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Posted on:
December 26th, 2007 |
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TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) tests the English language skills of non-native students who want to study or work in countries where English is the language of communication. It is an exam developed by ETS (Educational Testing Service). More than 6,000 institutions and agencies in 110 countries rely on TOEFL scores to select students with the English skills needed to succeed.
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TOEFL tests all four language skills that are important for effective communication: speaking, listening, reading and writing. There are three versions of the TOEFL: paper-based, computer-based (CBT) and internet-based (iBT). The majority of test centers now use the Internet Based TOEFL (iBT).
Paper-Based & Computer-Based TOEFL The computer-based TOEFL (CBT) was introduced in 1998. Its format is very similar to that of the original paper-based test. In areas where the computer-based test is not available, the paper-based test is used. Remember that you cannot change your answers in the first two sections of the CBT after you have confirmed them on the computer. There are more “types” of questions in the CBT, such as clicking on a phrase and looking at a diagram. Before you start the CBT you will take a tutorial which shows you how to answer the questions properly. The total time you will spend taking the paper-based test is 2.5 hours. The CBT takes approximately 4 hours (including tutorials).
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Posted on:
December 20th, 2007 |
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The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test of English language proficiency, developed by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. Today IELTS is accepted as evidence of a prospective student’s level of English by most universities in English speaking countries.
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There are two different IELTS tests that you can do: Academic and General. But this test is usually taken for university admissions. IELTS is not just a test that you can pass or fail. Your English proficiency skills are reported according to a scale from bands one to nine.
Tests and tasks conducted have been designed keeping in view the general interests of the educated people, so the person taking the test needs not to do any specialist courses. The test contains four parts – Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.
The reading component of the IELTS test
The IELTS reading test duration is one hour. During this time the candidate has to read three texts of between 500 and 900 words each. The texts and questions increase in difficulty. He has to answer 40 questions within the time limit of 60 minutes. Most students find it difficult to complete the whole paper, so it is important for candidates to be completely prepared for all the tests.
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Posted on:
September 14th, 2007 |
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The two main examinations of second-language-learners’ English-language skills are IELTS (created by the International English Language Testing Service) and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). The two are similar but by no means identical, and candidates for both tests regularly ask which is the better – and often which is the easier – of the two.
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The similarities between the two are that both test writing, listening, and reading skills, in addition to one other skill area. In the case of IELTS, the additional area is speaking; for TOEFL, it is what the test-makers call ‘Structure’, which tests written expression from the standpoints of sentence completion and error recognition. One factor that makes many test-takers consider IELTS the more difficult of the two tests is its speaking module, which requires the candidate to participate in a formal interview with an examiner face to face.
IELTS rates candidates’ submissions with ‘band’ scores (0 to 9, including half-bands between), given first to each of the four skill modules and then averaged for one IELTS band score, which is the one university admissions programmes use as their determinant for accepting students. TOEFL, by contrasts, assigns numerical scores much like those of the SAT test to each of the skill areas and then totals them. The totals are the ones used to determine a candidate’s English skill level. (more…)
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