Ridiculous

[mikem2018]

So my first post here is going to be a complaint about this test.

I'm British, English is the only language I speak, and I'd say I'm of reasonable intelligence level. My partner has a masters degree, so I'd say she is more than qualified in the English language as well.

I honestly cannot understand therefore, why we seem to only score 6 in the reading prep papers. The questions are not clear for a start. Use 2 words from the text to answer. OK, but the 2 words it picks in the answer sheet don't actually exist in the text, or aren't remotely near each other, and are used in different contexts. How are people mean't to score higher in that case when the questions are pretty much trick ones, or the answers aren't what the question is asking.

We'll carry on with the IELTS anyway since we have to do it for some bizarre reason for immigration (why?), but we will score badly for reading and after reading posts on here, probably writing too. That being said, we still require PNP to actually get into the draws for express entry in any event, so the reality is these results aren't really going to change much anyway. I've seen some provinces require IELTS of 6+ to be eligible for PNP. Also reading people taking these tests 5-6 times. We don't have that kind of money just laying around, our savings are going towards moving, not taking tests that are ridiculous at best.

Sorry, I'll get off the soapbox now, just wanted to air this to people who'd probably understand lol.

 

[mpsqra]

So my first post here is going to be a complaint about this test.

I'm British, English is the only language I speak, and I'd say I'm of reasonable intelligence level. My partner has a masters degree, so I'd say she is more than qualified in the English language as well.

I honestly cannot understand therefore, why we seem to only score 6 in the reading prep papers. The questions are not clear for a start. Use 2 words from the text to answer. OK, but the 2 words it picks in the answer sheet don't actually exist in the text, or aren't remotely near each other, and are used in different contexts. How are people mean't to score higher in that case when the questions are pretty much trick ones, or the answers aren't what the question is asking.

We'll carry on with the IELTS anyway since we have to do it for some bizarre reason for immigration (why?), but we will score badly for reading and after reading posts on here, probably writing too. That being said, we still require PNP to actually get into the draws for express entry in any event, so the reality is these results aren't really going to change much anyway. I've seen some provinces require IELTS of 6+ to be eligible for PNP. Also reading people taking these tests 5-6 times. We don't have that kind of money just laying around, our savings are going towards moving, not taking tests that are ridiculous at best.

Sorry, I'll get off the soapbox now, just wanted to air this to people who'd probably understand lol.

once you get the PR,,, french is needed,,,

 

[scylla]

once you get the PR,,, french is needed,,,

No - you don't. Who told you that? It's bad information.

 

[Bs65]

IELTS requirement is not unique to Canada but also required I believe for Australia even for English speakers and people fail there.

Could be worse could have spent years in Canada to study and work without need for IELTS then apply for PR and maybe required to do IELTS even as a native English speaker.

 

[russ6970]

In the graduate program of NLPNP you only need an affidavit from employer. I am from UK

 

[mikem2018]

The problem there Russ is that it is difficult to find employers in her field (and none in mine) who are willing to offer a job and then sit there waiting for everything to 'hopefully' go through and get PR, before she begins working over there. Its like offering a job to someone then potentially waiting a year for them to actually start. If the reality is entirely different to this, and jobs that say 'must have visa in place' don't necessarily mean that, then by all means let us know.

We are due to meet with immigration specialists in around 2 weeks to see what our exact options are. Without PNP we won't have enough points on express entry, unless she magically achieves 8+ for all her IELTS scores, which simply isn't going to happen.

 

[russ6970]

True, but I already have a job

 

[H0peAndFa1th]

you are not alone, you can look at my these two threads, for more information. some of practice material contain mistakes, there's no doubt in that.

https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/ielts-writing-for-band-7-or-above.540392/

https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/official-practice-material-with-mistakes-do-you-still-belive-them.540214/

 

[ypaul]

So my first post here is going to be a complaint about this test.

I'm British, English is the only language I speak, and I'd say I'm of reasonable intelligence level. My partner has a masters degree, so I'd say she is more than qualified in the English language as well.

