A guide to prepare for the IELTS test

"If students are pre-tested and their scores are quite low, then we suggest that they stay out of the classroom. This is because it would be difficult for the teacher to teach everybody if some students are slow. It also becomes difficult for other students because they would have to wait for slower students to understand," he explains.

Besides, it would be a waste of money for low-scoring students to take the exam, which costs Bt5,700 each time.

"We advise them to try and improve their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, then enrol in an IELTS preparation course before going on to take the exam," Dorset says.

So, what are Thai students' weak points?

Many think it's their lack of ability in the English language. It's not. The weakest point faced by Thai students is that they don't know how to prepare themselves properly.

"When students take the 60-hour IELTS preparation course with me, they don't realise that these 60 hours are just the beginning - things only get tough after that," Terry Goose, assistant manager of the Continuing Education Centre at Chulalongkorn University, explains. "They don't realise how much they have to study outside the class. Some think that if they show up in class, they will pass the test."

Dorset says that though these 60 hours can give them some background and show them what the exam format is going to be, they still have to work on their own. He suggests that students practice talking to native-speakers and read in their free time if they want high scores.

So, here are some tips:

Speaking

"Examinees shouldn't worry if their English isn't perfect during the interview, because students who get good scores don't speak perfectly either," says Weenarat Thongnual, IELTS counsellor of IDP Bangkok

The reason why they get such high scores is because they talk confidently and use enough conjunctions in their conversation such as, and, moreover and however. This helps them sound fluent and natural.

"You should also speak clearly so that examiners can evaluate your pronunciation correctly. And when examiners ask a yes or no question, you should not answer just in a yes or a no, but explain your reasons and look into your examiner's eyes to show that you're confident," she advises.

When the examiner asks you to give your opinions on a topic, you should give both the positive and the negative sides so they can hear you speak for a longer period.

"Use English to communicate with your friends instead of Thai. This way, you'll become more familiar with the language and feel more comfortable with it during the interview," she says.

Reading

"Students should keep an eye out for English-language signs everywhere they go and should try and read the newspaper everyday. They should never be afraid of reading, just pick up something that's interesting and that should improve their skills," Goose advises.

Also, during the exam, read the actual passage before you look at the questions, especially the title and the first paragraph. This is very important because it has the main idea. Next, look at the questions and then go back to look for more details.

If you see a word you don't understand, judge its meaning by the context it is in - that should give you the general idea, he explains.

Writing

When writing an essay, students should write a good introduction and each paragraph should carry the key idea that refers to the overall statement and has a supporting idea connecting it to the first line. Also write a conclusion that isn't copied from the introduction, Goose says.

Spend the first few minutes jotting down your ideas, then look at the notes and work out the details for the essay. It is also very important to make sure that your idea is relevant to the subject.

Students should also learn how to plan quickly during an exam.

"They can't spend 10 minutes planning if they have just 20 minutes to write," he warns.

"I teach my students to first work as a group and share ideas; in the next two weeks they need to work on these ideas in pairs and by the end of course, they are thinking by themselves."

Listening

During exam, students have to listen to people speaking on a tape, such as a conversation between two friends, discussions at a seminar or a lecture, and at the same time, they have to read and answer questions.

Dorset says, "In the actual exam, remember that you will only hear the tape once, so you must not waste your time looking back during the exam. While you listen, make sure that you choose the answer and move on to the next part of the exam."

Once the listening section is over, examinees are given 10 minutes to transfer their answers to an answer sheet. "That's the time to go back and think about answer again," he says.

Visit www.ielts.org for more information and to see the exam format.

By Trichai Narungsiya

Special to The Nation