Archive for the ‘toefl’ Category

What about your accent?

Sunday, November 11th, 2007

A lot of students worry about whether their accent will affect their score in the Speaking section of the TOEFL. Well, it’s like this. Everyone who speaks English has an accent. So, having an accent is not a problem.

What matters more than accent is clarity. Now clarity itself is composed of two elements.

The first element is that you must overcome any obvious mispronunciation. This means learning to say “yellow” and not “jello” if you’re a Spanish speaker. Or learning to say “rice” and not “lice” if you’re Japanese, for example. These are examples where the mistake actually produces a different word, and can cause confusion.

An example where a mistake due to accent does not produce another word is when Eastern Europeans say “Vas iz thiz?” instead of “What is this?” The meaning is still understandable, though there are errors due to the accent. This is less of a problem.

The second point is that you must speak as clearly and confidently as possible. Sometimes when students are nervous or forget the word they want to say, they try to mumble their way through. This is not a good idea, and doing so repeatedly could cause you to lose points because you are not communicating effectively. Better to find another word or explain what you mean as clearly as you can, in whatever accent you do have.

Common mistakes in English

Sunday, November 11th, 2007

Here are a couple of good, short videos that explain some common mistakes that are often made in English. These kinds of problems can often trip you up on the TOEFL.
[youtube=http://youtube.com/?v=QfAevOl7cXk 468 391]

[youtube=http://youtube.com/?v=wbkHVHOx03Q 468 391]

A typical language school advertisement

Sunday, November 11th, 2007

You will probably come across many ads in your quest to find a language school. This is a fairly typical one. What can you learn about the school really, in practical terms, from this ad. Is the school different from others that you have been looking at? The truth is, most ads for language schools are very similar. You need to do your own independent research to find out if the school has a good reputation and is right for you. Take a look at our guide for choosing an exam preparation school to see what kind of things you should be looking for.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/?v=VMc1ztz7KX4 468 391]

Is IELTS becoming more popular than TOEFL?

Friday, November 9th, 2007

A British English test is being geared up to attract Korean English learners who are overwhelmed by American English tests, especially TOEFL and TOEIC. Ian Simm, director of the British Council Korea, revealed his marketing plan for IELTS in Korea during a press conference in Seoul.

“Korea was heavily influenced by the United States, and so far people have preferred the U.S. than any other country for studying abroad. There were few institutions in the U.S. that authorized IELTS — this has made people in Korea prefer TOEFL, said Simm.
“Last year, the number of Korean people who took IELTS was around 13,500, far less than those who took TOEFL. However, about 700,000 people took IELTS worldwide, which is similar to the number that took TOEFL, he added.

The British Council plans to double the number of IELTS applicants in Korea up to 20,000 by the end of the year and increase the number to 50,000 by 2010. Under the plan, it has promoted the test to college admission officials and personnel members of 15,000 domestic corporations. Also, it will set up more IELTS courses at private institutes.

Created in 1989, IELTS tests four English language skills — listening, reading, writing and speaking — like TOEFL but it differentiates itself with the speaking and writing test which are given by an examiner.

“I believe that the IELTS score has much more to do with practical English. As I told you earlier, since those who take the speaking exams have to sit face to face with the speaking examiner, IELTS is the best way to improve your English in every day lives.”

Funny Japanese method of learning English

Friday, November 9th, 2007

Well, Japanese readers… is this how you learn your vocabulary? While it is quite funny, unfortunately, this type of method is only good for rote memorization of sentences. The TOEFL iBT is specifically designed so that you cannot do this. You will need a full, in-depth understanding of English words, phrases, idioms, and their usage.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/?v=0W1VY4b9IQQ 468 391]