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Article: Students fall short on Vocabulary | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5009 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes  Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 289 of 319 29 April 2014 at 9:48pm | IP Logged |
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While "inflating the last point" may make your test performance appear to be above your
"real level", there is the opposite danger as well. The exams and their formats vary significantly. For exemple, I think you could go to the cambridge exams and pass just because of your language level without the specific preparation for the exam format (I was quite close to this extreme). It is a disadvantage but it is much more doable than the same thing for the DELF/DALF exams. So, always prepare for the particular exam as much as you can. It is not "cheating", it is a way to make sure your language skills are seen and recognized. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6597 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 290 of 319 30 April 2014 at 12:06pm | IP Logged |
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Yes, ideally you reach the level first and then prepare specifically for the exam.
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| s_allard Triglot Senior Member Canada Joined 5430 days ago 2704 posts - 5425 votes Speaks: French*, English, Spanish Studies: Polish | Message 291 of 319 01 May 2014 at 4:48pm | IP Logged |
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Although I've argued that measuring vocabulary for preparing language tests is a waste of time, I do believe in
the importance of studying vocabulary. The question is what vocabulary should one study. One reads here that you need a huge vocabulary because you never know what subject may come up in test. I've tried to debunk this myth by pointing out that the tests are not highly specialized. The topics may be specific but the discussion is of a general nature. I found this site with a practice exam for the IELTS equivalent of the C2 level. IELTS Speaking Exam Here is the subject of the test: Look at the topic below for one minute. You may make notes if you wish Talk about yourself having a healthy lifestyle. Please say: What stops you from having a healthy lifestyle? What are the disadvantages of not having a healthy lifestyle? What can you do in order to have a healthier lifestyle? The really interesting part is the sample answer. If you look at the vocabulary used, there is nothing particularly technical. No mention of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, obesity, metabolic rate, or anything very specialized. The words used are very common. What is apparent is good accent, fluency, no mistakes and native-like constructions of the speaker. Exactly what the examiners are looking for. I believe that lots of general reading, especially newspapers and magazines, plus lots of practice with a tutor will take care of the vocabulary. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6597 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 292 of 319 01 May 2014 at 6:44pm | IP Logged |
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IELTS was not created with the CEFR in mind though. It's merely an equivalent. The sample text looks more like B2 to me. Except that a B2 learner could get away with some mistakes.
More importantly, this sort of words is needed in real life, whether you like it or not. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Medulin Tetraglot Senior Member Croatia Joined 4668 days ago 1199 posts - 2192 votes Speaks: Croatian*, English, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Norwegian, Hindi, Nepali | Message 293 of 319 01 May 2014 at 7:02pm | IP Logged |
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I'm sure topics of oral (and written ) exams are tailored to be exact opposite to one's education.
Since I'm a MD, I doubt I would be given topics like ''health'' or ''healthy lifestyle''. I guess I would be stuck with topics like ''Ancient philosophers and their influence on our modern society'' or ''French painters''. The same is done in TV quizzes. Edited by Medulin on 01 May 2014 at 7:04pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6597 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 294 of 319 01 May 2014 at 7:16pm | IP Logged |
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Well, at least at the Finnish exam you need to choose two topics out of 5-6. Most of the time the examiners don't even know what your area of interest is.
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| s_allard Triglot Senior Member Canada Joined 5430 days ago 2704 posts - 5425 votes Speaks: French*, English, Spanish Studies: Polish | Message 295 of 319 01 May 2014 at 9:22pm | IP Logged |
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This is actually an interesting point. Does being a specialist in a field give you a leg-up in this sort of test if a
question in your field comes up? I would think not because the test is not really about the topic itself but more about the language used to treat the topic. Judging from the sample answer given, I find it hard to see how being a specialist in a field related to health would have made a difference. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6597 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 296 of 319 01 May 2014 at 10:18pm | IP Logged |
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Those whose profession or hobby concerns the subject in question should be able to talk about that without thinking, as long as they have the linguistic means. Professionals are also used to writing general texts like that as introductions to articles/academic papers/etc.
Also, you keep on saying that they won't be testing your knowledge of the subject, therefore you don't need much vocabulary. But then why are you advocating preparation for debates/presentations? After all, that's supposed to test your language, not your debating skills. Specific vocabulary and some knowledge of the "fashionable" topics like ecology or multiculturalism are needed for the same reasons as debating skills are necessary for some exams. Edited by Serpent on 01 May 2014 at 10:26pm 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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