New Cambridge and IELTS exam classes – 16th March

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Cambridge students listening to vital grammar explanations 🙂

In just over 1-month BBELS will begin it’s new classes for the Cambridge and IELTS exam courses. There are still a few spaces available if you are interested in studying with us. As you can see from previous posts, our exam teachers have a strong history of helping their students attain fantastic results.

BBELS is one of the few schools in Australia that provides lessons for Cambridge Proficiency students. Since we started teaching Proficiency our fabulous teacher Kat has helped every student pass this very difficult exam. Congratulations to Kat and her students.

Similarly, students who study with us to prepare for the IELTS exam have also had some wonderful success-stories. Many of them have achieved results higher than they expected which has helped them for immigration purposes as well as for entrance into exclusive university courses around the world.

Our next Cambridge and IELTS preparation courses start on the 16th March. Contact us at info@bbels.com.au for more information.

 

 

Study IELTS at BBELS

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Our next IELTS course starts on Monday June 19th. It is always one of our most popular courses and our students have achieved some really great results. This post will explain a little bit about the IELTS exam and answer some of the common questions that our students ask.

What is IELTS?

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is an exam that tests your ability in English. More specifically, it examines your levels in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The IELTS certificate is recognised by 10,000 institutions around the world.

There are 2 types of IELTS tests: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.

IELTS Academic is suitable for students who want to study at universities and colleges. It is also suitable for professional accreditation in certain jobs, these include: healthcare, accounting, engineering, law, tourism, finance.

IELTS General Training is suitable for students who are interested in applying for visas. It is especially helpful for students who want to migrate to Australia, New Zealand, the U.K, Canada. We often recommend our students to take this exam if they are interested interested in getting an internationally recognised certificate which shows their level of English.

What is the test format?

The test is divided in listening, reading, writing, speaking. The listening format is the same for both Academic and General.

Listening (30 minutes):

You listen to 4 different recordings of native English speakers. These will include: a conversation between two people; a monologue in a social context; a conversation between up to 4 people; a monologue on an academic subject.

Writing (60 minutes):

Academic test: You will be presented with 2 tasks. Task 1 requires you to describe a graph or diagram. Task 2 requires you to write an essay.

General test: Task 1 asks you to write a letter in a semi-formal or formal style. Task 2 asks you to write an essay.

Reading (60 minutes):

Academic test: includes 3 texts from books, newspapers, whose vocabulary and topics are suitable for those at a university level

General Test: includes texts from books, newspapers whose vocabulary and topics are suitable for those who understand English on a general level.

Speaking (11-14 minutes):

The speaking test is divided into 3 parts. You will be asked to talk about yourself; speak about a particular topic; extend a discussion by expressing ideas and issues.

 

Our IELTS courses are a great way to improve your English level. You don’t have to do the exam, you can simply study in the class, however we do recommend it. We always receive great feedback about our course.

If you are interested in joining our next IELTS course (June 19th start date) please come and speak with us at reception or contact us at info@bbels.com.au.

Meet the students: Diego from Spain

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Diego enjoying the surf at Byron Bay

Meet Diego! He is one of our Spanish students here at the Byron Bay English Language School. Diego has recently completed a course to prepare him for the First Certificate in English exam. His time at the school was so positive that he will be coming back to complete an IELTS course. In this interview Diego talks about his impressions of Byron Bay and our school.

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Diego, can you tell us why you decided to come to Australia?

I decided to come to Australia because right now Spain is in a bad economic and social situation. That made me think about going abroad for a period of time until the situation in my country changes. Another reason that made me choose Australia was the weather and the lovely and friendly people who live here.

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Cycling back to town from the Lighthouse

Why did you choose BBELS?

I chose BBELS because my idea of being abroad was to find a job and learn English at the same time. One of my friends back in Spain told me about the school and after comparing and looking at different things, BBELS was the chosen one due to the location of the school and the reviews that I read on the internet.

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Diego and his Cambridge teacher Ash

Can you tell us your impressions of BBELS?

The school is good, the teachers are good. Almost everything in and around the school is good.

