1 IELTS Academic Language 2 Challenges faced by

1. IELTS & Academic Language 2. Challenges faced by International Students Health Sciences International Student Support Workshop, 6 & 15 April 2016 Jill Doubleday Intercultural Connections Southampton http: //blog. soton. ac. uk/ics/ J. Doubleday@soton. ac. uk

IELTS Academic Test overview § IELTS = International English Language Testing System § Tasks candidates complete in each part Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking § How test is scored § IELTS guidance for different types of courses § Interpretation of band scores 2

Band scores § Band scores of 0 – 9 possible § Overall score may be higher or lower than one or more of the 4 skills, e. g. Listening 6. 5, Reading 6. 5, Writing 5. 0, Speaking 7. 0 = Overall 6. 5 (25 ÷ 4 = 6. 25 = Band 6. 5) 3

Overall band descriptors Band 9 = expert user Has fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding. 4

Band 7 = good user Operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriate words & misunderstandings in some situations. Generally handles complex language well & understands detailed reasoning. Band 6 = competent user Generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriate words & misunderstandings. Can use & understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations. 5

IELTS Academic Test § Listening: 30 minutes, 40 questions § Reading: 60 minutes, 40 questions § Writing: 60 minutes, 2 tasks § Speaking: 11 -14 minutes, 3 parts 6

Listening test (30 mins) § 4 recorded texts, monologues & conversations (range of native English speaker accents) Band score Raw listening score /40 8 35 7 30 6 23 5 16 7

Reading test (60 mins) § 3 long texts; range from descriptive & factual to discursive & analytical § Authentic – from books, journals, magazines & newspapers § Academic topics of general interest for non-specialist audience Band score Raw listening score /40 8 35 7 30 6 23 5 15 8

Writing Test: Two tasks, 60 mins § Handwritten, no dictionary § ‘Academic, semi-formal neutral’ style expected § Topics of ‘general interest’ § Task One: 150 words summarising, describing or explaining a table, graph, chart or diagram § Task Two: 250 words in response to a point of view, argument or problem 9

Example Task 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods and whether they were studying full-time or part-time. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. (IELTS, undated) 10

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Example Task 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic: The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world peace. Nuclear power provides cheap and clean energy. The benefits of nuclear technology far outweigh the disadvantages. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words. (IELTS, undated) 12

Assessment of writing § Examiners use detailed performance descriptors & award a band score for each criterion Criterion Weighting Task achievement (Task 1) / Task response (Task 2) Coherence and cohesion Lexical resource Grammatical range & accuracy 25% 25% 13

IELTS Task 2: conception of academic literacy § writing as a spontaneous activity; § writing as opinion-giving; § evidence as anecdote, experience; § writing as hortation (Should X be done? ); § writing as an activity separate from reading. (Moore & Morton, 2005: 63) 14

Speaking test: 11 -14 minutes, 3 parts, 1 examiner Content Part 1 Answering general questions about familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies & interests Time 4 -5 mins Part 2 1 minute to prepare on a given 1 -2 mins topic; 1 -2 minute monologue; examiner may ask 1 or 2 questions to finish Part 3 Examiner asks further questions 4 -5 mins connected to topic in Part 2 15

Example speaking part 2 Describe something you own which is very important to you You should say: · Where you got it from · How long you have had it · What you use it for And explain why it is important to you 16

Assessment of speaking § Examiners use detailed performance descriptors & award a band score for each criterion Criterion Weighting Fluency and coherence Lexical resource Grammatical range & accuracy Pronunciation 25% 25% 17

Test Score Guidance “many diverse variables can affect performances on courses of which language ability is but one” (IELTS, 2014: 13) , Band score Linguistically demanding courses Linguistically less demanding courses 7. 5 - 9. 0 acceptable 7. 0 probably acceptable 6. 5 English study needed probably acceptable 6. 0 English study needed 18

2. Challenges for international students § Cultural context § Conventions of academic study § Time needed for reading & writing § Group work (with home students) § Understanding lectures 19

Cultural context § “if the lecturers would like to give some examples that might be unfamiliar with Asian students, they had better explain more about it beforehand, because of culture difference” § “please do not always … tell jokes that are only be understood by British people or Europeans, because not everyone could understand (…)” (Lynch, 2015: 4) 20

Conventions of academic study Students talk about assessment: https: //www. heacademy. ac. uk/node/2851 Main points: § No previous experience of writing essays § Focus on content more than grammar § Difference in pass marks • What is meant by ‘critical’? • What is plagiarism? What does writing an essay/report/dissertation mean? = students perceive a need for lecturers to explain 21

Time needed for reading “I keep reading the articles our teachers distribute to us. However, I do not read the articles on different units simultaneously, as there is no good for me in doing so. […] It usually takes about three hours to read one article (approx. 15 -20 pages). Sometimes it takes more. My technique is very time-consuming but it is the only way in which I can do my readings effectively. ” (Rea-Dickens, Kiely & Yu, 2007: 39) 22

