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Dyslexia and IELTS

If you have been certified as dyslexic you may include this information on the IELTS application form.

Q.22 Do you have any special requirements due to ill health/medical condition?
You will be required to attach supporting medical evidence.

Although the speaking and listening section will be the same as other candidates, you may ask the test centre to provide you with extra time on the reading and writing section as dyslexics tend to read and write at a slower pace.

The exam paper will be marked the same as everyone else, so care should be taken with spelling.

In the listening section, errors mean that you lose marks, so you will need to work on the alphabet, numbers and spelling in general.

In the writing sections, use words that you find easier to spell e.g. instead of “decrease” use “fall”.

Reading is a matter of transferring words found in the passage so ensure that they are spelt the same. Reading speed can be somewhat increased by learning 220 Dolch Sight Words (provided here). These help with fluency.

Applying for postgraduate studies in England

When applying for a Master’s degree in England you do not have to go through UCAS like undergraduates do. You apply directly to the universities of your choice. Most of them do not have a processing fee so you can apply to multiple universities.

Application forms: You may complete an online application form or download the form and send it by post. Each application form varies depending on the university but the information requested is similar (e.g. personal details, educational background, work experience, learning difficulties etc.). The entry requirements vary as well. Generally speaking you will need a degree from a recognised university with a 2:1 (send an email to the university asking what grade this corresponds to in your country).

Transcript and degree: Your transcript and degree should be translated and certified in English. This might be pending when you apply so you may give an indication of what you expect to receive as a final grade based on the transcripts of previous semesters.

English language qualification: If your English language qualification is IELTS you need to check if the university requires a minimum band in each section (e.g. minimum 6 in Writing). You may apply for a position at a university before receiving your IELTS results. You will receive a conditional offer and you will be told what grade you require for acceptance. Some universities offer pre-sessional language courses if you are not able to get the band that they require.

References: You are asked to provide references from 2 professors that have taught you. These may be obtained in several ways depending on the university e.g. by supplying contact details of the professors, may be sent by the professor via post directly to a university of your choice or given to the student who scans and uploads them on their on-line application form.

Personal statement: Some universities have word limits for these and include them as part of the application form. Alternatively you may be asked to provide a personal statement separately. This should be one page if possible. You should say something about your current studies, work experience, skills, awards, future plans, why you believe the university is suitable for you academically etc. You do not need to begin with information from your high school as you have moved beyond that.

IELTS Listening – Section 1

Section 1 is the easiest part and contains 10 questions. All answers are said in order and the conversation is between 2 speakers. There is a pause, allowing you to read the questions and an example at the beginning. If you spell a word wrong it is considered incorrect. American and British spelling is accepted. Check the number of words you should use (usually not more than 3). For this section you should know:-

The letters of the alphabet: as people’s names, addresses, locations etc. are spelt for you. (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z). Double means two times e.g. double p=pp

Days of the week: (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Weekdays are Monday to Friday while the weekend includes Saturday and Sunday.

Months of the year: (January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December).

Email addresses: @=at, .=dot e.g. info@expressteach.com

Titles: Mr (for men), Mrs (married women), Miss (unmarried woman), Ms (unspecified female status), Dr (either a medical doctor or a person with a PhD)

Condition of items: Poor, Good, Satisfactory, Excellent

Colours: Red, Yellow, Blue, Black, White, Purple, Green, Orange etc. Shades of colour: dark, light, sky blue

Methods of payment: Cash, credit card, cheque/check

Rates: daily, weekly, monthly

Occupation/Position=job e.g. engineer, architect

Numbers (telephone, age, dates, date of birth, time, percentage, post codes, reference numbers, room numbers, subscription fees etc.)

Telephone numbers: The numbers in a telephone number are said individually 9-6-8-7-3-6-8-2, double three=33, triple five=555 0=is 'oh' not zero.

Dates and Date of birth: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st (for days in a month).

When we talk about dates before 2000 we say the first 2 and last two numbers together e.g. 1984 is nineteen eighty four. After the year 2000 we can say the date as a number e.g. 2011 is two thousand and eleven.

Percentages or Discounts: 20% (twenty per cent) 50% (half price or fifty per cent)

Reference numbers and Post codes: Combine letters and numbers e.g. 5467F or GU8 9EW

Time: 11:15 (quarter past eleven), 11:30 (half past eleven), 11:45 (quarter to twelve). Write the time in full (twenty past three) if you can’t write it numerically. Morning is am e.g. 8am is eight in the morning while pm is in the afternoon/evening e.g. 8pm. Noon, midday=12pm.

The difference between ty and teen: numbers between 13 and 19 end in the sound teen, that’s why people who fall into this group are called teenagers. Numbers ending with 0 end in the sound ty.
13 (thirteen), 30 (thirty)
14 (fourteen), 40 (forty)
15 (fifteen), 50 (fifty)
16 (sixteen), 60 (sixty)
17 (seventeen), 70 (seventy)
18 (eighteen), 80 (eighty)
19 (nineteen), 90 (ninety)

Culture File - Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the longest and most important holiday in the Chinese calendar marking the end of the winter season. It lasts 15 days and ends with the Lantern Festival. During this time, houses are cleaned and windows and doors are decorated with paper-cuts and greetings. People buy presents, decorations, food, and clothing.

On New Year’s Eve, a reunion dinner is held in or near the home of the eldest family member. The feast includes meat dishes (pork, duck, chicken), fish, a hot pot and sweet delicacies followed by firecrackers - to drive away evil spirits. Ingredients that have similar sounding names with ‘good luck’ or ‘prosperity’ are used. The world’s largest annual migration takes place as migrant workers travel home.

Envelopes are given to family members during dinner which often contain money whilst gifts (fruit, sweets, other small gifts) are taken when visiting friends or relatives at their homes. Red (hóng in Mandarin) also means ‘prosperous’ and is the main colour used in New Year celebrations as it symbolizes virtue and truth.

New red clothing symbolizing a new beginning and having plenty to wear in the New Year is typically worn as it was once believed that it could scare away evil spirits and bad fortune.

Dragon and lion dances are also common as it is believed that the loud sound of the musical instruments together with the animal’s face can scare away evil spirits.

Pie Charts

When explaining information presented in the form of a pie chart, it is a good idea to vary the expressions used.

about three quarters (74%)
almost a third (30%)
nearly three quarters (72%)
approximately a quarter (27%)
a little more than a half (53%)
a little less than a half (48%)

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