This write-up is for those that want to relocate abroad genuinely and honestly too. Unlike anytime in our contemporary world, the process is simple and straightforward if you are only ready to do it right. So if you are the kind that wants to sneak in illegally to any of the top countries such as Canada, Europe, Australia, this is probably not for you and you can stop reading.

That singular thing you need is the IELTS- What is IELTS? -The full meaning of IELTS is International English Language Testing System and it is designed to assess the language ability of people who want to study or work where English is the language of communication.

The test is designed to test English language skills in four major areas: Speaking, Writing, Listening and Reading. Results range from 0-9 and there is no such thing as a pass or fail.


There are two options for anybody that wants to take the IELTS: Academic Training which is for test takers wishing to study at undergraduate or postgraduate levels and for those seeking professional registration. The second one: General Training is for test takers wishing to migrate to an English-speaking country (Australia, Canada, New-Zealand, UK) and for those wishing to train or study at below degree level.

MISCONCEPTIONS
• It is a money making examination tailored to exploit hapless Nigerians-This is one of the opinions often expressed by candidates, especially those that have probably written the exams a couple of times or those that must cross the IELTS hurdle to achieve their career goals and aspirations. It may be one of the revenue avenues for the British Council, but profit is not the main motive.

• They deliberately mark Nigerians down-This is not exactly true, because the exam is a standardized one, from setting the questions and even its assessment. The quality control prescribed for the administering body; the British Council is top-notch. It is so high that the administering body has to be on its toes to ensure standard at all times. The exam does not have any intention of marking any Nigerian candidate down, because everything about it is transparent and standardized. The same examination set for Nigerian candidates is what is set for the Chinese, with the same marking standard.

• If you haven’t written IELTS many times, you won’t be able to make your desired band-[/b]This is also not true. I have met many candidates, especially those fresh from secondary schools that have made straight band 9 .Such students were definitely in a better academic mood, which most working class candidates may lack due to distractions and academic staleness . I have also met working class candidates that have written the exam, and came out with top bands. From experience however, it is always a challenge working with a candidate with a past history of low IELTS band, because most of these candidates are stuck in the mindset that passing IELTS requires building your ability on formulas (would explain this later) Another group of candidates I have met, have continuously repeated the same way of approaching the exam and what do you expect? You can’t be doing the same thing and expect a different result!

• [b]You have to rely on formulas to answer all questions correctly-Sadly, many candidates have relied on foreign online tutors who themselves are just ordinary English teachers, with no intrinsic knowledge of IELTS assessment .Such tutors reduce everything to formulas, and one thing I always say is that an English test like IELTS is not Mathematics, that can be reduced to formula. I can bet, if you rely on formula to write, you can’t go beyond band 6! The reason is very simple, what is mass-produced is different from tailored made or a designer product! All your answers for every stream of the IELTS exams must be an offshoot of your personal creativity and effort.


• The mark scheme doesn’t take cognizance of Nigerian environment-From my experience as an examiner, this is partially true, but really, what a candidate has to do is to ensure he or she uses examples or illustrations that have global appeal. If for example you are using a word like Ojuelegba and you didn’t indicate that it is a street, in a city in Nigeria called Lagos, how do you expect a foreign examiner to comprehend this? What about an abbreviation like EFCC-How do you expect a foreign examiner to understand that this a crime fighting agency in your country?

• IELTS is a very tough examination-It was not until I started training IELTS candidates that I realized that many would have written the exam up to 4- 8 times! This is unlike the picture I had as an examiner. To me then, I saw from my estimation that 45% made band 6, 30% band 7,10% band 8 and above, while the remaining 15% fell below band 5.Frankly,it is one of the easiest exams to pass if you understand the expectations very well. The simple reason is that, you can accurately predict the format of questions to expect. For a skill like Listening, most Nigerians may be disadvantaged because of our deficient English Language, which does not teach Listening effectively. (As people always say, we Nigerians tend to Hear, we do not Listen!)For Writing, an essay is made of components which one must understand. The knowledge of grammar needed is minimal, if you can manage an essay’s overall structure.

THE REALITY
• Your speed also being tested-For all the papers, your speed is directly and indirectly being tested. I often say that in all the papers except Speaking, the candidate is programmed not to complete the paper. So what is the way out? You must practise with speed in mind. If for example you are able to complete a 40 minute exercise in 37 minutes, then you know you are really ready for the examination.

• Your composure is being tested-Because of the limited time, if you are not able to psychologically calm down yourself to produce your best effort; you are already disadvantaged by over 30%.This also comes with having a winning technique to answer questions. It is composure for instance that would help you to follow instructions in even answering questions. Many candidates would have made a good grade in the Reading exercise, if not that they must have failed to present their answers correctly. Composure would also come handy in always having a structured plan for every task ,for instance in the Writing part.

• Writing is the only part that could actually be taught and learnt. If you really want to make an appreciable impact in your overall band score, then work on your Writing.This is the reason . With a basic knowledge of English, a willing candidate can actually be tutored through what I call a structured writing approach, with appreciable result. The same cannot be said of other sections such as Speaking, Reading and Listening. All these are based on techniques and practice.

• Reading and Listening are mostly technique based and not necessarily core knowledge based. For Reading, a candidate simply has to be taught the best techniques to use to glean the necessary information, process and present .If the candidate is very weak, then he or she has to spend more time reading across board to gain some reading weight and experience. The major skill needed is speed reading in form of skimming and scanning.

• Speaking is the simplest part of the test. [/b]There are many reasons for this. First, the structure of the questions is pretty predictable. Second, with structured practice on how to speak ,a candidate can easily make a band 7 and above. Lastly, most Nigerian candidates do more of speaking than others such as Writing,Listening and Reading. Speaking within a short time could be mastered- So with rigorous practice, with a good tutor, a candidate should be able to make a band 7 at least, for an average user of English language

• [b]The capacity of your ability determines your success rate-If you come from a background where you write often, especially in your workplace , then you are privileged and this would reflect on your performance, but if since you left school you have never had anything to do with reading and writing, then you have a lot of work to do. Now in the course of your practice and training, you should be able to honestly determine where you stand before the exam and be realistic about it! I for instance only need to read your essay just once to know where you stand!

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
• You don’t need to rely on any formula to pass-For most candidates that have relied on online tutors, I have observed that they mostly bank on certain formulas to write .It is not wise to rely on a particular formula especially in Writing, which is an art that gives much room for individual expression and creativity. What would stand you out is to do something different, especially in your opening paragraph (introduction).If for instance you start an essay with the normal definition kind of introduction, you are definitely programming yourself for a band 6 range. While not advocating a formula approach especially in Writing, you however need a structure or framework to work with , which however still gives room for individual expression. There is a simple structure to writing that is not formula-based

• Leverage much on your Writing- The reason is because it is the only part of the paper that can actually be taught and learnt unlike other streams of the IELTS exams.

• You can work out Listening and Reading on your own-If you are the determined and self-motivated type, you can actually and definitely work your way round Listening and Reading and this comes with rigorous practice over and over again by familiarizing yourself with the patterns of how questions are set. There are many sites where you can get a lot of practice questions to work with.

• Lastly, get a good tutor and work on your own too- It is not about being an English graduate only .Get a tutor with the following qualifications : An English graduate, somebody that had written the IELTS as a candidate and if possible a former IELTS examiner.

All the best!

Kunle Abrahams
(a certified ex-IELTS examiner lives in Lagos)
08178333447/kunleabrahams046@gmail.com

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