Safe, friendly, warm and affordable — Brisbane is the perfect place for international students to study. The capital city of Queensland is also known as the most inclusive place to study in Australia and kicks this off with the annual Brisbane Welcomes International Students Festival, the largest orientation event in Australia. Brisbane is also home to several world-class education and training facilities.
So, how do you make it happen?
First, if you live overseas and want to come to Australia to study, you must obtain the relevant student visa. If English is not your first language, you also need to prove you have the required language proficiency that will enable you to complete your studies at an academic level in English.
To prove your language proficiency, you must take a test. There are several tests accepted by immigration and university admissions centres and students can find information about minimum score requirements for each of these online through the individual university websites.
Each of the tests assesses the applicant's ability in the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. The test we will be focusing on in this article is known as IELTS.
The Basic Facts About the International English Language Testing System
The IELTS test is the most widely known English language proficiency test. It was designed to ascertain the ability of applicants to communicate and function in an English-speaking environment.
There are three different tests available — academic, general training and life skills. Each of these consists of four individual tests, one each for speaking, listening, reading and writing. The test students need to take if they wish to apply to enrol in the Australian tertiary education system, at a TAFE or university, is the academic test.
The academic test is also a prerequisite for people who are seeking to have their international qualifications recognised in Australia with a view to gaining employment.
Other applicants, such as people who want to find work in Australia (except in the professional fields) or who intend to migrate to Australia, need to take either the general training test or the life skills test, depending on their intentions.
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The format for the IELTS exam is comprehensive with a wide variety of task types, for each section of the test, including:
- multiple choice
- matching
- labelling
- summaries and explanations
- oral interview
- speech.
There is more detailed information online on the official IELTS website.
The IELTS test rankings range from zero through to nine, with nine being native speaking proficiency and zero being non-user. To obtain an Australian studying visa, applicants require an overall rank of at least six. Most universities have a minimum general admission prerequisite of six in IELTS, although certain degrees require a higher IELTS rank. An overall average ranking of six must also be accompanied by minimum individual test scores — usually around 5.5. The same condition applies to different degrees.
There are over fifty IELTS testing centres throughout Australia, from Perth in the west to Adelaide in the south and Sydney on the east coast. Each of these determines set dates for the administration of the IELTS test. Students can choose the date of their tests as well as the location. There is no requirement for students who wish to be based in Brisbane for university to actually take their IELTS test in Brisbane. The IELTS exam can be taken anywhere, including online. Most testing locations offer two test types: paper-based and computer-delivered.
If you do the computer-delivered (online) exam, your results are generally processed in three to five days. For the paper-based exam, results take longer to process — ten days to two weeks. Some testing centres only offer either the paper-based exam or the computer-delivered exam. If you have a preference, or if you're in a hurry to receive your results, it would be a good idea to check what is available at your closest centre.
There are five testing centres in Brisbane and a further two nearby, on the Gold Coast.
Tips for IELTS Preparation
The IELTS test is not free to take, so you'll want to do as much preparation as you can to get the results you want the first time.
You're likely to already be familiar with how to best prepare for exams, and probably have an arsenal of strategies that work for you. Tap into these. If your preparation is most effective when you're working with a study buddy — find one. If your best preparation happens when you write everything down — do this. Find what works for you.
Other ways you can improve your IELTS preparation include:
- going online to the official IELTS website and downloading practice questions and the information book
- regularly completing practice tests
- covering speaking, listening, reading and writing in equal amounts — they are all important
- asking for help when you're not sure
- crosschecking the answers in the practice materials with your answers
- analysing and learning from the assessor's comments in the practice materials
- working on your time management skills
- talking to other students who have experience with IELTS preparation and the exam; they'll have great hints and tips to help you improve.
Even if you prefer to study alone, enrolling in an IELTS preparation class or getting coaching from a tutor for a short period can be useful as it will give you fresh ideas and a differing perspective.
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The Best IELTS Classes Near Me
Enrolling in a specialised class or series of lessons with a tutor or teacher who has experience with the exam is probably the best way to prepare for your upcoming exam.
Why?
Everything you do and learn in the class is going to be based on the content of the exam and the speaking, listening, reading and writing skills you are going to need to pass. In addition to having direct access to teachers with experience, you are also going to be surrounded by other students with similar goals and the same drive to learn and improve. That alone is motivating but you are also likely to make great friends out of the experience who will continue to support you during your time at university — even if they're not doing the same course as you.
So, how do you find these classes?
A quick online search for 'IELTS classes near me' will net you pages of classes in and around your area, whether you're in Brisbane or interstate in Melbourne or perhaps Canberra. As with the test itself, you don't need to enrol in classes in Brisbane just because you want to go to university there. All classes have the same focus and goal.
But, if you do happen to be in Brisbane, here are a few 'IELTS classes near me' to get you started.
Browns English Language School
This language school has a campus in Brisbane and another on the Gold Coast. The course runs for up to 24 weeks and is designed at an intermediate level; for learners who have already achieved a score of 5 but need a higher score to apply for university and get into the degree they want to study.
The course is intensive, involving 20 hours a week in class plus at least five hours of review and homework. Teachers provide one-on-one feedback and academic counselling.
Queensland Academy of Technology (QAT)
The classes at QAT have a strong focus on the development of skills and strategies to manage the test conditions and content. They run a regular 'mock exam' from which students gain experience in a testing situation and can analyse their answers to focus on the areas they need to improve. The classes require 20 hours of commitment per week and a minimum IELTS level of 4.
TAFE Queensland
TAFE Queensland offers two courses, one for people preparing for the academic exam and the other for students preparing for the general training exam. Upon completing the courses, students will have reached at least the minimum level required for immigration or study.
Can I learn with a private tutor instead?
You certainly can, in fact, for many people, coaching from a private tutor is the best way to learn as the lessons are targeted at your individual needs.
Check out the Superprof online platform where there are several thousand tutors who have specialist experience in IELTS coaching. Most tutors offer face-to-face lessons, online lessons and small group classes. With so many options, you are sure to find a tutor who can help you achieve the score you need to apply for the university and course of your choice.
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