the question is would a level 5 KIIP be the same as level 5 topik.

And what's the answer?

I'm not quite sure what kind of question you two are asking here. What do you mean by "are they the same"?

Are you asking are they the same in terms of difficulty?

Or are you asking are they the same in the sense that you can do one of them and immigration will give you the points for both?

I'm pretty sure the answer to both questions is no.

In terms of language, Level 5 of the KIIP program is much easier than level 5 of the TOPIK test. That being said, the focus of the KIIP program isn't even really on language. You have to pass a basic Korean proficiency test to enter the class since the class is conducted in Korean, but the class is primarily about Korean history and Korean culture.

As for the second question, why would immigration give you points for both by doing one? I suppose you could call up immigration and ask, but I don't see any reason why this would make sense. Getting a level 5 on the TOPIK doesn't prove that you know anything about Korean history or culture. Conversely, passing level 5 of the KIIP program doesn't prove that your Korean language ability is good enough to pass level 5 of the TOPIK.

naturegirl321

Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Home sweet home

Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 2:26 am Post subject:

nick70100 wrote:

Are you asking are they the same in terms of difficulty?

Or are you asking are they the same in the sense that you can do one of them and immigration will give you the points for both?

I'm pretty sure the answer to both questions is no.

In terms of language, Level 5 of the KIIP program is much easier than level 5 of the TOPIK test. That being said, the focus of the KIIP program isn't even really on language. You have to pass a basic Korean proficiency test to enter the class since the class is conducted in Korean, but the class is primarily about Korean history and Korean culture.

As for the second question, why would immigration give you points for both by doing one? I suppose you could call up immigration and ask, but I don't see any reason why this would make sense. Getting a level 5 on the TOPIK doesn't prove that you know anything about Korean history or culture. Conversely, passing level 5 of the KIIP program doesn't prove that your Korean language ability is good enough to pass level 5 of the TOPIK.

Both actually. It seems some people believe that they ARE the same. Glad someone else sees eye-to-eye with me Smile

chungbukdo

Joined: 22 Aug 2010

Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 3:43 am Post subject:

naturegirl321 wrote:

Here it says this, http://www.korea4expats.com/article-E7-visa-to-F2.html

Korean proficiency (maximum 20 points)*
General Comprehension/Basic Communication =10 points
Topic Comprehension/Communicates well in Familiar Subject = 15 points
Proficient Communication for Everyday Life = 20 points
(*based on results of S-TOPIK, the Standard Test Of Proficiency in Korean)

That website is Korea4expats.com, it is not an official source of information. The question I asked you was, "Where in any of the government information on the points visa do you see "points for TOPIK"?"

I would like to know where this website got the information that the government would specifically only allow S-TOPIK test results as proof of proficiency in Korean. There are many ways to prove proficiency in Korean, and a test by a private company which only occurs twice per year does not have a monopoly on those ways.

Last edited by chungbukdo on Sat Feb 19, 2011 4:10 am; edited 1 time in total

chungbukdo

Joined: 22 Aug 2010

Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 3:48 am Post subject:

crossmr wrote:

Quote:

I agree. BUt how would you prove level 5 topik? I guess by showing that you've been accepted into the KIIP programme?

Yes. the question is would a level 5 KIIP be the same as level 5 topik. I think they're trying to kill 2 birds with one stone.

I think the real question is whether the government thinks "Proficient Communication for Everyday Life" can only be proved by a level 5 TOPIK exam.

People here have introduced the idea of scoring on TOPIK exams. Nothing in any of the official data I've seen suggests a TOPIK exam is necessary.

I mean really, would they turn someone down who had done a graduate level thesis in Korean but hadn't bothered wasting money on this worthless private company's test? Someone who walked into the immigration interview and spoke perfectly about immigration law when he only needs to be "proficient for everyday life"?

TOPIK level 5 Korean is good enough for university entrance. Being a person who can gain entrance into a university is a lot different than a person who is proficient in a language for daily life. In my country, probably 15% or less of the population has a university degree. All of the people who didn't go to university or didn't even graduate high school can still speak their language well enough to go about daily life.

And even if we were to say, okay fine, then TOPIK level 4 should be worth 20 points. That still doesn't mean that TOPIK is their sole means of evaluating someone's language ability since we've I've seen no indication of that in official documents. No Korean I've ever met knows anything about TOPIK yet they still are able to evaluate how well I speak Korean. And saying that the TOPIK test is the only means to this type of proof ends up subsidizing the company that administers TOPIK, when any number of means could be used to show proficiency in the language. Especially considering that the TOPIK exam is not held often enough and costs a lot just to prove what you could show by opening your mouth and speaking for free.

What I'm wondering is whether somebody who completed the KIIP culture program (and therefore had good enough Korean language ability to attend and pass classes in culture, politics, and history in Korean) would be considered "proficient for everyday life" by the immigration authorities. That is not the same thing as wondering whether someone who completed the program is equal to a person who passed the level 5 TOPIK exam.

Last edited by chungbukdo on Sat Feb 19, 2011 4:04 am; edited 2 times in total

chungbukdo

Joined: 22 Aug 2010

Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 3:59 am Post subject:

nick70100 wrote:

Or are you asking are they the same in the sense that you can do one of them and immigration will give you the points for both?

I'm pretty sure the answer to both questions is no.

What makes you sure immigration would give points for TOPIK exams to the exclusion of anything else?

Quote:

In terms of language, Level 5 of the KIIP program is much easier than level 5 of the TOPIK test.

Yeah, I took the test. I agree with this. I haven't seen any indication that one needs to pass a TOPIK level 5 test to be given 20 points for language ability though.

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