Are you worried about how to get the IELTS score, saying 『I need an IELTS score to go on to a graduate school abroad, but WHERE and HOW should I study?』
People in their 30s and 40s are now rapidly increasing in popularity as a means of acquiring test scores for studying abroad, such as going on to graduate school or obtaining an MBA.
This time, we interviewed Naoto(32), Japanese.
He decided to go to a foreign graduate school in order to provide education of “Fermentation Technology” to developing countries such as Southeast Asia and Africa.
For his admission requirement, he came to study IELTS in Baguio, the Philippines.
IELTS Band score 6.5 is a required score
– Tell me your story what brought you here.
Originally, I worked as a sommelier in Singapore and wineries in Australia and Chile.
I came up wanting to learn agriculture because “The quality of the soil that grows grapes” and “Fermentation process” have a great influence on the taste of wine
When I was looking for an agricultural department, I found particular graduate schools in South Africa and New Zealand, but IELTS band score 6.5 was required for admission which is the reason that I came to study IELTS in the Philippines. .
– What is your current score?
The last official test I took in Japan was a band score of 6.0. I’ve been studying by myself for the last six months, but the barrier of 0.5 up is high …
– I think IELTS learners generally get stress by difficulty to improve from 6.0 to upper.
How long is your study abroad period?
Only 4 weeks.
Writing and speaking cannot be done on their own …
– You’ve been studying by yourself, but wasn’t it hard to stay motivated?
I agree…
Also, there are limits to what you can improve on your own.
As for Listening and Reading, you can study by yourself because it is evaluated only by the numbers and spelling on the score sheet.
However, the problem is WRITING and SPEAKING.
It’s quite difficult to study by yourself because it’s a subjective by answering with your opinion… No one will correct it.
– How did you study Writing and Speaking?
I used an online correction service for Writing.
It’s a bit robotic…lol
I submitted my answer sheet to the web service, then, the one being modified with a red pen would be returned…
Speaking was completely self-study. I searched question examples, answers and tips on the internet.
– Besides keeping your motivation, it is hassle to search and difficult to judge the score by answers you gave…
So that’s why, you came with the purpose of improving especially Writing and Speaking scores.
Yes, exactly.
Score-up with customized One-on-One
–I think there were other countries and various regions in the Philippines. What made you choose Baguio this time?
The reason I chose the Philippines is that One-on-One lessons are the main focus with low price, so I thought that I could aim to improve my score in a shorter period.
After making a decision of coming to the Philippines, I narrowed down the search to schools that offer a relatively large number of One-on-One classes.
– How is Writing and Speaking that you were expecting?
It’s satisfying as I expected. Especially, Writing outcome is great.
In Japan, My essays could only be edited with a red pen, remotely.
But the lessons in the Philippine, I could acquire techniques such as grammar, sentence structure, necessary words and phrases…etc. based on my own opinion and skeleton.
Therefore, I’ve been able to learn the technique to increase the score WITHOUT BREAKING MY ORIGINAL SENTENCES.
The result of Task 1 is visible, but Task 2 is still fluctuating by topic because of short stay. Before I came here, I was writing more than 250 characters in Task 2, so I learned how to :
- Focus on points which I want to emphasize
- Summarize shortly
Speaking is similar to Writing-Task 2, so it’s hard to see improvement because my score still depends on how difficult questions are.
However, surprisingly, the discussion subject we had as a group class was incredible!!
Besides me, I had a nationality composition of 1 Japanese + 3 Vietnamese, but the level of everyone was similar to each other, so the class progress was smooth. Since each of them exchanged opinions on the issues given by an instructor, I was able to steal ideas that I have never had and techniques such as phrases and sentences that everyone uses.
I think this can be quite useful for Speaking and Writing.
– Are there any other differences compared to studying in Japan?
I was surprised but grateful by NO mercy in scoring even in a school mock test…lol
Of course, in Listening exam, mistakes in capitalization is a point deduction.
However, scoring Speaking and Writing are also strict in this school, so I was able to know my level more accurately.
I felt textbooks used in the classes are a little more challenging than the ones I was using in Japan. School uses Cambridge and it is more like the ones I took in the official exam.
Ideal for 30s who are aiming for graduate school
-Finally, if you have any comment to those who aim to get IELTS score in the same situation as yours, please leave it.
“I want to quit my job in my 30s or 40s and go to a graduate school abroad to study my specialty… It’s necessary to have a score of IELTS… Shall I study in Japan or study abroad? ”
I guess there are a lot of conditions you need to consider like aiming score, the period you can study, the budget, and other factors.
One-on-one style in the Philippines is more cost-effective than other countries. This offers classes that suit your needs, level and speed.
If you want to spend more time onto denser content, you might consider this as a big option.
