Examinarse del IELTS / To sit the IELTS (Esp/ Eng)

Algunas cosas han cambiado desde la primera vez que hice el IELTS hace ahora tres años. La primera, que ahora pasan publicidad, como si uno estuviera en el cine.

El IELTS es un examen que evalúa tus capacidades comunicativas en inglés y en Australia es necesario para muchas cosas, como para entrar en la universidad o estudiar un diploma o para demostrarle a Inmigración que eres competente en la lengua de este país, o sea, en inglés. Consiste en cuatro partes: comprensión auditiva, lectora, expresión escrita y oral. Hay dos tipos: el general (normalmente para visados y más fácil) y el académico (educación y para profesiones sanitarias). En general, mucha gente necesita mínimo un 6 o un 7 en cada parte para poder solicitar un visado o para obtener 10 puntos extras en el sistema de puntaje  de algunos visados. Este examen, por experiencia propia, no depende tanto del inglés que sepas -aunque cuanto mayor conocimiento mejor, lógicamente- como de tu capacidad de entender cómo debes hacerlo, de la técnica y la práctica. Lo sé porque hace tres años, con 8 semanas en Australia, no bajé de 7 en cada área en el examen académico, y esta vez, si no hubiera hecho el general, nadie me hubiera quitado algunas semanas de estudio intenso aun hablando inglés a diario.

Vamos, que la gente se juega mucho y sé de muchas personas que han repetido el examen varias veces porque habían fallado en una. Y como la gente se juega mucho, muchos sufren mucho. Lo he visto esta mañana, sentada entre 300 personas que ponían en práctica todas sus tácticas para concentrarse y aislarse de todo el sistema de seguridad que implica presentar este examen. Al examen sólo puedes entrar lápices, gomas, un sacapuntas y una botella de agua sin etiqueta. Nada de pañuelos, sudaderas con capuchas o bolsos. Todo te lo quitan antes. Después de consultar con dos compañeras, me han dejado entrar una compresa por si la necesitaba en una visita al baño. Así es la cosa.

Cuando todo está resuelto, una persona te recibe, comprueba que tus huellas dactilares y tu foto son las mismas que las que te tomaron cuando fuiste a hacer el examen oral, mira la foto del pasaporte y la compara con tu cara soñolienta (son las 8.15 de la mañana), te lleva a tu sitio, marcado con una pegatina en tu mesa, que incluye tu nombre, número de pasaporte, número de candidato y lengua materna. Cuando te sientas, comprueban los datos otra vez. Lo harán en cada una de las partes, mientras haces tu examen. El proceso, con 300 personas por fin de semana, es largo. No te dejan hablar y puedes ver cómo la gente lidia con sus nervios.

Además de la tensión, puedes observar que hay una gran pantalla enfrente de la sala con algunas recomendaciones para hacer bien los ejercicios. El chico que tenía sentado a mi lado estaba con los ojos cerrados, intentando mantenerse alejado de todo el proceso. El de delante tenía la cabeza entre sus manos. Yo, que esta vez no me juego mucho porque me piden un 4.5 en cada tarea, lo miraba todo. Lo que no me esperaba es que la pantalla cobrara vida y una voz empezara a contarnos en qué nos puede ayudar el IDP, una organización sin ánimo de lucro clave para seleccionar a estudiantes internacionales pero que además es co-propietaria del IELTS. Ojo, presentarse al IELTS cuesta 330 dólares (unos 238 euros) y pedir una revisión 178 dólares (128 euros). Según el vídeo, IDP nos puede ayudar con la matrícula para la univerdad, para guiarnos con los requisitos del visado y con la matrícula para el IELTS. He levantado la nariz en el segundo: «¿oiga, pero qué se creen, que estamos en el cine?».

Los examinados hemos tenido que salir del letargo. Yo me he indignado un poco. Un poco de respeto.