How do you expect the English you have been learning at BBELS to help you when you get back to your country?

Actually I don’t want to go back to my country. Once you are abroad you don’t know what your future will bring you but nowadays if I need to choose something I will choose stay longer in Australia. One of my ideas is to apply for the work and holiday visa and then go to Melbourne and try to find a job in design, which is what I have studied. But if I get back to my country, English as a language will help me to find a better job in better companies.

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BBELS Soccer Team consisting of students from all over the world

Could you tell us about how the school supports its students? Have you had any assistance from the school to find a good accommodation, a job or for further visas?

The school has been helping me since the first day I arrived. Special thanks to Sonia and Marcos for all the support and good vibes that they have given me. Sonia has helped me with every problem that I had. Sonia not only is a good employee for the school but is also a really good help for the students, helping us with problems from the school and also problems outside the school. Marcos is the perfect example of happiness in Byron Bay. He is always helping and always smiling. He will stop doing his job to sacrifice his time for helping the students, a really good man. About visas, Sonia and I are working to apply for my work and holiday visa.

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At BBELS, everyone should….?

At BBELS everyone should speak English. It’s so annoying when people make groups and only talk their mother language.

Meet the students: Mojahid from Saudi Arabia

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Continuing our series of “Meet the students” we are happy to introduce Mojahid from Saudia Arabia. Mojahid has enjoyed the beautiful natural experiences in Byron Bay, developing his surfing skills while also preparing for the IELTS exam.

Why did you decide to come to Australia?

Well, actually this is my 3rd time in Australia! The first time I was in Sydney. The second time I went to Noosa. For this third time, I was looking for a small town close to the beach. But the location wasn’t the only decisive factor. I also wanted to find a place where I could have a great time and improve my English. I was talking to some friends and they had told me there weren’t many Middle Eastern students in Byron Bay, so I decided to come over and have a look. I loved the place and the fact that there weren’t many students speaking Arabic was very positive, so I had to speak English all the time, which is great. In my opinion, Byron Bay is the perfect destination to learn English and enjoy the outdoors, especially for students from my age group.
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Mojahid enjoying a cooking lesson with his IELTS class.

Why did you choose BBELS?

This time I wanted to study hard to prepare myself for the IELTS exam. During my research for English Schools in Byron Bay, I found some students’ testimonials saying that BBELS have a very strong IELTS preparation course. I also heard from other students that at BBELS students have a very good social life. That’s very important when you are in a distant country learning a second language, because that’s the way you make new friends. BBELS have 2 dedicated people organising activities and travel exclusively for students. Oh yes, and there is the school café (Café Oska) and the school parties! Both are great to relax and catch up with people from all over the world.

Tell us your impressions about BBELS.

The nationality mix at school is very good and it allows me to interact and make friends from many different countries. I’ve been learning a few words in other languages and also interesting things from other cultures

The BBELS staff is very friendly, and my teacher is great. She is very in tune with the official IELTS exam. She knows so much about the English Language and also about the IELTS exam, that by sharing her knowledge with us, she has given me confidence and I really feell ready for the official exam.

Byron Bay is well known for its natural wonders…where is your favourite place in Byron?

Wategos beach! Wategos is my favourite place because I started surfing there. The waves there are perfect for beginners and it never gets too crowded. The beach is stunning and very well preserved. Surfing at Wategos is a beautiful experience. I love the afternoons at Wategos, because dolphins always come very close to the beach, and watching the sunset there, with the lighthouse blinking just before dusk, its magical.
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Saudi Arabian culture is different to Australian culture in many ways…is there any Australian habit that you think is very different from your culture?

Yes! In Australian they eat kangaroo meat. At the beginning it sounds very weird to me, but I tried kangaroo meat, and I love it!

How do you expect the English you have been learning in Australia to help you when you get back to your country?

I am not going back to my country for long. I’m going to Shanghai next year, because I will start a Master in Business. That’s the main goal and the reason why I’m studying English. I need a good score in the IETLS test and also all my classes will be administrated in English.

At BBELS, everyone should….?