I honestly cannot understand therefore, why we seem to only score 6 in the reading prep papers. The questions are not clear for a start. Use 2 words from the text to answer. OK, but the 2 words it picks in the answer sheet don't actually exist in the text, or aren't remotely near each other, and are used in different contexts. How are people mean't to score higher in that case when the questions are pretty much trick ones, or the answers aren't what the question is asking.

We'll carry on with the IELTS anyway since we have to do it for some bizarre reason for immigration (why?), but we will score badly for reading and after reading posts on here, probably writing too. That being said, we still require PNP to actually get into the draws for express entry in any event, so the reality is these results aren't really going to change much anyway. I've seen some provinces require IELTS of 6+ to be eligible for PNP. Also reading people taking these tests 5-6 times. We don't have that kind of money just laying around, our savings are going towards moving, not taking tests that are ridiculous at best.

Sorry, I'll get off the soapbox now, just wanted to air this to people who'd probably understand lol.

IELTS can be tamed if you prepare well for it. English may be your first language and no doubt you may be able to use it flawlessly but IELTS follows a particular pattern and you need to understand the pattern in order to do well on the test. For every section there are do's and don'ts that you must adhere to. Deviate from those rules a little and you loose your points, in some sense IELTS is not just about knowledge of English but also about you well you can follow their rules and how well you can focus.

As a kid everyone learns to walk yet if you want to walk on a ramp, you need to walk in a particular manner only, you can't just walk casually like everyday. Similarly for IELTS, learn their rules and adhere to those while answering on any section. You shouldn't use informal english in formal letter and vice versa or use slang in any answer, as long as you do so, you should be fine on IELTS next time.

You are right, there are some questions in IELTS reading where context is ambiguous but those questions are usually towards the end of reading section. Usually reading is not considered that hard but does require proper practice. If it says a number, you better write a number only, do anything else and you can say goodbye to your grades. Before going into test, be prepared that you will have to look for synonyms for most answers in reading sections. It is not as straight forward exam as many people consider it to be.

Similarly writing needs a particular format (structure, paragraphs, transitions, giving examples etc) and speaking too( no one word answers, giving examples, no digression etc)

 

[mikem2018]

IELTS can be tamed if you prepare well for it. English may be your first language and no doubt you may be able to use it flawlessly but IELTS follows a particular pattern and you need to understand the pattern in order to do well on the test. For every section there are do's and don'ts that you must adhere to. Deviate from those rules a little and you loose your points, in some sense IELTS is not just about knowledge of English but also about you well you can follow their rules and how well you can focus.

As a kid everyone learns to walk yet if you want to walk on a ramp, you need to walk in a particular manner only, you can't just walk casually like everyday. Similarly for IELTS, learn their rules and adhere to those while answering on any section. You shouldn't use informal english in formal letter and vice versa or use slang in any answer, as long as you do so, you should be fine on IELTS next time.

You are right, there are some questions in IELTS reading where context is ambiguous but those questions are usually towards the end of reading section. Usually reading is not considered that hard but does require proper practice. If it says a number, you better write a number only, do anything else and you can say goodbye to your grades. Before going into test, be prepared that you will have to look for synonyms for most answers in reading sections. It is not as straight forward exam as many people consider it to be.

Similarly writing needs a particular format (structure, paragraphs, transitions, giving examples etc) and speaking too( no one word answers, giving examples, no digression etc)

I'm going to put up a post later this week with a written answer to the writing and get some critique. With the IELTS, my partner being the PA, needs to get 7 on all and 8 on listening for us to be legible to get into Canada without PNP, otherwise we only have around 300 points. I struggle to see why their system is so heavily reliant on this test which, (to me) barely tests someones ability to use and speak the language and appears more akin to a quiz with answers that like you say, are ambiguous at best sometimes.

In terms of the reading, she is has dyslexia so that makes things a lot harder. More so from the fact that her uni and college no longer have her paperwork that states she has dyslexia, so no extra support on test day. I guess practise practise practise is all we can do. At the end of the day if we do terribly and PNP isn't an option in the future, then we'll have to pay for a dyslexia assessment (around £500) and then retake this test which will hopefully have some more leniency.