Dealing With Matching Headings
By Sokuntharoath Chum
The Guided Individual Learning Centre (GILC) Talk “Dealing with Matching Headings” was presented at Samdech Pan Campus. Speaker Sokuntharoath Chum provided an informative session on the topic. The semester 3 round of talks had strong attendance and reflected the popularity of these events.
The talk was specifically about dealing with Matching Headings question type in IELTS Reading as well as guiding students to choose the right reading materials in the GILC to fulfil their own purposes. The main reason I chose this topic was I have been struggling with this reading question type for ages. I want to help students to successfully overcome difficulties as I did.
The highlight of the presentation was on common problems, practical strategies to deal with Matching Headings and some practice after that. One of the important techniques that I talked was about how to locate main ideas because that is what Matching Headings are all about, testing your ability to understand the main ideas. Students were given some time to figure out the correct headings for each paragraph. The purpose was to get students to put the strategies into practice. Near end of the talk, I also included a brief coverage of the reading resources that are available in the GIL Centre so as to guide them to choose the right materials to learn and practise. After the presentation, students were asked to recall all the practical strategies that they have learned from my talk. They were also welcomed to ask questions.
After the talk, I strongly felt that the audience, especially prospective IELTS test takers, would be able to overcome the difficulties when dealing with this type of question. Achieving a high band score does not only depend on practising, but also using the right techniques. I hope that they find these strategies useful and can apply them effectively in their test. I also expect that they can make the best use of the GILC’s reading resources to cater to their needs and improve their reading skills.
Unlocking the Mystery of T/F/NG and Y/N/ NG
By Hangkruy Lim
This Guided Individual Learning Centre (GILC) Talk looked at a challenging task for IELTS test takers. Many candidates find the True/False/Not Given (T/F/NG) and Yes/No/Not Given (Y/N/NG) question types problematic. ACE Resource Manager and Teacher Hangkruy Lim conducted this session to provide advice and tips on how to tackle these types of questions.
The session started with a warm up to understand students’ perceptions of IELTS Reading. This was then linked to extensive reading resources such as newspapers and magazines. Next, students were guided towards T/F/NG and Y/N/ NG question types.
Students were then given the overview information of T/F/NG which tests student’s ability to comprehend a factual passage about specific facts or discovery in order to let them decide if the statements are reporting the information correctly or incorrectly.
Later, the participants were given the overview of the second question type, Y/N/NG, which is similar, but mostly used to test student’s ability to comprehend the writer’s argument or where different ideas are compared or analysed.
After that, students were provided with the opportunity to analyse statements and identify the keywords which will then be used to locate where the answer in the passage should be.
Finally, students were given two texts to practice the question types on their own and were encouraged to come to the GILC and talk with a Language Learning Advisor (LLA) for feedback and answer keys.
These tips and suggestions should be very useful for students as they will be able to better decide on the statements and become more independent learners.
From this session, students should be able to understand each question type clearly, to have the ability to analyse and comprehend statements, to have the ability to select the correct keywords, to improve their scanning skills and speed, to analyse and comprehend the answer area to decide on the answer.
Students should also become independent learners. To achieve this they should get advice from our LLAs in the GILC.
How to up the band score in IELTS speaking
By Sovichea Ly
This GILC Talk was conducted in the form of a workshop which covered both theory and practice. There were two parts to the seminar which covered IELTS Speaking Part 1 and Part 2.
In the first part, the audience had a chance to watch a video of an actual IELTS speaking test of a not-so-good speaker and to analyse the candidate’s mistakes. After listening to some feedback, I showed the audience some simple and practical tips and techniques which could be used to improve a candidate’s situation during the test. We then practiced the newly-learnt tips and the same process was used with speaking part 2.
The main reason that I chose this topic was the speaking test is perceived as a big obstacle and nerve-racking situation for some learners, yet for me it is the best opportunity to improve your score and change the overall band result.
Having equipped themselves with the tips and techniques, students will be able to walk confidently into the test room, knowing that they are going to get a better and satisfying result. Plus, after the talk, students would have an altered perception of the speaking test. Hopefully, they will view it differently and be less intimidated by it.
What I enjoyed most during the talk was the great participation from the audience. They learnt a great deal out of the talk since there was one part which they played the role as examiners and tried to identify as many mistakes as possible that the speaker made in the video. It was a bit like a treasure hunt.
Listen For The Key
By Movida Ly
This GILC Talk was titled Listen for the Key, simply because it was mostly about useful tips for the IELTS Listening test.
During my talk, I shared with the audience my journey in improving my listening skills. At the start of the talk, I showed them that I also used to struggle with listening due to the difficulty of having to listen to people with different accents and the more difficult tasks in the listening test.
I had to write down all the answers while focusing hard on listening to the tape and hoping to hear an answer. However, telling them about those difficulties was not the point. The focus was to encourage those who thought that listening is not a skill that can be improved by practice alone. In fact, there are still lots of ways they can improve their listening.
So I discussed with the audience some useful tips for the IELTS Listening test. My first point was about the question types that usually appear on the test and how they work. I then talked about the basic steps that are being used for almost all types of listening questions. I also included tips for common types of questions that I think some students are struggling with. I pointed out some useful material for practice and mentioned ACE’s LLA program to the students that are new to the GIL Centre. And last but not least, we discussed some advanced notices for the IELTS listening test.
The reason that I chose this topic was that I have seen many students who are not getting their practice method right. I thought that if they kept practicing the wrong way then they would not get the high score they wanted in IELTS. So, I thought I could help by sharing my experience and some useful methods I have found for practicing for the exam.
