Our IELTS experience

One week before April 7, IDP emailed both me and my husband about our schedule. They emailed us first thing Monday and informed us that our speaking test would happen on Wednesday, April 4 at Marco Polo Ortigas. He is scheduled to have it at 8:50 while I would have it at 10:50.

Both of us were so tense that we were not able to sleep. We woke up at 4 am and decided to get ready. We left the house at 6 am to ensure that we would be in Ortigas before 8am.

To be honest, we were not able to really practice as both of us were so busy with work even though we allotted one month for review. Upon arriving home, time was usually spent with our baby E. I guess this is one of the reasons why we are so tense.

During the speaking test, we were asked about a specific topic and we are allowed to talk about it. The interviewer would give follow-up questions to ensure that the candidate would continue to talk about it. There were also some topics that we need to discuss under a specific time limit.

I think I finished by a little after 11am. Hubby waited for me so we were out of the venue by lunch.

Saturday, April 7, is our chosen exam date. The venue assigned to us was at AIM Center in Makati. Instruction was to be at the venue no later than 8:00 am for the 9:00 am start.

We arrived at Greenbelt at around 6:30, and since we were less tense now compared to the speaking test, we were even able to enjoy our breakfast at Mcdonald's 😁

The Registration
We were at the venue at 7:30 and they were still setting up. There were actually a lot of us already at the venue that early. I guess all of us were afraid to be late.

We were amongst the first to register and go inside the testing room. We brought the same ID we used to register, the same as the speaking test. Bringing a different ID would mean no test. In the venue, our name was assigned to a seat and table. Hubby was actually far from me so I have no idea how they arranged our name. I am not sure if it was alphabetical since my passport used my maiden name so it was still different from hubby's. Once inside, we waited for an hour for all the seats to be filled in.  Belatedly I realized that we should have allowed the others to get into the room first. You see, once you get inside the testing room, you are no longer allowed to step outside.

The actual test
The test started at exactly 9 am, and finished at 12 noon. We started with the listening test with an allotted time of 40 minutes. They provided headphones and I really needed to listen very carefully. Some of the statements were actually confusing. Also, all statements were said only once. We answered on the test booklet, then we were given 10 minutes to transfer everything to the answer sheet.

Then the reading test was actually for an hour. This time we were given some paragraphs on a certain topic, then some questions after. Again, we have to read very carefully. We have to really understand what the topic was. I actually finished early, then had time to re-read the tests. I changed some of my answers during this time. So when I submitted the test, I almost did not know if I answered correctly. 😔

Lastly, the writing test which would last for an hour. There were actually just 2 topics to be answered for an hour. The first topic should be answered in 150 words while the second one should be with 250 words. This was challenging because it has been so long since I wrote anything that long! I mean, most of us use the computer to type now. So it is easy to change items or thoughts in the middle. But the test required that we use a pencil! So longhand, it is.

After the test, it was announced that the results would be released on April 20. Two weeks of waiting! Results can be picked up at the IDP office. Since we also nominated our cellphone numbers, the results would also be texted to us.

I can hardly wait. I felt pretty confident. But I am really hoping to get high scores.

The Results
Come April 20, at 3 am, I have been checking their websites but no results were given. Finally, at 9am, the text came.

My score: Listening 7.5, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0, Speaking 7.0 for an overall band score of 7.0.

The website also gave a preview of the test scores and explained what each score meant. It also gave pointers for improvement.

To be honest I felt disappointed because I really wanted higher scores. I have been reading that higher scores would give higher points in the Comprehensive Ranking System. Still, I am thankful that scores were enough for me to enter the express entry ( I think).

So I suggest that anyone who would be taking the IELTS to practice, practice, practice. Unlike my husband and I. We actually were not able to do any review because we were swamped with work leading to the exam. So we are still thankful that we were able to get good enough marks.  (I actually downloaded practice booklets from here but was really unable to practice). 

One requirement done. Now we just need to wait for the results of my ECA so we can start our express entry profile.