Mi mejor amiga dice que últimamente me indigno con todo, supongo que con cosas como que sudafricanos o irlandeses tengan que hacer también el examen, que digo yo que si se trata de demostrar tu conocimiento de inglés podríamos hacerlo todos, porque tela las barbaridades que yo he visto escritas por angloparlantes. Pero la indignación se me iba de las manos y he decidido olvidarme de mis propias quejas, aceptar que las reglas son las reglas y concentrarme en lo que tenía por delante: un examen con la única emoción de la promesa de un regalito sorpresa si saco un 9, sólo uno, en alguna de esas partes.

En 15 días os lo cuento.

To sit the IELTS

Some things have changed since the first time I sat the IELTS three years ago. The first noticeable thing is that they place advertising on the screen as if we were at the cinema.

The IELTS test assesses the English level for non-native English speakers and you need it in Australia either to study a Diploma, Bachelor Degree and Postgraduate programs or for Immigration purposes. There are four tasks: listening, reading, writing and speaking. There are two versions: the General Training (usually for visas and it’s easier) and the Academic (education and healthcare professions). Generally speaking, most people need 6 or 7 to apply for their visa or to get 10 extra points for the Immigration score system. From my own experience, although the more English you know the better, you have better chances to get a great score if you understand the technique and practice a lot. Three years ago my average score in the Academic version was 7 and I had been living in Australia just 8 weeks. Now I wouldn’t be able to repeat that score without studying really hard for weeks even speaking English daily.

You can understand that for many people there is much at stake. Many people have sat the exam several times because they under scored in one band. And as there is much at stake, you can see people feeling anxious. I’ve seen it this morning, sit amongst 300 people trying to be focused and isolated from all the stress involved in this exam. You are allowed to bring pencils, erasers, a sharpener and a transparent bottle of water with no label. Scarves, hoodies and bags aren’t allowed either. Everything is taken away from you. After consultation with two different staff, I have been granted with the privilege of keeping inside my pocket a sanitary pad in case I needed to go to the toilet. Just saying.

When all this is settled, a person welcomes you to check your fingerprints and the picture you were taken before your speaking, compares your passport photo with your 8.15am-sleepy face, guides you to your seat, where a sticker includes your name, your passport and candidate numbers and your native language. Once you’ve been sat, they double check all the information of your passport against the sticker. They will do it again in each task. This is a long process with roughly 300 people. You’re not allowed to speak and you can see people dealing with their own anxiety.

Besides feeling the tension, you can see a huge screen in front of the audience which has some written recommendations about the exercises. The guy sat next to me had their eyes closed and the one in front of me held his head between his hands. Both tried to be really focused. I was observing everything as this time I don’t need a high score and I was doing the General version. I didn’t expect the screen coming alive though and a voice telling us how IDP can help us. IDP is a not-for-profit company owned by Australia’s Universities and key recruiter of international students to Australia but also is a co-owner of this test. Please be aware of the cost of the IELTS ($330) and asking for a revision ($178). According to the video on the screen, IDP can submit your university application, guide you through the visa requirements and book your IELTS test. I felt disgusted, ‘Organizers, do you think we are at the cinema?’.

The examinees have had to come out of their lethargy. It made me angry and I thought it wasn’t appropriate.

My best friend insists on me getting angry with everything, i.e., when I think that South Africans and Irish people have also to do the exam and then I think that if they have to demonstrate their knowledge of English why shouldn’t other English speakers do the same based on the fact that I’ve seen huge mistakes written by some of them? But this outraged feeling was getting out of hand and I have decided not to complain and accept that these are the rules. I have focused instead on what it was coming ahead: a test from where I can be rewarded with a gift  if I get 9 in one band.

I will go back to you in a fortnight.

Burbujas / Bubbles (Esp / Eng)

Hace dos semanas me pasó algo insólito.

