Now that we know both sides of the IELTS coin, what mistakes can we make when approaching IELTS?
English language learners (ELLs) like you face many dangers because of IELTS. None of them are actually IELTS’s fault, but they do exist because of IELTS. The same problems exist around other testing systems, not only like TOEFL, but also any kind of testing, such as the SAT in the US or gaokao in China.
The biggest pitfall I see is studying for the test, not the language. I’ve had so many students say, “I’m studying IELTS.” No one enjoys studying for a test (unless they’re crazy). It’s like shopping online because you love the boxes that the stuff you buy comes in. Focusing on the box (IELTS) and not the contents (English) takes the fun out of it, and costs you extra money as you pay for IELTS courses.
It doesn’t hurt to take a few IELTS classes to get to know the test, but having an IELTS mindset is dangerous for those with lower English abilities. You should never learn English through IELTS. You should take IELTS through English, if that makes any sense.
But what’s wrong with learning some skills that can boost my IELTS score? It’s dangerous. I’ve had too many students with weak English learn to get higher scores than they deserve, go to a foreign country, and struggle every day because of their weak ability. I’ve gone to high school with Koreans, Chinese, and Taiwanese friends who struggled every day because their English wasn’t good enough. It’s no joke. I know so many professionals, young and old alike, in a foreign country who can’t speak good enough English to immerse in the culture and become isolated in their only little foreign circle of friends.
If your English isn’t good enough, you won’t be able to learn English in a foreign country without serious emotional and psychological challenges. Only some overcome them. Many return after a long struggle, burnt out and not willing to ever go back.
We all need a balanced view of IELTS. We can’t have our heads in the clouds. It’s dangerous.
Is it just money, boredom, stress, and possible struggle overseas? No, there’s other pitfalls, too. Ineffective learning. This comes in two ways: learning incorrectly and giving up. When students learn IELTS first English, there is on overemphasis on accurate, high-level speech. Very little emphasis on true communication.
How often in life do you have an interview? If you’re like me, only a few times in a few decades. So why focus all of your English learning on an interview? The result will be that you are not equipped for daily communication, relationship building, community participation, and even work. Yes, this ties into what we already talked about, but this is for those who actually are higher-level speakers.
IELTS English isn’t natural English. And that makes sense because if you had to get to know the IELTS examiner over a period of 3 weeks to get a wholistic assessment of your English, you’d be paying $3000 dollars each assessment. Though possible, it’s simply impractical.
On the other hand, we get demotivated from failing to get our scores. When our focus is the IELTS exam, and we keep getting low scores (maybe because we are focused on the box instead of the contents), then you just get demotivated. You want to give up. You develop a brain-block. I’ve seen this in many students, and even in close family members.
The trickiness of it is this: studying IELTS can get you a short-term score boost. It just can’t get you long-term results. So someone who needs a 6, but only can get a 4 studies IELTS religiously for a few months. At first, he sees improvement because he gets a 5. A few months later he tests 5 again. Then the next time 5.5. Then again, 5.5. Now he thinks it’s the IELTS trying to make money off of him, but it’s actually because focusing on IELTS can’t easily get you more than a 1 point increase.
The honest truth is, natives who take the test get 6.5 to 8. If they study hard for it, they can get 8.5 or 9. It takes years of English language learning to get 6’s and 7’s. Years. That means we need patience. Lots of patience. And lots of persistence. If we try to get results fast, we will quickly burn out.
And this is a good thing about IELTS. If anyone could get a high score because of a few months of studying, then English speaking countries would see a lot of people come in without having a long English background and without a long-term test of dedication. Not all of them, but many of them would get tired of the intense studying (especially since they’d have work to do and life to live) and they’d burn out in the foreign country. That’s no joke. That’s not safe. I’ve seen this firsthand in high school students and adults. It’s never pretty.
The fact that your average native gets around a 7 on IELTS brings us to another pitfall: the “I made it” attitude. This is something we are all guilty of. I got a 7.5? Wow! I am awesome.
I’ve met too many ELLs (including non-native English teachers) who get high scores and then think they are English experts, but then when I talk to them, they don’t get what I’m saying.
This is because of the nature of the IELTS test. It isn’t a comprehensive English test. It only covers the basic, everyday topics of life, with -ironically- little attention to real life communication.
What do I mean?
IELTS doesn’t measure the ability to communicate in different styles, with different attitudes, with different motives, and in different situations. It measures your daily vocabulary and grammar. Can you write a short story? Can you imply to your boss that the person who made the mistake is the person sitting next to you without the person sitting next to you knowing? Can you make a rhyming joke about how bad your party is making references to a recent political event to get everyone in the room to relax? IELTS doesn’t come close to testing these types of English communication skills.
So don’t see IELTS as the gold standard of English. You need to measure your progress relationally. That means, how are you able to relate to English speakers? Can you make someone laugh? Can you tell someone why you want to move overseas? Can you tell someone that you don’t like their fashion in a lighthearted way? Can you encourage someone when they are having a bad day? These are true milestones in language skills that IELTS will never tell you.
And IELTS isn’t supposed to measure these things. It’s just to get you overseas, and that’s it! I’ve met Band 6 non-natives that could do all of these things, and Band 8 non-natives that couldn’t do any of them.
So: have a healthy view of IELTS, don’t try to “cheat” your way into better scores than you deserve, and don’t use it as a test of your real English abilities. Now you’re on the way to avoiding all of those holes, but next time we’ll get in more detail on that!
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