Unlock your Canadian dream by Achieving well in your Language Proficiency

Canada has two official languages English and French. Majority of Canadians speak English with progressively smaller numbers speaking English and French together. So, in this blog post we are going to focus on key factors and skills needed to perform well in your language proficiency exams. 

What does language proficiency mean?

In general, the government of Canada and institutes within Canada accept IELTS and CELPIP exams as proof of language proficiency . These exams are designed to portray the language abilities of the applicant. Usually, these exams consists of 4 different modules namely reading, writing, listening and speaking. In order to perform well in these exams, one must master all four modules. 

What is most widely used language proficiency exam by applicants and institutions/government?

Lets start by discussing about one of the language proficiency exam, IELTS. It is most popular because IELTs test centers are there in all the countries however CELPIP test centers are mainly in Canada and now few more countries have opened centers for CELPIP. You must also understand that there are two types of IELTS tests. If you are applying for Permanent Residency you take IELTS general training and if you are applying for admission to an institution you take IELTS academic test. The listening and speaking modules are same for both IELTS general training and Academic, but the reading and writing modules differ. 

The academic or general reading part consists of 40 questions and you have 60 minutes to answer. The difference is in the articles which you read. The listening module consist of 40 questions in it and the applicant is given 30 minutes to answer. The Speaking part takes between 11 and 15 minutes to complete and has three parts. During the speaking part you will have face-to-face conversation with an examiner. The writing module differ for academic and general exam but fundamentally you get about 60 minutes to complete two writing tasks.

The scores of these exams are accepted by various organizations/governments worldwide. The examiners will asses your language skills and grade your performance based on your fluency, coherence, vocabulary, grammar and Pronunciation. While preparing for your exam always remember to document your performance and all your preferred vocabulary and framework for developing sentence. This can be a useful resource to study for your exam.

What should you consider while preparing for your exam?

Preparing for an exam should be a strategic plan. This will help you to organize and focus on factors that you need to work most on. Everybody has unique qualities and some weaknesses when it comes to language abilities. So you need to evaluate what modules you need to focus to balance or enhance your language abilities. Let’s talk about other preparation factors that might contribute to enhance your language capabilities. Make sure to start your preparation early, be consistent, and monitor your progress frequently to adapt and improve.

Grammar is a key factor as discussed before in this blog post. So, make sure to work on English grammar in a systematic way. Once you understand the basics, your journey towards advanced skills becomes easier. Another factor after you have completed your working on your foundation of English language knowledge and skills, join an IELTS course or work with a professional IELTS tutor to polish your skills and seek feedback to reflect. You can also take a diagnostic test to self evaluate (for listening and reading) and seek help of your peers or tutors for other two modules. Towards the end of your IELTS preparation, start practicing with full-length tests under realistic conditions for several weeks before the test date. This will help you to understand the structure of the test and perform well during your exam. The aim of IELTS preparation is to make sure you are really fluent in English and ready to perform to the best of your abilities. 

What should you consider during your exam? 

First of all, it’s ok to feel a bit nervous while your at your exam but always remember, your practice and hard work will pay off. So, remember to smile and be yourself. Getting too nervous may lead to may cause you to mispronounce and may also compromise your quality of structuring your sentences. Modulation while speaking is your key to get a good score. It becomes easier for you to do well in your exam when you understand what the examiner expects from you. 

While your at your exam make sure to apply your fluency, coherence, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation skills to show your full potential to your examiner. Your exam is your performance time. Make sure to also use vocabulary that may have have documented while preparing for your exam.