Many of you will be required to take an IELTS test. IELTS is International English Language Testing System.
You do not pass or fail IELTS, rather you receive a band score which indicates your level English language competence.
Universities usually require a band 6 or band 6.5.
IELTS consists of: Speaking; Listening; Reading; Writing.
Speaking involves talking to an examiner for around 15 minutes. It is not a conversation because the examiner is reading from a script. Speaking is divided into 3 parts: i) general topics ii) you speaking for 2 minutes on a subject iii) a more complex discussion. You cannot choose your questions.
Listening involves listening to a tape and answering 40 questions. You only hear the tape once.
Writing involves writing 2 essays in 1 hour. The first is a summary of a graph, graphs, a chart or charts. You must write at least 150 words (20 mins). The second is a GP type essay of at least 250 words (40 mins). You are given no choice of topic.
Reading is 1 hour and involves 3 texts and 40 questions.
The only place to take IELTS in Brunei is at CFBT in Kiarong. They usually run 2 tests per month so it is worth booking up in advance as there is usually a waiting list.
Call them at 2451905.
CFBT also run classes but there should be no need for you to enroll. Simply acquaint yourself with the test and the types of questions you will have to answer. There are many excellent websites and I have linked a number of them on the left. The 5 star ones are recommended.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Sample Essay For and Against Capital Punishment
Topic: For and against capital punishment
Capital punishment is one of the most controversial subjects to be discussed today. This controversy is caused by so many people all over the world having so many different views about it. Capital punishment happens when someone is put to death for a crime, for example murder or drug trafficking. Many countries in the world have abolished this form of punishment but there are many countries which use it, including many of the states of
One important argument against the death penalty is that sometimes an innocent person is put to death. If capital punishment is used, the authorities must therefore have evidence beyond the shadow of any doubt that they have accused the correct person. Furthermore, capital punishment removes all possibility for a person who has done something seriously wrong to be able to change and to be rehabilitated, or to face up to their past life and repent. In many cases, after capital punishment is abolished, there have been people who committed crimes such as murder, but when they were released after serving their time in prison they did not re-offend but instead they changed and became better people.
Another strong point against capital punishment is that two wrongs do not make a right. Killing a victim, for instance, and then being sentenced to death does not suddenly make everything all right or make things better. A poor, helpless victim’s life has been stolen from him, but killing the murderer will not bring the victim back. In addition, some people might argue that it is inhumane and against human rights to hang, execute or electrify a human being in the name of justice. It could be argued that nobody deserves to die in such a horrible way even if his previous actions have been horribly wrong. The counter-argument to this is of course that the criminal by his actions has given up any rights he might have had to humane treatment.
Nevertheless, those who are in favour ot the death penalty have many points with which to justify their stance. Most importantly it punishes the criminal by doing to him what he did to others. It acts as a form of revenge for the victim’s family by letting them know that the criminal has felt some of the pain he inflicted on another. This is really the only way that people can honestly say that justice has been done. In addition, taking the life of a murderer prevents recidivism, because if the person is no longer alive, then there is no way in which he can commit a crime again.
Furthermore, capital punishment could act as a deterrent to anyone who even thought about committing certain crimes, because he would know that when he was found guilty the death penalty awaited him. Another point in favour of capital punishment is that this method of punishment saves money because instead of the criminal being kept in prison for the rest of his life, he is killed and the money which would have been used to keep him in prison can be used in other, more profitable areas, such as education and hospitals.
After weighing up the arguments for and against capital punishment, I have come to the conclusion that I am for it, and that it is a pity it was abolished in
Friday, May 16, 2008
Language Glossary for EAS
I will start to compile a list of language terms and definitions which will be of use to you when writing commentaries. Here are some important ones:
1. Noun phrase: a word of group of words functioning in a sentence exactly like a noun, with a noun or pronoun as head.
A noun phrase can be a noun or pronoun alone, but is frequently a noun or pronoun with pre-modification and/or post-modification.
eg: the name (the = definite article; name = noun head)
the odd name (odd = pre-modifier)
the name of the game (of the game = post-modifier)
the name he gave (he gave = post-modifier)
2. Modifier: a word or phrase which adds to the meaning of the head word of that phrase.
In the examples above, odd, of the game, he gave, are all modifiers. Pre-modifiers come before the head word and post-modifiers afterwards.
