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British Council
Who we are
The United Kingdom international organisation for educational and cultural relations
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Our purpose
To build mutually beneficial relationships between people in the UK and other countries
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Where we are
The British Council has 200 offices in more than 100 countries
In Italy we are in:
Milan, Naples and Rome
Exams venues in 25 other cities in Italy
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Nuova Sede!
British Council Rome
Via San Sebastianello 15
Roma
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Our services at the British Council
English language courses
Training for teachers of English
Examinations services
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La SapienzaLuiss
Politecnico di TorinoUniversità Bocconi
Politecnico di Milano
Trento, Padova, Genova, Venice, Parma, Reggio Calabria,Lecce, Cagliari, Napoli, Bologna, Pavia
and many others
• Some of the universities we work with:
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The IELTS partnership
British Council
IDP Australia
Cambridge ESOL
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What is IELTS?
a “vertical” test of communicative proficiency in English for study or work in English (A1 to C1)
a test of all four language skills a test of international English NOT a test of ‘study skills, ‘grammar’
or a particular subject area
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0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
Global candidature growth: 1.4 million test takers in 2009
britishcouncil.it/ielts
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IELTS offers:
• 48 dates a year to choose from
• Public sessions once a month in 25 cities throughout Italy
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Where in Italy...
britishcouncil.it/ielts
New venues in Pisa, Cassino, Viterbo…
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• Registration up to 7 days beforehand
• Results on line after 13 days
• High security features
• Recognised worldwide by over 600,000 institutions
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Essential test qualities
Validity Reliability Impact Practicality
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Choice of two types of IELTS test modules
Academic
or General
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• Academic Test–For entry to Universities, Colleges
–For professional recognition
• General Training Test–For immigration
– Check before you enrol
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Global Candidature Breakdown
75.0%
25.0%
Academic
General Training
britishcouncil.it/ielts
Online enrolments in Italy (2009):
Academic = 84%General T. = 16%
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Test FormatListening
30 minutes, 4 sections, 40 items
General Training Reading
60 minutes, 3 sections, 40 items
Academic Reading 60 minutes, 3 sections, 40 items
General Training Writing
60 minutes, 2 tasks
Academic Writing 60 minutes, 2 tasks
Speaking 11 - 14 minutes, 3 parts
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The IELTS band scores
IELTS provides: a profile of a candidate’s skills
in all four language areas an overall band score IELTS tests for the full range of
levels, from non-user to expert user, A1-C2
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Band Scores
9 band scale9 expert user
8 very good user7 good user6 competent user5 modest user4 limited user3 extremely limited user2 intermittent user1 non-user
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IELTS v European Framework v Cambridge ESOL exams
C2 CPE IELTS 7.5 - 9.0
C1 CAE
BEC Higher IELTS 6.5 - 7.5
B2 FCE BEC Vantage IELTS 5.5 - 6.5
B1 PET BEC Preliminary IELTS 4.5 - 5.5
A2 KET IELTS 3.5 - 4.5
A1 Movers Starters
IELTS 2.5 - 3.5
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Examples of IELTS scores• Reading 6.5
• Listening 6.5
• Writing 7.5
• Speaking 7.0
• Overall Band Score: 7.0
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A university may even ask for a specific profile
• Listening minimum 6 • Reading minimum 7• Writing minimum 6 • Speaking minimum 6
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• IELTS is trusted and accepted by close to 6,000 organizations and faculties worldwide.
• I
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• Professional bodies:– Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and USA
• Immigration authorities:– Australia, Canada, New Zealand
• Government agencies and departments:– Australia, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, UK, USA
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Who recognises IELTS in Italy?
• Over 50 Italian Universities as credits towards first degrees
• Eg. Bocconi, Politecnico di Torino, Politecnico di Milano, Venice,
• Bicocca, Genova, Padova, Trento, Bologna,
•
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In the US
• Recognised by over 1,200 U.S. higher education institutions
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What scores do US schools requirefor academic success?
Levels/Sample Schools Scores
Undergraduate Range = 6.0 - 7.0
New York University 7.0
UIUC 6.5
Arizona State University 6.0
Graduate Range = 6.0 - 8.5
Columbia University 7.0
Columbia School of Journalism 8.5
Professional schools Range = 6.0 - 8.5
Harvard MBA 7.0
LLM Range = 6.5 - 8.0
Duke University 7.5
Indiana University 7.0
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Typical US university admission requirements
• “It is the policy of the Graduate School to admit only those students with a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper-based test), 213 (computer-based test), or 83 (internet-based test), or a minimum IELTS score of 7.0. In many departments a higher score may be required if the applicant is to succeed in the competition for limited new student openings.”
