Thread by @forum_isf

LECTURE AGENDA‼️

🔆 General Introduction on International English Language Testing System (IELTS) by the Lecturer 1

🔆 Tips on how to ace the four sections of the exam (IELTS) by the Lecturer 1

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🔆 General Introduction on Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) by the Lecturer 2

🔆 Tips on how to ace the four sections of the exam (TOEFL) by the Lecturer 2

🔆 Questions and Answers by the Lecturer 1 and 2

Scholar @⁨Wale Omotola⁩, the lecturer 1, you've the floor for the first two agenda.

Thanks.

Thank you for this privilege. When I started the IELTS journey I was just concerned with passing...today I'm giving a lecture... So if I can you can too. Do away with fear and embrace it headlong and you will succeed.
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The IELTS is a test
For any test there are criteria to be met.
The criteria is what we need to be familiar with. Many intelligent people with good spoken English still have problems because they have not done this. 4/x

Since I had no clue, I humbled myself and sought for help. I enrolled in a private lesson with a tutor. That was my best decision. 5/x

The lessons were twice weekly for 6weeks and at the end of the 6 weeks was my exam. I did that to put myself under pressure to be serious. @takeielts has 4 sessions like we know 6/x

: Listening, reading, writing and speaking 7/x

Listening...an audio recording is played and there are questions before you in a question paper to answer. It lasts about 40minutes. There are 40 questions. 8/x

Reading...There are editorial to read and follow up questions. It has 3 parts. There are questions like true or false. Yes or no. Matching headings. Always read instructions very well in whatever section of the exam. Reading lasts for an hour 9/x

Writing...has 2 tasks. Task 1 Analytical writing. There's usually a map or a chart of some sort. Task 2 is an essay for academic and letter writing for general. 10/x

Task 1 takes 1/3rd of the marks and Task 2 takes 2/3rd of the marks. Writing lasts for 1 hour.
Speaking. Lasts for 15 minutes and has 3 sections. 11/x

Tips on how to ace @takeielts
Be motivated. For most of us ielts is a preliminary step to the future we desire. We must want it badly. 12/x

Have an accountability partner. Preferably someone writing too. In my own case it was my wife. She ensured I studied and did my assignments.
Practice. Practice. Practice. No substitute for hard work. Make your mistakes in practice. 13/x

Get materials. I used the Cambridge ielts 8,9,10, 11 and you tube videos. Listening: Read instructions carefully. Read the questions in that section before the audio starts so that you are primed on what to expect. 14/x

Write yours answer legibly. Listen to British programmes on TV like BBC news if you're finding it difficult to understand 15/x

Train to focus so your mind doesn't wander. If you miss a question. Move to the next...don't get left behind by the audio or else you will miss more. Sometimes they give an answer then change it later..you have to look out for that 16/x

For reading
I would actually name it scanning for answers. You are not reading to understand most times.Read the questions before going to the passage and scan for the answers 17/x

One problematic area for most is matching headings..the answer is that which carries the general idea of the paragraph. 18/x

True, false, not given. Its true if it tallies with the info given, its false if it antagonistic to the info in the passage. Not given if there's nothing about such in the passage. 19/x

Writing...for task one
The answer is in four paragraphs. The overview, the introduction, and the body is in 2 paragraphs. The overview shows the common trend in the graph or map without figures or data. It starts with the word 'overall' 20/x

Introduction...paraphrase the question
You try to put the information into 2 groups. Discuss one group in the 3rd paragraph and the other group in the 4th paragraph. There is no conclusion for task 1. Just 4 paragraphs. 21/x

Task 2. I can only speak for academic since that's what I did. Task 2 is essay writing. The essays come in two major forms. The essays come in two major forms. One way questions eg Do you agree or disagree? 22/x

These are answered in 5paragraphs...1. introduction in which the question is paraphrase and any other question is also answered eg sometimes they might ask for your opinion.Paragraph 2,3,4 are for your points. Paragraph 5 is your conclusion. 23/x

If it is a two way question eg cause and effect, advantages and disadvantages, problems and solutions. You will answer with 4 paragraphs
1. Introduction as laid out earlier
2. A paragraph with 3 points for the argument
3. A paragraph with 3 points against
4. Conclusion 24/x

Speaking. Task 1 usually ask forcday to day activities
Task 2 is a descriptive essay in oral form. An easy way to answer this is to use the PPF formula. Task 3 is usually a spin off question from task 2. 25/x

In all you'll spend about 15mins. And with the covid pandemic its now being done online. And with the covid pandemic its now being done online. Thank you for your time. 26/x

Thanks so much @⁨Wale Omotola⁩ for the insights.
Lecturer 2, @⁨Rosie 🍃⁩ you've the floor for the next two agendas.
Good evening everyone. My name is Rosemary and I'm honoured to be engaging this platform this evening. 27/x

Last year, I took the TOEFL ibt and finished with a score of 118/120. For this reason I'll be sharing briefly some tips and guides to acing the TOEFL test.
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I always tell people that TOEFL is a test that's designed to help the taker pass. I say this because the structure of the test is very straightforward, the questions are direct and with enough practice and familiarity with the format, acing it becomes easy. 29/x

Getting a perfect score on TOEFL is extremely possible. If you're able to get an application or material (e.g. Barron's TOEFL app) that mirrors the format of the test and practice sample tests with that application, 30/x

the only thing that can stop you from a perfect score is a few common mistakes or wrong answers. And even with this, you would still come out with a very high score. 31/x

As we go along I'll be highlighting some of the tips I feel are very essential, drawn out of everything I'm saying. 32/x

*#TIP1: GET FAMILIAR WITH THE FORMAT OF THE EXAM AND QUESTIONS!
The TOEFL test consists of four sections:
- listening
- reading
- writing &
- speaking;
All of which will require practice to be able to harness some skills. 33/x

*THE LISTENING SECTION*

In this section, you'll need to focus on your speed and concentration. From what I remember the audios are played only once for each speech/conversation so it's important to be able to get as much information as you can in that one hearing.34/x.

