So, the very first IELTS Saturday Preparation Workshop has taken place and has been a great success. This new course is designed for people who have a high level of English already, and have probably taken IELTS before but need some targeted help with the key areas of weakness. The course is aimed at professionals who want to work in the UK in their profession, and people needing a high IELTS score for immigration purposes. The course includes six hours of intensive IELTS lessons, starting at 10 am, so not too early (;-), and with coffee breaks and time for lunch.
We looked at how to write all the different types of task 2 writing, with model answers written especially for the course by our in-house IELTS experts, and we also looked at the main areas of writing task 1. In each case, the teacher was able to target precisely the key tips and language that is required to take the writing from 6.0 or 6.5 up to 7.0 and above.
One key feature of the course is that although it is only for one day, we offer a detailed feedback service on your writings, included in the price of the course. So, that means that once you finish the day, you can go home, digest the ideas, look through the model answers, and then send your writing back to the teacher, who will give you personalised and individual feedback on your writing, and highlight where you can improve further.
We also looked at some key strategies for tackling different types of reading questions, particularly tricky ones like True/False/Not Given, headings and summaries. If needed, the course can also give you tips on strategies for the listening test, and speaking, although in most cases, it is the reading and writing which need the most input.
What did the first students make of it? Rabie is a qualified nurse from Albania, living and working in Portsmouth. She has taken the IELTS exam several times, aiming to be able to work as a nurse in the UK, but each time has just missed out in the writing and reading modules. “It was brilliant”, she says. “I would score it 10 out of 10. The teacher was very helpful, recognised my weaknesses, and I found it really useful. It was great to cover so much in such a short time, and I really like the fact that my essays and task 1s will be marked by an expert. Hopefully when I next take IELTS I’ll be able to get the scores I want.”
So, if you need a little help getting your IELTS scores up to the result you want, our next Saturday IELTS Preparation Workshop is on 10th November,
and we will have other Saturdays coming up soon. Get in touch with us at LSI/IH Portsmouth, and we’ll do all we can to help you achieve your goals and dreams.