• •
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MIT, Boston (MA) accept only IELTShttp://math.mit.edu/academics/grad/admission
US entry requirements examples
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Use the online Global Recognition System on www.ielts.org to find out
which institutions in the U.S. and worldwide will accept your IELTS
scores
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IELTS is accessible and practical
• One of the most frequently available tests in the world – you can choose from up to 4 test dates each month
• Enrol up until 7 days before the test date• Results available 13 days after the test• Test fee payable in Euro
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How to register?
• On line at www.britishcouncil.it
• At a British Council office
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Listening 30 minutes, 4 sections, 40 items
General Training Reading
60 minutes, 3 sections, 40 items
Academic Reading 60 minutes, 3 sections, 40 items
General Training Writing
60 minutes, 2 tasks
Academic Writing 60 minutes, 2 tasks
Speaking 11 - 14 minutes, 3 parts
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Variety of task types
• sentence completion
• notes, summary, diagram, flow chart, table completion
• classification
• matching
• multiple choice
• identification of writers’ views, attitudes, claims
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Paper 3: Writing - Academic
• Part 1 - at least 150 words - 20 minutes• Describing information from graphs, diagrams,
tables, charts
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The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods and whether they were studying full-time or part-time.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features shown below. (Write at least 150 words)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
1970/71 1980/81 1990/91
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Writing Assessment Criteria
Task achievement or task response
Cohesion and coherence
Lexical resource
Grammatical range and accuracy
Access Public Band Score Descriptors http://www.ielts.org/PDF/UOBDs_WritingT1.pdf
http://www.ielts.org/PDF/UOBDs_WritingT2.pdf
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Band score 6• According to the graph, the number of men and
women in further education in Britain shows the following pattern. In the case of male, the number of males has declined slightly from about 1000 thousands in 12970/71 to about 850 thousands in 1980/81. However this figure rose back to about 850 thousands in 1980/81. The proportion of full-time education has declined during this periods. However, the proportion of part-time education has increased dramatically. On the other hand , in the case of female, the number of both full.-time education and part-time.education has increased during this period. From about 700 thousands in 1970/71, these figures rose to about 820 thousand s in 1980/81, to about 1100 thousands in 1990/91………..
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Paper 3: Writing - Academic
• Part 2 - at least 250 - 40 minutes• Discursive composition
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Academic Writing Task 2• In Task 2 candidates are presented with a point of view
or argument or problem They may need to: – present a solution to a problem – present and justify an opinion– compare and contrast evidence, opinions and
implications– evaluate and challenge ideas, evidence or an
argument
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The IELTS Speaking test
• Realistic interactive conversation with a live examiner
• Shows your real life communication skills
• Preferred by many institutions in the U.S. and worldwide.
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IELTS Speaking Test
• 11-14 minutes 3 parts• Part 1: General questions about home, family,
job, studies etc• Part 2: Monologue based on a verbal prompt on
a card (1 minute to prepare)• Part 3: Discussion of more abstract issues• based on theme of part 2
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Part 2 card
Describe something you own which is very important to you.
You should say:• where you got it from• how long you have had it• what you use it for• And explain why it is so important to you
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Speaking Part 3
Let’s consider first of all how people’s values have changed …
• What kind of things give status to people in your country?
• Have things changed since your parents’ time?
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Criteria for assessment of speaking
• Fluency and coherence• Lexical Resource• Grammatical Range and Accuracy • Pronunciation
One examiner
All interviews are digitally recorded
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Preparing for the Test
• Published preparation materials list
at www.ielts.org
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Support
Cambridge Practice Tests for IELTS (CUP)
Top Tips for IELTS
Teacher and candidate resources at www.ielts.org
IELT Scores explained DVD
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Free self-study materials from the British Council to all candidates who register
online 5 weeks in advance
• practice IELTS listening tasks under timed conditions
• view sample videos of speaking tests, highlighting good and less good practice
• develop vocabulary and techniques for writing tasks
Road to IELTS
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To find out more about
Visit
www.britishcouncil.it
www.ielts.org