Writing to See Improvement Rather Than Perfection
By Morika Ra
This GIL Centre Talk focused on IELTS writing skills, specifically Task 2. I divided the talk into two main parts: general tips and my personal studying methods.
In the first half of the presentation, I covered general tips for time management, keeping calm, working out the topic, and overcoming the infamous writer’s block. For time management, I suggested the audience work on task 2 first rather than task 1. Since task 2 requires a lot of critical thinking and makes up 75% of the final writing points, I find that it is more efficient to start on it first. Another point I made was to not spend too much time looking at the clock as it can become a major distraction. Next, I mentioned writer’s block which is one of the biggest issues candidates face during writing sessions. To put it simply, writer’s block is the moment when you understand what the question is but nothing comes to mind. Besides reading a lot before the actual exam, test takers should become more confident in the tiny little ideas that do come to mind. Often, we think they aren’t correct and we tend to put them aside. In such a life and death situation, any small idea is worthwhile.
To wrap up the talk, I mentioned my personal study methods in the hope that the audience will be able to pinpoint some ideas and add them to their very own learning strategy. The first one was training your mind to think in English. The tips included: using English more often on social media and talking to yourself in English. The second was getting used to the style of descriptive writing. As a hobby of mine, I love to describe small daily life objects and imagine whole stories behind them. Hence, I presented the idea to the audience to see if someone might have the same hobby, bringing an end to the talk.
Initially, I was a bit hesitant to talk about writing as it is not my strongest field in the English language. However, every other skill already had a speaker so I had no choice but to talk about writing. Nevertheless, once I got into it, writing is a very enjoyable topic since not only am I helping others, I am also helping myself improve in writing. Last but not least, I hope my talk was able to show the upcoming IELTS takers a few tips that could help them in their IELTS.
GILC Talk Feedback
Presenter: Ly Sovichea
Topic: How To Gain One Extra Band Score In IELTS Speaking!
“The way the presenters point out the tips and give examples gives me useful information which can help me improve my speaking skills.”
— Sim Sovanny, Advanced IELTS
“The presenter is very helpful, entertaining, and his speech is easy to absorb. The talk gives me several valuable tips to work on my speaking skills.”
— Sin Sopheak, Advanced IELTS
“It benefits me and other students who have never taken an IELTS test before because the speaker points out mistakes and what I should do during the speaking test.”
— Hean Sokchea, IELTS Preparation Course
“The Speaker is friendly and he teaches me well. I guess the talk does have an influence on my speaking skills and I might improve a lot.”
— Chey Nalin, GEP 12
“I can understand more tips and get rid of common mistakes which are used by candidates. Plus, I think it definitely improves my speaking skills so that I can be ready to take the exam soon.”
— Chim Lykeang, GEP 11A
Presenter: Tang Chisen
Topic: Listening Is Not Hearing!
“I like the listening part. It’s such a very good opportunity for me to get more methods from one who has experienced the IELTS test.”
— Thaong Povpisa, GEP 7A
Presenter: Ra Morika
Topic: Writing to see improvement rather than perfection
“I like writing the most because it gives me a lot of tips to improve the skills that I’m not good at, and it helps me to boost my confidence before participating in IELTS in the future.”
— Vuth Veronica, GEP 10
Overall Feedback for Both Presenters
“They talked so cheerfully by making some jokes, and they gave us time to ask questions. After joining their talk, I am more motivated to practice more to improve my skills.”
— Te Sivhong, GEP 11B
“I like the main point and their explanation because they explained each point clearly and they made me feel positive. That makes me feel like my English will improve.”
— Sam Kimchhe, GEP 8
“The tips and tricks to deal with listening and writing skills will help to improve my thinking and encourage me to do more practice in order to get a better band score in IELTS.”
— Lek Bunheng, Business Writing 3, Diploma Course
Hou X Leang
Topic: Conquering Matching Headings and Summary Completion In IELTS Readings
“He is very informative, and he suggested a lot of tips and useful material which I can use to improve my IELTS preparation and skills.”
— Sin Sopheak, Advanced IELTS
“I like the beneficial tips for matching heading section because they will improve the speed of my reading.”
— Teng Guech Nay, EAP 3
“I found it really useful to listen to the explanation about reading tips and the suggestions concerning books and websites which I will use to practice more. I think the talk helped me understand the reading skill more clearly.”
— Prom Sobunsak, GEP 11B
“It’s such a friendly talk and the presenter made me feel comfortable. His useful tips will help me prepare for my test.”
— Sdeung Ouk Sovannarith, GEP 12
Presenter: Tang Porsiem
Topic: Is confidence the key?
“The most interesting part is about speaking skills. It’s a good chance to meet the good presenter to guide me about some programmes and the way to improve my bad points.”
— Srun Kim Eng, GEP 9A
Second Presenter: Ly Movida
Topic: Listen for the key
“She gives me new and interesting tips with good examples, and she makes me feel more confident because the benefits that I get from her talk can actually improve my skills.”
— Takvirak Bunnavatthana, GEP11B
Overall Feedback for Both Presenters
“I leant the tips to get a better score in IELTS from speakers’ experiences when they took the exam. They gave me some new tips that I missed and they made me feel less worried although I cannot speak like a native speaker.”
— Sokkhea Gechny, GEP 12
“I’m really into their speaking (the way they talked) and I like their useful tips. Because the talk mostly focused on IELTS preparation and I’m doing it, I found the presentation really beneficial to get me ready for the upcoming test.”
— Tith Sreypin, GEP 12