In this video, we are joined by Scott Johnston from Swoosh English to give us an insight into the popular International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Pearson Test of English (PTE) tests, including some helpful tips and tricks to get the best English results.

If you are interested in English tutoring from Swoosh, please use our affiliate link: https://go.swooshenglish.com/pass-ielts?fpr=wvl-ielts

If you have any questions about English requirements for migration purposes, please feel free to contact us: -

Phone: (08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

IELTS has a new test format available to students - computer-delivered IELTS, which has been designed to make it easier for students to take the test at their convenience on a desktop computer.

The IELTS test is offered in two formats, IELTS Academic and General Training. Computer-delivered test takers will be tested on the following components:

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing

All aspects of the computer based test are the same as the paper based test, including question types, timings, content and marking. 

Applicants applying for the General Skilled Migration (GSM) visas – subclass 189 Skilled Independent, subclass 190 Skilled Nominated and subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored visas, will need to meet points test requirements to be eligible to receive an Invitation to Apply. Applicants applying for Employer-Sponsored visas such as the 457 visa, RSMS 187 visa and the ENS 186 visa may also need to meet English testing requirements to successfully obtain a work visa.

There are many types of English tests which you can take to demonstrate your English ability, but the IETLS and TOEFL English exams have been the traditional English tests for Australian visas. Many prospective visa applicants face difficulties with their English exams because of various reasons:

• English not being the first language or mother tongue

• Not familiar with the exam format and time limits

• Not practicing with specimen materials before attempting the exams

Are you asking yourself the questions, which is the Best English Test to take?

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) introduced additional English exams for visa applications in late 2014. Many applicants have been able to try the different English exams available and many have provided feedback that the PTE Academic exam has been a more manageable experience for them.

Work Visa Lawyers recently met with Joe Hernandez, Key Account Manager for Pearson Australia to discuss in detail the key features of the PTE Academic exam and how it can help visa applicants in the visa application process.

Joe Hernandez (centre) from Pearson Australia, with Chris Johnston (right) and Sean Choong (left) from Work Visa Lawyers

From our discussion here are a few key features of the PTE Academic exam that we feel are beneficial to visa applicants:

• The entire exam is completed in approximately 3 hours (versus half a day or 2 days for IELTS)
• The entire exam is conducted electronically – writing and speaking are done via computers
• Results in 5 business days
• Practice exam available online at $40.00 to familiarise yourself with the exam format and to roughly check your strengths and weaknesses

The exam candidate will definitely feel less tired taking the PTE Academic compared to the IELTS, as the entire exam is completed in 3 hours. An IELTS exam will take up half a day on weekends, or require you to return to the test centre during mid-week for the speaking component. Additionally the speaking module for PTE Academic is done speaking into a computer microphone (likened to speaking to family on Skype) while the traditional IELTS speaking component puts you face-to-face with an examiner who may cause uneasiness among candidates (likened to a nerve-wracking job interview).

Being able to obtain your results in 5 days will be very helpful for visa applicants facing an urgent deadline to lodge a visa application. Joe explains that the centralised, electronic marking system provides a fast turnaround for candidates to obtain results. The marking system also means that assessment levels and integrity are constant for all candidates.

There are also other considerations unique to the PTE Academic exam:

• It is better to re-take the exam than to re-mark since the same centralised marking system is used for the re-mark
• Certain skills assessment authorities like Engineers Australia (might change soon), ANMAC and AITSL currently does not accept PTE Academic exam results as part of the skills assessment criteria

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer and Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers

The PTE Academic exam is definitely an attractive alternative to the IELTS exam for visa applicants. As mentioned in our earlier blog there have been clients who were able to obtain better results with the PTE Academic exam. If you are interested in taking the PTE Academic exam, you may want to consider booking in advance, as there may be an increase in demand for the exam, resulting in a long wait to take the exam. Joe has mentioned that Pearson Australia is working to increase the availability of the exam in Australia to cope with the increased demand.

Work Visa Lawyers thanks Joe and Pearson Australia for spending time with us sharing the information that we think is important for migrants who are required to take English exams for their visa application. We also remind visa applicants that English is only one part of the visa application requirements. Always check with a Registered Migration Agent for all relevant requirements before applying for a visa.

This information is accurate on 19 October 2015.

Sources:

• http://pearsonpte.com/
• https://ptepractice.com/

Do you need help with an Australian visa application?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications. Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as Migration Review Tribunal, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.

If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 7225 5091 or +61 8 7225 5091

or   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Work Visa Lawyers is pleased to host a complimentary English exam Q&A session with private English tutor, Susan Taylor. Susan has many years of private english tutoring experience and holds a Graduate Diploma in Education. She will be providing tips and advice on taking English exams including IELTS (Academic or General Training), OET and the PTE Academic Exam. Here are the details:

Venue:

Work Visa Lawyers office

230 Henley Beach Road

Torrensville 5031 SA

Date: Friday, 23 October 2015

Time: 2 p.m - 3 p.m.

