Fluency Training

What is fluency and how can you achieve fluency in your speech?

Fluency is the ability to communicate your thoughts and feelings and to say what you want to say without fear and hesitation. The foundation of fluency is the urge to express yourself adequately in various circumstances; such as social, academic, or work place settings.

Now, you can start working to find ways to enhance your speech ability by using the technique of reading aloud. There are steps you need to follow:
1. phrasing - words go together in groups - identifying thought/ intonation groups
2.pausing – with rhythm and phrasing – pauses should be left between thought groups
3.linking - joining sounds into words and words into phrases and sentences

Understanding the rhythm of English speech is important for learners. You will realise that any long segments of connected speech are made up of certain patterns, known as tone units. To speak effectively and comprehensively, we need to divide our speech into tone units for each thought group.
The tone unit is a part of the sentence in which there is a significant pitch pattern. Within it there will be some prominent/ stressed syllables. Stress is one the main tools in English to convey word and sentence meaning. It is important for you to control the stress system if you want to be able to speak English clearly.

Introduction to the IELTS Test

Introduction to the IELTS Test

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test of English language proficiency, developed by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. IELTS is now accepted as evidence of a prospective student’s level of English by most universities in English speaking countries.

There are two different IELTS tests that you can do: Academic and General. IELTS is not a test that you can pass or fail. Your assessment will be reported according to a scale from bands one to nine. You will need to contact the university you wish to enter to find out the IELTS score they require for entry into your chosen course. Band one indicates that you have virtually no English at all. Band nine is native speaker proficiency. Universities in Australia typically require a band score of between 6 and 7. The test questions and tasks have been designed to reflect the general interests of people from an educated background. You will therefore not be required to have any specialist knowledge.

The test has four components – Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. You will receive a band score for each component as well as a global band score.

The modules are always taken in the same order: listening, reading, writing, and speaking.

1. Listening: [Time: 30 minutes; 4 sections; 40 items]
Candidates listen to a number of recorded texts, which increase in difficulty as the test progresses. These include a mixture of conversations and dialogues and feature a variety of English accents and dialects. The recording is heard only once, but candidates are given time to read the questions and record their answers.

2. Reading: [Time: 60 minutes; 3 sections; 40 items]
Academic Reading: There are three reading passages with tasks. Texts are taken from books, magazines, journals and newspapers, all written for a non-specialist audience. At least one of the texts contain a detailed argument.
(or) General Training Reading: The texts are based on the type of material candidate would be expected to encounter on a daily basis in an English speaking country. They are taken from sources such as newspapers, advertisements, instruction manuals and books, and test the candidate's ability to understand and use information. The test include one longer text, which is descriptive rather than argumentative.

3. Writing: [Time: 60 minutes; 2 tasks - 150 & 250 words]
Academic Writing: For the first task, candidates write a report of around 150 words based on material found in a table or diagram, demonstrating their ability to describe and explain data. For the second task candidates write a short essay of around 250 words in response to an opinion or a problem. They are expected to demonstrate an ability to discuss issues, construct an argument and use the appropriate tone and register.

(or) General Training Writing: The format of the test is the same as the equivalent Academic module. The fist task requires candidates to write a letter either asking for information or explaining a situation. The second task is a short essay of around 250 words, and is written in response to a given point of view or problem. Candidates are expected to be able to present their own ideas and challenge other ideas, using the appropriate tone and register.

4. Speaking: [Time: 10 - 15 minutes] The test takes the form of a face to face interview between one candidate and one examiner. Candidates are assessed on their use of spoken English to answer short questions, speak at length on a familiar topic, and also to ask questions and interact with the examiner.

Total testing time: 165 minutes ( 2 Hours and 45 minutes). All modules are usually taken on the same day, but in some cases the Speaking test may be taken up to two days after the other modules.