Time needed for writing “…the thing is that we are marked like equally with the local students. We need to study much harder than them to get the information. For example, to write the essays, for local students it’s easier because the use of language, and for us, for me, is the third language …” (Schweisfurth & Gu, 2009: 468) 23

Lightening the load Assessment v. Consider allowing extra time (Pilcher et al, 2013) Reading: helping students manage reading load v. Make clear what and how much needs to be read v. Explain the rationale for reading v. Consider producing guiding questions (Trahar, 2007: 19) 24

Interaction & groupwork “[During the group discussion], I talked about my idea. The group suddenly became quiet. My idea seemed to impede the flow of the discussion. One student in my group just responded to me like ‘Yes, yeah, is it so? ’ Then they go back to their discussion. I know they did not care about my opinion. They don’t try to understand what my opinion is. ” (Kim, 2011: 287) 25

Encouraging interaction “Most of the lecturers just allow the students to work in any group. What I discover is that the students cluster around a familiar ground. But there was one particular module leader. . . [said] ‘You, you, be in this particular group’. I think it was very okay. But what I discover that it soon was very effective, because you are, you know, working with people from different culture, different background, and, you know, be able to associate very well. And where you have limitation, be able to adjust you know. . . which is very effective. ” (Trahar and Hyland, 2011: 6) 26

Facilitating understanding in lectures § Make hand-outs available before lectures § Signpost lectures: indicate the structure § Signal important points (“The most significant point is …”) § Make lectures interactive – ask questions § Incorporate pauses to give listeners processing time § Rephrase idioms/expressions/colloquialisms: it’s second nature = it’s automatic, you do it without thinking woolly = ambiguous, unclear, vague § Be careful with culturally-specific references 27

Sources of help for students Writing Centre Health Sciences is one of the pilot disciplines. Further information is here: https: //generic. wordpress. soton. ac. uk/writingcentre/about-us/ English and Academic Skills support http: //www. southampton. ac. uk/ml/international/language_support/eap. page Prepare for Success & Study Skills Toolkit All international students are sent a link to Prepare for Success when they’re accepted on a programme, but it’s a useful resource for the early days too, and for all strudents. http: //www. prepareforsuccess. org. uk/. All students and staff are enrolled on both the Study Skills Toolkit and the EAP Toolkit for International Students on Blackboard. Library academic skills & Enabling Services Wednesday workshops – http: //library. soton. ac. uk/sash Wednesday workshops: http: //www. southampton. ac. uk/edusupport/news/events/latest. page? 28

Intercultural Connections Southampton Email us on intercultural@soton. ac. uk to join our mailing list and/or our staff network: http: //blog. soton. ac. uk/ics/the-network/ 29

References (1) Alghamdi, A. , Kyforiji, T. , Mani, A. & Sisodiya, H. 2010. Assessment and Feedback (International Student Video). Higher Education Academy Available from: https: //www. heacademy. ac. uk/resource/assessment-andfeedback-international-student-panel-video accessed 4/4/16 IELTS 2015 Guide for Teachers available from: http: //www. ielts. org/teachers. aspx IELTS 2014 Guide for Organisations available from: http: //www. ielts. org/institutions. aspx IELTS Sample questions available from: https: //www. ielts. org/about-the-test/sample-test-questions Lynch, T. 2015. International students’ perceptions of university lectures in English. International Student Experience Journal 3, 1: 2 -8 Available from: http: //isejournal. weebly. com/archive. html accessed 4/4/16 Kim, H. Y. 2011. International graduate students’ difficulties: graduate classes as a communities of practices. Teaching in Higher Education, 16, 3: 281 -292 30

References (2) Moore, T. & Morton, J. 2005 ‘Dimensions of Difference: a Comparison of University Writing and IELTS Writing’ Journal of English for Academic Purposes 4: 43 -66 Pilcher, N. , Smith, K. & Riley, J. 2013 International students’ first encounters with exams in the UK: superficially similar but deeply different. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 25, 1: 1 -13 Rea-Dickens, P. , Kiely, R. & Yu, G. 2007. Student Identity learning and progression: the affective and academic impact of IELTS on ‘successful’ candidates. In P. Mc. Govern & S. Walsh (eds) IELTS Research Reports Volume 7 pp 59 -136 Canberra: IELTS Australia & British Council Schweisfurth, M. & Gu, Q. 2009. Exploring the experiences of international students in UK higher education: possibilities and limits of interculturality in university life. Intercultural Education 20, 5: 463 -473 Trahar, S. 2007. Teaching and Learning: the international higher education landscape. Some theories and working practices. Higher Education Academy and ESCalate. Available from: http: //escalate. ac. uk/downloads/3559. pdf accessed 6/4/16 Trahar, S. & Hyland, F. 2011. Experiences and perceptions of internationalisation of Higher Education in the UK. Higher Education Research and Development 30, 5: 623633 31