SLC present on IELTS and OET Test preparation to Strategic Migration Partnerships
We were delighted to have the opportunity to present to both the East of England and the South West of England Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs) on the IELTS and OET tests – what they are, why they might be important, what scores you probably need to achieve, and how to get there.
We’ve been working with the East of England SMP in particular for a number of years, providing both IELTS and OET preparation courses to groups of refugees, asylum seekers and migrant students. We’ve seen how transformative getting a good score can be – for entering higher education or registering with a professional body, such as the GMC, NMC or Social Work England.
The SMP have consistently provided generous funding for these courses, enabling students to receive 150 hours of tuition in small groups, so giving them the time and the input required to make significant progress and achieve a raft of impressive scores. In recent groups, many were hitting 7.0 in IELTS or B in OET (and higher in some cases) in their end of course mock tests. Teachers have also reported on the commitment most learners have made over what are long courses of several months.
The webinars were attended by those in the regions covered by the two SMPs who are considering taking courses when next available. The presentation focused on looking at the exam formats, what a high score looks like in practice, and how that relates to general language levels as described in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). It looked at the language focused on, so Academic and Healthcare English, and examples of these. It then discussed preparation strategies and resources and what to look for when choosing a preparation programme.
We hope very much to continue working on these programmes with the SMPs and other refugee support organisations. We’ve seen time and again the positive impact they have, the opportunities they open, and the contribution they enable test takers to make.
