ESL EXAMS

Many government agencies, corporations and schools will ask you to take theESL (English s a Second Language) Exam. This will check your ability to read, write, understand, listen to, and speak English.

There are 3 kinds of ESL Exams: General English, Business English, and Academic English

GENERAL ENGLISH ESL EXAMS

The most well known ESL Exam is the Cambridge Main Suite. About 1.5 million people from as many as 135 countries take this test every year.

The Cambridge Main Suite is composed of 5 different exams of varying difficulty. The easiest are the Key English Test (KET) and the Preliminary English Test (PET).

Both tests are required in order to qualify for the higher level exams, though they may be sufficient to gain entry to the smaller companies and schools. There are only three kinds of grades: Pass With Merit, Pass, and Fail.

The third test is the First Cetificate in English or the FCE, which is often required for those who want to get a work visa or qualify for a job in another country. However, the Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) is usually required by the more prestigious companies and universities. The highest, and hardest, exam is the Certificate of Proficiency in English or CPE, and is needed to qualify to become an English teacher.

You may also get a Cambridge Certificate in English Language Skills or CELS which measure individual reading, writing, listening and speaking abilities.

BUSINESS ENGLISH

The most renowned certification for Business English skills is the TOEIC or Test of English for International Communication. This is given by the Educational Testing Service or ETC. It is often required by schools or government agencies, not only for hiring, but for promoting employees or determining if they should be sent to offices or branches in another country. Some schools, on the other hand, will ask for the TOEIC as a requirement for graduation.

Cambridge also gives the Business English Certificates (BEC). Unlike the Cambridge Main Suite it is primarily concerned with your ability to use the language in a business setting. Another alternative is the The Business Language Testing Service or BULATS.

ACADEMIC ENGLISH

For those who want to study in a university, the TOEFL is the recognized authority in academic English. This test is required by over 5000 universities in ninety different countries.

Cambridge also gives the International English Language Testing System, or IELTS, which is also recognized by schools, immigration, and employees.

The older you are, the harder it is to learn another language. A toddler will pick up a language almost effortlessly; in fact, studies show that with enough exposure, it’s possible for a child to speak four or five languages at the same time, just by hearing it spoken constantly by an adult.

However, by the age of six or seven, learning a language takes hard work, a lot of practice, and a great deal more discipline and concentration. Aside from just exposure, we will also have to study the rules of a language through textbooks and drills.

This doesn’t mean that our ability to learn a language disappears; it just becomes more conscious. It is still possible to learn five languages (in fact, many scholars will take up several in order to study a text in its original) but the study has to be rigorous. And that’s what turns many people away from the idea of learning another language, even if it’s something like English.

There are many benefits to learning English, but the benefits are often clouded under the confusing structure and idiomatic structures of the language. Take heart! Not only are there numerous English language classes available, but the books, movies, websites and reading material offer plenty of opportunity to practice.

The key is to focus on the rewards of learning. And that lies outside of the textbooks. Surround yourself with the language, see it spoken in all its musicality and richness. That is why young children learn so fast. They don’t equate language with drills and rules, but as an opportunity to communicate and to discover new things about the world around them. In other words, they see the fun of learning a language.

If you are bored by the books open in front of you, take a break. Watch a Hollywood movie—see how much more amazing it is when you’re not trapped by watching the sub titles, which often lose so much in the translation? Or go on a website and talk to other English speakers on discussion forums. You’ll find that by interacting with other people, being rewarded for your efforts by making a new friend (or even setting up a date!), you’ll hit he books with more excitement and enthusiasm.

The best way to understand the structure of a language is through grammar drills. However, to fully appreciate a language and become fluent in it, you need exposure. You need to hear it, speak it, and be able to process the information at real-time speed.

There are plenty of opportunities to do that in the real world. The more times you venture out to practice your growing English skills, the faster you will learn. You will also find the process more enjoyable and rewarding.

Watch children’s shows

Understandably, the first two to six weeks of learning a language are very difficult. You do not have the vocabulary or a strong enough understanding of the grammar structures to fully comprehend what is going on. One way of practicing your skills without feeling completely overwhelmed is to watch children’s shows.
These programs are designed for young learners, so the pace of the language is slow and the pictures provide valuable context clues. Also, watch these programs again and again. This will help you catch the cadence of the language or see how certain words are pronounced.

Watch movies…with subtitles

Many language learners will learn how to read another language before mastering how to listen or speak it. That’s because written text is easier to understand, since you have time to translate the words to your own tongue and think of a proper response.

One way of building your comprehension while preparing yourself for speaking or hearing the language is to watch movies with subtitles. This lets you listen to a language while reading it, so you can see how words are pronounced, the proper tones and which syllables are stressed, or even correct accents.

There are a number of skills here that you can’t get from just reading a language. Knowing which words in a sentence are stressed can really help in making yourself understood.

Read, read, read

One of the most important aspects of learning a language is to build your vocabulary. Reading a dictionary doesn’t help. It’s more effective to learn useful phrases, which is a more practical and is easier to remember. You can do this by reading books so you can see the language at work, and then be able to refer to a dictionary if you encounter an unfamiliar word.