This FREE session is available to all but priority will given to existing clients of Work Visa Lawyers. Places are limited so please email to confirm your attendance. Send your confirmation to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We hope that all aspiring migrants will take advantage of this unique opportunity to improve your chances at getting the required results for the English exams. See you at the session!

Most Australian temporary and permanent residence visa applications require applicants to meet English language requirements. Currently there are FIVE different English exams that are accepted by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection:

• IELTS – International English Language Testing System (Academic or General Module)
• OET – Occupational English Test
• TOEFL iBT – Test of English as a Foreign Language (internet-based test)
• PTE – Pearson Test of English (Academic)
• CAE – Cambridge English: Advanced

While there are different English exams available the requirements thresholds remain the same as Functional, Vocational, Competent, Proficient and Superior. Here are the equivalents across the five different exams:

Fees and Time Taken for Results

The following are fees for the exams in Australia:

IELTS – A$ 330
Results available 13 calendar days after the test

OET – A$ 587 including A$ 7 booking fee
Results available 16 business days after the test (add 7 to 10 business days for post)

TOEFL iBT – US$ 300
Results available 10 calendar days after the test (add 4 to 6 weeks for post)

PTE – A$ 330
Results available 5 business days after the test

CAE – A$ 280
Results available 4-6 weeks after the test (2 weeks for computer-based exams)

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer and Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers

The availability of different English exams is a great advantage for visa applicants for the following reasons:

• Applicants can now take English exams of a different format, e.g. computer-based exams
• Applicants who are facing time constraints or deadlines to submit a visa application with an English exam result now have more options to obtain an English exam result faster

Work Visa Lawyers advises that applicants do not wait until the last minute before submitting a visa application. Occasionally circumstances may force applicants to have a very short window to submit a visa application. Applicants can now check with different English exam providers to see which can provide the English exams results in time for their visa application.

Now that the new English exams have been introduced for quite some time, I can provide you with some feedback from my clients:

• Many clients are preferring the PTE Academic exam as they find that they can get better results compared to the IELTS
• This means that exam places for the PTE Academic exam may be booked up as more visa applicants choose to take the PTE exam
• Book your English exams as early as possible to avoid a long wait for the exam date

This information is accurate on 28 August 2015

Sources:

1. IELTS
   https://ielts.com.au/
2. OET
   https://www.occupationalenglishtest.org/
3. TOEFL
   https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about/
4. PTE
   http://pearsonpte.com/
5. CAE
   http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams/advanced/

Links to previous blogs about English requirements:

• http://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/entry/australia-migration-updates-video-update-by-registered-migration-agent-chris-johnston.html
• http://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/entry/changes-announced-for-the-457-visa-lower-english-requirements.html
• http://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/entry/changes-announced-for-the-476-and-485-visa-lower-english-requirements.html
• http://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/entry/australian-immigration-news-for-september-2014-new-english-tests-and-partner-visa-fees-up.html
• http://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/entry/which-english-test-is-the-best-for-australian-migration.html
• http://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/entry/five-tips-for-the-ielts-test-by-english-tutor-fran-reid.html

Do you need help with an Australian visa application?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications. Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as Migration Review Tribunal, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.

If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 7225 5091 or +61 8 7225 5091

or   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

WHICH ENGLISH TEST IS THE BEST FOR AUSTRALIAN MIGRATION?

2018 IELTS UPDATE: IELTS now offering computer-delivered English tests for visa applicants in AustraliaIELTS now offering computer-delivered English tests for visa applicants in Australia

New tests are available for Australian Migration, giving you more options!

Since 23 November 2014 the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has accepted other forms of English tests other than IELTS and the OET for Temporary Graduate, Skilled, Former Resident and Work and Holiday visa applications.  In our earlier article we mentioned that in addition to IELTS and OET, applicants can now use TOEFL and PTE Academic for visa application purposes (CAE to be accepted 1 Jan 2015 onwards).  Click here for our earlier article regarding the newly accepted English exams and the relevant scoring benchmarks.

So applicants now have options to the type of English exam they wish to take for their visa application. 

The options include:

• IELTS
• TOEFL iBT
• Pearson - PTE Academic
• Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)

WHICH ENGLISH TEST is Easiest and Best for You?

Are all the English exams the same? 

Are the structures of some exams more compatible for the person taking the exam? 

TOEFL is all done talking to the computer, whereas IELTS is paper based for writing and you have to speak to a person.

