In this edition:
-
Introduction
-
Comparisons Between Bands In The IELTS Test
-
The 'Official' IELTS Website
-
From the Examiner's Chair
Introduction
Welcome to the twelfth edition of the
Your IELTS Guide
newsletter.
This month we continue our "Comparisons Between Bands In The IELTS Test" with the differences under Lexical Resource between Bands 5, 6 & 7 in the Writing Task 1 & 2 tests.
Is your vocabulary adequate for a band 7 or only enough for a 5? Find out here.
While the official IELTS website ought to be the best place to get the information you need about IELTS, we are not so sure.
We discuss the site and give you direct links to the information you need.
Our series of occasional articles, "From the Examiner's Chair", continues this month with what we consider to be some of the main causes of losing marks in the writing test. Read the article to find out more.
Use this link to read back issues.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends!
Comparisons Between Bands In The IELTS Test -
Lexical Resource differences between Bands 5, 6 & 7 in the Writing test
Now that IELTS have provided public descriptors on their website, it is worth having a look at the differences between some of the band grades. This month we will look at the differences under Lexical Resource between Bands 5, 6 & 7 in the Writing Tasks 1 & 2 tests.
Look at the table below:
BAND 5
Lexical resource
|
BAND 6
Lexical resource
|
BAND 7
Lexical resource
|
Uses a limited range of vocabulary, but this is minimally adequate for the task
May make noticeable errors in spelling and/or word formation that may cause some difficulty for the reader
|
Uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task
Attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy
Makes some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but they do not impede communication
|
Uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision
Uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation
May produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling and/or word formation
|
Lexical resource refers to the vocabulary you have at your disposal and the descriptors for both Task 1 and 2 are the same. A Band 5 answer will use more than basic vocabulary but could still be fairly repetitive. There is always a different way of saying something, which is why candidates who demonstrate their ability to use alternative words or phrases will do better. Use nouns where you have used the verb form previously; use the opposite adjective or adverb and make the sentence negative or positive as necessary to show your flexibility with the language.
A Band 6 under Lexical Resource shows the beginning of a wider range of vocabulary. This writer is not always confident of the word he or she has chosen but will try out alternatives and the resulting piece of writing will be quite understandable.
A Band 7 under Lexical Resource is a confident script. The writer probably reads widely, is able to appreciate how a different style of writing will phrase things differently, and will actively show the examiner that he or she has a variety of choice at his or her disposal.
We always advocate reading little and often to improve vocabulary. Reading widely, different types of newspapers and magazines, notices, advertisements, food packets - all these will help you to improve your lexical resource.
For more information on the Writing test check out our
IELTS Writing Module,
IELTS Writing Tips
and
IELTS Writing Preparation
pages.
The 'Official' IELTS Website
You would think that the best place for candidates to get information about IELTS would be the official IELTS website. The IELTS.org website should be the place to go to get authoritative, up to date information yet it is often out of date. For example, using the 'Downloads' link shows a page which links to the 2005 version of "Information for Candidates" while there is a 2006 version available.
The site is not easy to navigate; information of interest to candidates is often found only in other areas of the site. The site is also plagued with broken links. It may be that the site is being updated; if so, the bugs should have been ironed out before the changes were put live.
Not only that, the site is badly coded and a Firefox browser is unable to format the new 'Global Recognition System' correctly nor can it use the search facility. Given that more than 10% of
Your Ielts Guide
visitors use Firefox, IELTS ought to do some cross browser checking of their website.
We feel that IELTS candidates should be able to find accurate, up-to-date information on the official IELTS website yet it is, quite frankly, a mess.
Because it's difficult for candidates to find the information they need on the IELTS website we decided it might be helpful to provide direct links to what we think are the website's more useful features.
Before you apply for the IELTS test you will need to read the IELTS Information for Candidates. You can download the latest (2006) version using this link:
http://www.ielts.org/mediacentre/latestieltsdevelopments/Information_for_candidates_2006.pdf
We would also strongly recommend you read the IELTS Handbook. The latest version (still the 2005 edition) can be downloaded here:
http://www.ielts.org/mediacentre/latestieltsdevelopments/1649_IELTShbk_2005
If you are planning to take the IELTS test you will need to find your nearest test centre:
http://www.ielts.org/testcentresandexaminers/searchforanieltstestcentre/article63.aspx
You will also need to know the test dates:
http://www.ielts.org/candidates/ieltstestdates/default.aspx
(Remember, most Test Centres do not conduct tests on all of these dates)
Rather than visit your local Test Centre, or wait for the post, you can download an application form with this link:
http://www.ielts.org/library/1969_IELTSappForm05.pdf
If you are interested in how your band score is calculated, take a look at this page:
http://www.ielts.org/teachersandresearchers/scoreprocessingreportingandinterpretation/default.aspx
If you want to know what criteria are used by examiners assessing the Speaking and Writing modules you can download the band descriptors. These are 'Public' versions. That means they are not exactly the same as those used by the examiners but, in our opinion, are still very useful in helping candidates see the different requirements for each band.
Speaking:
http://www.ielts.org/teachersandresearchers/scoreprocessingreportingandinterpretation/UOBDs_SpeakingFinal.pdf
Writing Task 1:
http://www.ielts.org/teachersandresearchers/scoreprocessingreportingandinterpretation/UOBDs_WritingT1.pdf
Writing Task 2:
http://www.ielts.org/teachersandresearchers/scoreprocessingreportingandinterpretation/UOBDs_WritingT2.pdf
Of course we would also recommend you look carefully at our website for hints and tips about taking the test.
From the Examiner's Chair
IELTS examiners mark many hundreds, if not thousands, of scripts each year. We see the same problems occurring time and time again and it makes our hearts sink as we know candidates are losing marks unnecessarily.
Perhaps the most serious problem is not understanding the task that is set. Candidates often lose marks because they have not responded correctly to the task. Occasionally this is because the candidate does not have the vocabulary to understand the rubrik. In these cases one could say that the resulting loss of marks is a fair reflection of the candidate's true ability. However, more often than not, it would seem that the candidate just has not read the task carefully enough. Sometimes candidates latch on to a small part of the rubrik and respond to that rather than the complete task. Sometimes it looks like they have read the rubrik too quickly and made an incorrect assumption about what it is about.
It is imperative that candidates read the rubrik carefully and fully understand the task that has been set. Failure to do so will result in reduced band scores under the Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2) criteria. Not only that, but the Lexical Resource criteria band score can also be reduced because the vocabulary used is not relevant.
Have a look at the
January 2006
and
February 2006
issues of this newsletter for a discussion on band differences for Task Achievement and Task Response and the IELTS Writing band descriptors:
Task 1
-
Task 2
