There are so many different standardised tests available to test your English skills: the Cambridge certificates, TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS, BULATS and, here in Japan, the Eiken/STEP test. For a lot of people, these tests are pointless. If you need the certificate to get a job or a college place, go for it. If not, read … [Read more…]
In the part II of the TOEIC test you need to listen for the best answer to a question and you choose from three possible answers. It’s easy for some people but more difficult for others. Here are some tips to help you guess responses correctly in TOEIC tests.
When you listen to people speaking it is easy to misunderstand if you are not aware of homophones (words that sound the same). This is especially true in standardised tests like TOEIC, TOEFL and IELTS but also in everyday situations as well. Some common homophones and near homophones are: ate eight blew blue check Czech … [Read more…]
Students studying academic reading, especially for standardised tests like TOEFL and IELTS frequently ask “How can I improve my academic reading?” The answer is, “Do more academic reading.” You need to look at real academic documents and analyse them for meaning. Try to insert your own subheadings and summarise the documents within 200-300 words. Underline … [Read more…]
In section VI or VII of the TOEIC test there is often a reading passage which is an advertisement or a piece of business communication to the public. One problem that students in non-English speaking countries have is not being able to find these resources easily. Today, Get Great English comes to the rescue with … [Read more…]
When you write opinion-based essays for TOEFL or IELTS, you need to keep thinking about organising your thoughts in threes. This helps you to structure your writing more effectively. When you have three thoughts to organise each part of your writing it is much easier to stay with your plan. Plan in Three Parts You … [Read more…]
Sometimes you aren’t studying English. This is certainly true when you are studying for tests like TOEIC, TOEFL and IELTS you study specialised kinds of English. What you study depends on the test. TOEIC tests English for business (as well as everyday English). TOEFL and IELTS test academic English. The best ways to study for … [Read more…]