Watch this video of a student who have done all the different exams and what he thinks about them.  You can hear him speak about the differences between TOEFL and IELTS at the 3:31 mark: 

“I scored much better on the TOEFL test than I did the IELTS. So the difference was quite big.  So apparently for me the TOEFL was better.  So for the IELTS test I had an overall average of 7.5... For the TOEFL test I scored...  for the internet based test I scored 114 out of 120”

Another video provides more details on the preparation for the exams (2:55 mark):

“These (preparation leaflets) are very important because they really give you... put you at ease when you are in front of the exam so I would really recommend reading those. So even if you don’t really prepare your English at least you prepare the way you have to take you exam so that would help you a lot.”

On the exam format (6:34 mark):

“... in TOEFL lots of it were in multiple choice except for the writing section and in the IELTS you have to write even when you are listening and also when you are reading you have to write...”

For a detailed description of the exam formats and differences you can watch this video and find out what tasks await you in the different exams.  There are also many tips and video guides on specific sections for the exams on YouTube.  You can also find more descriptions online for the other English exams such as Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) that is now accepted for visa applications.

Now that you know the exams are different, do find out and try the specimen exam materials for the different tests to see which suits you better.  Complications in fulfilling the English requirements can delay your visa application and affect your eligibility.  Act now to find your best English test and obtain the scores required to start your new life in Australia!

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer at Work Visa Lawyers:

With the recent opening of new test for many Australian visas, I have spoken with many of my client’s.  Some are sticking with the IELTS as they are used to its structure. 

There is also strong interest in the TOEFL IBT due to it being done on a computer at a testing centre.  I will do further blogs in which I comment on the feedback provided by my clients about which test they prefer.

Source:

From Fulbright Belgium

Applying to US Universities: Comparing the GRE, GMAT, TOEFL and IELTS Tests

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agBQrQOWPAo

TOEFL vs IELTS: Comparing English Language Proficiency Tests

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk2hMlRW99g

TOEFL - IELTS: Compare TOEFL vs IELTS and take the right one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CFBXg4H3fU

Warning:

 This information is accurate on the 11 January 2015.

Do You Need Help with Australia Migration?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants with the Expression of Interest, State Sponsorship and Visa application process for state sponsored subclasses 190 and 489.  We can also assist with the Independent 189.

If you require further information regarding an application or your Australian visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 7225 5091 or +61 8 7225 5091 

or   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Yeah!  New English Tests now acceptable for many Australian visa applications - TOEFL iBT and PTE Academic witn CAE to follow in January!

The Department of Immigration has been sending this news release out today:

“Expansion of three additional English language tests across visa programmes from 23 November 2014

From 23 November 2014 the department will accept test scores from two additional tests to IELTS across the Temporary Graduate, Skilled, Former Resident and Work and Holiday programmes. These are the Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT) and the Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic. The department will also accept scores from the Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) test undertaken from 1 January 2015. Further information about these alternative tests is available from the department’s website www.immi.gov.au/News/Pages/aelt.aspx.

The department will not accept test scores from TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) tests for Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) visas as evidence of English language ability.”

Here are the English Score Equivalencies in a Table

*From 1 January 2015 and only for a Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) test taken on or after 1 January 2015.

Sources:

DIBP website:

http://www.immi.gov.au/News/Pages/aelt.aspx 

Warning:

 This information is accurate on the 24 November 2014.  State/Territory Bodies and DIBP will change requirements in an ongoing manner and all current requirements must be established prior to lodging an application. 

Do You Need Help with  Australia Migration?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experience in assisting applicants with the Expression of Interest, State Sponsorship and Visa application process for state sponsored subclasses 190 and 489.  We can also assist with the Independent 189.

If you require further information regarding an application or your Australian visa options

you can contact us through:

 (08) 7225 5091 or +61 8 7225 5091  

or      This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Five tips for the IELTS test by English tutor Fran Reid.

1.      Know what the examiners want for each section of the test.

Each section of the test is marked according to certain criteria, knowing what the examiner is looking for will help you to target your responses.

2.      Speak, listen, read and write English as much as possible.

‘Using’ English in your everyday life will improve your confidence in using English in a relaxed way.

3.      Practice the test on a regular basis.

Practice gives you a feel for the timing of the test and increases your self confidence by giving you a realistic idea of your English capabilities.

         4.   Manage your time so you have a quiet space for practice.

Make sure you are in a good position to prepare for the test. Work and family responsibilities often get in the way of studies so plan for this study period.

5.      Engage a tutor or not?

Taking IELTS preparation classes provides you with a controlled environment where a tutor will monitor your work and give you feedback to help you understand where you need to improve.

Do You Need Help with the IELTS Test?

At MarketPlaceEnglish I assist people with the IELTS Test using authentic practice materials and providing constructive feedback.

I am a qualified and experienced tutor having helped hundreds of people gain their desired band score.

I provide English tuition in the city of Adelaide in South Australia.

If I can be of assistance or you require further information and would like to make a booking please contact Frances on:

Phone: 042 117 8286

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..