12/01/2024
My experiment with 2 IELTS candidates – from 3 bands to 4.5 bands in a week!
The one word that has always been an important part of my work as an IELTS trainer has been “exposure”. I’ve always urged my students to learn English as opposed to “learning IELTS” and in order to do this I have always talked to them regarding the significance of exposure while learning a language.
Recently, I noticed 2 students who had been struggling with their IELTS preparations. Most trainers had sadly given up on them as they were never able to score above 3- 3.5 bands in any module. The students themselves were terrified of English and were not willing to show any vulnerability. They came to class, attended the lectures, went home; no improvement whatsoever.
Fortunately, I had a slow week ahead and I decided to spend time with these students in order to “expose” them. During the course of the week, I did nothing extraordinary; I simply spend 5 hours a day with them. What did I do? I started talking to them in English; non-stop might I add, reading aloud to them in English and watching a couple of my favourite sitcoms with them on Netflix.
We just spend time together and the only language that surrounded us was English. In the very beginning they were dazed. I told them that I did not need them to do anything except listen intently. I told them that for the next few days you must listen to everything that I say with the utmost concentration, almost akin to meditating on the words they were hearing. This seemed reasonably easy and the students began to take in the language with remarkable attentiveness. As I read passages aloud to them, I slowly started explaining to them the meaning of words that we would come across.
Soon, the students began to talk to me! That felt like a victory, because when I had asked them to speak to me in only English, they had initially gone absolutely quiet! But how long were they going to sit there, not talking to me at all. I call this part of my experiment “compulsion”. Every human has the innate need to express themselves and the only language that they were allowed to do this was in was English!
By the end of the week, they were atleast somewhat familiar with English and not surprisingly their bands had gone up to 4 – 4.5. I plan to spend the next week with them as well, and this week I intent to get them to speak more and be more active in the learning process.
Bottom- line for IELTS/ PTE/ TOEFL trainers is to somehow find a way to surround their students with English. The mind will do its job, and your students will invariably pick up the language when you leave them no choice.
Ease them into it, be empathetic but gradually bombard all of their senses with English, and you will see unprecedented results in IELTS!
So, for all IELTS and ELT trainers out there, any ideas on how I should spend the next week with them? Suggest in comments and help me help them!
