A good friend of mine met a beautiful Philippina, and he is bringing her back on a Fiancee visa. Dose any one know of a good English test book she can buy in Manila, there is one one but she don't know the title of the book. She needs the book pretty sharpish. what level of English would she need to know ? Cheers Jim.
Not sure on books. I'd be more inclined to use the appropriate practice tests online to see what her level is at. Chances are, there is no need for anything books or major preparation. If he can have a very simple basic conversation with her, then she should pass very easily. A1 is about 3 on THE IELTS band and so the description for band 3 should give you some idea of what level she is at: Fluency and coherence • speaks with long pauses • has limited ability to link simple sentences • gives only simple responses and is frequently unable to convey basic message Lexical resource • uses simple vocabulary to convey personal information • has insufficient vocabulary for less familiar topics Grammatical range and accuracy • attempts basic sentence forms but with limited success, or relies on apparently memorised utterances • makes numerous errors except in memorised expressions Pronunciation • shows some of the features of Band 2 and some, but not all, of the positive features of Band 4 Which are, Band 2: • speech is often unintelligible Band 4: • uses a limited range of pronunciation features • attempts to control features but lapses are frequent • mispronunciations are frequent and cause some difficulty for the listener
Hi Jim, The UKBA site states that, "In the test, you will need to demonstrate a basic command of English (speaking and listening) at level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference Someone assessed at level A1 can understand and use simple, everyday expressions and very basic phrases. You will not need to demonstrate your reading and writing skills. The minimum standard that you must meet is in speaking and listening at level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference. " Whatever any of us feel about this crazy procedure, the fact remains that she cannot secure UK settlement without a pass certificate for this English Test Do remember that UKBA currently only requires a very basic level (A1) for Speaking and Listening. There is no reading or writing or grammar testing at all. All of the various English tests are quite expensive. In the region of about P7000 - P8500 You really need to find a test centre that offers an appropriate test at reasonable cost, close to where your wife live. Many of these test centres also arrange review classes for those whose self-confidence needs a boost. UKBA requires applicants to pass ANY English Language test that meets or exceeds the A1 level of the European Common framework. There are a number of different tests that can be taken, and a number of Approved Providers and test-centres but they must be on the UKBA approved listing. Please look here for the new approved listing from UKBA for providers of English language courses and tests. A trusted resource and great information for the English Language Test at A1 levels may be found here Hopkins is part of the ETS network and also listed on the latest UKBA approved providers. They can also provide extra review sessions which may be helpful if a confidence boost is needed For anyone who is interested in checking out some online tests or self-assessments, FREE, here are some links. (Hope they still function) http://www.goalsci.com/elsaDemoTests/tests/writing.html http://www.goalsci.com/elsaDemoTests/tests/reading.html http://www.goalsci.com/elsaDemoTests/tests/listening.html http://www.goalsci.com/elsaDemoTests/tests/speaking.html Just keep hitting the next button until the tests begin. These tests are representative of A1 level and will hopefully help to increase the self-confidence of anyone with doubts. Remember it's only the speaking and listening tests that are required to meet UKBA requirements. Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to give you as much info as possible so you can choose which resources to share with your wife. If she will only try some online tests I'm sure she will feel much more confident and secure. By the way the IELTS is a very good test, but be aware that it's lowest score of band 4 is actually at B1 level. This is higher than the demanded A1 level. Just be informed that UKBA will require minimum score of 4 and will not accept anything less. Hope this helps
Thank you both for the very helpful post. Its my friends fiancee that's coming to England. I will pass this on to her. Thank you again, much appreciated.
