Submitted by: Ross Mcbride(308) ESL in Canada Log in to become a member of Ross Mcbride's Fan Club!
Students fail because they do not understand the test requirements.
Students fail because they underestimate the large volume of work necessary to pass.
Students fail because they have limited English vocabulary.
Students fail because some English skills are not practiced.
Students fail because they rely on "secret tips" rather than real skill.
Students fail because they cram for tests and become confused.
Students fail because they become upset and cannot perform.
How international students can score high on ENGLISH tests.
First step in your plan to pass a specific English test is to understand the test requirements. Is the test a written test only, do you have to read a text, do you have to listen to a conversation on tape, what type of questions will be asked, what type of answers are required. Students must understand how the English information is presented, what English skills are being tested, and how answers must be submitted.
Second step is to understand the volume of English required to pass. Students must have advanced levels of English skills and vocabulary to pass TOEFL, TOEIC, AP or Cambridge. Students must have studied or practiced English for 2500 to 5000 hours counting school and self study.
Students require a vocabulary of between 8,000 and 15,000 words to pass the TOEFL, TOEIC, AP, and Cambridge tests.
To pass you need the four English skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening) technical knowledge (grammar) vocabulary and familiarity with the test formats and requirements.
The "secret tips" of using grammar to decode questions or specific words that have a higher percentage of occurrence in the correct answers may give you the opportunity to raise your score from 0 to 5 %. If your vocabulary is less than 8000 or your listening skills or writing less than advanced then you will still fail despite using all the "secret tips" or "secret vocabulary indicating correct answers".
Everyone knows that cramming helps memorizing facts for a short time but does very little for the application and practice of the facts. All English tests are a combination of facts and application of English skills. Students who only cram for tests will fail 60% of the test as it is application of English skills. The students who cram can only help 40% of their factual knowledge if they can remember it perfectly. I have never met a student who can remember crammed English facts correctly.
Students become upset when they read questions they cannot answer, questions they cannot understand, words they do not know the meaning of, or "secret words" that occur in two answers. Remember students that are prepared have less chance of becoming upset. Students that are rested, relaxed and arrive on time at the test site will do better.
What English Should I study to PASS English Tests?
Diagram showing the overlap between the English concentrations
There is only one English language. There are a variety of programs and courses that overlap each other. Many business English courses cover 90% of what students require to pass the TOEIC exam. Many advanced English courses cover from 80 to 90 % of what is required to pass TOEFL, TOEIC, AP and other English tests. Some special toefl courses only do practice tests without teaching any vocabulary or English skills. Students must create a plan to increase all English skills, vocabulary and become comfortable with the test requirements and answer formats.
Students can take combinations of programs and still pass tests.
For example: Students could take 100 hours of business English, 200 hours of academic preparation and 20 hours of toefl and pass a Toefl test . The only secret is to have a balance of skills and knowledge. The following is an example of a balanced program.
EXAMPLE PLAN TO PASS ENGLISH TESTS
20% vocabulary
15% grammar comprehension
15% reading comprehension
15% listening comprehension
15% writing skills, short answer and essay
15% speaking skills
5% practicing test formats
contact us for a study plan: ross at eslincanada dot com
» left by james from Korea (2 years 175 days ago.)
good info for serious students Respond to this comment
» left by james from toronto canada (2 years 170 days ago.)
the article gives real goals for students to understand Respond to this comment
» left by peter scott from Montreal (1 year 258 days ago.)
best overview for students studying for a toefl, toeic or IELTS English test Respond to this comment
» left by boyo from Mongloia (1 year 86 days ago.)
» left by Angelo from Philippines (1 year 78 days ago.)
my toelf exam is scheduled this saturday..thanks for this. Respond to this comment
» left by jul from philippines (1 year 39 days ago.)
a very good suggestions/tips for a person like me who's afraid of taking international english test... Respond to this comment
» left by jagdeep from india (1 year 27 days ago.)
this information is very useful for me or i think those students want to give test plz study this things oncs. this is surly to increase score. Respond to this comment
» left by Ajay kumar Patel from Nepal (1 year 26 days ago.)
This information is very helpfull and guiding for the people who want to score high in english language proficiency test. The infomation given are quite general. It would be more beneficial if you could write some specific techniques for planning studies for scoring high.
» left by Gantulga from Mongolia (261 days 4 hours ago.)
hello all. i am going to take IELTS the next Saturday. After that if I fail my exam, I will prepare by such above suggestion. So cross your fingers for me!!! :-)
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