Adverbs act as modifiers in verb phrases.
e.g. I ran quickly (I = pronoun; ran = verb; quickly = modifier)
3. Submodifier: a word which modifies a modifier.
e.g. a very large house (very is a submodifier because it modifies the modifier large).
Contrast with: a large haunted house (both large and haunted are modifiers).
4. Intensifier: an adverb that scales another element upwards or downwards in scales of intensity.
e.g. We thoroughly disapprove and are bitterly disappointed.
You worry a lot.
I hardly know them.
We were kind of wondering.
1. Noun phrase: a word of group of words functioning in a sentence exactly like a noun, with a noun or pronoun as head.
A noun phrase can be a noun or pronoun alone, but is frequently a noun or pronoun with pre-modification and/or post-modification.
eg: the name (the = definite article; name = noun head)
the odd name (odd = pre-modifier)
the name of the game (of the game = post-modifier)
the name he gave (he gave = post-modifier)
2. Modifier: a word or phrase which adds to the meaning of the head word of that phrase.
In the examples above, odd, of the game, he gave, are all modifiers. Pre-modifiers come before the head word and post-modifiers afterwards.
Adverbs act as modifiers in verb phrases.
e.g. I ran quickly (I = pronoun; ran = verb; quickly = modifier)
3. Submodifier: a word which modifies a modifier.
e.g. a very large house (very is a submodifier because it modifies the modifier large).
Contrast with: a large haunted house (both large and haunted are modifiers).
4. Intensifier: an adverb that scales another element upwards or downwards in scales of intensity.
e.g. We thoroughly disapprove and are bitterly disappointed.
You worry a lot.
I hardly know them.
We were kind of wondering.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Assessment notes: GP
We covered most of this in class, but there are a few important lessons to be learnt.
1. Your opening sentence whether it be quotation, question, imaginary scenario or statement must be tied to the topic to explain its relevance. The purpose of this is to establish the topic, its importance and the issues involved in the mind of the reader.
2. You had your own copy of the Principals of Olympism. The idea is to quote from them.
3. Having established the Principals you should contrast the reality of what is happening with these high ideals.
4. The next student who uses and many more will buy me a weeks' supply of chocolate (and that's a lot!).
5. You must state your sources e.g. if you quote from the Principals, then you must say so. If you discuss someone's view you must say who that person is. If you use something you read then you must state where it came from.
6. Define key words in the topic. In this case soul requires very careful definition.
7. Include up-to-date information.
1. Your opening sentence whether it be quotation, question, imaginary scenario or statement must be tied to the topic to explain its relevance. The purpose of this is to establish the topic, its importance and the issues involved in the mind of the reader.
2. You had your own copy of the Principals of Olympism. The idea is to quote from them.
3. Having established the Principals you should contrast the reality of what is happening with these high ideals.
4. The next student who uses and many more will buy me a weeks' supply of chocolate (and that's a lot!).
5. You must state your sources e.g. if you quote from the Principals, then you must say so. If you discuss someone's view you must say who that person is. If you use something you read then you must state where it came from.
6. Define key words in the topic. In this case soul requires very careful definition.
7. Include up-to-date information.
Assessment notes: EAS
I know its neither the most interesting nor the most appealing pastime, but we can learn a lot from assessments. Here are notes concerning the recent 'Pip' commentary.
1. Always write in the 'commentary sentence' (see elsewhere on this Blog): that is identify - refer - effect.
2. The NARRATIVE VOICE is very important in the Pip passage. How does Miss Havisham appear to us filtered through the eyes of a young boy?
3. Contrast the initial impression of Miss H with the slow revelation of her real self.
4. What is the tone here (wonder? amazement? fear?) and does it change? How is tone created and what effect does it have on the reader?
5. What is Dickens' purpose here? In this passage? Go beyond 'to entertain,' 'to amuse.' Each passage will have a particular purpose and identifying this purpose is the key to writing a successful commentary and getting yourself into the high grades.
6. Genre - this is fictional autobiography....
7. Use the phrases, The writer immediately establishes...
8. Write the commentary in the simple present tense.
9. Length: a side and a half is grade C material two sides and a half is grade A material.
10. Use the phrases, The author leads the reader in....
11. Never ever say things like: the author uses good vocabulary; the author uses good words.
1. Always write in the 'commentary sentence' (see elsewhere on this Blog): that is identify - refer - effect.
2. The NARRATIVE VOICE is very important in the Pip passage. How does Miss Havisham appear to us filtered through the eyes of a young boy?