It's usually good to balance your listening and note taking at the same time, because if you focus solely on note taking, you may miss out on some information. Practice taking notes of key points or words and pay attention. 35/x

It can also help to get familiar with English/American accents if you aren't already. The task is to listen to various audios, including everyday conversations and academic lectures, and to answer questions about them. 36/x

The first lecturer gave a tip which could also be helpful in this case, which is to watch news channels and other avenues that can help you get conversant with their methods of speaking. 37/x

*#TIP 2: PRACTICE BALANCING YOUR ACTIVE LISTENING AND NOTE TAKING!
*THE READING SECTION

This is about the simplest as it's similar to the pattern of comprehension passages that we may be familiar with. The task is to read a few passages and 38/x

answer questions in relation to those passages. A vital thing to note is that in the reading section, understanding is important. Although the topics may seem unfamiliar or boring, 39/x

it's important that you carefully read through different portions when answering questions and understand the exact message being passed across. 40/x

I'll advise that you first scan through the passage, then go through questions before looking through paragraphs for answers because of time. Some questions can be tricky so it's important to understand the passage. 41/x

*#TIP 3: UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGES IN BETWEEN THE LINES IN THE READING!
*THE WRITING SECTION

This section, of course, will require a lot of practice for various reasons including time management, writing skill, vocabulary development etc. 42/x

You would need to develop your ability to generate ideas quickly and organize your points in a coherent manner.
It can be helpful to check out materials for sample writing answers and important mistakes to avoid. 43/x

A concrete advice is to not place so much emphasis on using large vocabulary but rather, focus on providing a meaningful response that is well presented, coherent, has flow and answers the question(s) being asked. 44/x

The writing tasks are divided into two:
1. A writing about a personal experience or opinion in response to a given topic.
2. A passage will be given, followed by a short lecture (which you will listen and then write in response to what you read and listened to. 45/x

Hence the need to work on your listening and comprehension skills here as well. Hence the need to work on your listening and comprehension skills here as well. 46/x

*#TIP 4: DON'T BE TOO LAZY TO PRACTICE YOUR WRITING; THE MORE YOU WRITE, THE BETTER YOU GET!
*THE SPEAKING SECTION

I can imagine that this may be an area a lot of people may have worries about, but I would like to assure you that you have no reason to worry. In TOEFL, 47/x

the examiners are not looking for an accent or the ability to use heavy grammar, all they want to know is that you can communicate in the English language i.e. you understand when it is spoken to you and that you can as well, speak it. 48/x

Of course, the touted key here is to practice, and I would like to enjoin you to be patient with yourself when practicing. It is normal to make a lot of mistakes (some that you may not normally even make when speaking everyday) 49/x

but that may just be the pressure related to being under exam conditions. The benefit of the practice here is that it helps you get used to speaking in these conditions. You can notice mistakes you're more likely to make, speaking habits that may be issues 50/x

(e.g. repeating a word or sound such as 'like' or 'erm') and you can work on these issues. The speaking section consist of integrated and independent tasks.
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For the independent task, you'll be asked to speak on personal ideas, experiences and opinions.
The second however, will require you hearing conversations as well as reading passages that you 52/x

would be asked questions about and have to provide an answer to.
Again here, active listening, note taking and understanding would come into play. Then, the ability to develop a meaningful and organised answer and to provide it at a normal pace and in the time given.
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*#TIP 5: FOCUS ON PROVIDING A MEANINGFUL AND ORGANISED ANSWER TO THE QUESTIONS ASKED AND NOT ON GRAMMAR!
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A tip from my personal experience: One thing I struggled with at first was practicing the writing section. It felt laborious and stressful and I was ready to just go along with whatever I could come up with on the exam day. 55/x

But I realised that with practice, even creativity can be developed. Hence TIP number 4!
Summary of the major tips.
- Listen attentively to every audio and work on maintaining 56/x

concentration so as not to miss any information
- Work with your time and avoid panicking
- Be patient with yourself while practicing, mistakes are a part of the journey to success.
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Ensure your responses provide answers to the questions being asked as comprehension is a very important factor in the test of English.Altogether, the key tip for preparing for the TOEFL test is practice and this is for two major reasons:
1.Skill development
2.Time management58/x

While practicing, intentionally focus on developing the following skills:
- Active Listening
- Note Taking
- Fluency & Coherence of Speech
- Quick reading/Scanning
- Idea development (for writing)
- Organization of ideas in writing
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Final Advice: When preparing for the test, practice *regularly* and *with time*. Get sample answers if you can to score yourself and track your progress.
Be accountable to yourself and if you can, get an accountability partner as well!
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Observe your areas of strength and weakness and work to maintain the former and improve on the latter. Using TOEFL approved materials also helps so as to get familiar with the format of questions and answers in the test. 61/x

I wish the best of luck to everyone taking the test.
For QA, refer to the transcript when it is compiled.
Thanks for your time. ^Lukgaf
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