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Ielts and Toefl preparation in Australia
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High school preparation programmes prepare students for secondary school life and many industry insiders deem this an essential stepping stone.
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The Ielts exam is recognised by all Australian universities and with most international students planning to sit the test before embarking on a degree course, preparation courses are not only a vital resource for international students but they are also a major source of income for schools. Liz Stoneman from OISE Sydney in Sydney, NSW, says, “By welcoming these students, we are meeting a strong demand in the market which is growing as the profile of the Ielts examination rises higher and higher.”
Most universities expect an Ielts score of between six and seven for entry and Peter Rogers at Kaplan Aspect Perth, WA, relates that the school offers two types of Ielts programme; Ielts foundation (for intermediate students aiming to achieve an Ielts score of 5.5) and Ielts preparation (for candidates looking to achieve a score of 6.0 or 6.5). The latter model, according to Rogers, “uses more demanding and genuine Ielts practice material” and he adds that students prefer the “rigorous, academic approach” of Ielts preparation that a general English programme doesn’t necessarily afford them.
At Langports English Language College in Brisbane, QLD, Kate Swanson, says that their decision to develop their Ielts preparation courses was an attempt to cater for the bigger academic backdrop. “We realised that [the exam] alone is not enough to prepare students for tertiary studies, which is why we created the full time, 10-week Ielts extension programme (IEP),” she says. Swanson explains that their course concentrates on academic skills and delivers instruction on writing techniques that better prepare students for tertiary education in Australia as well as the actual Ielts exam itself.
Similarly, Shido Noai at Green & Gold Day Night College in Bundall, QLD, reports that they have added EAP components to their preparation course and have also “increased the frequency of the practice test, and added two tours of local universities,” so that students can get a feel for university life while enrolled on their course.
Insearch UTS, based in Sydney, NSW, has offered Ielts since the examination’s inception in the late 80s and Rae de Rooy from the school notes that their offerings have developed to include resources such as a book and CD range (produced in conjunction with the University of Technology Sydney) and a television programme called The Study English Ielts Preparation programme which is now readily available online.
With course content being tweaked to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, providers stress that it is important that the standard of teaching does not slip, as Ian Pratt at GV Noosa in Noosa, QLD explains. “It became clear to us early on that in a crowded market, quality was always going to be the differentiating feature for us. To ensure that students were receiving the best return on their study investment, we hired qualified Ielts examiners to develop and then teach the programme,” he states.
Cheri Soto from English Language School in Sydney (Elsis), in Sydney, NSW, acknowledges that because the Ielts exam is now recognised by Australia’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship, their courses have had to develop as a consequence. “People wanting a permanent resident visa need to sit the test as well, so we need to incorporate the general training component into our courses which used to be purely academic,” she relates.
Toefl – the largely US-based proficiency test – is also accepted as an entrance exam by Australian universities, and many providers report that although they do not run Toefl preparation courses as frequently as for Ielts, they would if demand called for it. Rogers explains, “We do not run dedicated Toefl courses very often but we have a wide range of materials and expertise to offer this if student demand increases.” Meanwhile, at Brisbane-based Sarina Russo Schools Australia, Jane Roberts says, “Toefl remains a favourite [with some students] and is offered as an option class each afternoon.”
As far as nationality trends go, providers report an interesting fusion, with Koreans, Japanese and Swiss students topping the list of exam-oriented clients. But new trends are emerging and Rob Brown at ACE and ATTC (owned by Navitas) reports a surge of interest from Eastern Europe. Daniel McGeachie from English College of Adelaide in Adelaide, SA, agrees and says, “Poland has been a real growth area”. Western Europeans also seem to be taking advantage of exam courses and Pratt at GV Noosa says that although their Ielts programmes are popular with Asian students, they’ve seen real growth in French students taking the course. And Leanne Everett at Language Links in Perth, WA, notes that Latin America is an expanding market for them. “I think this is because the South American market is growing rapidly in Perth and many are long-term students, therefore, they are not just doing Elicos [English studies] but often higher education courses as well,” she affirms.
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