The British Council does not list them as a language school or a test centre for the IELTS examinations - merely a registration agent and review centre for those wishing to take the IELTS exam with the British Council... http://www.britishcouncil.org/agents_profile_webupdated_13.04.11.pdf The advert makes no claim that Worldwise is an IELTS school or an IELTS test centre; any claims in the advert wholly agree with what the British Council say about them, so it seems legitimate to me.
Kuya... I did not know that the British Council used agents to register people for their exams; the British Council never told me of any agents when I enquired about my loved one taking a test to A1 standard with them. In fact, the British Council could not even advise on which tests they had available that met or exceeded the A1 test. I am very wary of that schools/test centres may be bogus and I certainly have serious doubts about one such test centre in Cebu. Please let me know how your loved one gets on at Worldwise and if there are any fees to pay to Worldwise for their services. You will see from the link I provided, there are other agents in Cebu acting on behalf of the British Council.
Hmmm... I think before Joy heads in there I want to know what they will do for the money - and there is money involved, and about 4,800 pesos to my knowledge
I assume they must be doing more than just registration for that fee? If she does not require a 'review' she can send the money for free to the British Council. Here is the info... http://www.britishcouncil.org/phili...s-test-takers-how-do-i-register-for-ielts.htm
I found a more up-to-date link of review centres/registration agents for the IELTS test in Cebu. I updated the link in my earlier post but here it is again... http://www.britishcouncil.org/agents_profile_webupdated_13.04.11.pdf There are now a total of 11 review centres/registration agents in Cebu for the IELTS exam, that are recognised by the British Council.
Just an observation here. As I've said before IELTS has both General and Academic, both are not exactly easy, and are well above the required standard for visa entry. Care should be taken that the IELTS standard is achievable by the candidates. No offence meant.
I would certainly not recommend the IELTS test if all you want to do is to take a test at the mimimum level required for entry into the UK. But, many people want to take a test at a higher level in order to have better job prospects in the UK or to further their studies here. In some cases it may just be easier to find a test provider for IELTS than at the basic A1 level. In Cebu, there seems to be a choice of IELTS with the British Council or a true A1 level test with a dubious test provider. For that reason alone, I have suggested to my fiancee that she takes IELTS with the British Council. My fiancee is a former English teacher in the Philippines so I know she will have little problem with the IELTS test, though I am not sure what level she may achieve on that test. As I understand it, IELTS has no 'fail' grade but it is ungraded below B1 on the common european framework.
From a very small selction of Phills all from the same area of Laguna those who have taken the Ielts and passed at 6.5 or higher seem to have done ok once here or in a English speaking country from the off. These include Nurses, dentists, carers, students and Spouses among others. While just getting the pass is important for the Visa. It is worth having in the back pocket a decent Ilets pass as only a few months back the Wife used her Ilets Certficate as proof of English language (normally an employer asks for a C or D in English at GCSE or GCE level) and has previously in the past aided her getting a Job (Retail). Found this example of how Ilets and GCSE compare This is how IELTS works 9 = A* in English GCSE. 8.5 and 8 = A in English GCSE 7.5 and 7 = B in English GCSE 6.5 and 6 = C in English GCSE However most universities would not accept anything lower than a 6.5 overall (and some good universities would ask for at least 6 in each component as well). Depending on what course is this that you want to do, I’d say C in English GCSE is enough for most courses at most universities but you can do IELTS as well if any university that you apply need more than a C in English GCSE. My brother did English GCSE when he was in high school and he got a C but he needed a B (I think) for his course (Medicine) so he did IELTS and got 7.5. When he did his UCAS he put the English GCSE and the IELTS and he got all his 4 places. With HR selction being semi automated with checklist for many jobs not giving them something to tick for a pass in English will have you rejected straight off.