3. Contrast the initial impression of Miss H with the slow revelation of her real self.
4. What is the tone here (wonder? amazement? fear?) and does it change? How is tone created and what effect does it have on the reader?
5. What is Dickens' purpose here? In this passage? Go beyond 'to entertain,' 'to amuse.' Each passage will have a particular purpose and identifying this purpose is the key to writing a successful commentary and getting yourself into the high grades.
6. Genre - this is fictional autobiography....
7. Use the phrases, The writer immediately establishes...
8. Write the commentary in the simple present tense.
9. Length: a side and a half is grade C material two sides and a half is grade A material.
10. Use the phrases, The author leads the reader in....
11. Never ever say things like: the author uses good vocabulary; the author uses good words.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Tone
A fundamental principal of EAS
I've added a link to the best discussion of tone that I could find. The following aspects of tone interest us in EAS:
1. What is the tone of the passage?
2. How does the writer create this tone i.e. how does the choice of words and sentence structure in particular create a certain tone?
3. What effects does the tone produce?
Bear in mind that tone can change and hence the effects also change.
Of course, in paper 2 you must think carefully about the tone that you wish to create in order to produce a particular effect. Why don't you practice writing some short pieces in order to create some different tones e.g. mysterious; dangerous; frightening; romantic; philosophical...
I've added a link to the best discussion of tone that I could find. The following aspects of tone interest us in EAS:
1. What is the tone of the passage?
2. How does the writer create this tone i.e. how does the choice of words and sentence structure in particular create a certain tone?
3. What effects does the tone produce?
Bear in mind that tone can change and hence the effects also change.
Of course, in paper 2 you must think carefully about the tone that you wish to create in order to produce a particular effect. Why don't you practice writing some short pieces in order to create some different tones e.g. mysterious; dangerous; frightening; romantic; philosophical...
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Fundamental Principles of GP Essay Writing
1. The Introduction
The introduction to your GP essay is crucial to your success in many ways:
i) it is the reader's first impression of your writing and first impressions count
ii) it tells the reader immediately whether or not you know anything about the subject
iii) it gives the reader an insight into the quality of your thought processes
iv) it effectively makes the remainder of the essay fall into place
v) it clearly defines the scope of your discussion
Let's look at the recent topic: Sport has lost its soul. Discuss.
The word which clearly sticks out here is soul. I know that people have a soul, but I've never heard of sport having a soul.
I know that when someone loses their soul it is a bad thing: they have turned from being good to evil (hence the idiom - to sell your soul to the devil).
Thus in some way I have to consider that sport has in some respects turned bad. I wonder what they are?
How do I go about defining the soul or good part of sport? Look no further than the:
Fundamental Principles of Olympism:
1 Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.
2 The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.
3 The Olympic Movement is the concerted, organised, universal and permanent action, carried out under the supreme authority of the IOC, of all individuals and entities who are inspired by the values of Olympism. It covers the five continents. It reaches its peak with the bringing together of the world's athletes at the great sports festival, the Olympic Games. Its symbol is five interlaced rings.
4 The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. The organisation, administration and management of sport must be controlled by independent sports organisations.
5 Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.
6 Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter and recognition by the IOC.
OK there's loads of lofty aims and objectives here. We can see that sport is more than simply running around and I am sure I can find similar principles relating to the World Cup; Tennis; Golf; the SEA Games etc. Obviously we mere humans find it very difficult to live up to these aims.
Now let's look for a relevant quotation to get us going:
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, but lose his own soul? (reference a religious book).
So now I'm going to write my introduction.
The ancient quotation For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, but lose his own soul? shows that humans can lose their soul and that this is connected to becoming evil. The soul of a human must therefore be the essential good which is inside all of us. But how can sport have a soul? It is neither human nor plant nor animal, but rather an all encompassing concept. The answer is that the essential good of sport can be found stated in, for example, the lofty ideals of the Fundamental Principals of Olympism. Thus Article 2, The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity clearly tells us that the soul of sport is concerned with the good intentions of its organisers. Unfortunately the reality falls far short of these high ideals and today we can see the politicization of the Olympics (not a new phenomena by any means), the incurable curse of performance enhancing drugs, bribery and corruption at the highest levels, cheating and bad sportsmanship wherever we look.
You might think that this is a bit long but the principle is there for you to follow! The beauty of this introduction is that you have told the reader exactly what you will be writing about - MEGA MARKS for being on the ball and the rest of the essay is a piece of cake - er as long as you know something about the topic.