Soy una controladora nata, que quede claro. Como decía, hace dos semanas llegué a casa y no quería pensar en nada. No quería saber nada del IELTS, del visado, de mi nuevo trabajo, de mis amigos, de cómo echo de menos a mis amigos, de mi familia, de cómo echo de menos a mi familia, de la maravillosa luz de Perth, de la soledad, de este blog, del inglés como mi segunda lengua, de mi teoría del vómito, de las celebraciones a las que he sido invitada, del ejercicio que debería hacer pero que no hago, de ser consciente de que soy humana, de la gente que me quita energía.

Llegué a casa y quería meterme en una burbuja. Todavía estoy dentro.

 

Bubbles

Two weeks ago something extraordinary happened to me.

I am a natural controller and, as I was saying, two weeks ago I got home and I didn’t want to think about anything. I didn’t want to think about the IELTS, our visa stuff, the new job, my friends, how I miss my friends, my family, how I miss my family, the awesome light of Perth, the loneliness, this blog, the English as a second language, me vomiting, the events I have been invited to, that I should go to the gym and I am not going, me not being perfect,the people who drain me.

I got home and I desired to be in a bubble. I’m still there.

My four basic words

You got it. Yeap, OZ means Australia. And you also got that there is a non-ending list with acronyms, abbreviations and shortened words that you will need to survive in Australia. There are a lot of lists you can consult. But these are by far my favorite four (the meaning is courtesy of the Oxford English Dictionary).

OMG

Oh my God!

colloq. freq. in the language of electronic communications. Expressing astonishment, excitement, embarrassment, etc.:

WTF

What the fuck?

esp. in the language of electronic  communications. Used to express incredulity or annoyance:

LOL

Laughing out loud… and also Lots of laughs

colloq. Originally and chiefly in the language of electronic communications: ‘ha ha!’. Used to draw attention to a joke or humorous statement, or to express amusement.

I left them here, FYI.

Is it clear?

I love Spanish: writing it, looking for the suitable word every single time, speaking it… That’s why I struggle with English sometimes, cause I don’t want to abandon my precious language.

To make it worse, I decided to teach Spanish in Melbourne. If I hadn’t studied Journalism, I’d have studied to become a teacher. I really enjoy it.

I feel confident teaching Spanish and although I love challenging myself it can be a tough task. Have you ever tried to explain conjugations? What about subjunctive?  When I explain new content, I like to be sure everyone understands the lesson. So I look at my students and I ask them: Is it clear? Sometimes I can hear someone mumbling:

Clear as mud

I smile. I got it.

 

A fast learner

Did I tell you that I am seeking a job? A good one. As a journalist. I am learning how to create a really good aussie résumé, writing a cover letter depending on the employer, trying to be the appointee. It is pretty hard and it takes a while. It is a good journalistic practice though. The best part is acquiring new vocabulary and improving my sense of accuracy.

My conclusion is that I am ready guys. And it is something left, no worries:

I hit the ground running.

Are you a greedy gut?

The Brazilian restaurant located below my home has this slogan to promote lunch time.  I am tempted to try 🙂

 

You procrastinate, do you?

I procrastinate.

And I do know. Always delaying my to do things for later. It reminds me my mother telling me that I would have heaps of things to do ‘later’.

Well, it doesn’t have to be like this. I can do it tomorrow.

 

Don’t be cheeky

Have you been in Myer? It is a department store in Melbourne, the largest.

Someone found really useful to identify a person who is cheeky, pushy or likes teasing people with Myer’s frontage, which is huge.

If you speak Spanish and live in Australia, don’t tell anyone that has more face than back if you don’t want to be told that

you have more front than Myer.

 

My second language

You learn something new every day, specially if you speak a second language. Since I arrived in Australia I’ve learned words, idioms, Aussie-English, a little bit of slang and how words can become shorter and shorter.

Of course, I make a lots of mistakes.But I prefer being focused on the discoveries and I’ll share them with you one at a time.

This is my first one:

Too cool for school. (A state in which a person thinks him or herself superior to everyone else in a given group or in general. Generally used sarcastically).

Vamos, que si eres demasiado guay, cool o te crees más que nadie, tú eres too cool for school.

Seguro que conocéis a alguno 🙂