I am an IELTS tutor and I''m always reminding students that the skills and strategies that they are learning while preparing for the IELTS exam do not just end after they've received their target scores. They will still need them at University. And this is the difference. Often students have become so obsessed with strategies and formulas (like the maximum Not Given answers are 2, etc.) that they forget the real learning, the critical thinking skills, the scanning for specific information, note taking, and especially seeing how language is formed in reading skill with collocations, complex sentences, etc. It's a painstaking, but worthwhile process to get them to interact with the language, even if to them, it's just a matching test.

I am an IELTS tutor and I''m always reminding students that the skills and strategies that they are learning while preparing for the IELTS exam do not just end after they've received their target scores. They will still need them at University. And this is the difference. Often students have become so obsessed with strategies and formulas (like the maximum Not Given answers are 2, etc.) that they forget the real learning, the critical thinking skills, the scanning for specific information, note taking, and especially seeing how language is formed in reading skill with collocations, complex sentences, etc. It's a painstaking, but worthwhile process to get them to interact with the language, even if to them, it's just a matching test.

Hi, most of your qestions are quite crucial for language teacher to consider. I am now a Chinese teacher and I have over 3-year experience on English teaching relating to IELTS and TOEFL. I've passed IELTS in Academic Module at the band 8. Your first question is quite tricky because examiners must to face such a big dilemma between the balance of effectiveness and fun of an examination; for instance, IELTS is more close to realy daily issues with some academic issues in British schools. However, the TOEFL, empharizes much on the real life of U.S. and lecture-based material. To compare, obviously, IELTS is the apt choice for less-motivated test-takers, hence the difficulty of the IELTS is relatively lesser than TOEFL. Just like I've put, the effectiveness and fun will always be the dilemma for both teachers and examiners. IELTS is a standardized exam and ESOL should keep the reputation of it but sometimes ESOL could provide tailored test module for students to choose. Most students chose IELTS for furture education and career potential, the only motivation of them to take IELTS is their future and some of them may have a mission to pass it and improve their proficiency in English simultaneously. For most situations, I assign test for my student for at least 4 times which are distributed in the teaching session and which canbe balanced well. I place my tests in three stages. The first phase is pre-learning test. The second is in-session test and in the end I provide a end-session test for the assessment on my performance and students' outcomes. Materials and teaching are quite passive because students just have the short learning time from tutors and the most flamboyant thing for students is the self-study and real-life focused practice rather than stuff I've given first. Your last question, for me, is not our duty because exams are the purpose for the assessment of student learning outcomes rather than for recreation purpose. If anyone need the recreatio-based exam, such this kind of exam should be devised for special purpose and some curriculums should be available for those who need them.

Hi, most of your qestions are quite crucial for language teacher to consider. I am now a Chinese teacher and I have over 3-year experience on English teaching relating to IELTS and TOEFL. I've passed IELTS in Academic Module at the band 8. Your first question is quite tricky because examiners must to face such a big dilemma between the balance of effectiveness and fun of an examination; for instance, IELTS is more close to realy daily issues with some academic issues in British schools. However, the TOEFL, empharizes much on the real life of U.S. and lecture-based material. To compare, obviously, IELTS is the apt choice for less-motivated test-takers, hence the difficulty of the IELTS is relatively lesser than TOEFL. Just like I've put, the effectiveness and fun will always be the dilemma for both teachers and examiners. IELTS is a standardized exam and ESOL should keep the reputation of it but sometimes ESOL could provide tailored test module for students to choose. Most students chose IELTS for furture education and career potential, the only motivation of them to take IELTS is their future and some of them may have a mission to pass it and improve their proficiency in English simultaneously. For most situations, I assign test for my student for at least 4 times which are distributed in the teaching session and which canbe balanced well. I place my tests in three stages. The first phase is pre-learning test. The second is in-session test and in the end I provide a end-session test for the assessment on my performance and students' outcomes. Materials and teaching are quite passive because students just have the short learning time from tutors and the most flamboyant thing for students is the self-study and real-life focused practice rather than stuff I've given first. Your last question, for me, is not our duty because exams are the purpose for the assessment of student learning outcomes rather than for recreation purpose. If anyone need the recreatio-based exam, such this kind of exam should be devised for special purpose and some curriculums should be available for those who need them.

Well, hands on learning/activities, field trips, teaching through the arts, relating the information to their world and with critical thinking, that should motivate students.

Well, hands on learning/activities, field trips, teaching through the arts, relating the information to their world and with critical thinking, that should motivate students.

Relating to the real world is probably one of the most important things. Learners sometimes do not see the relationship between exam tasks and the real world and I feel explaining this is one of the things that we as teachers should do when we prepare them for an exam. if they understand why they are doig something, it should help them to do it better! In a good exam it shouldn't be too difficult to see the connection between the exam and the real world. However exams will never be 100% the real world as they operate under different constraints which we don't always have (luckily) in teaching. That's why they are basically two different things.

Relating to the real world is probably one of the most important things. Learners sometimes do not see the relationship between exam tasks and the real world and I feel explaining this is one of the things that we as teachers should do when we prepare them for an exam. if they understand why they are doig something, it should help them to do it better! In a good exam it shouldn't be too difficult to see the connection between the exam and the real world. However exams will never be 100% the real world as they operate under different constraints which we don't always have (luckily) in teaching. That's why they are basically two different things.

Thanks for your webinar. Teaching exams must be considered apart from general teaching. I usually work in a class attitude that is very formal but interactive, depending on my context and students' attutude towards me. I think that all the tips indicated are very important such as few chances, performance, reaction, evaluation and stress. I'dd add the time given them during the exams. The right frame of mind is useful to pass an exam and the attention on performance is necessary and also material must be presented in a way where students are asked to reflect and apply exam strategies. On my opinion the teaching of exams needs a specific construction where the exam conditions are taken into account: correct answers, time, reflection, controlling, application, results.

Thanks for your webinar. Teaching exams must be considered apart from general teaching. I usually work in a class attitude that is very formal but interactive, depending on my context and students' attutude towards me. I think that all the tips indicated are very important such as few chances, performance, reaction, evaluation and stress. I'dd add the time given them during the exams. The right frame of mind is useful to pass an exam and the attention on performance is necessary and also material must be presented in a way where students are asked to reflect and apply exam strategies. On my opinion the teaching of exams needs a specific construction where the exam conditions are taken into account: correct answers, time, reflection, controlling, application, results.