Use your English skill that you learn at school to engage yourself into the local community. That’s a great way to improve your vocabulary and also help others.

Choosing between the IELTS and Cambridge Courses

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Students at BBELS often ask us to describe the difference between the IELTS and Cambridge Mainsuite exams (FCE, CAE, CPE).

Choosing between the different courses is important, especially if your objective is related to future academic studies, sponsorhip or national citizenship.

Following is a guide to help you select the course which will provide you with the best outcome.

IELTS (International English Language Testing System):

Why is IELTS useful:

IELTS is important for students who are interested in entering TAFE colleges and Australian and international universities. IELTS is essential for students who wish to immigrate to Australia, Canada and New Zealand. If you want to work in a professional job in Australia, the USA or British commonwealth countries it is also neccessary to do the IELTS exam.

It is generally advised that academic institutions do not accept an IELTS report that is more than 2 years old.

What is the structure of the exam:

Students can elect to sit either the General IELTS exam or the Academic IELTS exam. The General IELTS exam is useful for immigration purposes and to enter non-academic training contexts. The Academic IELTS exam is suited for students who wish to enter universities and professions that use English in the workplace.

The IELTS exam tests 4 skills: speaking, listening, reading, writing. The Academic IELTS exam tests students’ reading and writing ability at a higher level than the General IELTS exam.

Speaking: is divided into General Topics, One Prepared Topic and a Discussion with the examiner.

Listening: consists of a variety of question styles. Using correct spelling is important.

Reading: consists of 3 passages. Question styles include include multiple choice, writing words, matching and summarizing.

Writing: Students will be expected to write papers which Present and Support an Opinion; Discuss Problems/Solutions; balance Two Arguments

Who can study the IELTS preparation course:

The course is open to full-time students in the Upper-intermediate-Advanced levels. Depending on the time of year the course runs for 10-12 weeks. It is a requirement that students commence in the first week of the course for a minimum of 8 weeks. Students must also sit a pre-entry test before commencing the course.

The IELTS test can be taken at the Gold Coast, approximately one hour from Byron Bay.

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Graduation Day for one of our First Certificate in English classes.

The Cambridge Mainsuite Exams:

Why are the Cambridge exams useful:

The Cambridge exams are useful for work and acdemic purposes.

A pass in the First Certificate in English exam (equivalent to level B2 of the CEFR) indicates an everyday written and spoken ability in English. This is recognised by many international companies and educational institutions.

The Certificate in Advanced English is recognised by over 10,000 employers and colleges worldwide. Furthermore it is approved by the Australian government for student visas.

The Certificate of Proficiency in English is recognised by prestigious universities around the world as evidence of a high level in academic and social English.

The CAE and CPE exams are extremely difficult to pass without studying in a preparation course beforehand.

What is the structure of the exams:
There are 5 sections to the tests: Reading, Writing, Use of English, Listening, and Speaking.

Reading: There are long and short passages with different types of questions. Texts range from newspapers, fiction stories, interviews, advertisements and other media.

Writing: Two different types of writing are required. Possible formats include letters, reports, reviews, essays or short stories.

Use of English: Tasks that show grammar and vocabulary control are tested in this section.

Listening: Questions are asked about a range of recordings including news programs, presentations and conversations.

Speaking: This involves direct answers to an examiner, descriptions of pictures, pair work.

There is no expiry limit to the Cambridge reports.

Who can study the Cambridge preparation course:

The Cambridge courses are open to full-time students in the Upper-intermediate to Advanced levels. Depending on the time of year the courses run for 10-12 weeks. It is a requirement that students commence in the first week of the course. Students must also sit a pre-entry test before commencing the course.

Students are either tested here at BBELS or at the Gold Coast (approximately one hour from Byron Bay).

Our IELTS and Cambridge students always report that their vocabulary and grammatical accuracy improves dramatically throughout the preparation courses. The skills learned in the courses make our students much more employable both here in Australia and in their home country. Students also comment about the sincere friendships that are formed during the 3 months spent studying together.

If you would like to know more about our testing courses please contact today!