IELTS or A1 its really confusing me..

[mariecatubo]

hello,
its really confusing... i went to the office the other day the authorized test center in Cagayan de Oro, and i was supposed to take an A1 level english exam, but they told me the policy change..
the A1 is not valid anymore started last august, and some applicant there had A1 level already, they have to take another english exam again and now IELTS will approved...so i have to review for that IELTS for a month as they says IELTS is harder than A1 before...and my review will start tomorow ...(sighs)...is it true that only IELTS now or not?? or maybe A1 still ok? so i can withdraw my money back and take an A1 straight away instead..

[lastlid]

I really feel for you as it is so annoying and frustrating. And they change things so quickly without much in the way of explanation. I dont know the answer to your question but I am sure someone on the forum will know.

What I do know (my wife took the Hopkins TOEIC test in Manila) is that A1 is just a level of passing, almost like a grade. So she had to pass her TOEIC exam at the A1 level or higher.

The whole test was set at a much higher level than required for the UKBA and all she had to do was to pass at the lower A1 level, which she did, but it is also possible to pass at any one level on a series of higher levels.

I dont know if it is similar for IELTS. I think it is. What I dont know is whether the course you are embarking on is acceptable to the UKBA anymore. I am dizzy with all of the changes that are made.

[kallen]

hello,
its really confusing... i went to the office the other day the authorized test center in Cagayan de Oro, and i was supposed to take an A1 level english exam, but they told me the policy change..
the A1 is not valid anymore started last august, and some applicant there had A1 level already, they have to take another english exam again and now IELTS will approved...so i have to review for that IELTS for a month as they says IELTS is harder than A1 before...and my review will start tomorow ...(sighs)...is it true that only IELTS now or not?? or maybe A1 still ok? so i can withdraw my money back and take an A1 straight away instead..

hi mariecatubo...you can take an english language test in any UKBA approved test provider...and you should not get a band score lower than A1 on Listening & Speaking Test ( which mean Breakthrough or beginner on Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)...instead you must meet or exceed level A1...i took an english language test with IELTS also last August 13, 2011 here in Bacolod City... but on my situation it was a rushed because British Council only conduct every other 2 months of IELTS exam in our place...so what i did i enrolled in one of the IELTS Review Center here for P5,500 enrollment fee (unlimited review) and P8,640 for the IELTS Exam...but i just got 9 days to review before the Exam day...i got 5 hour of review from tuesday - saturday...so what i did is i told my reviewer to review me more on listening and speaking because that two are the most important...at first i find it difficult on listening but i study all the strategy on how to get a high band score...and during the exam i just relax my mind and concentrate on the exam...and i am so happy and satisfied with the result....by the way here is the IELTS Band Score List:

CEFR LEVEL IELTS BAND SCORE
C2 8.5 - 9.0
C1 6.5 - 8.0
B2 5.0 - 6.0
B1 4.0 - 5.0
A2 3.5 - 4.0
A1 3.0 - 1 - 0

more better if you get a high band score than A1...you can get the result after 13 days from the exam date...hope this can help you...

[Terpe]

mariecatubo,

Plenty of people have taken IELTS and scored enough for UKBA.
Please be aware that with IELTS you will need to score 4.0 or more to satisfy UKBA