The introduction to your GP essay is crucial to your success in many ways:
i) it is the reader's first impression of your writing and first impressions count
ii) it tells the reader immediately whether or not you know anything about the subject
iii) it gives the reader an insight into the quality of your thought processes
iv) it effectively makes the remainder of the essay fall into place
v) it clearly defines the scope of your discussion
Let's look at the recent topic: Sport has lost its soul. Discuss.
The word which clearly sticks out here is soul. I know that people have a soul, but I've never heard of sport having a soul.
I know that when someone loses their soul it is a bad thing: they have turned from being good to evil (hence the idiom - to sell your soul to the devil).
Thus in some way I have to consider that sport has in some respects turned bad. I wonder what they are?
How do I go about defining the soul or good part of sport? Look no further than the:
Fundamental Principles of Olympism:
1 Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.
2 The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.
3 The Olympic Movement is the concerted, organised, universal and permanent action, carried out under the supreme authority of the IOC, of all individuals and entities who are inspired by the values of Olympism. It covers the five continents. It reaches its peak with the bringing together of the world's athletes at the great sports festival, the Olympic Games. Its symbol is five interlaced rings.
4 The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. The organisation, administration and management of sport must be controlled by independent sports organisations.
5 Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.
6 Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter and recognition by the IOC.
OK there's loads of lofty aims and objectives here. We can see that sport is more than simply running around and I am sure I can find similar principles relating to the World Cup; Tennis; Golf; the SEA Games etc. Obviously we mere humans find it very difficult to live up to these aims.
Now let's look for a relevant quotation to get us going:
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, but lose his own soul? (reference a religious book).
So now I'm going to write my introduction.
The ancient quotation For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, but lose his own soul? shows that humans can lose their soul and that this is connected to becoming evil. The soul of a human must therefore be the essential good which is inside all of us. But how can sport have a soul? It is neither human nor plant nor animal, but rather an all encompassing concept. The answer is that the essential good of sport can be found stated in, for example, the lofty ideals of the Fundamental Principals of Olympism. Thus Article 2, The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity clearly tells us that the soul of sport is concerned with the good intentions of its organisers. Unfortunately the reality falls far short of these high ideals and today we can see the politicization of the Olympics (not a new phenomena by any means), the incurable curse of performance enhancing drugs, bribery and corruption at the highest levels, cheating and bad sportsmanship wherever we look.
You might think that this is a bit long but the principle is there for you to follow! The beauty of this introduction is that you have told the reader exactly what you will be writing about - MEGA MARKS for being on the ball and the rest of the essay is a piece of cake - er as long as you know something about the topic.
Fundamental Principles of Commentary Writing
1. THE COMMENTARY SENTENCE
There is a standard type of sentence to use when writing a commentary which fulfills the following three functions:
i) it identifies the language feature
ii) it provides the text reference
iii) it explains what the effect is
Here is an example drawn from the recent Dickens text.
"Pip expresses the stunning impact made by Miss Havisham the first time he sees her, 'the strangest lady I have ever seen, or shall ever see.' The use of the superlative strangest clearly exclaims that no other person on earth could possibly be as strange as Miss Havisham. The repetitious have seen/shall ever see emphasises this point by stating that she is unique through time. Thus the reader is given a clear idea of the amazing and life-changing effect that this old lady has and is likely to have on Pip's life".
You will see that my commentary sentence is actually four sentences, but this is OK. It is because I had rather a lot to say. The principle remains the same for one, two, three or four sentences. Can you identify each function within my example?
Look at all your sample commentaries - you will see what I am talking about.
There is a standard type of sentence to use when writing a commentary which fulfills the following three functions:
i) it identifies the language feature
ii) it provides the text reference
iii) it explains what the effect is
Here is an example drawn from the recent Dickens text.
"Pip expresses the stunning impact made by Miss Havisham the first time he sees her, 'the strangest lady I have ever seen, or shall ever see.' The use of the superlative strangest clearly exclaims that no other person on earth could possibly be as strange as Miss Havisham. The repetitious have seen/shall ever see emphasises this point by stating that she is unique through time. Thus the reader is given a clear idea of the amazing and life-changing effect that this old lady has and is likely to have on Pip's life".
You will see that my commentary sentence is actually four sentences, but this is OK. It is because I had rather a lot to say. The principle remains the same for one, two, three or four sentences. Can you identify each function within my example?
Look at all your sample commentaries - you will see what I am talking about.
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