Predictability of IELTS in a high-stakes context: a mixed methods study of Chinese students’ perspectives on test preparation

Ma, Hui; Chong, Sin Wang

doi:10.1186/s40468-021-00152-3

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(25 reference statements)

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“…Although both types of scoring systems they are both different, yet they are related in many ways as it has been indicated in some studies (Cho & Bridgeman, 2012;Ginther & Yan, 2018;Rahmat et al, 2015) The TOEFL or Test of English as a Foreign Language score is used to measure a person's mastery of the English language (Sawaki & Sinharay, 2018). It is an exam taken mainly by people whose native language is not English, and is generally required for entrance into universities in English-speaking countries, as well as for many internships and employment opportunities (Dang & Dang, 2021;Kokhan, 2013;Liao, 2022bLiao, , 2022cMa & Chong, 2022). The TOEFL score is based solely on the performance on timed tests Teachers' scores, on the other hand, typically reflect a variety of methods.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of standardized tests an initial English test is also mentioned in Ma and Chong (2022) and Liao(2022). In Ma and Chong (2022) IELTS was used to determine whether students are eligible to continue studying at the EMI programme or not. In Liao(2022), SAT was employed to place students into EFL class which is not the case of the current study.…”

Section: Hutabaratmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In their study, Amelia and Harmaini observed that TOEFL became a high-stake test and that nearly 400 students out of 1,220 had to take the test numerously before they could obtain the required TOEFL score. Ma and Chong (2022) on the other spectrum reports…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Comparing TOEFL and teacher’s assessment scores in measuring student’s English skills

Hutabarat

2023

JEET

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Standardized English tests have long been used to determine English learner’s level of proficiency. Tests such as TOEFL (Test of English as a foreign language) and IELTS (International English language testing system) are arguably the most popular English tests in the world. On the other hand, English learners are consistently being assessed by their teachers through a performance-based assessment which provides a comprehensive description of student’s learning achievement in learning English. The results of these two forms of assessments were hardly compared and correlated. Therefore, this paper investigates the correlation between student’s TOEFL score and teacher score. Moreover, this study explores how teacher uses washback effects of TOEFL and class tests. Investigating 42 grade 12 students in an English immersion school in Indonesia, the result of this study indicated a positive but weak correlation between TOEFL and teacher’s assessment scores (r = 0.246, p = 0.116). This weak correlation indicates that the two types of assessments measure student’s achievement and performance differently. The washback effect of TOEFL is mainly in the form of teacher’s encouragement to the students to be more serious when taking TOEFL test so that they will be about to get higher scores.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Hutabaratmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparing TOEFL and teacher’s assessment scores in measuring student’s English skills

Hutabarat

2023

JEET

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“…The writing section of the IELTS exam is notorious for its lower scores, but the author employed various strategies to achieve a high score in this section [4]. Firstly, they studied standard answers from practice tests to understand the appropriate format and language structure.…”

Section: Writing Sectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

IELTS Band 8 Strategies for Busy Physicians From Non-native English-Speaking Countries

Seetharaman¹

2023

Cureus

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Non-native English-speaking physicians often encounter challenges when pursuing job and education opportunities in English-speaking countries. This article focuses on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, which is a requirement for applying to work, study, or obtain a visa in native English-speaking developed countries. The article details how the author, who is a physician from India, employed strategies that resulted in an overall band score of 8, consisting of 8.5 in listening, 9 in reading, 7.5 in writing, and 7.5 in speaking. The author had a moderate level of English proficiency before the 31-day preparation period, which involved one hour of daily practice and four-hour intensive practice for three days. To prepare, the physician used various resources, including Cambridge IELTS 15 and 16 books, two free practice tests from the British Council, a free 14-day course, and two full practice tests from Macquarie University. The author employed diverse strategies to improve their listening skills, such as listening to English content without subtitles, practicing with IELTS-like tests, and listening to tests at faster speeds. To overcome reading challenges, the author completed three reading passages during practice, read medical journals and books, and familiarized themselves with medical terminologies. For the writing section, the author practiced different question types and used language-checking software for feedback. Lastly, for the speaking section, the author practiced various topics, familiarized themselves with the exam format, and recorded themselves to identify and correct errors. This success story demonstrates how non-native English speakers can use a combination of resources and strategies to enhance their skills in all four sections of the IELTS exam at a nominal fee.

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“…Research also revealed the negative impact of TP. TP can have a negative impact on students by restricting their English learning scope, forcing them to self-isolated learning, taking repeated tests, and purchasing predicted answers (Ma & Chong, 2022). Additionally, sellers of predicted answers are thought to be engaged in unethical practices since doing such test-taking strategies can help students achieve a score higher than their language proficiency may warrant (Hu & Trenkic, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novice Students’ Experience of Taking Toeic Preparation Class: A Phenomenological Case Study

Rahayu

Hamied

Sukyadi

et al. 2022

ERJEE

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This study aims to investigate how novice non-English department students in Indonesia describe their lived experiences of EFL learning in a TOEIC preparation class. The study included eighteen novice students from one vocational higher education in Jakarta who enrolled in a TOEIC preparation class using purposive sampling. Prior to the course, the participants took prediction tests, and their scores fell to the novice learners, and they were required to take a forty-hour preparation class. The participants have taken part in forty-hour TOEIC preparation classes. The primary source of data was semi-structured, in-depth phenomenological interviews. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. According to the findings, several themes were elaborated. The findings uncovered what students gained and learned from the class, their learning difficulties, their learning strategies, and their plan to improve their English. In this study, the themes were broken down into several sub-themes to better elaborate on the participant's lived experiences and how they made meaning of their experiences. The findings strongly suggest policymakers such as EFL teachers, program and curriculum developers, and other stakeholders pay more attention to the students' voices stating that EFL learning goes to a unique and complex process. Thus, successful English learning cannot be achieved unless their needs and voices are taken into consideration.

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Predictability of IELTS in a high-stakes context: a mixed methods study of Chinese students’ perspectives on test preparation

Cited by 5 publications

References 21 publications

Comparing TOEFL and teacher’s assessment scores in measuring student’s English skills

Comparing TOEFL and teacher’s assessment scores in measuring student’s English skills

IELTS Band 8 Strategies for Busy Physicians From Non-native English-Speaking Countries

Novice Students’ Experience of Taking Toeic Preparation Class: A Phenomenological Case Study

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